I need puzzles!

[Rechan]

So I just started running a game for a new group, and one of the players comments to me, "We are a group of analytical guys. We love puzzles."

And I just sort of blanked. Because I am not a puzzle guy.

So ENworlders, can you recommend some good ones? Typical 'solve to unlock door' puzzles. Bonus points if you provide ways to give hints for solving said puzzle.

Note: I am not looking to spend money on a book of puzzles.

 

[Ravilah]

They enter a large cavern with a tall, noisy cataract at one end, falling into a turbulent pool. On the other side of the cavern, a large dragon head has been carved from the rock, and beneath its gaping maw is written in Dragon Tongue, "Five cool barrels will slake my thirst, no dewdrop more nor droplet less. Fail and be forever cursed; succeed and find the locked egress."
Scattered about the cavern are three huge, bronze jars. One holds ten barrels of water, one four barrels, and another three (they are all labeled clearly as such). Magically, only the ten-barrel jar can be filled from the pool (or any other means). They must figure out how to measure out exactly 5 barrels to pour into the dragon head.

Solution:
1. Fill the 10-barrel jar
2. Pour the water in the 4-barrel jar so that 6 remain.
3. Pour water from the 4-barrel jar into the 3-barrel jar (toss out the extra 1 barrel left)
4. Add the 3-barrels of water to the 6-barrels left in the largest jar. This one now has 9 barrels of water.
5. Fill the 4-barrel jar with water from the large jar. This will leave 5 barrels of water left in the largest jar.

The puzzle was designed for dragon-sized creatures, so the bronze containers are heavy. This can add an extra level of fun since the party will have to heave those things around to do all the pouring.

 

[Rune]

The PCs find themselves in a circular room with no apparent exits, except for the one through which they have entered. Inn the center of the chamber, on a pedestal, is the following inscription:

While it's true that two wrongs make no right, it's also true that two lefts might.​

[sblock=Solution]This is a simple puzzle to warm the PCs up with. There is a secret door to the right of the chamber, but the only way to activate it is to walk forward in a straight line and touch the wall straight ahead of the entrance to the room, then turn 135 degrees to the left, walk to the wall in a straight line and touch it there, then turn 135 degrees to the left again and walk straight forward to the secret door (forming a right triangle with the PC's path in the process).[/sblock]

 

[Ravilah]

A large, wooden figurehead stands affixed to the wall in one corner, clearly once at the prow of a mighty sailing ship. Right next to it is a large sea chest, locked and trapped (though empty if they do break it open). An odd, crude inscription (more like a list) is carved on the figurehead's belly:

APE
PIE
RAT
STOW
LAY
TRAY
SURE
ANTS
HAILED
ACHE
ROSS
THUS
HE.
HISS
CHESS
TEMPT
HEAL
LIES
FORTH
UGH
OLD
HISS
ENEMY.

Solution:
Read aloud, the message makes more sense: "A pirate stole a treasure, and sailed across the sea. His chest empty lies, for the gold is in me." The treasure is inside the figurehead.

 

[AslanC]

My group loves puzzles and I suck at making them. I will watch this thread with enormous glee!

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I can give you a riddle that I made up:

"The beginning of eternity
The end of time and space
The middle of every field
And the end of every race"

Answer:

Spoiler

The letter "E".

 

[Derren]

Personally I hate puzzles which just sit there waiting to be solved by adventurers because most of the time they make no sense.
Puzzles make very poor locks as everyone can open them or "test of worthiness". The few good puzzles in my eyes are social, the most direct being a riddle contest, think Gollum in the Hobbit or Riddler from Batman, or environmental were there is a problem like a caved in bridge and the PCs have to find a clever way to go to the other side (a bit like Portal).

 

[Ravilah]

Oh, I agree with Derren that puzzles and riddles make terrible locks if the purpose is to keep people out. However, they make fine sense (or, at least, good enough sense) if they are intended as tests of worthiness. Wizards, good dragons, and dying sages are the type that admire cleverness, and might be inclined to leave behind treasures accessible to those wise enough to get to them. At least, that's how I use them.

 

[Nytmare]

I can give you a riddle that I made up

The first suggestion on the list of riddle answers I was taught to check against when presented with a riddle is "Check to see if it's a letter"

After that it's:

Nothing
Darkness
Age
Time
Death

Note: I am not looking to spend money on a book of puzzles.

There's a whole internet full of riddles and puzzles out there, free for the taking.

 

[GordyK]

So I just started running a game for a new group, and one of the players comments to me, "We are a group of analytical guys. We love puzzles."

And I just sort of blanked. Because I am not a puzzle guy.

So ENworlders, can you recommend some good ones? Typical 'solve to unlock door' puzzles. Bonus points if you provide ways to give hints for solving said puzzle.

Note: I am not looking to spend money on a book of puzzles.

I've actually found ALL kinds of riddles on the internet in regards to fantasy style. I basically manipulated them a bit to introduce them into my own campaign, and have been quite successful with them. Just google search "Fantasy Riddles" or Puzzles. You should end up with more than you can handle