# Let's write some riddles!



## Rune (Nov 18, 2010)

I'll start.

I used this one in my last game, in which the PCs were trapped in a maze that fed off of psyche.

_Everyone has it.
Some lose it.
Some find it.
Some seek it.
Some hide it.
Some give it away.
Everyone has it,
Some, - less.
Some, - absorbed._


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## Jon_Dahl (Nov 18, 2010)

In my opinion riddles are underused in RPG's. The old legend of the Sphinx is a fantastic example how great adventures are also about solving riddles. Unfortunately I don't know the answer to your riddle and I'm afraid to post mine, in case my players see them  I got couple of good ones which I carefully guard.


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## Aberzanzorax (Nov 18, 2010)

For the answer to the OP, is it "self"?

Just made this up, any good (too obvious/too hard)?


_Around a cauldron witches three,_
_Important to the honeybee,_
_The poor for pennies in the village square,_
_The rich as though they were on air,_
_Alone, together, fast or slow, _
_What is this thing I wish to know?_


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## Aberzanzorax (Nov 18, 2010)

Another I just made up:

_Beat this hero, he just grows harder,_
_Whip him and he stands up tall._
_Babies love him like no other._
_But if he stays too long, he's abhored by all._


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## steeldragons (Nov 18, 2010)

To Rune: Is it "mind"?...though I guess "Self" would work for this as well.

To Aberzanzorax: Is the first one "honey"? If so, I'm not following the cauldron part...and it might be too obvious with the "bee" line. Nice rhyme though.
The second, I am fairly confident, is "milk."

This is a great idea for a thread!

I concur that riddles are seriously underused. I'd love to incorporate them more myself, but I'm just plain bad at making them up.

So, I hope more people see this and post theirs. 
-SD


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## Harlander (Nov 18, 2010)

I suspect Aberzanzorax's first riddle's answer is 'dance'.

Rune's answer must be 'self', because although a person can be mindless, I've never heard someone called mindabsorbed.


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## Neonchameleon (Nov 18, 2010)

Aberzanzorax said:


> Another I just made up:
> 
> _Beat this hero, he just grows harder,_
> _Whip him and he stands up tall._
> ...



Cream?


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## CleverNickName (Nov 18, 2010)

I loves me some riddles.    I'm going to post the answer here in spoiler blocks, because I don't know when I will be able to log back on...and I'd hate to torture my fellow ENWorlders for untold lengths of time before giving the answers.

That kind of torture, I reserve for my players.  

_My tines are long,
My tines are short,
My tines are gone
ere my first report._
[SBLOCK=Answer]Lightning.[/SBLOCK]

_My first wears my second
and my third might be
what my first may acquire
if he went to the sea.
Put them together,
my one-two-three,
and the Belle of New York
is the dame for me._
[SBLOCK=Answer]Manhattan.

(Get it?  Man + Hat + Tan.)[/SBLOCK]


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## Aberzanzorax (Nov 18, 2010)

Dance for the first.

Cream or milk are both acceptable for my second, but I was going for cream.


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## Camelot (Nov 18, 2010)

[MENTION=50987]CleverNickName[/MENTION]: That second one really is clever!

I prefer logic puzzles that the players need to solve, but riddles are very fun too.  When I think of any I'll post them (and I'll use this as a riddle resource)!


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## Diamond Cross (Nov 18, 2010)

The trembling of the earth at Motara
That they will be the authors of a great conflict
Everlasting captive times what lightning at the top
Stricken by fear they will lead him to his death in the night


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## Diamond Cross (Nov 18, 2010)

I think I'm a gonna win this:

RANDOM RIDDLE GENERATOR


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## Rune (Nov 18, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> I'm going to post the answers here in spoiler blocks, because I don't know when I will be able to log back on...and I'd hate to torture my fellow ENWorlders for untold lengths of time before giving the answers.




It is against my religion to give away the answer to a riddle, but to those who guessed, "self" on that first one, you are correct.  I thought the last two lines would really give it away for my players, but they were stumped all week.  They kept coming up with synonyms, but not the actual word.

In general, for game purposes, I try not to make them too hard, because, in my experience, the really hard puzzles and riddles only lead to frustration.  This time, I gave it to them as a cliff-hanger.

That said, I'm going to go play that game, right now, so more riddles later.  Have fun!


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## sjmiller (Nov 18, 2010)

As someone who performs as an enigmatologist and who writes quite a few riddles, I must say that I enjoy using them in games. Unfortunately for me most of the other players in my game are also enigmatologists. So, I do not get to use riddles as much as I would like in games. I do, however, like to read, solve, and comment on riddles.



Aberzanzorax said:


> Another I just made up:
> 
> _Beat this hero, he just grows harder,_
> _Whip him and he stands up tall._
> ...




I like this one, but the last line does not scan with the rest of the rhyme. For me, that detracts from it a bit. Perhaps the last line could read:

But long here he's abhorred by all.

That keeps the line short, in the same sort of rhythmic language as the rest of the riddle, and still gives the same imagery you desire.


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## kilamanjaro (Nov 18, 2010)

I just want to know the answer to this one:  Ten nails, ten lies, ten pallbearers true, take a little, leave a little, yet it hangs askew.


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## Aberzanzorax (Nov 18, 2010)

sjmiller said:


> As someone who performs as an enigmatologist and who writes quite a few riddles, I must say that I enjoy using them in games. Unfortunately for me most of the other players in my game are also enigmatologists. So, I do not get to use riddles as much as I would like in games. I do, however, like to read, solve, and comment on riddles.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Agreed. Upon further reflection, that last line is pretty clunky.


I feel like your replacement is good, but would replace it with:
"But ere too long he's abhored by all."


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## Merkuri (Nov 19, 2010)

I made this one up a little while ago.  I think it's pretty easy.

_A city of stone where no one lives
Yet many will visit each day.
You'll come many times to see old friends
And then you'll come once to stay._

And I heard this one a while ago:

_What's better than god, worse than the devil?
Poor people have it, rich people want it,
And if you eat it, you die.
What is it?_


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## sjmiller (Nov 19, 2010)

Merkuri said:


> And I heard this one a while ago:
> 
> _What's better than god, worse than the devil?
> Poor people have it, rich people want it,
> ...



What does Man love more then life?
Hate more then death or mortal strife?
That which the contented man desires,
The poor have, the rich require,
The miser spends, and the spendthrift saves,
And all men carry to their graves.

It is greater then the gods,
Worse then the Devil,
Dead people eat it all the time,
and if live people eat it, they die slowly.

I would give an answer, but nothing comes to mind.


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## Richards (Nov 19, 2010)

Merkuri's first riddle: I'm going to go with: "A cemetery."

Merluri's second riddle:  I'm going to go with: "Nothing."

Johnathan


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## Rune (Nov 19, 2010)

steeldragons said:


> This is a great idea for a thread!




Thank you.



> I concur that riddles are seriously underused. I'd love to incorporate them more myself, but I'm just plain bad at making them up.




It's really not that hard.  Think of something and then find ways to obfuscate it.  Kind of like "I spy."


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## Nexilis (Nov 19, 2010)

Here's a few I've used in the past

Two mothers and two daughters went to a fair. Each won a prize yet only three prizes were given. How is this possible?

and 

The one who makes me doesn't need me
The one who buys be doesn't use me
The one who uses me doesn't know it
What am I?


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## Raven Crowking (Nov 19, 2010)

Nexilis said:


> Two mothers and two daughters went to a fair. Each won a prize yet only three prizes were given. How is this possible?




Grandmother, mother, daughter.



> The one who makes me doesn't need me
> The one who buys be doesn't use me
> The one who uses me doesn't know it
> What am I?




Coffin.


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## sjmiller (Nov 19, 2010)

Nexilis said:


> The one who makes me doesn't need me
> The one who buys be doesn't use me
> The one who uses me doesn't know it
> What am I?



I have used one similar to this. The way mine goes is:

The man who made it sold it.
The man who bought it doesn't need it.
The man who used it did not know it.
What is it?

For a clue we will say the riddle again and add the line:
But his six friends did.


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## Merkuri (Nov 20, 2010)

Earlier riddle made me think of this one...

_A man and his son are in a car crash.  They are rushed to separate hospitals in separate towns.  As the boy is taken out of the ambulance and brought to a surgeon, the surgeon looks down and says, "I can't operate on this boy, he's my son."  How is this possible?_

This one works better when told out loud:

_You're a bus driver.  At the first stop, you pick up three people.  At the second stop, one person gets off and three more get on.  At the third stop, two people get off and one gets on.  At the fourth stop, no one gets off, and two people get on.  At the fifth stop, one person gets off.  ... What color is the bus driver's eyes?_


They might take too long to do in the middle of an RPG session, but I've always liked "albatross puzzles", or "lateral thinking puzzles".  One person gives a scenario and everyone else takes turns asking yes or no questions.  The riddler can only answer "yes", "no", or possibly "irrelevant".  The goal is for the questioners to figure out the story.

The name "albatross puzzle" comes from the (arguably) most famous puzzle.  The scenario for this puzzle is:

_A man walks into a bar and orders albatross.  He gets his meal, takes one bite, then pulls out a gun and shoots himself._

I got such a kick out of figuring this one out with just yes or no questions.

They're good to play on long car trips, or when there's a power outage at work and nobody can get anything done because we all rely on computers.  (That last one seriously happened to me.  I started off with two or three people asking questions and by the time the power came back on I had a small army clustered around me.)


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## Nexilis (Nov 20, 2010)

Merkuri said:


> Earlier riddle made me think of this one...
> 
> _A man and his son are in a car crash.  They are rushed to separate hospitals in separate towns.  As the boy is taken out of the ambulance and brought to a surgeon, the surgeon looks down and says, "I can't operate on this boy, he's my son."  How is this possible?_
> 
> ...




For the first - It's his mother
For the second - Brown, but it depends on the person replying
For the third - [sblock] The man was a sailor who had been on a ship with little to no food and had been told that the meat he had been eating was albatross when in actuality the crew had been fed their fallen comrades. After  making it to land and tasting actual albatross he realizes what he had really been eating and overcome with guilt kills himself [/sblock]


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## Merkuri (Nov 20, 2010)

Nexilis said:


> For the third...




Okay, there's no way you got the third one unless you already knew the answer or you googled it.  I didn't really post that one with the intent that someone would try to answer it in this thread.  

You might want to go back and edit your post to sblock that out.  You're really doing yourself a disservice if you look up the answer to that puzzle instead of playing it out with someone.


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## Nexilis (Nov 20, 2010)

Nope didn't google it. We did a few of those type of things in an AP class in HS

Now for a classic riddle

A box without hinges, clasp, or a lid but yet inside a golden treasure is hid.


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## sjmiller (Nov 20, 2010)

Nexilis said:


> Now for a classic riddle
> 
> A box without hinges, clasp, or a lid but yet inside a golden treasure is hid.



I usually tell it as: A box without hinges, key or lid; yet inside golden treasure is hid.
As a hint I can tell you this thing goes up white, but comes down yellow.


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## sjmiller (Nov 20, 2010)

Merkuri, those last three you gave are what my group of enigmatologists usually call logic puzzles. The person asking the puzzle is expecting the recipient to ask additional questions to come to a logical conclusion. 

For us, riddles are where a person gives an enigmatic or obscuring description of something and the recipient of the riddle should be able to garner the answer just from the description in the riddle. The riddle does not have to rhyme, though many of the famous ones do. A riddle is generally self contained, needing no further information.

Here's an example of a classic rhyming riddle.
Old Mother Twitchett had but one eye,
And a long tail which she let fly.
And every time she went over a gap,
She left a bit of her tail in a trap.

I will have to dig out my books (we write down all the ones we use) in order to find one that is a classic non-rhyming riddle.


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## Nexilis (Nov 20, 2010)

sjmiller said:


> Here's an example of a classic rhyming riddle.
> Old Mother Twitchett had but one eye,
> And a long tail which she let fly.
> And every time she went over a gap,
> ...




That one's a 



Spoiler



needle and thread


 right


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## Merkuri (Nov 20, 2010)

Nexilis said:


> Nope didn't google it. We did a few of those type of things in an AP class in HS




You got to do those in school?  Awesome!



Nexilis said:


> A box without hinges, clasp, or a lid but yet inside a golden treasure is hid.




Isn't that one used in _The Hobbit_?  The answer, of course, is 



Spoiler



an egg.


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## steeldragons (Nov 20, 2010)

Right you are, Hussar. That is from the Hobbit...and yes, the answer is, of course - - - -. 

This is GREAT! There are more riddles posted here now than I'd ever have time to use!

Thanks!

Let me try...

Endless its appetite,
Eats all it can,
Consuming field and home,
beast and man.
Endless its reach,
Seeks always to fly,
Leaping from wood and hill,
Reaching for sky.
Endless its temper,
Its fury untold,
Left unsated leaves naught,
All darkness and cold.

Kinda long to be so simple, I guess...but was fun for a first attempt.
--SD


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## Richards (Nov 20, 2010)

Steeldragons - I'm going with "fire."

Johnathan


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## Richards (Nov 20, 2010)

I wrote up an article of two dozen rhyming riddles that was published in _Dragon _#271 ("Riddles of the Rhyming Sphinx").  I don't have the issue handy, but I can probably recall a few from memory:

You can find me on a human or a halfling or a gnome
You can find be in a glass of beer, with frothy, sudsy foam
You can find me in the cabbage patch, growing in the loam
What am I?

Man has but one, as does an elf
Woman has two, all by herself
But as for the mighty minotaur
He has not one, or two, but four
What am I?

Take each of the following, and so form a link:
The ocean, a sight-orb, a kind of a drink
To that add a question but one word in length
Then read me the answer, if your mind has the strength​Johnathan


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## Merkuri (Nov 20, 2010)

steeldragons said:


> Right you are, Hussar.




*looks around* Did you just call me Hussar?   Unless I accidentally put him on ignore I don't think he's posted in this thread yet.


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## Nexilis (Nov 20, 2010)

Richards said:


> Man has but one, as does an elf
> Woman has two, all by herself
> But as for the mighty minotaur
> He has not one, or two, but four
> ...




I haven't figured out the other two yet but that one is 



Spoiler



vowels


 right


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## steeldragons (Nov 20, 2010)

Quite correct, Johnathan.

I'd give you XP but I'm getting "spread some around"... 

 Was just staring at the one going in the fireplace and figured I'd give the riddle-making a whirl. 

-SD


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## Raven Crowking (Nov 20, 2010)

Richards said:


> Take each of the following, and so form a link:
> The ocean, a sight-orb, a kind of a drink
> To that add a question but one word in length
> Then read me the answer, if your mind has the strength[/INDENT]Johnathan





[sblock]City.  Sea-Eye-Tea-Why? = C-I-T-Y.[/sblock]


RC


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## Raven Crowking (Nov 20, 2010)

Richards said:


> You can find me on a human or a halfling or a gnome
> You can find be in a glass of beer, with frothy, sudsy foam
> You can find me in the cabbage patch, growing in the loam
> What am I?




[sblock]I am thinking "a head" for this one.[/sblock]


RC


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## Nexilis (Nov 20, 2010)

Looks like it's time for some new ones to be added. 

1. No sooner spoken then broken. What am I?

2. Feed me and I live. Give me drink and I die. What am I?

3. This is light as a feather yet no man may hold it for long. What is it?

4. Cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be felt. It lies behind the stars and beneath the hills. What is it?

5. Walk on the living, they don't even mumble. Walk on the dead, they mutter and grumble. What are they?


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## Merkuri (Nov 20, 2010)

Nexilis said:


> 1. No sooner spoken then broken. What am I?
> 2. Feed me and I live. Give me drink and I die. What am I?
> 3. This is light as a feather yet no man may hold it for long. What is it?
> 4. Cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be felt. It lies behind the stars and beneath the hills. What is it?
> 5. Walk on the living, they don't even mumble. Walk on the dead, they mutter and grumble. What are they?




[sblock]1. Silence
2. Fire
3. Breath
4. Darkness?
5. Leaves
[/sblock]


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## Nexilis (Nov 20, 2010)

correct on all counts


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## Camelot (Nov 21, 2010)

sjmiller said:


> Merkuri, those last three you gave are what my group of enigmatologists usually call logic puzzles. The person asking the puzzle is expecting the recipient to ask additional questions to come to a logical conclusion.




Really?  I think of logic puzzles as those that have a bunch of clues that you have to piece together to get the only logical answer.  Like, you're told that five swords each go in five slots with certain sheaths and certain hilts, then you're told a bunch of clues like "The green sheath is directly to the left of a sword that is neither the short sword nor the long sword."


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## Merkuri (Nov 21, 2010)

Camelot said:


> Really?  I think of logic puzzles as those that have a bunch of clues that you have to piece together to get the only logical answer.  Like, you're told that five swords each go in five slots with certain sheaths and certain hilts, then you're told a bunch of clues like "The green sheath is directly to the left of a sword that is neither the short sword nor the long sword."




The bus driver "riddle" I posted above is masquerading as a logic puzzle, I think.  But I really do think that the official name for albatross puzzles is "lateral thinking puzzle" or "situation puzzles", not logic puzzles.


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## Richards (Nov 21, 2010)

As for the three puzzles I listed:

Nexilis - correct!

Raven Crowking - correct!

Raven Crowking - correct again!

Johnathan


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## Jon_Dahl (Nov 21, 2010)

Ok, I made a riddle just a moment ago. Please don't be too hard on me, ok!

Here's the riddle:
_I'm hiding, and you look for me
Say my name, if you know me
Say my name, and you will have me
What am I?_

Note: Please don't be brutal, I'm just testing this riddle  All for good fun, unless this thread is only for the elite riddlemasters.


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## Rune (Nov 21, 2010)

Jon_Dahl said:


> Here's the riddle:
> _I'm hiding, and you look for me
> Say my name, if you know me
> Say my name, and you will have me
> What am I?_




[sblock=Answer]"The answer."[/sblock]


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## Jon_Dahl (Nov 21, 2010)

That is correct, and you shall have XP for that is you answer me this:
Was it too easy?


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## Rune (Nov 21, 2010)

Jon_Dahl said:


> That is correct, and you shall have XP for that is you answer me this:
> Was it too easy?




Well, I figured it out, so it wasn't too hard.  For that reason, it might be a good one to use in a game (where you might not want it to be too hard).

I thought it was pretty clever.


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## Theo R Cwithin (Nov 21, 2010)

This is a nice thread!  

Here's my first attempt at making a riddle.  Sorry, it doesn't rhyme... and I suspect it's a little too opaque:_What, when it goes, _
_  goes as a wild pig, growing tall in the forest,_
_  avoiding war, worshiped by all,_
_ But when it returns, _
_  returns without interest, upon an animal's back, _
_  just a fragment, doing nothing at all?_​answer:[sblock]going: boar, fir, peace, idol
returning: bore, fur, piece, idle
What goes and returns sounding the same? an ECHO.[/sblock]I'd also be interested in hearing how folks actually use riddles in a game and keep them interesting.  The few I've used in, for example, modules have always fallen flat imxp.  Any pointers?


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## Rune (Nov 22, 2010)

the_orc_within said:


> I'd also be interested in hearing how folks actually use riddles in a game and keep them interesting.




I used the riddle in the original post to point the way to escape from the psyche draining maze-keep.  Same session, they found this riddle borrowed from Wulf Ratbane's entry, _The Crooked Cairn_ in second round of the 2002 Iron DM Tournament:
_The closed portal glimmers not, the open portal gleams
What passes through this oval portal passes into dreams.
Open every dawning, closing every dusk,
Naught that passes through here does the wise man trust._​
In my game, this pointed to something on their map where they needed to return.



> The few I've used in, for example, modules have always fallen flat imxp.  Any pointers?




My best advice is a reiteration of something I've already said.  Keep it simple.  If they get frustrated and quit, you've hit a dead end.  If, on the other hand, they solve the riddle, they get to progress with a sense of satisfaction.

Oh, and dress it up.  The better it sounds, the simpler it can be and still sound good.


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## Theo R Cwithin (Nov 22, 2010)

Rune said:


> My best advice is a reiteration of something I've already said.  Keep it simple.  If they get frustrated and quit, you've hit a dead end.  If, on the other hand, they solve the riddle, they get to progress with a sense of satisfaction.
> 
> Oh, and dress it up.  The better it sounds, the simpler it can be and still sound good.



Point taken.  I especially like the notion of integrating a riddle into the plot (as by making a hint on a map, or such like).

I think my main problem comes from differentiating players from PCs.  The riddle is "in reality" being solved by the characters, yet it's the players that have to do the thinking.  That makes for an odd disconnect that doesn't pop up as awkwardly anywhere else in a game.  In published adventures I've seen, this is usually glossed over, along the lines of "Let the players think about it a while, but if they have trouble, roll an INT check."

So at what point (if ever) should one give up on the riddle and just roll the dice?  Can the two approaches-- allowing players to actually solve the riddle, and having PCs "solve" it mechanically-- be reconciled in an interesting fashion?


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## Raven Crowking (Nov 22, 2010)

Allow a check to give them a hint; the players must still resolve the riddle.

For example, "Speak, friend, and enter."

Hint:  "What does that mean:  Speak, friend?"

Better to plan some form of hint if the check succeeds.


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## Rune (Nov 22, 2010)

Raven Crowking said:


> Allow a check to give them a hint; the players must still resolve the riddle.
> 
> For example, "Speak, friend, and enter."
> 
> ...




I don't even bother with the dice.  If they're getting frustrated, I'll drop as many hints (subtle, at first) as necessary to point them in the right direction without just giving it all away.  I've seen too many games derailed by difficult puzzles/riddles.

On the other hand, I don't want them to feel cheated out of figuring it out, even if they _are_ getting frustrated.

Another good thing to consider is to give them the riddle near the end of the session, so you can use it as a cliff-hanger and give them time to consider it outside of the game.  If they figure it out before everybody goes home, give them some extra XP, or some other minor bonus reward.


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## The_Gneech (Nov 23, 2010)

To everyone I look different
though all see the same thing
I speak only the truth
to lady, to beggar, to king.
What am I?

-The Gneech


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## Nexilis (Nov 23, 2010)

The_Gneech said:


> To everyone I look different
> though all see the same thing
> I speak only the truth
> to lady, to beggar, to king.
> ...




I'm guessing that is a 



Spoiler



reflection


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## The_Gneech (Nov 23, 2010)

Nexilis said:


> I'm guessing that is a
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Close enough! I was thinking 



Spoiler



mirror


. 

-The Gneech


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## TarionzCousin (Nov 24, 2010)

I have a few, but I might not be able to post for a couple days. So hopefully someone will figure these out.

1. They say that when I am gold, I am good,
When I am stone, I am nothing.
When I am cold, I am cruel,
And when I am glass, I am fragile.



2. It is high in the sky 
And deep within the earth
It is it that fills desert
And you break it even if you name it!



3. I build up castles.
I tear down mountains.
I make some men blind,
I help others to see.
What am I?


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## arscott (Nov 24, 2010)

1. 



Spoiler



Heart


2. 



Spoiler



Silence



No Clue on the third.

And for those interested in riddles who haven't yet seen it, check out planetarium


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## Raven Crowking (Nov 24, 2010)

#3 is

[sblock]time[/sblock]


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## TarionzCousin (Nov 24, 2010)

Raven Crowking said:


> #3 is
> 
> [sblock]time[/sblock]



I see how this would work, but that's not the answer the riddle came with.

Hint:
[sblock]It's helping me to see right now.[/sblock]


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## Raven Crowking (Nov 24, 2010)

TarionzCousin said:


> I see how this would work, but that's not the answer the riddle came with.
> 
> Hint:
> [sblock]It's helping me to see right now.[/sblock]




Huh.  I wonder if the actual answer is better than the one I gave?

How about this riddle?

Metaphors, by Slyvia Plath

I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.​


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## Camelot (Nov 24, 2010)

Raven Crowking said:


> Huh. I wonder if the actual answer is better than the one I gave?
> 
> How about this riddle?
> Metaphors, by Slyvia Plath
> ...




I remember studying that poem in high school, so I know the answer, but I'm going to let someone else guess. =)

For TC's #3, the last two lines and the clue makes it seem like [sblock]a pair of glasses[/sblock]but the first two lines sound like[sblock]construction...civilization...? (building castles and tunneling through mountains)[/sblock]I don't know how they fit together.


----------



## Merkuri (Nov 24, 2010)

Raven Crowking said:


> Metaphors, by Slyvia Plath
> 
> I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
> An elephant, a ponderous house,
> ...




[sblock]A pregnant woman?[/sblock]


----------



## TarionzCousin (Nov 25, 2010)

TarionzCousin said:


> 3. I build up castles.
> I tear down mountains.
> I make some men blind,
> I help others to see.
> What am I?



Answer:

[sblock]Sand.[/sblock]


----------



## Camelot (Nov 25, 2010)

TarionzCousin said:


> Answer:
> 
> [sblock]Sand.[/sblock]




I don't get it.

Build up castles; okay, yeah, that's clever and funny!
Tear down mountains?
Make some men blind; well, temporarily.
Help others to see?


----------



## Rune (Nov 25, 2010)

Camelot said:


> I don't get it.
> 
> Build up castles; okay, yeah, that's clever and funny!
> Tear down mountains?
> ...




[sblock]When sand is melted (say, by lightning), it becomes glass (although, not the kind we use industrially).  Glass, when shaped, can become a lense.  Still trying to work out the "tear down mountains" part.[/sblock]


----------



## Raven Crowking (Nov 25, 2010)

Correct on the Sylvia Plath poem.

[sblock]I assume sand is intended to tear down mountains via erosion, but I like my original answer better.[/sblock]

Here's an ancient riddle:

Whelm over wave, a weird thing I saw:
Water turned to bone.​


----------



## TarionzCousin (Nov 25, 2010)

Rune said:


> Still trying to work out the "tear down mountains" part.



I didn't write the riddle, but I would guess:[sblock]Erosion, perhaps?[/sblock]


----------



## Camelot (Nov 26, 2010)

Raven Crowking said:


> Correct on the Sylvia Plath poem.
> 
> [sblock]I assume sand is intended to tear down mountains via erosion, but I like my original answer better.[/sblock]
> 
> ...




[sblock]The crest/foam on top of a wave in the ocean?  Seems TOO obvious...[/sblock]


----------



## TarionzCousin (Nov 26, 2010)

Provider, devourer,
A double-edged blade.
Man he has tamed her, 
Accepting this trade.
Ravenously hungry,
Must all the time feed.
Yet drink she must not,
This can kill her indeed.


----------



## Raven Crowking (Nov 26, 2010)

Camelot said:


> [sblock]The crest/foam on top of a wave in the ocean?  Seems TOO obvious...[/sblock]




Nope.



TarionzCousin said:


> Provider, devourer,
> A double-edged blade.
> Man he has tamed her,
> Accepting this trade.
> ...




[sblock]fire[/sblock]


----------



## Merkuri (Nov 26, 2010)

TarionzCousin said:


> Provider, devourer,
> A double-edged blade.
> Man he has tamed her,
> Accepting this trade.
> ...




[sblock]Fire seems to be a common riddle subject.  There was a riddle earlier about something needing to feed but never drink.[/sblock]


----------



## Rune (Nov 26, 2010)

Edit=Wow!  Ninja'd by _two_ posts--and nine hours!  How did _that_ happen?


----------



## Theo R Cwithin (Nov 27, 2010)

Raven Crowking said:


> Here's an ancient riddle:
> Whelm over wave, a weird thing I saw:
> Water turned to bone.​



This one's driving me crazy!    The thing that springs to mind is [sblock]"ice", or perhaps "iceberg".

But I'm really not sure.  I can think of a handful of other answers, especially depending upon how that first line is interpreted.[/sblock]


----------



## Raven Crowking (Nov 29, 2010)

the_orc_within said:


> This one's driving me crazy!    The thing that springs to mind is [sblock]"ice", or perhaps "iceberg".
> 
> But I'm really not sure.  I can think of a handful of other answers, especially depending upon how that first line is interpreted.[/sblock]




Correct.


----------



## TarionzCousin (Nov 30, 2010)

What have I got in my pocket? 


5. It occurs once in every minute
Twice in every moment
And yet never in one hundred thousand years.


6. Round she is, yet flat as a board
Altar of the Lupine Lords.
Jewel on black velvet, pearl in the sea
Unchanged but e'erchanging, eternally.


And one to start an argument:
7. Twice four and twenty blackbirds
Sitting in the rain.
I shot and killed a quarter of them.
How many do remain?


----------



## Richards (Nov 30, 2010)

My guesses:

Lint.  

5.  I'll go with 



Spoiler



the letter "m"



6.  I'll go with 



Spoiler



the moon



7.  This one seems to have two answers, depending on whether you interpret it as "(twice four) and twenty" or "twice (four and twenty)", so I'll go with 



Spoiler



21


 or 



Spoiler



36


.

Johnathan


----------



## El Mahdi (Nov 30, 2010)

7. The answer is: [sblock]edited after TarionzCousin's hint: 7 or 12 (depending on how you do the math) - only the dead ones remain, the rest fly away.[/sblock]


----------



## Richards (Nov 30, 2010)

Sneaky!

Johnathan


----------



## Rune (May 29, 2011)

Two things there are that are not the same.
The first is like the other;
The other is the first.​


----------



## Raven Crowking (May 30, 2011)

Rune said:


> Two things there are that are not the same.
> The first is like the other;
> The other is the first.​




[sblock]Simile and Metaphor.[/sblock]

RC


----------



## Quickleaf (May 30, 2011)

Rune said:


> Two things there are that are not the same.
> The first is like the other;
> The other is the first.​



[sblock]An object and its reflection?[/sblock]

Ok I've got one I just made up for a game....

Though the blood in my veins is not blue
Prince and pauper bow before me.
When my blood boils, I am no wroth
But instead I leave the sweetest of kisses.
And when I weep it is never in the darkest hour,
But tears of blood for a new spring.

How can this be?


----------



## Raven Crowking (May 30, 2011)

Quickleaf said:


> [sblock]An object and its reflection?[/sblock]
> 
> Ok I've got one I just made up for a game....
> 
> ...




[sblock]Maple tree[/sblock]


----------



## Quickleaf (May 30, 2011)

[MENTION=18280]Raven Crowking[/MENTION] I dread getting into a riddling contest with you sir 

Was it a pretty easy riddle?


----------



## AeroDm (May 30, 2011)

An original creation (as far as I know).
---------------------
With armor born of a suit so old
I watch over a treasure of gold
Ever outnumbered, I shall not yield
And vigilantly tend the battlefield


----------



## Quickleaf (May 30, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> An original creation (as far as I know).
> ---------------------
> With armor born of a suit so old
> I watch over a treasure of gold
> ...




[sblock]A hermit crab?[/sblock]


----------



## Raven Crowking (May 30, 2011)

Quickleaf said:


> [MENTION=18280]Raven Crowking[/MENTION] I dread getting into a riddling contest with you sir
> 
> Was it a pretty easy riddle?




I don't know if it would be easy for anyone else; I live in Canada.


----------



## Mephos (May 30, 2011)

some interesting ones you can use for inspiration here


----------



## jbear (May 30, 2011)

Alright, I'm going to throw this one out there:

What is brown and sticky? 

[sblock] A stick  [/sblock]


----------



## AeroDm (May 30, 2011)

Nope. When you get it you'll have no doubt that you are correct.


----------



## Raven Crowking (May 30, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> An original creation (as far as I know).
> ---------------------
> With armor born of a suit so old
> I watch over a treasure of gold
> ...




It may not be what you intended, but if I was using this as a clue, I might have it refer to a yellow musk creeper growing out of a skull.


----------



## Raven Crowking (May 30, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> An original creation (as far as I know).
> ---------------------
> With armor born of a suit so old
> I watch over a treasure of gold
> ...




How inexcusably slow of me to not realize sooner that this is a queen bee in a hive.  Very nicely done!  Reminds me of something I read in a very old, 1st edition book by a gentleman names S. Holmes, from the Sussex Downs.


RC


----------



## AeroDm (May 31, 2011)

Raven Crowking said:


> How inexcusably slow of me to not realize sooner that this is a queen bee in a hive.  Very nicely done!  Reminds me of something I read in a very old, 1st edition book by a gentleman names S. Holmes, from the Sussex Downs.
> 
> 
> RC




That's really good (and I'd certainly give it credit) but it wasn't what I had in mind. I'll post my answer tomorrow if no one gets it.

Here is another original creation that I'm not as happy with and probably a bit easier.
-------------
Born in a flash to single applause
Life is a dash, a race without pause
Die into ash, grave covered with flaws


----------



## Raven Crowking (May 31, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> Born in a flash to single applause
> Life is a dash, a race without pause
> Die into ash, grave covered with flaws




[sblock]lightning bolt[/sblock]


----------



## AeroDm (May 31, 2011)

Raven Crowking said:


> [sblock]lightning bolt[/sblock]



Well played.


----------



## Raven Crowking (May 31, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> That's really good (and I'd certainly give it credit) but it wasn't what I had in mind. I'll post my answer tomorrow if no one gets it.





I am looking forward to this.  I was certain that I had the right answer.


----------



## Richards (Jun 1, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> An original creation (as far as I know).
> ---------------------
> With armor born of a suit so old
> I watch over a treasure of gold
> ...



How about...



Spoiler



a scarecrow in a cornfield


?

Johnathan


----------



## Aberzanzorax (Jun 1, 2011)

I've given this one some thought:

With armor born of a suit so old
I watch over a treasure of gold
Ever outnumbered, I shall not yield
And vigilantly tend the battlefield

and I like Richards answer better than anything I could come up with.


My possible answers are:

1. Great Wyrm Dragon (armor is scales)
2. Eggshell (gold treasure being yolk, outnumbered being single cell)
3. The earth's crust
4. A straight flush in poker (same suit, none of the same number)


----------



## AeroDm (Jun 1, 2011)

Richards said:


> How about...
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Excellent.

1: Literally an old suit of clothing
2: I meant corn but I suppose wheat works as well
3: Outnumbered by crows but cannot move
4: With reference to the eternal watch over the field

As a kid, it always bothered me when someone challenged me to solve a riddle and it ended up being impossible to solve because the clues were too vague or open ended. It was their smugness that they "beat" me that ticked me off. As a result, I try hard to make sure that my riddles feel fair and I can defend each line. This was one of my favorites.

Again, well played.


----------



## Richards (Jun 2, 2011)

And well written.  I had read your riddle the day before I posted my guess, and had had absolutely no idea at the time as to what it might be.  Then, reading it again a day later, the answer just popped into my head.  (I guess my subconscious played with it for 24 hours before passing me a cheat sheet.)

And I agree, wheat works better than corn, as the "gold" of the corn is still hidden inside the husks when it's in the field.

Johnathan


----------



## AeroDm (Jun 2, 2011)

Alright, here is one I just made up for this thread. Mixed bag on if it is hard, I'll let the masses be the judge...

A blade that pierces but does not cut
A rope that binds but does bind shut 
Countless thrusts until the foe is slayed
But upon completion none are ‘fraid.


----------



## Richards (Jun 2, 2011)

Is it 



Spoiler



a needle and thread


?

Johnathan


----------



## AeroDm (Jun 2, 2011)

Richards said:


> Is it
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The battle continues my savvy foe...

When I’m bored I break the grain
When I’m bound I halt the thread
When I am I cannot be
Until I speed across the sea


----------



## Ultimatecalibur (Jun 2, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> The battle continues my savvy foe...
> 
> When I’m bored I break the grain
> When I’m bound I halt the thread
> ...




A 



Spoiler



(K)not?


----------



## weiknarf (Jun 2, 2011)

El Mahdi said:


> 7. The answer is: [sblock]edited after TarionzCousin's hint: 7 or 12 (depending on how you do the math) - only the dead ones remain, the rest fly away.[/sblock]




[sblock]Wouldn't it just be easier to say "A quarter remain.''  Then you don't have to worry about the math.[/sblock]


----------



## AeroDm (Jun 2, 2011)

Ultimatecalibur said:


> A
> 
> 
> 
> ...




WELL PLAYED, gentlemen (and women). This thread is actually making me feel pretty good because my players (who admittedly aren't good at and dislike riddles) usually couldn't solve them in a manner timely enough for gameplay. I rather enjoy when people solve my riddles so perhaps I make 'em easy, but they are hard to most people so I hope you feel some amount of triumph.
-----------
A holy tapestry woven in the night
Becomes my symbol; becomes my sight
And outstretched it collects my tithe 
Idly, while the congregants writhe


----------



## AeroDm (Jun 2, 2011)

Before my birth I am conceived 
and grow and sprout both limb and leaves 
until I’m brought to proper form
then idly I do adorn
till brilliant minds upon me find
a whim or dream or vision prime
and then my form is too complete
a mask I wear for all I greet


----------



## Rune (Jun 2, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> A holy tapestry woven in the night
> Becomes my symbol; becomes my sight
> And outstretched it collects my tithe
> Idly, while the congregants writhe






Spoiler



Spider web


----------



## Raven Crowking (Jun 2, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> Before my birth I am conceived
> and grow and sprout both limb and leaves
> until I’m brought to proper form
> then idly I do adorn
> ...




[sblock]A book?[/sblock]

I am very much enjoying your riddles, AeroDM.


----------



## AeroDm (Jun 2, 2011)

*Rune*-spot on
*Raven*-Solid answer but not what I had in mind. I think something fits even better.

Thanks for the praise and participation.


----------



## AeroDm (Jun 2, 2011)

You folks are too good so I'm going to try and make them a bit harder. Here's to seeing if it works...
------------------------
We see escape and push to be free
Our captor, frantic, binds you and me
Caught we turn and slow betray
‘till none could ever get away
And trapped again within our cell
A pressing prison ‘till our death knell


----------



## Ultimatecalibur (Jun 3, 2011)

AeroDm said:


> Before my birth I am conceived
> and grow and sprout both limb and leaves
> until I’m brought to proper form
> then idly I do adorn
> ...




A 



Spoiler



dairy


 or possibly a 



Spoiler



journal


?


----------



## AeroDm (Jun 3, 2011)

Ultimatecalibur said:


> A
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Another good answer but, like Raven's, there is a better fit.


----------



## Ultimatecalibur (Jun 3, 2011)

Last possible answer I have is a 



Spoiler



Thesis


.


----------



## AeroDm (Jun 9, 2011)

Ultimatecalibur said:


> Last possible answer I have is a
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You and Raven both got really close. The answer I had in mind was a Canvas. Begins as a plant until transformed into a canvas and sits upon the easel until someone finds their inspiration upon it and begins to paint and when it is done all who look upon it see the vision of the artist instead of the face of the canvas.

A bump since the the riddle four posts up has no answers just yet. You all were answering them so quick that I tried to make this one harder but perhaps I went too far.


----------



## Rune (Jan 20, 2012)

Forgive this wordy riddle, please:
You qualify your works with these.
Difference is shown when used alone,
But joined one way or joined the other,
One yields its meaning to its brother.


----------



## Quickleaf (Feb 24, 2012)

[sblock]An adjective ?[/sblock]

Here's one I'm working on and could use some help coming up with a last line...I just added something I'm trying out as the last line by it doesn't hold together as well as I'd like:

_When my name is called your children run screaming;
But if you think to find me then surely you're dreaming.

Down your spine I send pin-pricks as if some chill
Had sapped your strength and roasted your will...

...I come at night to take the name of your mother,
For what's fair for the one is fair for his brother._


----------



## Rune (Feb 24, 2012)

[MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]:  You're on the right track.


----------



## Quickleaf (Feb 25, 2012)

[MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION] Ah it says "qualifying works" as in deeds or actions. Good one! The answer has got to be...

[sblock]Adverb[/sblock]


----------



## Quickleaf (Feb 25, 2012)

AeroDm said:


> You folks are too good so I'm going to try and make them a bit harder. Here's to seeing if it works...
> ------------------------
> We see escape and push to be free
> Our captor, frantic, binds you and me
> ...




[sblock] The breath of a drowning victim?[/sblock]

And here is my riddle from the last page for your convenience:
_

When my name is called your children run screaming;
But if you think to find me then surely you're dreaming.

Down your spine I send pin-pricks as if some chill
Had sapped your strength and roasted your will...

...I come at night to take the name of your mother,
For what's fair for the one is fair for his brother._


----------



## Rune (Feb 25, 2012)

[MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]: Again, right track.  You've got the first part, but you'll need to use that to solve the next.


----------



## Quickleaf (Mar 3, 2012)

Ah I'm flumoxed! Will....not...be...bested by a....grammar...riddle....

We need some more people to take a crack at these riddles, so far there's 3 unsolved from AeroDM, Rune, and me.


----------



## Rune (Mar 3, 2012)

AeroDm said:


> You folks are too good so I'm going to try and make them a bit harder. Here's to seeing if it works...
> ------------------------
> We see escape and push to be free
> Our captor, frantic, binds you and me
> ...




[sblock]The first two lines make me think of chromosomes, but the last four make me think of DNA...so...my answer is, both?[/sblock]


----------



## AeroDm (Mar 3, 2012)

Rune said:


> [sblock]The first two lines make me think of chromosomes, but the last four make me think of DNA...so...my answer is, both?[/sblock]



That's a surprisingly good effort. I'll put a caveat that all these riddles were designed to be used in D&D and I wouldn't introduce real world knowledge like that. Regardless, you're close.


----------



## Loonook (Mar 3, 2012)

Always wanted to use this one for a published setting (guess the setting gain bonus points!)

Come from within to seal the breach
To run red hot my own tight niche
Within I run two flows oppose
Turn in and out violet and rose
To draw me out to be your end
To draw me in too great a sin
I fill the gaps inside the whole
Collect me mouth, tooth or bowl
Ware my sight, foe or friend
Lose me and n'r stand again
My nature fixed, your nature thrives
When I fall all do die
But know me you clever one?
Know me in the lightless sun?

--

A little easier:

Trick and trade and war the best
All my habits, my sins are blessed
I take from one or take from all
As you walk this pale blue ball
Maker's marks and sweet lass kiss
With my blade I shall not miss
Come to call all done in black
Without my life a savor lack.

--

From Gaea's Cradle I did rise
I supped and grew from tween her thighs
Then Mother Nature and Father Time
Made me thin and soft sublime
To burn like fire gleam like gold
Endless wit/damnation hold
Grow a season sleep for ten
Do you know who return my friend?

--

Lasses sigh and men do weep
Into your bones my sentence creep
Through your ears or out your tongue
On ladders rise black ants each rung
Sweet as honey, dark as night
In some ears I give my insight
Chant and speak through me by rote
My masters know me! Take a note
And tell them once and n'r again
Who is this quiet, raucous friend?

--



Ehh, a few off the top of my head, but I figure they are enough.  Good luck, please spoiler them .

Slainte,

-Loonook.


----------



## Richards (Mar 3, 2012)

Loonook said:


> Come from within to seal the breach
> To run red hot my own tight niche
> Within I run two flows oppose
> Turn in and out violet and rose
> ...



I'll go with 



Spoiler



blood


.  No particular idea about the setting, though.

Johnathan


----------



## Rabulias (Mar 4, 2012)

AeroDm said:


> We see escape and push to be free
> Our captor, frantic, binds you and me
> Caught we turn and slow betray
> ‘till none could ever get away
> ...




[sblock]Lungs[/sblock]


----------



## Loonook (Mar 4, 2012)

Richards said:


> I'll go with
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Good on ya Johnathan... How about the other two gentlemen?

Slainte,

-Loonook.


----------



## Loonook (Mar 4, 2012)

Clifton1234 said:


> thanks for the post i needed this




Reported.


----------



## AeroDm (Mar 4, 2012)

Rabulias said:


> [sblock]Lungs[/sblock]



Another good answer, but not what I had in mind. In particular, the middle two lines would be sort of weak clues if that was the answer.


----------



## Quickleaf (Mar 5, 2012)

AeroDm said:


> Another good answer, but not what I had in mind. In particular, the middle two lines would be sort of weak clues if that was the answer.



The riddle evokes the image of a fly trapped in a spider's web. But I'm still struggling with it. That's a sign of a good riddle!


----------



## Quickleaf (Nov 5, 2012)

Shazam! thread resurrection!

I'll kick it off with one of the unsolved riddles from last page...one of my own:


When my name is called your children run screaming;
But if you think to find me then surely you're dreaming.

Down your spine I send pin-pricks as if some chill
Had sapped your strength and roasted your will.

I come at night to take the name of your mother,
For what's fair for the one is fair for his brother.


----------



## Quickleaf (Nov 5, 2012)

Loonook said:
			
		

> Trick and trade and war the best
> All my habits, my sins are blessed
> I take from one or take from all
> As you walk this pale blue ball
> ...




You've got some good riddles! This one is challenging, the best I can come up with is...

[sblock]Halloween, trick or treating[/sblock]


----------



## Scott DeWar (Nov 5, 2012)

Quickleaf said:


> Shazam! thread resurrection!
> 
> I'll kick it off with one of the unsolved riddles from last page...one of my own:
> 
> ...




[sblock]shadows[/sblock]


----------



## Quickleaf (Nov 5, 2012)

[MENTION=49929]Scott DeWar[/MENTION] Nope 

Here's a clue...when I present this riddle to my PCs the troll king who they're riddling with uses this last line: "Now my name can you deduce?"


----------



## Rune (Nov 5, 2012)

Quickleaf said:


> Shazam! thread resurrection!
> 
> I'll kick it off with one of the unsolved riddles from last page...one of my own:
> 
> ...




[sblock]Mother Goose[/sblock]


----------



## Quickleaf (Nov 5, 2012)

[MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION] Nice. Was it too easy?

Ok, here is the last of my "troll king trio":

My love makes no sense, she's bound to ramble,
But so melodious is her voice I hardly care,
That I would walk thru briar and bramble
To lay down by her side and softly weep.
Some call her shallow, say my heart's at gamble,
But they've never thirsted for love so deep.
Of what do I speak?


----------



## Richards (Nov 5, 2012)

Quickleaf said:


> My love makes no sense, she's bound to ramble,
> But so melodious is her voice I hardly care,
> That I would walk thru briar and bramble
> To lay down by her side and softly weep.
> ...



My guess:  



Spoiler



a brook?



Johnathan


----------



## Rune (Nov 6, 2012)

Quickleaf said:


> [MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION] Nice. Was it too easy?




Obviously not _too_ easy if it took this long!


----------



## Jon_Dahl (Nov 10, 2012)

*Why is this riddle too hard for everyone?*

You have four switches: A black one, a brown one, a white one, and a grey one.
You have to press the right switch in order to open a secret door. If you press a wrong one, Bad Things will happen.

In front of the switches you have a plaque that says:
_A dwarf is the best of 'em all
Elves are just slender and tall
Our axes are sharp
Elves just play the harp
The tunnels are endless
But dwarves are fearless
The path leads down_

So far no one has been able to press the right switch! Is it really THAT hard?


----------



## Rune (Nov 10, 2012)

Jon_Dahl said:


> *Why is this riddle too hard for everyone?*
> 
> You have four switches: A black one, a brown one, a white one, and a grey one.
> You have to press the right switch in order to open a secret door. If you press a wrong one, Bad Things will happen.
> ...




[sblock]The right switch is brown.[/sblock]


----------



## Jon_Dahl (Nov 10, 2012)

Rune said:


> [sblock]The right switch is brown.[/sblock]




Thank you! Unfortunately I can't XP you. How hard would you rate this puzzle/riddle?


----------



## Rune (Nov 10, 2012)

It's a good one for a game, because it seems more difficult at first glance than it actually is when you've analyzed it for a moment.

Unless your players _absolutely_ hate puzzles, this one isn't likely to make the group frustrated.


----------



## Quickleaf (Nov 11, 2012)

Quickleaf said:


> [MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION] Nice. Was it too easy?
> 
> Ok, here is the last of my "troll king trio":
> 
> ...






Jon_Dahl said:


> *Why is this riddle too hard for everyone?*
> 
> You have four switches: A black one, a brown one, a white one, and a grey one.
> You have to press the right switch in order to open a secret door. If you press a wrong one, Bad Things will happen.
> ...



Haha, no its not hard. I actually am planning on doing something similar when the PCs encounter the troll king using cues: "how can this be?" ("maple tree") "my name can you deduce?" ("mother goose") "of what do I speak?" ("...")


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## Jon_Dahl (Nov 17, 2012)

_I am a brother of walls
and their betrayer
I stand against my enemies
I love swinging for my friends
Giants bow to me
but I yield to a touch
What am I?_


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## Richards (Nov 17, 2012)

My answer: 



Spoiler



a door


.

Johnathan


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## Jon_Dahl (Nov 17, 2012)

Richards said:


> My answer:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Thank you! Was it too easy?


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## Scott DeWar (Nov 17, 2012)

Jon_Dahl said:


> Thank you! Was it too easy?




I hate to say it but I got it as soon as I read it.


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## Richards (Nov 18, 2012)

It was fairly easy, yes, but I wouldn't say TOO easy.  After all, it's better for the players to figure it out much sooner than you expected, than have them all stumped and grumpy because it's too difficult.

Johnathan


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## Quickleaf (Jan 21, 2014)

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since we had some riddles!

I'd like to open it back up with something different: the behind-the-scenes creation of a riddle.

*The scenario: *At dawn, a wounded female high elven White Knight is brought in on a gurney by three battle scarred cavaliers who claim she saved their lives from an ambush. When the PCs go to check on the unconscious White Knight, she awakens in a trance only 
briefly to utter a riddle. What does she say?

Some other relevant details:
The White Knight is actually a ghost (not the incorporeal kind, so maybe spirit is a better word) cursed by a hag. She couldn't save her beloved from the hag, and so she attacked the hag.
The 3 cavaliers actually died. The White Knight's curse has made them appear alive by capturing their souls in a sort of time loop. Once they arrive at the castle the characters are at, however, the time loop begins to spread with supernatural weirdness.
The answer to the riddle should provide PCs with what they need to know to counter the time loop effect.
The encounter is meant to feel spooky and fey. The White Knight is meant to test how the characters honor the fallen and deal with bereavement.

*The Riddle (rough draft):* _Someone wanders in the fane, twist the nothing and the twain, an honest man sometimes true, ever carrying me to you._

Right now it's a bunch of jibber-jabber, but I just wanted to get a feel for the paradoxes it alludes to, establish a rhyming/syllable scheme, and the faerie tone of the riddle. As I work on it, I'll get something that makes sense...

Any ideas so far?


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## Quickleaf (Mar 20, 2016)

Let's revive this thread with some riddles!

*1st Riddle*
Long and thick my hair grows,
And when wet tis heavy.
Each morn I dunk my head,
In the bucket till water’s grimy,
Yet whether up or down I goes,
Ground-ward my hair hangs pretty.

*2nd Riddle*
I am weighed before the liar’s tongue,
But only trusted after an honest man’s palm.
I am best served before a platter of fish,
Or on a cloudy day when I’m a welcome balm.

These are from a hag in an adventure I'm working on. I'm curious how challenging you found them (easy/medium/hard)? And how they struck you "aesthetically" in terms of how they sound/rhyme?


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## Rune (Mar 20, 2016)

Quickleaf said:


> Let's revive this thread with some riddles!
> 
> *1st Riddle*
> Long and thick my hair grows,
> ...




No answers yet, but I like the flow of the first one. The second comma in that one doesn't fit, though, and the third works better as a period. 

The second might work better if restructured as such:

"Weighed before the liar's tongue,
Trusted after honest palm,
Best served before fishy platter,
On clouded day, a welcome balm."


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## TheCosmicKid (Apr 2, 2016)

Quickleaf said:


> Let's revive this thread with some riddles!
> 
> *1st Riddle*
> Long and thick my hair grows,
> ...



[sblock]If the answer to the first riddle is "mop", then it's very easy, but the phrase "each morn" is bothering me a bit.  Do you mop every day?  Should I be mopping every day?  Am I just a pig?  

Still pondering the second one.[/sblock]
The first riddle has a simple, rustic air that, combined with its difficulty level and subject matter, gives it a natural home among peasant folk riddles.

The second riddle's meter is tripping me up a bit.  I concur with  [MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION]'s suggested revision.


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## Quickleaf (Apr 3, 2016)

TheCosmicKid said:


> [sblock]If the answer to the first riddle is "mop", then it's very easy, but the phrase "each morn" is bothering me a bit.  Do you mop every day?  Should I be mopping every day?  Am I just a pig?
> 
> Still pondering the second one.[/sblock]
> The first riddle has a simple, rustic air that, combined with its difficulty level and subject matter, gives it a natural home among peasant folk riddles.
> ...




You nailed the first one. 

I'm putting together a series of 6 riddles that I'm trying to arrange in order of escalating difficulty reflecting riddling with a hag (a black annis, in this case). So the first one is meant to be easier, but I don't want it to be ridiculously easy... Any suggestions on how to toughen it up slightly to make it less obvious?

And I could change it from "each morn" to "at morn."

I agree about [MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION]'s revisions to the second one, way better meter and sound.


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## Quickleaf (Apr 3, 2016)

_Twenty-four soldiers with curved swords,
Stand facing half and half in symmetry,
One by one, broken are their lords,
And beasts feasted on their chivalry.
Hound ate the hindquarters,
Mouse got the toes,
Ravens ate the entrails,
And worms the nose.

What was left for me?_


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## TheCosmicKid (Apr 7, 2016)

_I don my cloak in the summer sun.
I doff my cloak in the winter wind.
I speak with a voice like thunder,
But am silent as long as I live._


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## pemerton (May 1, 2016)

Now that I've used it in my game, I can post the riddle I came up with for my most recent 4e session:

In the green garden, a sapling grows,
In time the tree dies, a seed remains.
In the grim garden shall that seed be sown,
Among the black poplars a new tree, a new name:
Shade shall it cast,
	Frost endure,
	Dooms outlast,
	Pride cure.​
Answer here.


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