Great GM - Riddles and how to make them good - Game Master Tips GMTips

[@jesternario]

Whenever players come across a sphinx, they immediately think riddles. I once had a sphinx blocking a doorway that simply wanted to have a staring contest and wouldn't speak under any circumstances. They'd just stare at one character until they blinked and then moved on to the next over and over again. The players were perplexed until they realized what I was doing while portraying the sphinx, and then spent five minutes beating me in a staring contest. They later commented that it was quite imaginative and original.

[@havocpyro9166]

jesternario DUDE I LOVE YOU THANK YOU

[@virgodragon2265]

this is brilliant I'm gonna use this

[@elgatochurro]

imma use that... would be better if we could see each other though... did you do this in persons or on cameras?

[@elgatochurro]

Creative but I don't see how it helps the Sphinx's portrayal Maybe courage? Personality I feel my next Sphinx would simplly outright question the players about their surroundings and personal lives. Judging their character and actions in the past. Would be a shame if someone was seen as too untrustworthy for the magic items and guidance

[@jesternario]

@@elgatochurro the portrayal in that point was that the sphinx did not care for riddles. Not every creature has to fit the stereotype for its species.

[@18phenderson]

I only put riddles on side doors or lock-boxes, they reward the party with a bit of bonus loot but never prevent the adventure continuing.

[@CharlesBalester]

I like to put it on doors that will make things easier for the party, so long as it makes sense. For example, BBEG has a stash of loot deep in the undercroft of Kilkarrik Fortress, if you go there, at the front door practically the BBEG will have a riddle locked door that takes them straight to the loot, alternatively, you could just carve your way through the little henchmen

[@Flashfirefoxone]

what has four letters, sometimes has nine letters, never has five letters, the answer being "true", what = 4, sometimes = 9, never = 5, the clue being that its a statement not a question

[@Midrealm_DM]

I think that works well written, particularly because you can give a hint "You find it odd that there is no question mark at the end of the riddle" - but if spoken to the party, it becomes much harder - although with the proper inflection (making sure not to phrase it as a question) it could still work.

[@SnarkyRogue]

I'm stealing this for my campaign. A vault protected by traps and riddles set up by an ancient and famous bard. (Puzzles and traps based around wordplay.) So, thanks!

[@kainuipenaloza9395]

6:13-6:16 Jack Sparrow ACCENT!

[@comedy1o172]

The answer in the word nine

[@leonielson7138]

'What' has four letters. 'Sometimes' has nine letters. 'Never' has six letters. The answer is: "No, 'Never' only has 5 letters," or something along that line.

[@tenBuschhole]

One interesting riddle/puzzle was when we were attempting to invade a hideout of expetionally stupid goblins (this was a more humorous campaign), with the leader being the only smart one. When we entered their hideout we noticed that the entire first chamber was essentially a big mechanism that required whoever wanted to enter the hideout to set a sort of code using three rotating bronze discs in the wall, various small leavers and one big lever next to the door. We did not dare meddle with the complicated contraption without knowing what it was we were to do, in far of setting off an alarm of trap. So we camped near their entrance and captured a few goblins, but none were able to tell us how to solve the puzzle. It took us a few days before one of our party members came to a conclusion: Since this was the hideout of creatures with the IQ of basically bread, their leader must've set up this trap to prevent anyone but them entering. So the conclusion to the riddle was: there is no riddle. If whoever entered that first chamber was smart enough to see the contraption as anything but randomly assorted metal pieces they were obviously not one of those goblins. So yeah, we pulled the most obvious leaver and went on into the dungeon. This was possible less of a puzzle and more of a lesson in not to overthink things i guess haha

[@TheFirstLanx]

That is brilliant! I'm going to have a wizard protect his tower with a riddle and a trap. On the doormat is a fairly easy riddle. Speaking the obviously correct answer to the riddle triggers the trap, because the wizard would *let in* anybody he wants to see. If anybody thinks that answering the riddle would get them into his tower, they clearly shouldn't be in his tower. Under the doormat is a spare key to the door in case he forgets his keys one day. (there are various other ways in, but the key is easiest)

[@tristanroberts]

Gollum does call Bilbo out on it being a question although he's a bit generous; he demands three guesses rather than an actual riddle

[@DrTimes99]

Yeah, but it's really Gollum's fault to begin with. Bilbo didn't intend for that to be a riddle, Gollum decided it was and Bilbo just rolled with it.

[@tristanroberts]

true

[@rmsgrey]

Tolkien even steps in and gives an official ruling on the matter - that, while Gollum could have rejected the question and been entirely within his rights to demand an actual riddle, by giving the "three guesses" stipulation, Gollum treated the question as a valid riddle, and, having treated it as a valid riddle, was bound to accept it as such.

[@elgatochurro]

@@rmsgrey tbf he is insane and OBSESSED with riddles

[@huruey]

I have a riddle asking statue who has been waiting ao long that he forgot the riddle and needs help remebering what the riddle was with yes/no questions like 20q. When he finally knows the answer he proudly announces the riddle even though the players already figured out the answer. :)

[@asmodeusblint1427]

hahaha clever i like it

[@CityKanin]

Brilliant! :D

[@raphaelalexandreyensen6291]

one of the favorite scenes in a campaign I ran was when both the wizard players couldn't answer the riddle to pass the gate but the barbarian in the party got it immediately. It was great.

[@rmsgrey]

There is (was?) an obscure D&D magic item called "helm of 40 watt brilliance" - a hat with a lightbulb on top, which worked only when worn by a character of sufficiently low intelligence (I forget the exact threshold - maybe 6 or lower?) but when worn by such a person, on occasion the bulb would light up and the wearer would blurt out the obvious answer to a problem.

[@violetsapphire952]

Because failing to solve a riddle can just straight-up block my players from proceeding, I tend to use them to block side-chambers containing perhaps some special item or bonus challenge. That way, if my players succeed, they get to feel clever, but if they fail, the entire story doesn't grind to a halt with them staring at a locked door.

[@MegaMawileTheNommer]

I had a beholder trap a door with a riddle. The idea was that smart or wise answers would be punished, while the most simplistic answer was allowed through. The beholder's idea was that a smart enemy is more dangerous then a stupid one. Therefore only idiots would make it through. I forget the riddle itself, but it basically asked the biggest threat to nature. If they answered Man, Civilization, Fire or Flame, the door would show the words "what a smart answer" and zap them for some damage. If they answered persons, saws, tinder or chopping, the door would open. Basically I would take any fitting but dumb sounding answer, and punish any fitting but smart sounding ones. This was clued in with previous encounters where the beholder would always Target the smartest character first, and would make this fact known with taunts.

[@Johnny-vi7oq]

One thing I like to use riddles for is theming. For instance, there was this cult to the evil god of shadows, and the in-game lore was that he was the brother to the good god of sunlight and fire. So the entrance was guarded by a simple riddle "Born with fire but always detested, on the ground you'll find us rested" And since the party knew this was a cult of An evil god, but not which one, this gave them the ability to prepare themselves for what was to come. And what was to come was a lot of shadow based enemies.

[@AuntieHauntieGames]

One of my favorite Romani riddles: Three men are wearing three hats. One man is young, one man is middle aged, and the other man is old. One hat is red, one hat is blue, one hat is green. Which man is wearing the largest hat? The trick is to give a good answer that shows you are thinking creatively, simply, and with respect for the riddle game. I will keep the answer to myself.

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

The land owner? :p

[@AuntieHauntieGames]

Not my answer - but that is just as clever which means it is just as correct. Which really is the whole point of the Romani style of riddling, showing off how clever a person can be in the answering. :D (Incidentally, for those curious, the traditional answer is "The man with the biggest head.")

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Oh yes... Romani style riddles have always been the best riddles for RPG's... ...just don't forget their propensity for asking "Why?" when you try to "bluff" your way by it with one-word or "short" answers. It's about thinking creatively and respecting the riddles game. :o)

[@extraintelligence]

UnimportantHero The man with the green hat: green dye is cheapest, so he could afford a bigger hat.

[@connierule3902]

My answer would be, what colours are the other 6 hats?

[@Swatman170]

3:52 I love it when my players are able to come up with a different answer than the expected one, sometimes I will have the NPC, monster, or whatever else asks ponder it for a moment and commend them for their thinking outside the box.

[@GMSquared]

Wow, finally got to see a video immediately after it was uploaded! Okay, Thank you for your channel, it's a god's send. I have been running A Song of Ice and Fire RP by Green Ronin games for the last 3 years and I've had to start over with new groups all 4 chronicles and have been stressing out with how I've been going about preparing, running, and beyond. You've helped me so much simply in this last 6 days since finding your channel. I have watched most of your videos now and have re-watched a number of them, over and over and over to fully grasp the lessons. Thank you.

[@restoraven3714]

This was very helpful! I had not considered that a good riddle can be built like a murder mystery (three clues etc), but really, a murder mystery is already a sort of riddle, isn't it! Thanks!

[@TenguBE]

Riddles are like onions and ogre's; they have layers.

[@dadbodprime7203]

they stink and they make people cry

[@gregburgchard2978]

Parfaits, they have layers.

[@MetallicBascinet]

Layers have cakes!

[@crytic248]

Xa EVERYBODY LOVES CAKE!

[@Fraginator]

Xa and here I was thinking that lairs had dragons. Oops

[@alexhuk7353]

Prophecy riddles are interesting because even if the party doesn’t solve it initially, at the end of the session they’ll read it again, then it clicks “ahhh”. That way the riddles can be slightly harder, they won’t interrupt the flow, and if they are solved early on it will create tension for when it will happen.

[@7ftsasquatch532]

A yellow face clad in metal Wanted, lusted by every man A hallowed sun within your hand The sight of which can drive men mad. Millions march for a glimpse of me Hidden in the treasury. What am I? Answer: Gold/Wealth/Coins

[@SoshiroGames]

gold or coin.

[@damonbranham3126]

7ftSasquatch a bit too obvious

[@decideo]

The yellow sign, Symbol of Hastur The king in yellow obviously.

[@7ftsasquatch532]

Interesting choice but that sign is missing some parts. "A yellow face clad in metal Wanted, lusted by every man" While the sign can be yellow it does no bear a face and is not clad in metal, and it is not something all people want. Could work in a Call of Cthulhu game but I'm not sure in D&D

[@NoFlu]

Remove the first and the last line and it's pretty good....

[@chrishutchinson1874]

i used a Sphinx very sparingly but to amazing effect. We used to play Vampire the Dark Ages and the Sphinx had rules in the game. my Troupe met her in a story and after the conclusion of their business struck a deal. They could summon the Sphinx in times of need and she would use her vast powers to aid them but only if they were to answer her riddles correctly. As a group we had a lot of players of weren't overly bothered about their characters and if they died "oh well, i will make the same basic character over" was often their response. So to create real tension the Sphinx would never ask for the characters lives instead she would take body parts! that way the character was weakened in a very real way and the player had to face the consequences of their own actions. I would never force them into needing the Sphinx's help instead she was a high risk short cut.

[@roderik4]

I like riddles that give you a number of options to solve them, with negative (and funny) consecuences for choosing the wrong ones. That way, they can resort to wild guessing if the riddle frustrates them, but it will cost them, or they can put some effort into solving it

[@arikwolf3777]

I like using mathematical puzzles like: A male Dwarf is looking at a Human which is looking at a female Elf. A man is is looking at a woman. Three doors are labeled "Yes", "No", and "Maybe". Which door do you choose? The correct door leads straight to the next goal. The incorrect doors lead to the next goal as well, but the have monsters you must fight first.

[@Vgamer311]

Yes. The answer is yes. It seems kind of obvious to me but I understand that not everyone will have the same amount of difficulty solving a riddle.

[@CityKanin]

Maybe, since the Human’s gender was not specified.

[@FeyScribe]

one way to make riddles a little easier is to confine the answers - "the riddle is carved into the stone wall, below the writing is an octagonal hollow, and a shelf holding three octagonal disks - disk 1 depicts a blue mermaid, disk 2 depicts a red flame, disk 3 is a green griffon..." this way the players can assume one of the three disks will answer the riddle - and can find which one fits.

[@JoaoSilva-hv3yg]

Great advice! Never thought of a riddle as something that could be so structured.

[@Hiraether]

This is a big part of Adventures in Middle Earth. Thank you for covering this topic, as most are afraid to. Riddles require wisdom and intelligence. Writing some hints for perception or stats that might relate to the subject matter helps PCs get there. Someone with Chr+ might get a joke riddle hint if they're all stuck. Passing cards to players or whispering can make it more fun and engage the PCs who are more battle based. Though, it is funny when a PC kills the riddle-master, it sorta messes things up a bit. Answering in vague hints is great. Acting also helps a ton. Act like the Monty Python Bridge toll guy and people stay alert. Hurl the bored ones down the canyon.

[@fabse404]

what i think is a good thing for a riddle is, that it is not need to be solved, it is just a help for the overall adventure to solve it, but if the players choos to not solve it, everything will just work, they may dont now some detail befor an encounter or lose time or something like that

[@Thimbrethil]

My GM once gave us riddle with two gargoyles, one telling truth the other lying. He thought that it would be very funny, if both of them were lying, and there was no riddle.

[@jlan7844]

Just because a riddle is a classic doesn't mean everyone knows it immediately, so they could still be used occasionally. In my first practice session I wanted to use a riddle as the key to enter a building, and I made it clear that combat wasn't the obvious solution by having the riddle come from a custom iron golem whose CR was twice the party level. The puzzle was as follows; "If you tell me the truth, I will slay you with a sword. If you tell a lie I will slay you with a mace. What must you say to pass?" It is a pretty overused riddle, but they where completely stumped to the point of wanting to fight the golem and brute force their way through. The answer by the way is to say "You will slay me with a mace" because that causes a paradox that can't be overcome.

[@julienteychene6022]

I like it as a riddle amateur but for an rpg I would like clues with it. Or it might get really really frustrating if you don't get it fast or look into the wrong direction

[@peterrants9634]

The Japanese Slit Mouthed woman is known to ask a riddle of sorts, if you meet her she will ask you a question and depending on how you answer will have one of three outcomes. She will show you her hideous face and ask "Do you think I am pretty?" If you say no she will butcher you, if you say yes then she'll just cut your face to match her face but you'll live. The most interesting answer is if you simply tell her you don't know, this will confuse her and either she'll wander off having lost interest or buy you enough time to run hard and fast from her because she'll be to confused to even give chase. Accounts vary but one of those last two have been said to happen if you confuse her, still it's interesting how vague this riddle is since it's just simple non descriptive question leaving all the clues up to what you're actually looking at combined with one's own cleverness.

[@jlan7844]

I've heard of this one as well, and the confusion option just stalls her. If you do that they say she will hunt you down wherever you go until she finally kills you. It is said however that she is the ghost of a noble woman murdered long ago, and that as such she highly values courtesy. The legend says that the only real way to get rid of her is when she asks you her question, you tell her that you are extremely busy and she is going to make you late. This will embarrass her to the point that she will never show her face around you ever again.

[@peterrants9634]

Ah I see, well that's good to know if I am ever in Japan and am accosted by some random broad with a slash across her mouth lol.

[@Midrealm_DM]

What would happen if they said nothing ... that was my guess before reading the answer. Simply say nothing; neither truth nor lie, remain silent and just walk past it.

[@NilsMunchGecko]

7:46 *silently calculating how many Ogres I can throw at them... *

[@notoriouswhitemoth]

Riddles were what passwords are. The riddle is your security question.

[@johnfraire6931]

notoriouswhitemoth Wouldn't it be more effective if the password was the *wrongest* answer? Golum: You tell me master sent you? Then answer the riddle, if you wish to go through: What... Comes from red and blue? evil npc: do you think me simple you tin can? It's * falls down trap * PURPLEEEeeee....... Golum: That man was mean, and quite rude. ...Do *you* hold the riddle's clue? Player: The answer is... The answer... *sigh* "12345". Golum: Pass code... Accepted... The treasure map, now projected... * shows map * Player: I hate that guy with a passion... I mean, few respecting DMs would ever pull that, but a cleaver player with a pet golum in need of protecting something...

[@Midrealm_DM]

I think that idea would be good, provided the players had ample opportunity to learn the passcode ahead of time. I can imagine some players learning the passcode phrase and then when confronted with a riddle, they do not realize that the passcode is the response because it doesn't answer the riddle. In effect, the riddle is realizing that there is no riddle.

[@joaquinlanderretche]

2:05 "...until eventually you discover the final solu-" *This video has been banned because it violated the community guidelines*

[@RibbonRoulette]

Loved this video! I've been wanting to try riddles for a while, but wasn't sure how to do it smoothly. Thank you for the insight.

[@gambent6853]

Great episode. Riddles are one of those things that I rarely implement simply because so many of the ones online have already been done. I definitely want to try my hand at creating my own that make sense in my game world. I wonder what my players will think. Any ways, thanks for the helpful video!

[@Angeredbobbin]

I've always wanted to do a Dragon/other intelligent creature sort of riddle contest. But I never could figure out riddles that weren't completely obvious, and the obscure ones were just terrible poetry. This really helped me narrow down what I needed. Now I just have to find the notebook I put that dungeon in. Thanks!

[@MatthewSmith-pv6gd]

Excellent! I would say one does not need to follow these parameters exactly, but it would be a good practice to start here and be able to specifically justify any variations from this outline and why they are necessary.

[@Frederic_S]

"Keep it simple" is the best advice in this department.

[@Never_heart]

When I cannot figure out the answer to a riddle I default to 42 or Golden Girls.

[@Jake007123]

I answer "banana".

[@sciverzero8197]

The orcish Sage glares steadily at the Sphinx and rolls a STRENGTH(Lore) check, stating "Tha ansur is cabbage". The Sphinx stares for a moment, before finally swallowing a dry mouth and breathily stating "yeh-hess.. Yes. The answer was cabbage. You may pass. Now. Please. Go." As you all pass you hear an exulted sigh of relief. The Orc has once again proven to be the most... eh... powerful mind in the group.

[@trickstur5994]

I'm pretty sure it actually was Golden girls

[@Fastdragonstar]

Whether i run or stay calm, people always take from me. When i have nothing left to give, people curse at me. Yet people will always love me and the gifts i bring. what am i? Answer: a River.

[@AnsamblGulici]

ATM.

[@richardthethird2013]

It is a refrigerator

[@iBloodxHunter]

Is good, a bit too vague, but is good

[@TheCassiusTain]

I was going for "a Well"

[@peterrants9634]

I was thinking a car.

[@elgatochurro]

Your openings are so creative and engrossing

[@martijnvanweele6204]

Once, when I was full and fat, I built my own sarcophagus around me. While in there, I did not exist, But as an angel am I now reborn.

[@RexTenomous]

Butterfly!

[@philipbourhill6879]

I like to use riddles as a way to give the players a shortcut Solve this riddle or fight some ogres

[@mr.e8315]

Philip Bourhill i think I'd fight the ogres 😂

[@salabimsalabao]

Actually, that's kind of a good idea. It probably works really good in cthulhu, as the combat is unforgiving and often results in bad injuries, so if your players are full hp and prepared they can fight, but if they're not, they will have to do the riddle.

[@ultimateiceofficial]

In my first adventure, the PCs had to climb up an enchanted stair, where you were only allowed to go on the steps, that were part of the fibonacci-sequence. the clues were drawings, depicting the fibonacci-spiral, a patter on the floor hinting at the right steps and as a last resort on a successful intelligence-throw the characters would remember, that the spiral-symbol was a reprentation of the fibonacci-sequence and how this sequence works. The problem was, that they started to brute-force and confused me with their amount of tries to the point where I everlooked the right anwer and fucked up my notes. But I learned a bit about how to *not* construct good a riddle, how not to note it down and how not to react to their attempts at solving it 😅

[@TheStick0fBoom]

A very good video (as usual), but I have a bit of a problem. I was considering adding a riddle to Sith burial chamber in a Star Wars campaign. The problem is that in Star Wars many creatures and places can be obscure. How would one go about crafting a riddle about something more metaphysical or philosophical? A good Sith riddle would have power or hatred as the answer, for example. Well anyway, as an aspiring GM, I love your channel and hope it keeps growing and growing.

[@madmanvarietyshow9605]

Burning heart Clouding minds Destroyer of lives What am I? One I made up myself just now. No idea if its any good. Hatred or revenge or something similar could be the answer.

[@notoriouswhitemoth]

@Ryan Madison 'Alcohol?' 'Close enough' @TheStick0fBoom go less literal: description, function, context

[@madmanvarietyshow9605]

Actually yeah that fits too. Huh. Neato

[@julienteychene6022]

Ryan Madison I wouldn't go with 'Clouding minds' as a line for it is not the opinion of the Sith but the Jedi. I would look for 'Single minded clarity' or something close to that. Revenge or hatred is truth, clarity, mission, justice. It is a law of the world and of the Force. It might look ugly but is necessary for cleansing, in a way it's purer than the way of the jedi and that's what matters: harden yourself and focus and clean the world, for corruption have rotten minds and strength of the few enlightened is the last path remaining I got lyrical but I hope it can help ^^

[@Midrealm_DM]

I'm not to knowledgeable on Star wars Sith philosophy. But don't the Sith view hatred as a source of power? So something like: "The more you have to give your foes The more your power against them grows"

[@chaosmastermind]

Those old riddles are crap anyway. They make no literal sense whatsoever. The only reason people ever figure them out is because they've heard them before. The only good one Gollum told was the one about time killing everything, that one actually makes sense. And I 100% agree that "What do I have in my pocket" is totally cheating.

[@silvertheelf]

That coin trick is simple but effective.

[@ironkeepgaming1936]

Here is my other riddle: What monster is hard as rock, but is soft as liquid mercury? What fears the wrath of the Gorgon, but was made from it? What acts like a undead, but is very much alive?

[@ironkeepgaming1936]

The answer is: the Stone Cursed

[@z-king6727]

I did a fun puzzle/riddle once: there was a room in a dungeon which was once a sort of sacred/holy temple, but is now overrun by goblins. The players enter the room and see a few goblin corpses that are completely roasted. The floor is covered in a 4x4 grid of tiles. On each of the tiles is a different symbol representing one of four Virtuous Attributes (Charity, Selflessness, Patience, and Obedience). Across the hall is a large inscription across the hall that has the riddle: “Buffeted by waves of change, I remain vigilant.” “Whipped by the winds of temptation, I endure.” “Plagued by the miasma of unfaithfulness, I resist.” Answer: Obedience The answer to the riddle indicates the symbol on the floor that is safe to walk on. Stepping on any other symbol triggers a magical trap. Triggering the trap would fire either a fire bolt cantrip or a poison dart. Inflicting the Poison status on players was good because it didn’t really hurt them much, but it gives disadvantage on ability and attack rolls, which can make them consume resources to cure. (I’d love to get some feedback on adjustments to the riddle if anyone has good ideas).

[@Maric18]

with a group consisting of mostly computer scientist i tried some cryptograms, one of them was basically a thing where you type with your fingers shifted right by one

[@jdals77]

The coin trick actually got me!🐵 .... Then you revealed the means by which you fooled me😢

[@chaosmastermind]

I thought of a riddle. Shiny metal sharp and wet It sleeps deep in it's new home. It's right behind you. What is it? LOL it's probably obvious, but I like it anyway. It's a dagger and it's the password to get into an assassin's guild. You'd have to have the mindset that stabbing people in the back was normal to get it easily.

[@RichtorLazlo]

One thing to think of is, playing the riddler, a villain that uses riddles in all things, in all aspects, even when talking, so think how is Batman always coming up with his answers so easily, if ur playing the Batman he is going to solve the riddles pretty much no matter what, it is up to the game master to make it work within his plots, with in his characters, within his players . It is a delicate balancing act.

[@tony__4896]

Great job bro keep it up I subscribed

[@davidblack5945]

"...and then they stand still." You're welcome.

[@nathanmichael167]

WHereas i agree with most of this, I completely disagree with the comparsion of a player making rolls to combat versus a player making rolls for a riddle. In combat, we freqently use "player's" brains and not their character. Else the sensible thing would be to do in combat, is to roll a tactics roll and tell players they win or lose based on that roll, as their characters would know more about how to fight, what to do and situations than the player. But we don't, cuase that is not fun. I agree with you on the solution . Let players make rolls, give hints, but don't let that "solve" the riddle, it's very anticlimatic .

[@JosephKiewra]

I really liked the video, could you possibly do a video on puzzles? I love using them in my games I just have not been abel to come up with any interesting ones lately. Thanks. (Also if anyone wants to share their favorites with me that would be cool)

[@DragonEaterT]

Try asking in Reddit. I've seem a bunch in there and most of them were previously tested, and suggest ways you as a dm should approach them ;)

[@christopherender8164]

Try /r/1d100

[@CityKanin]

Have you tried being Kain?

[@louthinator]

A riddle I like to give to my players which is pretty obvious when you know the answer is Eldir Retsamtrop's question do I go left, right, backward. forward, up or down? well if you reverse the name of Eldir Retsamtrop you get port master ridle (I know riddle has 2 Ds but it makes it slightly less obvious) and port in nautical terms means left so the answer is you go left. I often do this with a puzzle where if they choose wrong they take a nice chunk of damage, if they choose right (or left I guess) they move on. There is still a capacity for them to choose the right answer without solving the puzzle by sheer luck and that's perfectly fine, but with 6 choices to go for it's difficult to do by chance.

[@m.ferashida7422]

How about puzzles? Once i did a math puzzle by using tarot cards that well, have numbers on them. My players went nuts and loved it. I havent be able to pull something like that again :/

[@malks2500]

I once had a riddle wall which had created my own riddle written, the answer was in the town BUT THEY SKIPPED THE TOWN AND REFUSED TO GO BACK...they eventually used most of their advantage to solve it.

[@PhilosopherLegacy]

Just what I needed :)

[@julienteychene6022]

I'm doing an initiation this Sunday and got a riddle for my players to solve to access the final confrontation via a hidden mecanism (they will be besieged by giant lava-eyed spiders as to add pressure). The riddle is written above a world map carved in a wall. In the original French: Eau pourtant Feu Lac pourtant Désert Six Soeurs et pourtant Esselée English literal: Water yet Fire Lake yet Desert Six Sisters and yet Lonly English reworked: Still yet Late Lake yet Desert Six Sisters and yet Soltary So here is how it goes. Nobles in this world, as well as academics, are really fond of riddles and, as fairytales goes, they follow a lot of rules around the number 3. 3 lines of 3 parts and 3 layers... you can play as much as you want with this. One pre-made character at least will know that. Here the first layer is the riddle itself. The second layer is two structurally echoing themes through the riddle: water, lake and the 6 sisters for a Sea, and fire (feu in French can mean dead, as late does in English, hence the reworked riddle), desert and solitary for the Dead theme. By this point you can guess that the answer is the Dead Sea, but what do you do with that? If you push everything on the wall you will find the mecanism sooner or later? I wanted something more subtle. As you can see I purposely made a mistake in Esseulé, Lonely and Solitary: it is to point to Salt (sel in French), for the players have to pour salted water on the dead sea on the wall, the dead sea being the most salted lake around. The wall drinks it, leaving no trace, and open sesame to the grand final where a young boy who wanted to save the empire in a loosing war just put his hand on a dangerously forgotten magic book. Will they stop him? Will they keep the book? or try destroy it? (which could become a quest in itself) *insert dramatic rain and thunder and roll (literally) with it* I have some other clues going around: the character they chase stole water, fruits, some smoked fish (dead sea wink again), and a small bag of salt earlier. There are some books in the room's library with the number 7 in the title (I got a list) one of them being "Tiamat, Sailor of the 7 Seas", and there are white marks at the base of the carving they could taste: dried salted water that the wall didn't drink (magic wall but normal floor). It looks kind of complex at first, especially for first-timers, but I think I got enough safeguards for them to pull through and get a realing kick out of it. Thanks for the advice anyway, loved it! Your video had a perfect timing so I wanted to share my creation on this theme, hope you enjoyed it! :)

[@haydenmaines5905]

Just started watching (3 years late) but thought one idea would be to have a riddle be a part of the plot, that arcs over several sessions, during which you could continually release more clues in-world until they solve it - maybe it's the location for the secret base or something like that. If they need more information, you can have them do a one-off to get more 'information' on the riddle. Or maybe the answer to the riddle is what you say to enter the Thieves Guild HQ, and there's something they need in there, but they don't need it /right now/. Maybe there's several things they need, and the riddle is just the gate to one of them.

[@FeyScribe]

could you make a video on puzzles?

[@CaptainDCap]

Here's a riddle I wrote for one of my campaigns in a rural area with a lot of aggriculture. 'My bounty is most sweet, my trade holds five of the same. Thousands I care for, yet none know its name.' Pm me if you're stumped, and I'll give you the answer :)

[@ConnorRunda]

I cant find how to PM you but id love the answer to this one

[@CaptainDCap]

So apparently they got rid of PM's a looong time ago, but I should be able to contact you through google plus... I think.

[@CaptainDCap]

Ugh, google is such garbage. No wonder nobody uses their cheap excuse for a 'social network application.' The answer is "My trade is Keeper of Bees, and its name holds a handful of E's." I'll leave the answer up for a bit before removing it.

[@jamesthefront2246]

One riddle a made for a game (pretty easy) Passage is ahead, the levy dried from dead. Vermillion you all bare, 'tis the flowing fare. (Answer is blood, which happens to be the key they needed to open a portal)

[@expressionamidstcacophony390]

A golden sun on a crystal sea, In a box sans hinge, lid, lock or key. What am I? An egg. If memory serves, in the game I nicked this from you had to deliver a dragon egg.

[@charliesmith1358]

How about having a more difficult riddle in a sort of timed stealth mission. You could directly tell the players that you could go search the guardhouse for the final answer but that would take up one of their opportunities to scavenge for loot; opportunites which they only have a handful of before they run out of time on the main goal

[@Springhead99]

What would you think of a riddle introduced early on as a sort of 'teaser' to be solved later on in the campaign. An example I could think of would be overhearing the riddle a cult uses to identify members without the answer before the party knows about the cult. Then, as the campaign goes on it is revealed that the riddle is a description of their god or some such, and is used to get into their hideout to stop a riddle or some such. A sort of campaign equivalent of 'rosebud'.

[@peterrants9634]

Kinda like the Dark Brotherhood in Elder Scrolls?

[@backonlazer791]

Except that the Dark Brotherhood one isn't really a riddle since it doesn't give any hints of the right answer, hence you can't enter the Dark Brotherhood until you hear about it.

[@peterrants9634]

True but they have similar principles, the idea that the door asks a question and you have to quest to get the answer. But you're right there aren't any clues to the correct answer, in fact I never tried to even keep trying the door just to see if I'd guess correct. Hmmm? I wonder if the right answer is even present if you just happen upon the door without invitation?

[@backonlazer791]

No, there are some options but none of them are correct. This applies to both Oblivion and Skyrim. Although it has been around 8 years since I played Oblivion so I might remember wrong. Pretty sure you can't enter nevertheless.

[@behanflaherty9460]

You have a great personality.

[@ironkeepgaming1936]

This is my riddle: what monster has no legs, acts like a leech, and dines at the center of man?

[@ironkeepgaming1936]

The answer is: rot grubs

[@LupusZockt]

42 my friend. The answer is 42 😜 I dont like to give my players riddles. I more like the idea of puzzles. If I use riddles than mostly as part of a puzzle. For example once I had a door with three holes. In the room were also colored spheres. The players came across the right colors on there way to the door. But the correct order was hidden in a little riddle, that was written to the door. In fact the door was not necessary for the players to move on with the story but in the room behind this door, I stored a magic item.

[@MrOwen817]

Each riddle refers to a type of magic. thoughts? My fangs claim feelings of adventurers unprepared. I slither into cracks in clothes, If left unchecked, like stone you go. With blackened ground now clean bleeding stopped and health achieved Always hungry must be fed, hand that feeds will soon be dead Powers unreached by mortal races Lashing out on worlds highest places Smiting gods vengeful hands do wield ruins the same both forest and field The slow destroyer inside us all. revealed to revelers when illness fall burn's flesh but makes it whole. this one is unfinished.

[@ConnorRunda]

Type of magic? Or school? Or a specific spell?

[@alberthord9527]

Petrification, a Troll's Regeneration, Lightning's devastation, Time for rumination.

[@johnfraire6931]

Last time I was this early I was a young lvl 1 rogue who forgot to detect traps Jokes aside, helpful advice Now here's a riddle, and it's twin Slowly, I grow Op'ning the earth as I go Touch the sky, my goal ... (But just to be cut down- my role) or I swear- I'm no clown. But I rise- by going down! My home, the sky... and ground. ... Do you yet know me? You have used my dead fam'lee. For I am a...

[@damonbranham3126]

John Fraire tree

[@johnfraire6931]

Damon Branham Si mon

[@patricksikhrangkur8814]

So I don't have any experience with table-top rpgs, and I'm looking into learning how to play them and possibly running some games, so on this topic I have a question: Let's say that, for one reason or another, our adventurers come across a den protected by some kind of demi-human. This demi-human asks them a question with a specific answer in mind. Then one of my players roles an intelligence check or perception check, something along those lines and succeeds. In such a case, I'm tempted to give a hint that doesn't so much give them a clear answer to the question, but instead suggests a method they might use to bypass this obstacle. For example, I might say to someone with a successful perception check that this demi-human looks rather dull-witted, and that it might be possible to trick it into letting you pass. Is this a good way to handle such a situation as a GM? Should I focus more on solving the riddle as presented?

[@daxallwood1599]

Below the Cauldron they are hidden Through a fence they can be found To the Falling Falgon you are bidden Look for the ignoble Art. I was running shackled city for my players, and they needed to get in touch with a fence called Artus who worked at the Tipped Tankard Tavern, as he had the information they needed to locate a cult. They consulted an artefact of the church of St Cuthbert for clues, and this is the riddle that I came up with as it only provides cryptic answers.

[@rmsgrey]

The riddle in the Hobbit is "Thirty white horses on a red hill, First they champ, Then they stamp, Then they stand still." So either "thirty" has to be taken as an approximation to better fit the meter, or Tolkien messed up the riddle. There's an argument that the last line works better as "Now they stand still" or "Soon they stand still" - in any case, the meaning is that your teeth stop moving as soon as you stop speaking the riddle...

[@mygeekdom4414]

I was thinking have the riddle answer (and/ or the tone of the language for the riddle itself) be another tool to speak to the theme of the campaign.

[@goodnyt69]

its always golden girls..... you may pass

[@lordruler1499]

1)With what do I perceive? Most dangerous creature down in the underdark Looking for beauty to set as its mark Yet beauty can be found inside its fleshy bark 2)What am I? I make ugly look pretty Smooth now, before gritty I cloud the minds of many I cost more than a penny Most like me, some hate me Chances are I'm quite tasty 3)What am I? No more eating for I am fat, I will build my own tomb instead. While in there, I'll demise, But as a flying angel I'll arise

[@Ultra_DuDu]

What if the players find a a fitting answer that is not what the wizzard/sage expected and he get angry because of that.

[@zuggy1231]

We had one riddle literally so hard it drove everyone insane and made us all angry and upset when I finally got it. It was just so long and complicated none of us could remember it or guess well. Worst of all each time we guessed wrong a stronger enemy would come to fight us and we couldn't escape. The pressure of having to guess right and not being able to leave coupled with the complexity of the riddle was just too much. We swore off riddles forever.

[@Nate_McD]

“MINDFREAK” *brain implodes*

[@morbidfreakbaby]

"Is the answer Golden Girls?" Lol

[@kainuipenaloza9395]

6:13-6:16 Jack Sparrow ACCENT!

[@Toey-]

I am cut and shine red, yet I'm not bleeding. What am I?

[@Toey-]

A ruby (or rose if you guessed it) :)

[@FlatlandsSurvivor]

I like that, pretty clear, feels clever.

[@Vgamer311]

My first instinct was to guess “apple”

[@katier9725]

I was thinking firewood.

[@CityKanin]

A strawberry

[@aaro1268]

What about negotiating with NPCs and players? A lot of times it's necessary to let players bargain or strike compromises with NPCs. Sometimes they even try to bargain on the conditions of a quest when I didn't plan them to and it catches me off guard!

[@ShowToddSomeLove]

Learned this the hard way when one of my players got lasered into another plane because he didn't bother with a puzzle.

[@Skullmiser]

Golden Girls seems to fit all the criteria to me... I think it should have become the solution.

[@roamingcelt]

Use some Rain-X on the insides of the goggles to keep them from fogging up.

[@AppledirtArchive]

I thought for the beginning trick you used some sleight of hand to conceal the couin, and you never actually put it in your hat.

[@eroszakos9042]

"Think of words which end in '-GRY'. Angry and hungry are two of them. There are but three words in the Common Tongue... what is the third word? The word is something that one uses everyday. If thou hast listened carefully, I have already told thee what it is."

[@Heriarka]

My answer was "Words" The third word in the whole statement. Then I looked it up and found there's a lot of possible answers depending on how the question is told. This is a nice one. In this case, the answer was probably "Tongue", but you could probably answer an actual word, like "meagry".

[@PestoPosta]

A snake sleeps in blood of fire, held in silver chalice. What am I? An oil lamp.

[@Midrealm_DM]

That's pretty good, except I envision lamps as being made of brass or bronze. Or many other materials other than silver. Although if the room were decorated with silver oil lamps I think it would be a good hint.

[@PestoPosta]

Eeee, I feel that reduces it too much to an I Spy game XD I thought about, "A burning snake, etc" But I felt like that might spell it out too much.

[@1nt9rn9t-dudewillheim2]

Here's a short one. "White shards flying, gliding in the sky. What are they?"

[@CityKanin]

1nt9rn9t-Dude Willheim Snowflakes

[@rulecameron9845]

Very strong am I, I protect and destroy. I lead legions into the right path. Truth is that death comes frequently when you see me. Although you can give me away, not everyone can use me. Every powerful leader wants me alive as long as possible. The first letters spell VITAE. Latin for life or life elixer. Aka blood. Use it where your players need to bleed a bit to open something. I have very smart players, still they found it out the same session they completed the riddle.

[@DarthStuticus]

Hollow husk of Fallen Tree Skin of Beast or Facsimile Boom of Thunder Crash of Rain one performer, in the Masses’ game

[@CityKanin]

Darth Stuticus a drum

[@michaelwinter742]

The best D&D riddle: My outcome is tall, higher than 20, with a lucky roll, I’ll give you plenty. #intcheck

[@justj8755]

How's about a video about Curses? Not curses like 'fuck', but rather, curses like 'You are unable to speak or acknowledge any words spoken in a sentence hereafter which contain more then one syllable. Ne'er will you speak of your curse.' Inspired by a character in the ultima series. Would love to hear some ideas or even instances that your character suffered.

[@justj8755]

Post Script- The players in your games are lucky and I envy them all. It would be an honor to play in one of your pathfinder campaigns. And an honor to run a game with you in it.

[@emberhydra]

8:00 if you want the answer. But I would recommend watching the entire video

[@emberhydra]

Look, Action and location are the 3 main part

[@olemlund]

Evil or good i do not know, but when ypu look in my eye you know i can't lie. What am i? A mirror.

[@Halinspark]

It's hard for GMs not to think of traps and riddles as a "me versus them" thing when so many players set out to mess with the GM because they think it's funny. Or because they're just murderhobos.

[@tymora11]

Waaaay too late and not terribly relevant, but the incipient nerd in me forces me to point out that in The Hobbit book, it is noted that "what's in my pocket?" wasn't a riddle, but since Gollum didn't protest, Bilbo leaned into it.

[@madiunknown5013]

The only things I would change about the video are: A concept is an acceptable answer, and that's not going to fit the form Some of the best riddles, in my opinion, rather than follow that form, give a descriptor and then subvert it: A mouth with no tongue, No legs but I run. What am I?* Sometimes the riddle might need a specific answer because it leads to a puzzle or prophecy clue later on. *I'm not including the answer here because you may need to click 'Read More' for another reason. I'll add it as a reply tomorrow if needed.

[@madiunknown5013]

A river

[@Ivan-ef1tj]

Riddles are like onions; they have layers