Fantasy

Riddles:
This product requires the use
of Dungeons & Dragons,
Third Edition rules

A Gamers
Resource
For use with D20
Fantasy Rules

This document is part of System 20:

A Do-It-Yourself supplement system available at
creationsedge.com

Fantasy
Riddles:

A Gamers
Resource
For use with D20
Fantasy Rules

Introduction
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~Open Game Content~

The content of this document entitled Fantasy Riddles which describe game mechanics are designated 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,
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Fantasy Riddles - for use with D20 rules - 2002 Creations Edge, Inc.
www.creationsedge.com

Fantasy Riddles
Collected By M. E. Kline

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, tossing his magic hammer from hand to hand,
Ill take somethin to bash over the aff-witted 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 alcoves
lined with gold, jewels, and countless treasures. 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 goblin 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 barriers, licking his lips. He raised his hammer
and made a weak gesture towards the barrier. 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 muttered 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-

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 himself
into 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 started 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 with
swords and sorcery, riddles present obstacles 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 adventuring 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 dedicated role player will step out of character
for a moment when answering a riddle. Most
view it as a challenge directed at them
rather than the character that theyre playing. Thus even Mongo the Barbarian with a
6 intelligence and a 5 wisdom can still provide the solution. Should this be the case?
Maybe. Maybe not...
The following riddles have been collected 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 perplexing 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 keeping 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.

Riddle #2

Riddle #8

It is said among my people that some

things are improved by death.
Tell me, what stinks while living, but in
death, smells good?

If a man carried my burden He would

break his back. I am not rich, But
leave silver in my track.
Riddle #9

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?

Until I am measured I am not known,

Yet how you miss me When I have
flown.
Riddle #10

Riddle #4

When set loose I fly away, Never so

cursed As when I go astray.

Whilst I was engaged in sitting, I

spied the dead carrying the living.
Riddle #11
Riddle #5
I know a word of letters three. Add
two, and fewer there will be.

Each morning I appear To lie at your

feet, All day I will follow No matter
how fast you run, Yet I nearly perish
In the midday sun.

Riddle #6

Riddle #12

I give you a group of three. One is sitting down, and will never get up. The
second eats as much as is given to
him, yet is always hungry. The third
goes away and never returns.

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

Riddle #7
Always hungry, I must always be fed,
The finger I lick, Will soon turn red.

I am seen in the water If seen in the

sky, I am in the rainbow, A jay's feather, And lapis lazuli.

Riddle #14
Glittering points That downward
thrust, Sparkling spears That never
rust.

place of meeting. Behead me again,

and I am the partner of ready. Restore
me, and I become the domain of
beasts.
Riddle #20

Riddle #15
You heard me before, Yet you hear
me again, Then I die, 'Till you call me
again.

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 #16
Three lives have I. Gentle enough to
soothe the skin, Light enough to
caress the sky, Hard enough to crack
rocks.

Riddle #21

Riddle #17

Riddle #22

You can see nothing else, When you

look in my face, I will look you in the
eye and I will never lie.
Riddle #18

Ripped from my mother's womb,

Beaten and burned, I become a
blood-thirsty slayer What am I?

I build up castles. I tear down mountains. I make some men blind, I help
others to see. What am I?

Riddle #23
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 without me. What am I?

What is no man yet bares mans

form? Dies each night, by day reborn.
A silent companion it voices no
needs, sometimes follows sometimes
leeds.

Riddle #19

Riddle #24

As a whole, I am both safe and

secure. Behead me, and I become a

Silently I speak my tale, stiff is my

spine, my body pale. Examine me

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?

At night they come without being

fetched. By day they are lost without
being stolen.
Riddle #30

Riddle #25
Forward I am heavy, yet backwards I
am not. The answers revealed if
properly sought. What am I?

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 #26

Riddle #31

It is in rock yet not in stone, it is in

marrow 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.

Runs over fields and woods all day,

Under the bed at night sits not alone,
With long tongue hanging out, A-waiting for a bone.
Riddle #32

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

The beginning of eternity, The end of

time and space, The beginning of
every end, And the end of every
place.

Riddle #33
Two brothers we are, great burdens
we bear, all day we are bitterly
pressed;
I am a window, I am a lamp, I am
clouded, I am shining, and I am colored;
set in white, I fill with water and overflow. I say much, but I have no words.
What am I?

Riddle #34

Riddle #39

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

What is one thing that all wise men,

regardless of their religion or politics,
agree is between heaven and earth?

Riddle #35

Riddle #40

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?

This is as light as a feather but no

man can hold it for long. What is it?
Riddle #41

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.

I turn my head and you may go where

you 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

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?

I have rivers without water, Forests

without trees, Mountains without
rocks, Towns without houses. What
am I?

The Skill
Riddle Solving (Wis)
You are particularly skilled at solving
riddles. You delight in opportunities to test
your wits against them and sometimes find
guilty pleasure in watching others struggle
with them. You might also have a riddle or
two handy to inflict upon your fellow adventurers 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 a
wrong 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 Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42

A Coffin
A Pig (Ham)
Sunlight
A Wagon or Coach
The word Few
Wood, Fire, Smoke
A Fire or Flame
A Snail
Time
An Arrow
Your Shadow
A Candle
The Color Blue
An Icicle
An Echo
Water
A Mirror
The Letter V
The Word Stable
Nothing
Sand
Iron
A Mans Shadow
A Book
The word Ton
The Letter R
Sleep
A River or Waterfall
The Stars
Tomorrow
A Shoe or Boot
The Letter E
An Eye
A Splinter
A Wheelbarrow
Wood
An Egg
A Tree
The Word And
Your Breath
A Key
A Map

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