This is a classic Gygaxian trap, with a twist. The party is in a featureless room. The ceiling starts to slowly descend. No amount of ten-foot-poles will brace it. In the center of the room is a three-foot-high pedestal with a single button on it. If the players push the button, the ceiling rises a few inches, but keeps inexorably descending. At the same time, a chime sounds. They can push the button as many times as they’d like, as quickly as they’d like; the roof won’t go higher than it started, though. Essentially, this means that they can raise the roof back to its starting point, giving them as much time as necessary to solve the puzzle. However, other than the pedestal, the room is completely featureless. There are no levers or markings of any kind. The puzzle is solved when they let the CEILING ITSELF push the button. At that point, the ceiling will stop descending, and a door will open opposite the entry. They have to crawl out, though, because a little indignity is always fun to throw at them.
Vijay Welch-Young
