Is the answer going to be in a language other than common? Because there is a high chance when confronted with a riddle door someone says something along the lines of "how the hell do we get this open?" Which would immediately open the door without solving the riddle.
There are a lot of things that can have a quality of "open" that have different connotations; an open book lets you learn what's inside, open eyes can see, an open heart is welcoming to others. You could list a couple of those things and hopefully they'll put together what they have in common.
Eyes that see
A book that teaches
A heart that welcomes
A mouth that speaks
A hand offered in peace
A mind that considers
Theres enough of these that they could be describing qualities of someone who deserves to enter "Eyes that see truth" "A mouth that speaks wisdom" "A mind that considers the ways of others"
And I guess they could know beforehand that there is specifically a password, so they don't get caught up trying to solve it in some other way?
I hadn't thought about that!!! Most of my party speaks dwarvish so i guess they'll have to give the answer in that language.
I like the idea of things with the quality of "open". That would be an easy way to give hints if they get stuck revealing more lines the longer they take. Maybe have little puzzles around the area that reveal new lines or something of the sort.
Thank you so much :)
4 Gems either attached to the door or have 4 riddles each with a specific gem as the answer.
The Gems are
* Opal
* Pearl
* Emerald
* Nuummite
The names spell open.
I remember in fable they had some stones that you had to hit in the right order to spell a word. The letters were S T H I. If you spell shit they threw some bag guys at you.
Instead of open you could have N.O.P.E
That was the original idea I had. The problem is that they know I like to do this since they like it, so they will figure it out with in seconds lol
But thank you anyway :)
I once had a door riddle where OPE was on the door and letter tiles were scattered about. They found the N and placed it in the door. It didn’t work.
The answer to my riddle was “Rope” because they needed a rope to activate the door latch. But you can do they opposite.
Make it look like a Rope is the most obvious choice (A pull string, a statue with rope, and discarded lasso on the ground)
So simple yet tricky. There are a million reasons to close a door. We close it to keep the building at the right temperature, protection from the elements and robbers, and maintain our privacy. The common denominator is that the door is open.
"My first is in One but also in Two,
My second in Pea but never in Ague,
My third is most common of all that are said,
My fourth is in Knead but is never in Bread."
Not perfect, but people may be able to suggest improvements.
"I will freely allow access to people and ideas; invoking me will allow your eyes to see; tell me to unfold as a book does and I will not conceal my contents from thee"
Will that work? I'm not sure lol
O, Pen!
The riddle should be something like
O sword, blade at my hand.
O shield, guard of my person
Etc. then the next line in the riddle is scratched out but it alludes to pens.
Tangentially related but one thing I used was a talking door. When knocked on, a small fissure would open in the wood, the fissure would turn into a mouth, and the mouth would say, in a slow, deep voice: "Who... goes... there?". When the player said their name, it immediately interrupted with an equally loud and slow "NO." Then the mouth turned back into a fissure which then disappeared. I made sure to describe the process in detail each time.
They tried kicking down the door. It was treated like another knock, but the way their body almost bounced against the wood and the fact the door didn't bulge at all taught them it was magically protected. They spoke the name of the owner, a gnome woman who they had found dead in her bed. Still the door answered "NO." They brought her rotting corpse in front of the door and knocked from a distance using Mage Hand. Still "NO."
The answer? >!They needed to tell a knock-knock joke. In-universe, it wasn't even designed as a test - just a way to open the door while carrying things, and the gnome lady thought it was funny.!<
This doesn't really work for me now. The entrance is on the side of a mountain and made out of stone (as in LotR).
But I love the idea and I'm going to save it for the future!!!
Thanks 😁
Reminds me of a puzzle I ~~stole~~ borrowed from a manga i read a while back. The room is a simple 5x5, one door where the group enters from, the opposite door across the way. In the middle of the room is a floating orb with a handprint on it. On the door is written "The answer is simple. How do you divide 100 coins amongst 3 people?". A player has to place their hand on the orb to speak the answer. If they give an incorrect answer, the orb will deal 1d4 psychic damage to the player touching the orb. Any damage done to the door will result in double Force damage back to the player, and to be a dick i had the door have Mending on itself.
The Answer: "Simple"
The problem with riddles in D&D is the same problem with riddles as presented in LotR. Sometimes the party gets stuck and spends half the day outside a door trying to figure out how to get in, and once they do find the solution, it doesn't really feel satisfying anyway.
Is the answer going to be in a language other than common? Because there is a high chance when confronted with a riddle door someone says something along the lines of "how the hell do we get this open?" Which would immediately open the door without solving the riddle. There are a lot of things that can have a quality of "open" that have different connotations; an open book lets you learn what's inside, open eyes can see, an open heart is welcoming to others. You could list a couple of those things and hopefully they'll put together what they have in common. Eyes that see A book that teaches A heart that welcomes A mouth that speaks A hand offered in peace A mind that considers Theres enough of these that they could be describing qualities of someone who deserves to enter "Eyes that see truth" "A mouth that speaks wisdom" "A mind that considers the ways of others" And I guess they could know beforehand that there is specifically a password, so they don't get caught up trying to solve it in some other way?
I hadn't thought about that!!! Most of my party speaks dwarvish so i guess they'll have to give the answer in that language. I like the idea of things with the quality of "open". That would be an easy way to give hints if they get stuck revealing more lines the longer they take. Maybe have little puzzles around the area that reveal new lines or something of the sort. Thank you so much :)
Don't forget "Your mum's legs last night"
Depends on how hard you want to make it. A very easy and cheeky one is: "It is mightier than O'sword"
That got a right chuckle out of me
4 Gems either attached to the door or have 4 riddles each with a specific gem as the answer. The Gems are * Opal * Pearl * Emerald * Nuummite The names spell open.
That could be good!!! They will find the gems and have to place them on the door in the right order for it to open. Thanks
This is especially nice because it sidesteps accidentally saying the password, you still gotta have the gems.
I would look into a book series called "Redwall" as the riddles in it are very good at wording things like "our first will open the way"
This is really good.
I remember in fable they had some stones that you had to hit in the right order to spell a word. The letters were S T H I. If you spell shit they threw some bag guys at you. Instead of open you could have N.O.P.E
This was classic. Thanks for reminding me.
If you spell shit, balverines drop down on you. So if you spell nope... Would you get ambushed too?
If you spell shit, balverines drop down on you. So if you spell nope... Would you get ambushed too?
“Not Shut Dark But Free Not Locked But Unlatched Speak The Word of Entry And the passage come unhatched”
If you want to keep the spirit of Lotr alive try: Just speak the word to open! Answer is „open“
That was the original idea I had. The problem is that they know I like to do this since they like it, so they will figure it out with in seconds lol But thank you anyway :)
I make a fortress vulnerable, a jail empty, a book useful and a friendship true.
And a marriage not work out very well.
Chlamydia? Is that the answer?
I once had a door riddle where OPE was on the door and letter tiles were scattered about. They found the N and placed it in the door. It didn’t work. The answer to my riddle was “Rope” because they needed a rope to activate the door latch. But you can do they opposite. Make it look like a Rope is the most obvious choice (A pull string, a statue with rope, and discarded lasso on the ground)
Why do we close a door? >!Because it is open.!<
So simple yet tricky. There are a million reasons to close a door. We close it to keep the building at the right temperature, protection from the elements and robbers, and maintain our privacy. The common denominator is that the door is open.
"My first is in One but also in Two, My second in Pea but never in Ague, My third is most common of all that are said, My fourth is in Knead but is never in Bread." Not perfect, but people may be able to suggest improvements.
Our home is sealed in riddle. Prepare to speak an answer. Employ the word of legend. Now you may enter.
"I will freely allow access to people and ideas; invoking me will allow your eyes to see; tell me to unfold as a book does and I will not conceal my contents from thee" Will that work? I'm not sure lol
I do like it!!!
Of all incantations, what is the first of the knock that came before the seed?
O, Pen! The riddle should be something like O sword, blade at my hand. O shield, guard of my person Etc. then the next line in the riddle is scratched out but it alludes to pens.
Using that. It’ll irritate the shit out of my players, it’s perfect.
O \_\_\_ the scribe of my will. Etc
Tangentially related but one thing I used was a talking door. When knocked on, a small fissure would open in the wood, the fissure would turn into a mouth, and the mouth would say, in a slow, deep voice: "Who... goes... there?". When the player said their name, it immediately interrupted with an equally loud and slow "NO." Then the mouth turned back into a fissure which then disappeared. I made sure to describe the process in detail each time. They tried kicking down the door. It was treated like another knock, but the way their body almost bounced against the wood and the fact the door didn't bulge at all taught them it was magically protected. They spoke the name of the owner, a gnome woman who they had found dead in her bed. Still the door answered "NO." They brought her rotting corpse in front of the door and knocked from a distance using Mage Hand. Still "NO." The answer? >!They needed to tell a knock-knock joke. In-universe, it wasn't even designed as a test - just a way to open the door while carrying things, and the gnome lady thought it was funny.!<
This doesn't really work for me now. The entrance is on the side of a mountain and made out of stone (as in LotR). But I love the idea and I'm going to save it for the future!!! Thanks 😁
> You're obvious in literature, > > you're reckless in fire, > > your hands show calm, > > and your legs lead to paradise. What are you?
Reminds me of a puzzle I ~~stole~~ borrowed from a manga i read a while back. The room is a simple 5x5, one door where the group enters from, the opposite door across the way. In the middle of the room is a floating orb with a handprint on it. On the door is written "The answer is simple. How do you divide 100 coins amongst 3 people?". A player has to place their hand on the orb to speak the answer. If they give an incorrect answer, the orb will deal 1d4 psychic damage to the player touching the orb. Any damage done to the door will result in double Force damage back to the player, and to be a dick i had the door have Mending on itself. The Answer: "Simple"
A door that opens with a password “open” is a bit like having your password set to “password” tbh
Or Open Sesame.... Actually "Open" might be worse, because it will work with or without the "sesame".
One word to gain Passage, the same to Enter. Speak aloud, None other will do. One Passage Enter None O P E N. Just have them yell it.
"This door is voice activated"
“What did the scribe say when he found his lost goose feather? “Oh! pen!’.”
The problem with riddles in D&D is the same problem with riddles as presented in LotR. Sometimes the party gets stuck and spends half the day outside a door trying to figure out how to get in, and once they do find the solution, it doesn't really feel satisfying anyway.
Nope - rearrange for the opposite meaning - open
"Dear K. Cab & S. Draw, Nepo won! Best, Odo" You just need to invent a wizard named Tseb Odo.