Fantasy Riddles

7/25/2019 Fantasy Riddles

1/10

This product requires the useof Dungeons & Dragons,

Third Edition rules

Fantasy

Riddles

Gamers

Resource

For use with D20

Fantasy Rules

This document is part of System 20:A Do-It-Yourself supplement system available

creationsedge.com


2/10

Fantasy

Riddles

GamersResource

For use with D20Fantasy Rules

Introduction

Welcome to Fantasy Riddles: A

Gamers Resource.

This product is presented free as part

of System 20, a do-it-yourself supple-

ment system found on our website atwww.creationsedge.com.

System 20 allows you to create your

own supplements, featuring the content

of your choice, for a fraction of the cost

of traditional RPG supplements.

Youll find over 400 different magic

items, weapons, rings, and wear on our

site, as well as our Add-A-Rooms,

Adventures, and other role-playing aids.

Our Free 20 section also hostsdozens of free creatures, items, and

weapons to incorporate into your D20

fantasy campaign.

This product requires the use of

Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition

rules.

Fantasy Riddles - for use with D20 rules - 2002 Creations Edge, Inc.

www.creationsedge.com

~Open Game Content~

The content of this document entitled Fantasy Riddles which describe game mechanics are des-

ignated as Open Content. The remaining portions of this document are hereby added to Open Game

Content and if so used should bear the COPYRIGHT NOTICE Fantasy Riddles 2002 Creations Edge,

Inc. and optionally the web address www.creationsedge.com.

The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the

trademark or copyright concerned.

Dungeons & Dragons and Wizards of the Coast are registered trademarks of Wizards of the

Coast, and are used with permission. This document contains material based on the D20 System. The

D20 System is trademark by Wizards of the Coast and is used according to the terms of the d20 System

License version 1.0. A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com.

Fantasy Riddles is available for download on Creation Edge, Inc.s website as part of the

System 20 collection. Check out our website at creationsedge.com for more System 20

resources and information on upcoming releases.


3/10

Introduction"Ahhhrrrggghhh!, the dwarf raged, By

me father's beard I ate these things!

Grimwal please! Xander hissed, Youll

bring the rest of the wizards forces down on

us!

Let em come! Grimwal bellowed, toss-

ing his magic hammer from hand to hand,

Ill take somethin to bash over the aff-wit-

ted ramblings of some aff-witted mage any

ol day!

The young ranger renewed his pacings,

back and forth, before the fountain which

dominated the center of the circular room.

The reason for the dwarfs raging stood at

the center of the fountain; a statue standing

all silent, waiting for an answer to the riddle

it bore upon a marble plaque held in granite

hands. We would have left the room already

if it wasnt for what lined it; all along the

walls, set at intervals, were small alcoveslined with gold, jewels, and countless treas-

ures. It was the wizards main vault we were

standing in. We were sure of that. And all

that stood between us and the treasure

were ten magic barriers and one little

answer to one little riddle we were sure

would drop them all.

But even I was beginning to lose my

patience.

Xander. Be still. I muttered.

Im thinking. The ranger snapped back.Well do it in one place!

I had finished cleanin the last of the gob-

lin blood an guts off of my blade. Already I

could feel it askin for more. It knew there

was more of the nasty things close by and if

we didnt go after them soon it would make

me go after them.

We were all getting a little anxious, my

sword included.

Grimwal crept towards one of the barri-

ers, licking his lips. He raised his hammer

and made a weak gesture towards the barri-

er. I knew what was coming next.

Couldnt we? He offered, Couldnt we

just bash-

Were not bashing anything! Xander

snapped, Just step away from the alcove

and let me think!

Youve been thinking... The dwarf mut-

tered as he slumped against the wall.Grimwal looked over at me, eyebrows raised

in hopeful expectation. He made another

gesture towards the barrier with his hammer.

I gently shook my head no. The dwarf

huffed, crossed his arms and tried his best

to look crossed at the world.

I moved closer to the fountain, hoping

that a shift in position might cause a shift in

my thinking. I stared at the fountains pool

and the spout in the statues mouth.

Wheres the water?The other two turned to look at me, then

at the pool. It was bone dry. It looked as if it

had been for years.

Thats it! The ranger shouted, slapping

himself on the head. His eyes shot to the

plaque. Three lives have I. Gentle enough

to soothe the skin, Light enough to caress

the sky, Hard enough to crack rocks. Its

water! The answers water!

Its not water! Scoffed the dwarf. Three

lives. Waters not livin...

Its not literal. Stressed Xander. The

dwarf crumpled up his face at the term. Its

not exactly what it says. The ranger

explained. Thats the nature of riddles.

Alright then, why arent the barriers

droppin?

Xander glanced at the ten magic barri-

Fantasy RiddlesCollected By M. E. Kline


4/10

ers. The treasure was still safely locked

away.

Maybe its what it wants? I offered.

Maybe we have to give the fountain some

water.

I got its water. Grumbled the dwarf.

Xander tried to stop him, but it was too

late. Grimwal was already emptyin himselfinto the fountain.

Grimwal no!

What, its got water in it! The dwarf

chuckled. Well its got ale in it and ales got

water in it...

The barriers collapsed and the treasure

fell into the room.

Ha! Bellowed the dwarf as he hiked up

his pants. Lets see the wizards magic

wand do that!

I had to laugh myself. It was the first time

the dwarf's rash actions didnt bring a world

o hurt down upon our heads.

Thats when the steel plate slid down

over the door. An all o black rock lake start-

ed drainin in on us from above.

I hate riddles! Grimwal managed ta

spout, then he was lost in a torrent of water,

along with Xander and me, an any chance I

had o feedin my sword or my money

pouch...

From the ancient Riddle of the Sphinx to

the riddle on the doors to Moria, riddles

have played an important and enduring part

in our myths and fantasies for ages. Its no

surprise that they play an important role in

RPGs as well. In environments laden withswords and sorcery, riddles present obsta-

cles not to be overcome by brawn or brains

but by wit. They serve to fill a gap in the

action and often present a unique challenge

for even the most skilled and able adventur-

ing party.

Part of their appeal in RPGs is that

its one of the few times we ourselves truly

make the crossover into the RPG world. Our

success in overcoming a riddle obsticle lies

not in a score on a character sheet or the

luck of a die role but solely upon our own

problem solving skills. Even the most dedi-

cated role player will step out of character

for a moment when answering a riddle. Most

view it as a challenge directed at themrather than the character that theyre play-

ing. Thus even Mongo the Barbarian with a

6 intelligence and a 5 wisdom can still pro-

vide the solution. Should this be the case?

Maybe. Maybe not...

The following riddles have been col-

lected from numerous sources. They have

been gathered here due to the fact that their

content and solutions fit well into a fantasy

gaming environment (in other words, you

wont find one with an answer like airplane

or computer).

The answers are separate from the

main text so that you might try your hand at

solving them first on your own.

After the riddle list is a look at riddle

solving as a skill. The concept being that if a

party gets stumped by a particularly perplex-

ing riddle a character with the riddle solving

skill might be entitled to a hint or even the

solution. This is offered as a means to keep-ing the players in character even when

encountering riddles, or as a way of allowing

the game to progress through a riddle

encounter that has even the players

stumped.

The Riddles

Riddle #1

Who makes it, has no need of it. Who

buys it, has no use for it. Who uses it

can neither see nor feel it.


5/10

Riddle #2

It is said among my people that some

things are improved by death.

Tell me, what stinks while living, but in

death, smells good?

Riddle #3

What goes through the door without

pinching itself? What sits on the stove

without burning itself? What sits on

the table and is not ashamed?

Riddle #4

Whilst I was engaged in sitting, I

spied the dead carrying the living.

Riddle #5

I know a word of letters three. Addtwo, and fewer there will be.

Riddle #6

I give you a group of three. One is sit-

ting down, and will never get up. The

second eats as much as is given to

him, yet is always hungry. The thirdgoes away and never returns.

Riddle #7

Always hungry, I must always be fed,

The finger I lick, Will soon turn red.

Riddle #8

If a man carried my burden He would

break his back. I am not rich, But

leave silver in my track.

Riddle #9

Until I am measured I am not known,

Yet how you miss me When I have

flown.

Riddle #10

When set loose I fly away, Never so

cursed As when I go astray.

Riddle #11

Each morning I appear To lie at your

feet, All day I will follow No matter

how fast you run, Yet I nearly perishIn the midday sun.

Riddle #12

My life can be measured in hours, I

serve by being devoured. Thin, I am

quick, Fat, I am slow, A gust of wind

my dreaded foe.

Riddle #13

I am seen in the water If seen in the

sky, I am in the rainbow, A jay's feath-

er, And lapis lazuli.


6/10

Riddle #14

Glittering points That downward

thrust, Sparkling spears That never

rust.

Riddle #15

You heard me before, Yet you hear

me again, Then I die, 'Till you call me

again.

Riddle #16

Three lives have I. Gentle enough to

soothe the skin, Light enough to

caress the sky, Hard enough to crack

rocks.

Riddle #17

You can see nothing else, When youlook in my face, I will look you in the

eye and I will never lie.

Riddle #18

With thieves I consort, With the vilest,

in short, I'm quite at ease in depravity;

Yet all divines use me, And savants

can't lose me, For I am the center of

gravity. You cant have anything with-out me. What am I?

Riddle #19

As a whole, I am both safe and

secure. Behead me, and I become a

place of meeting. Behead me again,

and I am the partner of ready. Restore

me, and I become the domain of

beasts.

Riddle #20

What does man love more than life,

Fear more than death or mortal strife?

What the poor have, the rich require,

and what contented men desire, What

the miser spends and the spendthrift

saves, all men carry to their graves?

Riddle #21

I build up castles. I tear down moun-

tains. I make some men blind, I help

others to see. What am I?

Riddle #22

Ripped from my mother's womb,Beaten and burned, I become a

blood-thirsty slayer What am I?

Riddle #23

What is no man yet bares mans

form? Dies each night, by day reborn.

A silent companion it voices no

needs, sometimes follows sometimesleeds.

Riddle #24

Silently I speak my tale, stiff is my

spine, my body pale. Examine me


7/10

and youll find leaves though I no

thing of nature be. Though my outside

may seem quite plain, inside I hold a

wonderland. What am I?

Riddle #25

Forward I am heavy, yet backwards I

am not. The answers revealed if

properly sought. What am I?

Riddle #26

It is in rock yet not in stone, it is inmarrow but not in bone. Although it is

no thing dead or living, it can be

found in taverns drunk and drinking.

Always sober never sick the answer

to the riddle is part of the trick.

Riddle #27

I weaken great men for hours each

day, show them strange visions while

held in my sway. It take them each

night, though day takes them back.

None suffer to have me, but do from

my lack. What am I?

Riddle #28

Bright as diamonds, Loud as thunder,

Never still, A thing of wonder.

Riddle #29

At night they come without being

fetched. By day they are lost without

being stolen.

Riddle #30

I never was, always to be, No one

ever saw me, nor ever will, and yet I

am the confidence of all, who put off

their plans until my arrival.

Riddle #31

Runs over fields and woods all day,Under the bed at night sits not alone,

With long tongue hanging out, A-wait-

ing for a bone.

Riddle #32

The beginning of eternity, The end of

time and space, The beginning ofevery end, And the end of every

place.

Riddle #33

Two brothers we are, great burdens

we bear, all day we are bitterlypressed;

I am a window, I am a lamp, I am

clouded, I am shining, and I am col-

ored;

set in white, I fill with water and over-

flow. I say much, but I have no words.

What am I?


8/10

Riddle #34

I went into the woods and got it, I sat

down to seek it, I brought it home with

me because I couldn't find it

Riddle #35

I have two arms, but fingers none. I

have two feet, but cannot run. I carry

well, but I have found I carry best with

my feet off the ground. What am I?

Riddle #36

I am the heart that does not beat. If

cut, I bleed without blood. I can float,

but have no fins. I can sing, but have

no mouth.

Riddle #37

In marble halls as white as milk, Lined

with a skin as soft as silk, Within a

fountain crystal-clear, A golden apple

doth appear. No doors there are to

this stronghold, Yet thieves break in

and steal the gold.

Riddle #38

I am both Mother and Father. I am

seldom still, yet I never wander. I

never birth nor nurse. What am I?

Riddle #39

What is one thing that all wise men,

regardless of their religion or politics,

agree is between heaven and earth?

Riddle #40

This is as light as a feather but no

man can hold it for long. What is it?

Riddle #41

I turn my head and you may go whereyou want. I turn it again, you will stay

till you rot. I have no face, but I live or

die by my crooked teeth. Who am I?

Riddle #42

I have rivers without water, Forests

without trees, Mountains withoutrocks, Towns without houses. What

am I?


9/10

The Skill

Riddle Solving (Wis)

You are particularly skilled at solving

riddles. You delight in opportunities to test

your wits against them and sometimes findguilty pleasure in watching others struggle

with them. You might also have a riddle or

two handy to inflict upon your fellow adven-

turers during lengthy travels or around the

campfire, or worse yet, just before turning in

for the night.

Check: When using riddle solving to answer

a riddle the checks are as follows: DC 10 for

eliminating a possible answer before it is

used (I think the answer maybe water.Does that seem right?), DC 15 for a hint

("You remember a similar riddle where the

answer wasnt a word but a single letter."),

DC 20 for a straight answer (You remember

hearing this one before. The answer is

man.).

Retry:Another attempt has a DC +10 higher

that the last skill check. The possibility for a

second chance isnt always there after awrong answer has been given. For instance

a riddle that triggers a trap, or a stone golem

requesting a specific password probably

wouldnt allow a second try.

Special: Gnomes in particular love riddles.

They gain a +2 racial bonus on Riddle

Solving checks.

The Answers1 A Coffin

2 A Pig (Ham)

3 Sunlight

4 A Wagon or Coach

5 The word Few

6 Wood, Fire, Smoke

7 A Fire or Flame

8 A Snail

9 Time

10 An Arrow

11 Your Shadow

12 A Candle

13 The Color Blue

14 An Icicle

15 An Echo

16 Water

17 A Mirror

18 The Letter V

19 The Word Stable

20 Nothing

21 Sand

22 Iron

23 A Mans Shadow

24 A Book

25 The word Ton26 The Letter R

27 Sleep

28 A River or Waterfall

29 The Stars

30 Tomorrow

31 A Shoe or Boot

32 The Letter E

33 An Eye

34 A Splinter

35 A Wheelbarrow36 Wood

37 An Egg

38 A Tree

39 The Word And

40 Your Breath

41 A Key

42 A Map


10/10

The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (Wizards). All

Rights Reserved.

1. Definitions: (a)Contributors means the copyright and/or

trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content;

(b)Derivative Material means copyrighted material including

derivative works and translations (including into other computerlanguages), potation, modification, correction, addition, exten-

sion, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other

form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or

adapted; (c) Distribute means to reproduce, license, rent, lease,

sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute;

(d)Open Game Content means the game mechanic and includes

the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent

such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an

enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly

identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means

any work covered by this License, including translations and

derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes

Product Identity. (e) Product Identity means product and prod-

uct line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress;artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic

elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols,

designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes

and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representa-

tions; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments,

personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities;

places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or

supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic

designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly

identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product

Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game

Content; (f) Trademark means the logos, names, mark, sign,

motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or

its products or the associated products contributed to the OpenGame License by the Contributor (g) Use, Used or Using

means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and

otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h)

You or Your means the licensee in terms of this agreement.

2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content

that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content

may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must

affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No

terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as

described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may

be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this

License.

3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You

indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.

4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use

this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide,

royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this

License to Use, the Open Game Content.

5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contribut-

ing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that

Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have

sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.

6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPY-

RIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text

of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You

are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the

title, the copyright date, and the copyright holders name to the

COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content youDistribute.

7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product

Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as

expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the

owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to

indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or

Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing

Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another,

independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or

Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open

Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of

that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in

Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest inand to that Product Identity.

8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must

clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distribut-

ing are Open Game Content.

9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may

publish updated versions of this License. You may use any

authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute

any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version

of this License.

10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this

License with every copy of the Open Game Content YouDistribute.

11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise

the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor

unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do

so.

12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with

any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the

Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmen-

tal regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so

affected.

13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if Youfail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach

within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses

shall survive the termination of this License.

14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be

unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the

extent necessary to make it enforceable.

15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast,

Inc.

~ THE OPEN GAME LICENSE ~

Fantasy Riddles

Documents

Transcript of Fantasy Riddles