templates/puzzle-ledger.md

# Puzzle Ledger

DM-only ledger for deduction beats, symbolic interactions, and small minigames.
Use these sparingly. A puzzle should add delight, not block the campaign.

## Puzzle Beat Ledger

| Title | Kind | Status | Required Clues | Ask At Table | Solution | Fallback | Reward | Symbolic Weight |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

## Design Rules

- Prefer puzzles that connect earlier clues, NPC lines, symbols, maps, sounds,
  rituals, or inventory.
- Make the player solve with reasoning, not with guessing a hidden word.
- Keep the fiction moving after two wrong attempts, a hint request, or visible
  player fatigue.
- On bypass, preserve a cost, delay, resource loss, clue degradation, or a
  weaker reward.
- Avoid repeated riddles, math busywork, and locks with only one exact phrasing.
- Reward a clever partial answer with progress plus complication.

## Useful Kinds

| Kind | Use For | Good Reward |
| --- | --- | --- |
| clue_connection | Link two or more earlier facts. | Revelation, safer route, trust. |
| symbolic_order | Put names, bells, oaths, lights, or relics in meaningful order. | Open ritual path or weaken danger. |
| contradiction | Notice that an NPC statement conflicts with known evidence. | Leverage in dialogue. |
| route_logic | Choose route, timing, or position from partial map clues. | Ambush avoidance or better entry. |
| key_choice | Match a key, seal, tune, phrase, or object to prior context. | Access without alarm. |
| ritual_sequence | Decide what to do first, second, and last under pressure. | Controlled magic or reduced cost. |
| social_read | Identify who can be trusted, pressured, or separated. | Ally, confession, or favor. |