Connect the Dots | Free 5e & PF2e Puzzle
Written by Claire Martin
This free puzzle can be dragged and dropped wherever you may need a puzzle in your game and customized as desired. Versions for both 5e and Pathfinder 2e are included.
If you're looking for more puzzles like this or other 5e and PF2e resources, check out our entire collection of Lair Magazine issues. This particular puzzle came from the November 2023 issue, Fiends & Flames, where you can find even more puzzles!
Connect the Dots - 5e
Difficulty: medium
This escape room-type puzzle is found in an office and features a lock with a three-digit combination. To find the combination, the characters will have to connect six dots in sequence.
A throne sits behind a large desk, scattered with documents and various glass paperweights. A metal chest sits in a corner, locked shut by a three-digit code.
The following section can be read immediately after the first or when the characters start investigating the desk and its drawers:
A scrap of paper in the bottom drawer has some notes scribbled on it in pencil: two columns of three numbered dots, like a domino, and a list of numbers in sequence.
Puzzle Features
The chest is magically sealed and anchored in place; it will not open for any spell or by brute force. It has three little panels, currently set to 000, but each rotates to any number from 0 to 9. There isn’t anything magical or out of the ordinary about the desk or note. The documents scattered across the desk seem to be letters from loved ones, bank statements, or anything relevant to the owner. Some pens and pencils are available for use as well.
Solution
The correct combination can be found by connecting the numbered dots according to the list. The sequence 1 → 2 → 6 draws out the number seven, 1 → 2 → 4 → 3 → 5 → 6 draws out the number two, and 6 → 2 → 1 → 3 → 4 draws out the number nine. If they set the combination to 729, the chest unlocks.
Hint Checks
DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana). The chest is clearly magically locked and protected. It was a popular model a few years ago that boasted the peak of security.
DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation). The character discovers the note in the bottom drawer of the desk.
DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation). The domino-shaped numbered dots remind the character of a child’s connect-the-dots book.
Customizing the Puzzle
Although this is an office setting, the chest and the note can fit in any location. The three-digit lock could also be on any other magically sealed item.
Lowering the Difficulty. If the numbers are confusing, switch the numbered domino dots out for colored dots and adjust the sequence of numbers accordingly.
Raising the Difficulty. For a little extra challenge, increase the lock to a five-digit code and adjust the sequence of numbers accordingly.
Connect the Dots - PF2e
Difficulty: medium
This escape room-type puzzle is found in an office and features a lock with a three-digit combination. To find the combination, the characters will have to connect six dots in sequence.
A throne sits behind a large desk, scattered with documents and various glass paperweights. A metal chest sits in a corner, locked shut by a three-digit code.
The following section can be read immediately after the first or when the characters start investigating the desk and its drawers:
A scrap of paper in the bottom drawer has some notes scribbled on it in pencil: two columns of three numbered dots, like a domino, and a list of numbers in sequence.
Puzzle Features
The chest is magically sealed and anchored in place; it will not open for any spell or by brute force. It has three little panels, currently set to 000, but each rotates to any number from 0 to 9. There isn’t anything magical or out of the ordinary about the desk or note. The documents scattered across the desk seem to be letters from loved ones, bank statements, or anything relevant to the owner. Some pens and pencils are available for use as well.
Solution
The correct combination can be found by connecting the numbered dots according to the list. The sequence 1 → 2 → 6 draws out the number seven, 1 → 2 → 4 → 3 → 5 → 6 draws out the number two, and 6 → 2 → 1 → 3 → 4 draws out the number nine. If they set the combination to 729, the chest unlocks.
Hint Checks
DC 15 Arcana. The chest is clearly magically locked and protected. It was a popular model a few years ago that boasted the peak of security.
DC 20 Perception. The character discovers the note in the bottom drawer of the desk.
DC 25 Society. The domino-shaped numbered dots remind the character of a child’s connect-the-dots book.
Customizing the Puzzle
Although this is an office setting, the chest and the note can fit in any location. The three-digit lock could also be on any other magically sealed item.
Lowering the Difficulty. If the numbers are confusing, switch the numbered domino dots out for colored dots and adjust the sequence of numbers accordingly.
Raising the Difficulty. For a little extra challenge, increase the lock to a five-digit code and adjust the sequence of numbers accordingly.
Get More 5e and PF2e Resources!
If you're a busy game master looking to reduce your prep time--but still run amazing games your players will love--Lair Magazine has you covered. Every month my team and I create a new issue packed with GM resources such as adventures, puzzles, traps, encounters, maps, and more. What's more, it comes for both 5e and Pathfinder 2e.
For instance, Fiends & Flames, contains puzzles, new fiendish monsters, encounters, and a three-level adventure arc.
Of course, with Lair Magazine Bundle: Issues 34-36, you'll get Fiends & Flames and two other issues: Luna & Lycan and Festivities & Famine. That's nearly 200 pages of 5e and PF2e GM resources!
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