Herbs of a Feather | 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!
Herbs of a Feather - 5e
Difficulty: easy
In this garden setting, a plant must be picked to solve a riddle.
Soft light shines through the frosted glass panes of the greenhouse. This serene ecosystem in a bubble is a place of flowering bushes, blooming trees, a small waterfall that splashes into a pond, and an entire wall of potted herbs. The wooden statue of a little girl looks up eagerly at a tree, her hand stretched upward as if to pick its fruit, while her other hand holds a basket. A question carved into the bottom of the empty basket reads: “What herb heals all?”
Puzzle Features
The two elements needed to solve this puzzle are the statue of the little girl and the wall of potted herbs. There are twelve pots, each housing a different herb: echinacea, chamomile, sage, garlic, ginger, peppermint, lavender, rosemary, thyme, turmeric, cilantro, and basil. These herbs can be picked or trimmed.
Solution
The answer to the riddle is a play on words. “Time” heals all wounds, so “thyme” must be picked and placed into the statue’s basket to solve the puzzle.
Hint Checks
DC 10 Intelligence (Nature). On a failure, the character only identifies half the herbs. On a successful roll, a character can identify nine of the twelve herbs. If they roll a 12 or higher, they successfully identify all twelve herbs. Regardless of how many herbs are identified, thyme is always one of them.
DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine). On a successful roll, the character knows all these herbs work for medicinal purposes. If they roll 13 or higher, they remember the medicinal properties of some of these herbs (e.g., chamomile commonly treats anxiety and relaxation, echinacea is common in treating or preventing colds and infections, garlic helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure, ginger is known for easing nausea and motion sickness, turmeric is considered effective against inflammation and skin diseases, etc.). If they roll a 15 or higher, they are aware of the medicinal properties of all twelve herbs, but none of them are considered a cure-all.
DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation). What if the question in the basket is a riddle?
Customizing the Puzzle
Although the setting described is a greenhouse or garden, the two necessary puzzle elements (the statue and 12 potted plants) could be placed anywhere. When the puzzle is solved correctly, the thyme may disappear from the basket, replaced by an item, or the statue could animate and point toward a secret location.
Lowering the Difficulty. To make it a little easier, have some or all the potted herbs labeled.
Raising the Difficulty. If the characters put anything other than thyme into the statue’s basket, the herb will evaporate, releasing a poison spray (DC 14) at the character that placed it in the basket.
Herbs of a Feather - PF2e
Difficulty: easy
In this garden setting, a plant must be picked to solve a riddle.
Soft light shines through the frosted glass panes of the greenhouse. This serene ecosystem in a bubble is a place of flowering bushes, blooming trees, a small waterfall that splashes into a pond, and an entire wall of potted herbs. The wooden statue of a little girl looks up eagerly at a tree, her hand stretched upward as if to pick its fruit, while her other hand holds a basket. A question carved into the bottom of the empty basket reads: “What herb heals all?”
Puzzle Features
The two elements needed to solve this puzzle are the statue of the little girl and the wall of potted herbs. There are twelve pots, each housing a different herb: echinacea, chamomile, sage, garlic, ginger, peppermint, lavender, rosemary, thyme, turmeric, cilantro, and basil. These herbs can be picked or trimmed.
Solution
The answer to the riddle is a play on words. “Time” heals all wounds, so “thyme” must be picked and placed into the statue’s basket to solve the puzzle.
Hint Checks
DC 10 Nature. On a failure, the character only identifies half the herbs. On a successful roll, a character can identify nine of the twelve herbs. If they roll a 12 or higher, they successfully identify all twelve herbs. Regardless of how many herbs are identified, thyme is always one of them.
DC 15 Medicine. On a successful roll, the character knows all these herbs work for medicinal purposes. If they roll 13 or higher, they remember the medicinal properties of some of these herbs (e.g., chamomile commonly treats anxiety and relaxation, echinacea is common in treating or preventing colds and infections, garlic helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure, ginger is known for easing nausea and motion sickness, turmeric is considered effective against inflammation and skin diseases, etc.). If they roll a 15 or higher, they are aware of the medicinal properties of all twelve herbs, but none of them are considered a cure-all.
DC 20 Society. What if the question in the basket is a riddle?
Customizing the Puzzle
Although the setting described is a greenhouse or garden, the two necessary puzzle elements (the statue and 12 potted plants) could be placed anywhere. When the puzzle is solved correctly, the thyme may disappear from the basket, replaced by an item, or the statue could animate and point toward a secret location.
Lowering the Difficulty. To make it a little easier, have some or all the potted herbs labeled.
Raising the Difficulty. If the characters put anything other than thyme into the statue’s basket, the herb will evaporate, releasing a noxious vapors (DC 14) spell centered on the character that placed it in the basket.
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