Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Phist 07-08-04, 11:30 PM	I'll say it again, anyone from my party should NOT read this thread, unless you want to ruin if for yourselves. That means you, CosmicJester - - - - - - - - I'm planning a dungeon for a couple weeks from now with a lot of riddles. There's very few ways to get through it without answering the riddles, and I'm worried they might be too hard. See if you can get them, I took them from all over, and made some up too. 1)The more you take away from me, the bigger I become. What am I? 2)Brown I am and much admired. Many horses have I tired. I tire the horse and weary the man. Answer this riddle if you can. 3)What is always coming but never arrives? 4)I am the heaven in hell I am the noise in silence I am the heat in cold I am the good in evil I am the wealth in poverty I am the company in lonelyness I am all of the above yet I am none of them. What am I? 5)As I went walking up a lane, I met a friend who knows no pain. I knocked off his head and sucked his blood and left him standing there, a dud. What was he? I'll have more later. Try to answer these. (A few of these are from a book in the RPG Morrowind, don't give out the answer if that's how you know it.
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht 07-08-04, 11:34 PM	Originally posted by Phist 1)The more you take away from me, the bigger I become. What am I? 2)Brown I am and much admired. Many horses have I tired. I tire the horse and weary the man. Answer this riddle if you can. 3)What is always coming but never arrives? 4)I am the heaven in hell I am the noise in silence I am the heat in cold I am the good in evil I am the wealth in poverty I am the company in lonelyness I am all of the above yet I am none of them. What am I? 5)As I went walking up a lane, I met a friend who knows no pain. I knocked off his head and sucked his blood and left him standing there, a dud. What was he? 1. Beats me. 2. Beats me. 3. This is an old one, it's tomorrow. 4. Nothing? 5. A bottle of beer?
Drasche 07-08-04, 11:38 PM	1. Space, or nothing. 2. A saddle. 3. Tomorrow, as mentioned above. 4. If I'm not mistaken, the answer's the letter "e". If it is, you posted the third line backwards. 5. I thought it was a bottle of beer, too.
Daavid Muhameed 07-08-04, 11:59 PM	1) a hole in the ground 2) a road/path im stumped on the big list of "the X in Y's", ive always been bad at riddles like that. i like the dirt ones tho (if im right). -- edit: heh, i only read the books worth 200+ drakes, for the skills, well except for ABC's for the Barbarian.
SweetMeats 07-09-04, 12:04 AM	Originally posted by Phist 1)The more you take away from me, the bigger I become. What am I? 2)Brown I am and much admired. Many horses have I tired. I tire the horse and weary the man. Answer this riddle if you can. 3)What is always coming but never arrives? 4)I am the heaven in hell I am the noise in silence I am the heat in cold I am the good in evil I am the wealth in poverty I am the company in lonelyness I am all of the above yet I am none of them. What am I? 5)As I went walking up a lane, I met a friend who knows no pain. I knocked off his head and sucked his blood and left him standing there, a dud. What was he? 1. A hole. 2. A saddle. 3. Tomorrow. 4. Nothing? 5. A bottle of beer? No idea.
Phist 07-09-04, 01:32 AM	1 is indeed a hole 2 is a saddle, although I'd alow a path too 3 is tomorrow 4 is my favorite, made that one myself. No one has gotten it yet. It is not nothing 5 is a bottle wine. Some new riddles: 6. I can be easily held but not easily seen I can be easily broken but not easily bent I can be easily loaded upon, but not easily loaded I can be easily found but not easily noticed I can be easily destroyed but not easily made What am I? 7. I cannot be taken Yet I can be given I cannot be put on a shelf Yet I can be sold I cannot be touched Yet I can kill (I love ABCs for barbarians. Read the A dance in fire series (I think) they increase skills even though they are only 150 drakes a piece)
SweetMeats 07-09-04, 01:56 AM	I'd say #4 was a bit difficult then, because really the answer isn't in the riddle. But thats just my thought.
was_fired 07-09-04, 02:12 AM	4. A decenter 6. Glass Planes, while this meets with all the requirements of the answer this likely isn't it. Since they are brittle and not maleable, they are translucent, when placed flat they can handle a fairly large load if evenly distributed, you find them all the time in windows yet birds often don't notice them, and again it can be broken easily but making a larger plane of glass is hard work. 7. No idea.
celloshane 07-09-04, 02:35 AM	My guess on #4 is- Sense? #6 is Spirit, I think I've seen that before. On #7, A Word?
Insancipitory By Nature 07-09-04, 03:42 AM	4 is the hard one, and the only one which might not already be answered. I'd guess "ending" or "change"?
Nyvinyd 07-09-04, 04:55 AM	4. Hope? Love? Something else that is mushy?
pres_man 07-09-04, 05:25 AM	4. irony? paradox? 6. glass 7. soul?
shift244 07-09-04, 05:33 AM	4. opposite? a paradox? 6. air? breath? 7. name? oath? yes.. i'm a cheater... i'm placing twice answers to each questions :D
Eltheynn 07-09-04, 06:29 AM	#1: A hole #2: No idea... Maybe a path or way, but not all of 'em are brown. #3: Tomorrow, the future, etc... #4: Nothing, IIRC... Maybe a paradox #5: Bottle of wine #6: Whoop-dee-doo, let me think about it, I think I've seen it before... #7: Your word. I'd allow "oath" as well, though. P.S: In my sig there's a link labeled "The Riddle Compendium", it may prove useful for you...
Phist 07-09-04, 10:31 AM	6)is indeed glass 7)Hmmm, it was originally intended to be "a secret" (mostly so I can drive my PCs mad by saying "the answer's a secret") But none of you had the context for the riddle, which was on the door to the secret lair of an information guild. 4) is proving to be a tough one, I might save that for later. Paradox is pretty close, I'd allow that. I'll add some more after work.
Eightbitmage 07-09-04, 11:05 AM	4. A contradiction
Greegan28 07-09-04, 11:22 AM	Is number four a Dragon?
Krelios 07-09-04, 11:34 AM	Most of these riddles don't give enough context to answer them correctly (or exactly) on the first try so I wouldn't make the penalties for failure all that harsh. If there were a theme to the riddles that would give the players some context or even a bit more description (the first one is pretty sparse) then you could reasonably expect them to get the hang of it as they went through. I don't think they're "too hard" as long as the punishment for failure takes into account that they almost certainly going to have to think about it for a while and it's very likely their first guess(es) will be wrong.
Sereno 07-09-04, 12:42 PM	What's the point of the riddles, too? Does just getting them right and shouting out the answer accomplish some task or does the riddle give the clue? For #1, do the PC's have to dig to find something? For #2, do they have to place a saddle on a statue horse? For #5, do they have to pour wine over something or into something? Combining a physical task with a riddle clue can be more fun than just riddles....
Greegan28 07-09-04, 01:00 PM	Number four could also possibly be a Gold Piece. But I still want to stick with my other suggestion of Dragon as a possibility.
Bulabase 07-09-04, 01:10 PM	4) "Sad But True" by Metallica?
Sparks The untouchable 07-09-04, 02:12 PM	Originally posted by Bulabase 4) "Sad But True" by Metalica? This guy is a super genuise! (s)He is the smartest and most clever person i have ever encountered on the boards! Rock on! But the answaer to all of the riddles is 42.
danielinthewolvesden 07-09-04, 06:58 PM	Do you let the PC's get a role on a skill check to get the answer right? Or at the very least- a few solid clues?
Phist 07-09-04, 08:05 PM	Good job, Eightbitmage! The original answer was indeed a contridiction. It's a very nasty riddle in my opinion. Whether or not I spring it on my PCs will depend on how involved they seem that day. As for providing more context, I doubt that will be nessesary. I have a fairly smart group, and as you have noticed all the riddles have been answered. The idea is to make them go from room to room, with an encounter of some kind (traps, barriers, enemies, etc) in each room and one of the above riddles on the doors.
Phrennzy 07-09-04, 08:21 PM	"A contradiction." WTF? :confused:
Phist 07-09-04, 08:27 PM	Think about it. Every line in that riddle is a contradiction. There is no noise in silence. There is no company in lonelyness. There is no heat in cold, wealth in poverty or good in evil. Those things contradict each other even in definition.
Phrennzy 07-09-04, 08:38 PM	I dunno. I have been burned by ice. I have been in a room full of people and felt alone. Even in silence, there is the sound of silence. The wealth in poverty comes in what you learn from being poor/broke. But to answer the question, I don't think the riddles are too hard.
Tek 07-09-04, 09:12 PM	"A contradiction".. Here's one tip in riddles.. Never let the answer be "A contradiction".. about 200 rules are built like the one you did, and "A contradiction" fits as the answer, but they never end with that. Most of the rules out there ARE contradictions, and thats what makes them so confusing. The answer is never a contradiction though..
nick012000 07-09-04, 10:20 PM	4)I am the heaven in hell I am the noise in silence I am the heat in cold I am the good in evil I am the wealth in poverty I am the company in lonelyness I am all of the above yet I am none of them. What am I? I would say that the answer to #4 is perspective. What's noisy to one person is quiet to another. What's hot to someone from the Arctic might be cold to someone from tropical jungles. A good action from the perspective of one person might be evil to another. What one person defines as wealthy might be the pit of poverty to another. What one person considers lonely might be crowded to another. All of them are relative, but none of them is the idea of perspective.
Cyan Wisp 09-06-04, 06:25 PM	1. A hole in the ground? 2. road? 3. tomorrow/the future? 4. Hope? 5. beehive? 6. Faith? Beliefs? Reputation? 7. Information?
Makados 09-06-04, 07:19 PM	1)Hole 2)A road 3)Tomorrow 4) Errr.... 5) Wine
Makados 09-06-04, 07:23 PM	6. Bottle or a glass. Something to do with glass. 7. I heard something like this before. Bah, I can't remember.
Voran 09-07-04, 05:44 AM	Do the player's themselves have to answer the questions, if not, how do you incorporate character skills/attributes in answering the riddles?
Shalamanaster 09-07-04, 06:34 AM	here's one A Name gives identity or strength Name me and i break what am i?
deadDMwalking 09-07-04, 08:45 AM	4)I am the heaven in hell I am the noise in silence I am the heat in cold I am the good in evil I am the wealth in poverty I am the company in lonelyness I am all of the above yet I am none of them. What am I? Contradiction is not a good answer. There isn't one that seems to fit all the criteria, but there are exceptions to nearly all of them. Without knowing what heaven and hell are like, I'll have to pass on that one. But some views of hell have areas that aren't bad. In perfect silence you can hear things like your heart beat. You'll very nearly never find yourself in perfect silence. I mean, you'll probably hear the clock ticking on the wall really loudly before you hear your own heart beating. Also, silence requires someone to be there. So breathing would work.... Etc. Heat in cold. Ever work in a big freezer? I have. I work at a grocery store. Nothing like dripping sweat at 10 degrees Farenheit. Good in evil. Lots of examples. One of the principles of good is that everyone can be saved. When Darth Vader turns on the Emperor in Return of the Jedi, he redeems many of his past actions. Even a truly evil person might rescue a baby - or die in the attempt. Some days they just don't feel they can stick with it..... If you can be impoverished and by wealthy, you can be wealthy while poor. Rich in friends? In happiness? Not having alot, but having everything you want? Very Buddhist interpretation.... Company in lonliness. That can be yourself. It certainly isn't anyone else. A contradiction isn't a very good answer. Since each of them (should) allow a contradiction that isn't the actual answer. If I were going to give it an answer, it would have to be something like Optimism. Or hope. Maybe it doesn't exist, but it is what you're looking for.
Cyan Wisp 09-08-04, 02:16 AM	here's one A Name gives identity or strength Name me and i break what am i? Anonymity? No... SILENCE!
Shalamanaster 09-08-04, 02:31 AM	Yay! someone answered it :D
danielinthewolvesden 09-08-04, 02:39 AM	Can you answer my question please? "Do you let the PC's get a role on a skill check to get the answer right? Or at the very least- a few solid clues?"
The_Dark_One 09-08-04, 04:13 AM	Here is one of mine I am a Dark Rider I ride with every army I go ahead of them and behind them as well I make enemies stronger, and multiply foes I can bring hope, but I more often bring fear I grow as I am passed along Strike me down and I spread faster Deny me and I become all-powerful What am I?
Shalamanaster 09-08-04, 04:19 AM	Depends on the likelyhood of the character's Riddling capabilities. But generally i make riddles an addition granting small rewards that just add to the adventure, not a necesary part of it. Perhaps something to just lighten the difficulty of an encounter ahead. This way i can let the players use thier own heads if they want. If they dont get it right there's no big deal.
Vincentmun 09-08-04, 04:32 AM	Here is one of mine I am a Dark Rider I ride with every army I go ahead of them and behind them as well I make enemies stronger, and multiply foes I can bring hope, but I more often bring fear I grow as I am passed along Strike me down and I spread faster Deny me and I become all-powerful What am I? A rumor?
The_Dark_One 09-08-04, 04:35 AM	A rumor? Blast!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought it would be harder than that. Just out of morbid curiosity, how long did that one take you to answer?
Shalamanaster 09-08-04, 04:41 AM	the "i grow as i am passed around" was a dead givaway i'm afraid I'm a gift with no end or beginning, and in the middle, nothing GOGOGO!! first answer gets a cookie :)
Raesene_Andu 09-08-04, 07:41 AM	I'm a gift with no end or beginning, and in the middle, nothing GOGOGO!! first answer gets a cookie :) A doughnut? And if I had one of those I wouldn't have a need for a cookie...
Raesene_Andu 09-08-04, 08:06 AM	Here are a few for you, and an extra large cookie if you can guess which book I got them from (although the last one is a give away :)) #1 Huge, tiny, wet and dry, Bare, covered, low and high, Always used and not depleted, Downtrodden but not defeated. What is it? #2 If you have it, you lack it: If you don't lack it, you don't have it. #3 Everyone wants it It belongs to a few Fewer still can use it Harm comes to those who do #4 We dream of it, We work for it, We know its just ahead No one can lay a hand on it Neither the living nor the dead. #5 A game for children Is the bane of men Where loss is greater Than the win. #6 Tiny, helpless, buried as dead It feeds us, shades us And grows green and red. #7 If I could put it in a cup And give everyone a taste My cup would still be full And I'd have it to waste. #8 I can't touch it, but it supports me. I cannot taste it, but it sustains me. I cannot feel it, but it is my armour. #9 No vessel have I. I'm days from the sea, Yet it's in my hand And its part of me. I use riddles quite a lot in my campaign, and it usually doesn't matter if the player's can't answer them, just as long as their is a long, really difficult other way past the door or portal, or whatever, the riddle would get them through. And writing the answer on the other side is always a good touch as well... :D
lantzer 09-08-04, 10:08 AM	I dislike and tend to avoid riddles, because of several reasons: 1) Who the hell uses riddles in any serious adventure, anyway? Bad gys are stupid to give clues to their enemies, and good guys should make their allies' jobs easier, not harder. The main sources of riddles in my games are the insane and prophecy/divinations from gods that aren't particularly good at prophecy/divinations. 2) Riddles are difficult to gage the 'difficulty' of. Generally, there is more than one answer that will fit a given riddle - but only one answer is right. And sometimes, depending on philosophic outlook, there may be disagreements about whether the 'right' answer actually is reasonable. So a riddle is often simply a test of: 1) have you heard this one? or 2) do you think the same way I do? If the answer is 'yes' to either of those, the riddle is easy. Otherwise, it's nearly impossible. For these reasons, if I want PCs to puzzle out something, I use collections of evidence, intercepted enemy codes, or the like, to allow them to use their powers of reasoning to peice together a pattern or meaning to advance the plot, stop the enemy plan, find the magic item, etc. Not some silly random riddle.
Cyan Wisp 09-08-04, 05:48 PM	the "i grow as i am passed around" was a dead givaway i'm afraid I'm a gift with no end or beginning, and in the middle, nothing GOGOGO!! first answer gets a cookie :) A ring!
Cyan Wisp 09-08-04, 06:47 PM	#1 Huge, tiny, wet and dry, Bare, covered, low and high, Always used and not depleted, Downtrodden but not defeated. What is it? #2 If you have it, you lack it: If you don't lack it, you don't have it. #3 Everyone wants it It belongs to a few Fewer still can use it Harm comes to those who do #4 We dream of it, We work for it, We know its just ahead No one can lay a hand on it Neither the living nor the dead. #5 A game for children Is the bane of men Where loss is greater Than the win. #6 Tiny, helpless, buried as dead It feeds us, shades us And grows green and red. #7 If I could put it in a cup And give everyone a taste My cup would still be full And I'd have it to waste. #8 I can't touch it, but it supports me. I cannot taste it, but it sustains me. I cannot feel it, but it is my armour. #9 No vessel have I. I'm days from the sea, Yet it's in my hand And its part of me. 1. A path? 2. (pass, still working on it... :mymy: ) 3. Power? or Longevity? 4. the future? 5. Disease? 6. A seed? 7. Emptiness? or air? 8. umm...Skeleton? or Blood? 9. Fate or Destiny? Ethnicity?(clutching at straws here...)
Shalamanaster 09-08-04, 08:55 PM	Raesene good call, i'd give that to you but it wasn't what i had in mind **hands Cyan a cookie** He who has it is angry He who loses it is angryer still He who Wins it has it no more *cue suspense music*
Cyan Wisp 09-08-04, 10:50 PM	Munch, munch, munch. Mmmm... Cookie! [originally posted by Raesene_Andu] #2 If you have it, you lack it: If you don't lack it, you don't have it. Best I could come up with is "only half of something" So insert "half a glass of water"... If you have "half a glass of water", you lack "half a glass of water" If you don't lack "half a glass of water", you don't have "half a glass of water" It's a long shot cause I've spilt up the "its" into two separate items. #5 A game for children Is the bane of men Where loss is greater Than the win. Changed my mind on this one - War?
Phist 09-09-04, 12:30 AM	Can you answer my question please? "Do you let the PC's get a role on a skill check to get the answer right? Or at the very least- a few solid clues?" Sorry, I thought this was dead. I let characters make an int check for a hint of a quality proportionate to their result. He who has it is angry He who loses it is angryer still He who Wins it has it no more Your temper? #1 Huge, tiny, wet and dry, Bare, covered, low and high, Always used and not depleted, Downtrodden but not defeated. What is it? I'm pretty sure it's a path or a road #6 Tiny, helpless, buried as dead It feeds us, shades us And grows green and red. An apple tree
Shalamanaster 09-09-04, 01:17 AM	Not quite phist
Raesene_Andu 09-09-04, 07:06 AM	Correct answers so far. #3 is Power #4 is the Future or Tomorrow #5 is War #6 is an Apple Tree #1 is not a road or a path. Both are close, but not close enough to be correct.
angryman 09-09-04, 12:51 PM	HILARIOUS "DEATH RIDDLE" (my amusing homebrew) I am a white feathered thing. I go quack quack quack. I am delicious with gravy. Once the riddle is read, give the PCs one action, then a huge head-height axe swings out and decapitates anyone who didn't get the answer. Cruel but hilarious. I am unseen and silent. I am deadly and violent. I am standing behind you right now and am about to kill you. Hehe. Obviously, its a gag. There's nothing there.
Cyan Wisp 09-09-04, 08:35 PM	#1 Huge, tiny, wet and dry, Bare, covered, low and high, Always used and not depleted, Downtrodden but not defeated. What is it? How about a foot? or feet?
eRaz0r 09-09-04, 09:15 PM	#1 Huge, tiny, wet and dry, Bare, covered, low and high, Always used and not depleted, Downtrodden but not defeated. What is it? - I thought this was "Earth" #5 A game for children Is the bane of men Where loss is greater Than the win. And I thought #5 was Innocence... which sort of works almost as well as War.. The loss of innocence and all that. But I'm pretty sure #8 I can't touch it, but it supports me. I cannot taste it, but it sustains me. I cannot feel it, but it is my armour. is "Faith" #2 If you have it, you lack it: If you don't lack it, you don't have it. and #7 If I could put it in a cup And give everyone a taste My cup would still be full And I'd have it to waste. are both : Nothing.
Raesene_Andu 09-10-04, 07:20 AM	#1 is indeed the earth, or the ground. #8 isn't faith, although that works just as well. and #2 and #7 aren't nothing.... :D
Maliss Issentent 09-10-04, 10:40 AM	#8 I can't touch it, but it supports me. I cannot taste it, but it sustains me. I cannot feel it, but it is my armour. is "Faith" #2 If you have it, you lack it: If you don't lack it, you don't have it. and #7 If I could put it in a cup And give everyone a taste My cup would still be full And I'd have it to waste. are both : Nothing. -------------------------------- Is #8 Courage? I was thinking #7 was Time. And is #2 Need?
The Simbul 09-10-04, 02:12 PM	I appreciate the notion of a DM actually going through the trouble of creating riddles and other non-statistical campaign elements, however it bears noting that the PLAYERS should never be expected to know the answer to a riddle, nor should the Players always be allowed to answer a riddle.. let me clarify, this is an issue of player knowledge vs character knowledge 1) Some Characters are far more intelligent and wise than their players 2) Some Players are far more intelligent and wise than their characters The college scholarship philosphy major playing the Half-Orc Barbarian with a WIS of 4 should not be allowed to use his player knowledge and intellect to freely guess a riddle for his character. Likewise the rather simple-minded gamer with the Gray Elf Cleric character with an INT of 22 and a WIS of 28 should be able to make a check to learn the solution to a riddle, rather than being limited to his own earthly player knowledge. In game terms, the best way to resolve the telling and guess of a riddle is to have the person who tells the riddle make a Bluff check opposed by a Sense Motive check made by the guesser. Alternatively, for each line or element in a riddle, you could require multiple opposed checks or assign circumstance bonuses/penalties. These are probaly the best two skills for this method because: -riddles involve innuendo, and while innuendo was removed as a skill in 3.5, its function was absorbed by Bluff. Bluff allows you to say something with a hidden meaning, than only those intended to know the answer can understand, while nearby listeners can make a sense motive check to discern its meaning, thus it is perfect for riddles. -solving a riddle tends to have more to do with common sense and insight (WIS) than intellect, thus sense motive is an apposite choice.
Lothian Claw 09-10-04, 07:44 PM	I have one that might be a little difficult. Used to create, Used for construction, Used for a feeling, Confused with Destruction.. Guess this.
Raesene_Andu 09-11-04, 05:18 AM	I have one that might be a little difficult. Used to create, Used for construction, Used for a feeling, Confused with Destruction.. Guess this. The only thing I can think of at the moment is fire.
Shalamanaster 09-11-04, 05:53 AM	Simbul I use various thing's, riddles being a good example, to involve my players a bit in the gaming mood. Things dont have to be exact as far as 'what a character would and would not know'. If you were DMing a player that has a character with over 20 intelligence (considered genious) and you wanted to think up something to intellectually challenge him/her, how would that be possible? instead, you take something slightly out of game. "Think of the puzzle challenging your character, as difficult as this one is to you" A riddle is a challenge, one that doesn't require a die roll, statistic, or roleplaying skills, and gives another option of things to put up against the PC's
Evil O 09-11-04, 06:23 AM	Some new riddles: 6. I can be easily held but not easily seen I can be easily broken but not easily bent I can be easily loaded upon, but not easily loaded I can be easily found but not easily noticed I can be easily destroyed but not easily made What am I? The way I read that riddle the answer is: The Law: Easily held but cant be seen. ok, you might be able to bent the law but it is so much easier to break it. The law hold much - communities and such, but you cant load the law in any way. It can be difficult to find the law, eventhough you know it is there. Creating the law is not easy, destroying it is so mush easier. So: The Law!!! Evil O
Lothian Claw 09-11-04, 08:58 AM	Raesene_Andu:The only thing I can think of at the moment is fire. Very Good. I had thought that this riddle would be somewhat hard. That is the right/only answer. How long did it take you to get it? :D
Raesene_Andu 09-11-04, 08:41 PM	Very Good. I had thought that this riddle would be somewhat hard. That is the right/only answer. How long did it take you to get it? :D About a minute or two. It was the first answer that poped into my head.
Lothian Claw 09-12-04, 09:35 AM	Not to get off the topic here, but would a riddle be hard with only one answer, but hard to guess, or several answers, but you have to guess which one is the right answer?