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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celtavian" data-source="post: 6422212" data-attributes="member: 5834">I don't like to put limited riddles, puzzles, and the like in the game unless I intend to allow a check to figure it out if the player is stumped. Most people in real life aren't as intelligent as the wizard in an adventuring party. I feel as a DM if you put a puzzle, riddle, or the like in the game, you should do so with the idea of making your wizard or other intelligence based player seem intelligent rather than making your party figure out something obscure out that only you might have read or learned. You don't want to make a PC feel stupid or weak. The entire idea behind fantasy gaming is to play something you are not. Not only does that include being a master swordsman or powerful wizard, but also something that knows something those types of characters might know. For example, if a DM puts a complex puzzle into the game, why not let the PCs make a skill check based on an appropriate skill to solve it. It's no different than an actor that isn't a brilliant scientist solving a complex physics problem he knows nothing about in real life. Your job as a DM is to create a scenario that makes the player feel like a wizard with an 18 intelligence with a deep knowledge base that the real player doesn't possess. This helps your player invest in his character and makes for a more interesting experience for all.Putting an NPC in to provide the answer eliminates an opportunity for a PC your running to shine. It should bring pleasure to a DM when his players get to shine solving a difficult challenge only their particular PC is well equipped to solve. You work to create such moments whether it is the fighter going toe to toe with some powerful foe or a rogue disarming some extremely dangerous trap to progress through a dungeon or a wizard deciphering the ancient magical text to determine the secret name of a demon lord you must defeat. DMs should put players in a position to succeed whether it is a player's real life knowledge or their characters in-game knowledge.</blockquote>

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