Riddles!

[Wofano Wotanto]

I don't feel strongly enough about them to vote (where's the "shrugs" option?) but generally I find fiddle-with-stuff-and-see-what-happens puzzles work better at the table than riddling wordplay. You definitely don't want them to be barrier that can stop progress altogether, but presenting them as a less dangerous option than some other way to move on is probably okay. There's at least a couple of fantasy stories where the protag gets stuck on sphinx's riddle and goes on to intimidate, bribe or just beat it to death instead. Options with higher risk/costs are good.

 

[MNblockhead]

I like riddles where clues can be discovered as an area is explored.

I also find that I often don't have to make riddles. Many D&D players suffer from a special form of apophenia where they can see riddles in anything.

Like, imagine PCs coming accross the curse inscribed at the tomb of Khentika Ikhekhi:

As for all men who shall enter this my tomb... impure... there will be judgment... an end shall be made for him... I shall seize his neck like a bird... I shall cast the fear of myself into him

Cue a lengthy discussion deconstructing every word of that.

I generally don't use written or inscribed riddles in my game. They mainly come up with certain monsters or NPCs.

 

[the Jester]

It's okay to use riddles occasionally. They can be fun or funny. I won't get upset if a DM pulls one out.

But I view the use of riddles to be a little anti-roleplaying. A riddle is pretty obviously a test of the players, not the characters. You can let a 20+ INT character have a few extra rolls for bonus info.

Yeah, if I use a riddle I will typically allow really smart pcs to make a roll for a hint, or maybe give them extra time for their intelligence. And I even have a bardic subclass that is the riddlemaster subclass that gets things like an extra guess in place of their first wrong answer ("my riddle-sense is tingling" kind of thing).

 

[CleverNickName]

Yeah, if I use a riddle I will typically allow really smart pcs to make a roll for a hint, or maybe give them extra time for their intelligence. And I even have a bardic subclass that is the riddlemaster subclass that gets things like an extra guess in place of their first wrong answer ("my riddle-sense is tingling" kind of thing).

 

[MarkB]

I enjoy them myself, but they're definitely not for everyone. I recently listened to an actual play podcast where the DM hit them with one that, after even 30 seconds' consideration, very obviously had one of the classic answers, and the players spent 20 minutes coming to all the wrong conclusions. Frustrating to listen to, and frustrating for them as players and performers.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I love them, but find them very hard to create and the internet is nearly useless, with the overwhelming number turned up with searches being stuff even a four year old would get or, increasingly, AI-created gibberish.

That said, the Monster Overhaul (there really should be a drinking game for me mentioning the book) has two charts of excellent ones in the sphinx section that I plan to get good use out of.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

That said, the Monster Overhaul (there really should be a drinking game for me mentioning the book) has two charts of excellent ones in the sphinx section that I plan to get good use out of.

Putting some sample riddles in with the monsters who are likely to need them seems like a thing that should happen more often, but in practical terms it would get foiled by players reading the same monster books a depressing amount of the time. I'd like to think we're past the days of folks memorizing monster stats to metagame with but I know I'm kidding myself, and once you know a riddle its harder to forget it than some random aberration's AC and average hit points.

Hmmm. Maybe stick a riddle at the bottom or side of every page of the book with the answer on a different page so it's at least sort of encrypted against casual reading? "Use all of your page space constructively" is something of a mantra in some schools of design, and not a bad one to follow IMO.

On a tangentially related note, does anyone else remember Patricia McKillip's Riddle-Master trilogy from the late 70s? Hasn't had even an omnibus reprint in over twenty years now, but it was a solid read and is doubtless available in e-book format. Not an especially good source of actual riddles (the word is more synonymous with "arcane secrets" in the books) but you could probably do something interesting with some of the setting concepts. And concealing magical wisdom behind riddles is certainly a decent and gameable idea.

 

[Atomoctba]

I remember a game that have an "antisphynx"... She gave you an answer and you should come with a good riddle question for that or she would devour you.

 

[Richards]

That "antisphynx" must have been a "Jeopardy!" fan.

Johnathan

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Putting some sample riddles in with the monsters who are likely to need them seems like a thing that should happen more often, but in practical terms it would get foiled by players reading the same monster books a depressing amount of the time. I'd like to think we're past the days of folks memorizing monster stats to metagame with but I know I'm kidding myself, and once you know a riddle its harder to forget it than some random aberration's AC and average hit points.

Who the heck are you playing with? I haven't experienced this player behavior since middle school.

Players intentionally ruining everyone's fun in order to "win" an RPG literally isn't a thing I've encountered in decades.