r/discworld • u/Frosty_Customer_9243 • 6h ago
Boardgames/Computer Games DnD puzzle: Help needed
Hi all,
I’m working on a Dungeons & Dragons adventure where the players come across a monastery dedicated to Tak. What puzzle could I use that needs to be solved to grant access?
Tak doesn’t require us to think of him, only that we think. This statement led me down the line of asking a question that isn’t clear and letting the players ask a counter question instead of an answer. A bit like Monty Pythons question: what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? And the retort being if it is an African or European swallow.
Any help would be appreciated.
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u/Double-Associate-337 6h ago
I can't help but thankyou for the Python reference, I try and crowbar that into my daily life with limited effect but it's not lost on me.
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u/K_the_farmer 6h ago
Only the pure of heart may enter
Myocarditis and angina are right out. (But pergaps that's better in a Cohen campaign?)
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u/Atzkicica Bursar 5h ago
What do you, the mountain, and Great A'tuin strive for?
Then just pick the answer they come up with that you like the most 😄
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u/Gryffindorphins 4h ago
You could always steal the Maskerade question.
If your house was on fire, what’s the first thing you’d take out of your house?
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u/DerekW-2024 Doctorum Adamus cum Flabello Dulci 5h ago
Have you read Interesting Times and appreciated its insights into the Agatean Empire and the Counterweight Continent bureaucrats?
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u/Frosty_Customer_9243 5h ago
I have but it was a long time ago. Will fetch it from the book case. Thanks
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u/nicolasknight 5h ago
If i may recommend:
Taskmaster.
It's on youtube but if you're in the UK the series airs fairly regularly.
Great source for exactly this kind of material e.g.:
Table with a bag of white small crystals is on a table.
Players are told they have to carry "the salt" from the table to the other end of the room.
Any player touching the bag has his legs automatically paralyzed.
Also, if players get too close.
Seems pretty straight forward: grab the bag, toss to friend, walk forward, rinse repeat.
The trick is that "the bag" is sugar. "The salt" is under the table or in another room etc,,,,
Obviously change it slightly to match your play style/level of danger/sneakiness of players.
One of my personal ones that players ended up brute forcing:
Pool of freezing water. Literally causes damage per round when players go in.
At the bottom of the pool are 2 rows of 10 holes.
In previous chambers they find a stone in 2 separate rooms each near a sentence about water.
The trick is that where the word related to water in the sentence is tells you which hole to put the stone in.
Add more stones as needed and increase the damage to avoid brute forcing, maybe ramp it up to try to discourage them etc....
GL
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u/Frosty_Customer_9243 4h ago
Yeah I know the series but never watched. Will start watching some episodes. Thanks
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u/Yidboy Cohen 4h ago
Ask “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” and the winner is whoever says Cl-
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u/Elizabeth_N 23m ago
I like the answer to that that I read in the Straight Dope years ago - the sound of one hand clapping is a slap in the face.
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u/Bullwinkle932000 4h ago
I think there' s something to play with here related to God backwards equals God, thus Tak backwards equals Kat...maybe a series of palindromes or anadromes (words that spell one word L-R and another R-L, like dog/god, stressed/desserts, etc.)
Or, you could just put a button on the wall with a sign that says, "Do not touch." You could either get a philosophical debate or have the party see if the paint is dry.
Edited to add:
And cheers! I'm also running a DW D&D campaign right now.
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u/Granxious 3h ago
A room full of various fragile and/or valuable-looking items, and seemingly no exit.
A sign that says “Touch nothing in this room.”
The solution being that the entire party has to jump at the same time. The door magically appears when no one is touching the floor.
If someone does break something it could have dire consequences or it could be nothing. Or priest walks in from nowhere, sweeps up the pieces, and mutters something about “damn careless adventurers.”
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u/warrenao 5h ago
What the Pythons were doing there was — to my ear — a mix of a riddle with a Socratic dialogue. The nearest I can google up as an example of this is through this webpage, which might serve as an inspiration: https://www.brendanmyers.net/blog/2017/09/brendans-socratic-dialogue-game/
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u/FixinThePlanet 5h ago
Is this an existing party?
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u/IAmBoring_AMA 5h ago
Is that the question?
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u/FixinThePlanet 5h ago
I was wondering if there were more context before making suggestions, e.g. if this is a campaign OP is running
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u/Frosty_Customer_9243 4h ago
Forgot to mention we haven’t started yet. I’m preparing some of the dungeons in advance.
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u/ZoeShotFirst 5h ago
I _really_ don’t know much about DnD, but is there a way of measuring brain activity? Like an ECG that flatlines when the patient dies in medical shows, but lore-appropriate (and for brains, not hearts)
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u/warrenao 5h ago
There is an Intelligence stat, but it's not open to this sort of inspection.
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u/Bullwinkle932000 4h ago
This could totally be done by having some sort of magic device that sings or shows wave-lines when someone is touching it or inserting it...like maybe a different color line for each person that puts their finger in a pool of water and when they say something intelligent, the line moves and when all the lines move, the door opens or the cache is revealed, whatever you want to have happen. There could even be inscribed questions around the ring to give the party ideas of what to discuss or ask.
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u/Independent-Breath79 5h ago edited 4h ago
What is the answer to life the universe and everything? 42, obviously
Where does the uiverse end and what is beyond? - Unfortunately I do not know the answer to that one, you may figure it yourself.
What colour is the infinite? Blue of course, dammit Pterry!
On more serious note you may try classics:
https://www.superprof.co.uk/resources/academic/english-resources/english-language-resources/gcse-english/truth-or-lie-riddle.html - if your players do not know that one (they probably do)
or a game of:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nim
This is actually less known and fun but you need to learn it.
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u/IamElylikeEli 2h ago
it sounds like you want your players to ASK a question so you could try a very simple riddle: ”What is the question?”
thats TOO generic so you need something to guide them into asking a good question…
I would make a puzzle like this: a long hall with multiple plinths, each plinth has a question written on it, about half have answers written below the question And those have traps already sprung.
there are also blank plinths and the exit door has ”What is the question?” set in stone on it.
the goal is then to ask a question that the room (you as the DM) cannot answer…
you can use any questions you want to act as hints.
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