# Riddles for D&D dungeons **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 23, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689 "2009-06-23T05:08:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/21 "2009-06-28T03:59:20Z")
> [@JonathanTheRed](#): > > I prefer this way: > > What is it men love more than life, > Fear more than death or mortal strife? > The poor man has, the rich require, > What is the contented man’s desire? > The miser spends, the spendthrift saves, > And all men carry to their graves. Yeah that is better, thx ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/22 "2009-06-28T04:29:02Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Two beautiful maidens approach the village matchmaker to be matched. The matchmaker is impressed by their beauty, but even more impressed is she by the fact that they both look exactly alike. > > The matchmaker asks each maiden where she lives, and their answers are the same; they live in the same house. She asks each who her father is, and their answers are the same; they have the same father. She asks for their birthdays, and they have the same birthday. > > “Ah,” says the matchmaker. “You are twins.” > > “No,” say the maidens. “We’re not twins.” > > How can this be? > > They are two of a set of triplets; the third sister is at home. This doesn’t work as well in a fantasy universe when answers like “I just cast mirror image” and “flesh golem carefully constructed to look like me” are perfectly valid answers. My first is a number My second another And each, I assure you Will rhyme with the other My first I can say Is one-fifth of my second And when both are together A long period reckoned Four-score, the trick is most people won’t think of trying non-standard numbers like “score” for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/23 "2009-07-01T01:09:37Z")
The old computer game The Crimson Crown has three delightfully creepy riddles I loved as a kid: Hands I do not have, yet I grasp so tight. I love darkness, my enemy is light. Both the mighty and low know me well, For in the hearts of men do I dwell! Fear I wonder as I wander: where am I? I shed tears, yet I cannot cry, I trek, but cannot walk, swim or fly, I am born to die. Say, what am I? Cloud I am, I’m not. I visit young and old, Some I make timid and some I make bold, Unwise is the one who pokes fun at me. Beware, for I am a shadow of thee. Death ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/24 "2009-07-01T22:41:26Z")
Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it was too long to go around. I once came close to stumping the Demon Asmodeus with this, but he Vader-choked the answer out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Yooperthing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/da6949/32.png) [@Yooperthing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yooperthing)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/25 "2012-03-27T18:55:11Z")
A friend on mine used this on us when he was DM. We only were able to continue our quest by killing the Minotaur that asked the riddle. And here I thought cows were the stupid ones. An eye in a blue face Saw an eye in a green face. “This eye is to that eye,” Said the first eye, “But on a low, not a high.” Sunshine on daisies It took me a while to get it, even after I knew the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/26 "2012-03-27T19:03:35Z")
Most fantasy fans will know that one, **Yooperthing**. It’s from _The Hobbit_. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/27 "2012-03-28T14:16:41Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Two beautiful maidens approach the village matchmaker to be matched. The matchmaker is impressed by their beauty, but even more impressed is she by the fact that they both look exactly alike. > > The matchmaker asks each maiden where she lives, and their answers are the same; they live in the same house. She asks each who her father is, and their answers are the same; they have the same father. She asks for their birthdays, and they have the same birthday. > > “Ah,” says the matchmaker. “You are twins.” > > “No,” say the maidens. “We’re not twins.” > > How can this be? I was going to go with ‘Temporal Anomoly, one is a time traveler’ ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/28 "2012-03-28T14:57:18Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > I was going to go with ‘Temporal Anomoly, one is a time traveler’ Since the matchmaker never asked if they have the same mother, another answer is that they’re half-sisters, with different mothers. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/29 "2012-03-28T15:10:41Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > This doesn’t work as well in a fantasy universe when answers like “I just cast mirror image” and “flesh golem carefully constructed to look like me” are perfectly valid answers. Of course, in these settings the riddle is usually the key to unlocking some other objective, so just because an answer is _valid_, does not make it _correct_. The job would be to find the correct answer not just any answer. Having multiple possibilities just makes it that much more maddening for the adventurers. ETA: just realized this was a zombie after it ate my brain. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/30 "2012-03-28T15:14:39Z")
In one of the campaigns I ran, I had a shifting maze. It read: Dire Forrest has a shifting Maze That bears this legend: Pretend as if you’re playing a game, the way to get through is just the same inside the castle you’ll use the code and then you’ll hit the mother lode the way to get through the maze is thusly: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right Then: A B (Represented by Rhunes in the earth)( It’s a reference to the konami code. I had a lot of fun with that one 🙂 Dang! didn’t see this was an old thread! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/31 "2012-03-28T17:24:28Z")
That’s not really a fair riddle, though, because it requires out-of-game knowledge. Sure, some of your players probably know the old Konami code, but there’s no way the _characters_ would. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/32 "2012-03-28T17:34:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That’s not really a fair riddle, though, because it requires out-of-game knowledge. Sure, some of your players probably know the old Konami code, but there’s no way the _characters_ would. Well, you’re right in that it’s hardly self-evident, yet somehow somone figured it out in real life. Maybe the secret was leaked, maybe it was discovered by accident/observation. No reason some old dude couldn’t have gone through the dungeon in the past and learned its secrets and now lives nearby. Maybe he’s known as the crazy old geezer down by the creek who claims to have seen King Scrogg’s treasure but was run off by some resident nasty guardians. And nobody really believes a word… ETA: I mean really, the point of a riddle is to control access to only allow in “those in the know.” I’m not going to rely on “30 white horses on a red hill now thay stamp, now they champ, now they stand still” to be the principle barrier between my horde and some pimp from the shire. It _should_ be nearly impossible to figure out unless you have a critical piece of evidence or a unique perspective. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/33 "2012-03-28T18:25:03Z")
No. The point of a riddle is that anybody can figure it out if they can get into the thoughtspace of the riddle. That’s the difference between “tell me the Konami Code” / “what’s in my pockets” and “what has four legs at dawn, three at…” ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/34 "2012-03-28T23:20:26Z")
Yep, anyone can get a riddle. A question with dozens of possible answers, only one of which is correct, or a series of directions is a password, not a riddle. ETA: For an example of a password that sounds like a riddle, think of the Dark Brotherhood questions in the Elder Scrolls. In Oblivion, the sanctuary door asks, “What is the color of night?”. The answer could be Black, Dark Blue, Black with White Dots… Literally anything. But there’s only one answer that gets you in. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/35 "2012-03-28T23:47:24Z")
I am the end of Before and I am the beginning of the End. What am I? The letter E ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/36 "2012-03-29T01:04:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, you’re right in that it’s hardly self-evident, yet somehow somone figured it out in real life. Maybe the secret was leaked, maybe it was discovered by accident/observation. No reason some old dude couldn’t have gone through the dungeon in the past and learned its secrets and now lives nearby. Maybe he’s known as the crazy old geezer down by the creek who claims to have seen King Scrogg’s treasure but was run off by some resident nasty guardians. And nobody really believes a word… In which case, the DM needs to put that old geezer in the game, and the challenge then becomes, do the players track him down and believe him, not whether they can figure out the riddle themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/37 "2012-03-29T02:25:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > In which case, the DM needs to put that old geezer in the game, and the challenge then becomes, do the players track him down and believe him, not whether they can figure out the riddle themselves. And even then, it’s not really a riddle. It’s just directions. ---
**Author:** ![AlderonIron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@AlderonIron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlderonIron)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689/38 "2012-03-30T20:23:58Z")
Here’s an old one I used, Brothers and sisters, I have none. But that man’s father, is my fathers son. Who is that man. My son. Hope you like it. * * * [Iron Ore](http://www.alderonironore.com/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddles-for-d-d-dungeons/500689.md?page=1)