Help me test my riddles.

[AndrewTheLesser]

I will be asking my players some homemade riddles, and I wanted to test them out before I used them in game. Please give me some feedback. Too hard? To easy? Too boring? Too cheesy? Let me know.

The wizened old man sits before the crowd, his face alive with delight "Another failure" he shouts. "Come, give my riddles a try! One wins gets you a paltry magic trinket. Two wins get get you a paltry magic trinket. Three wins gets you a powerful magic item! Only one hundred gold per member of a group. So gather your friends and your wits. The rules are simple. I will read each riddle twice. Once to start and then only once more when asked. You have one answer for each so make them count."

Riddle the first.

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I fly through the air
death is my trade
in the heat of the desert
I deliver you shade
my life is short
my death is brief
all I touch are left underneath
you seek shelter when I find you
I give shelter when I find you
What am I?
The answer? Of course, it's

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Sandstorm

And now the second.

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Ten little soldiers all in a row
eight rode forth, two went home
three were slain by vicious trolls
another eaten before their graves were cold
one was raised by a friendly priest
then five died to become a dragon's feast
How many soilders remain?

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Only the two that went home.

I'm still working the third one out. My creative juices need recharged.
Let me know what you think.

[Asbestos]

Clever, but easy. The last one tries some trickery with the two that went home still technically remaining, but then again it IS a riddle so trickery is assumed.

Now, there's no shame in ripping a riddle from elsewhere.

http://www.riddles.com/riddle/hard-riddles

Examples:

I have freedom from hate, but not from lies. I'm usually seen through clouded eyes. I come unexpected, though you wait for me all your life. I can't be brought yet some people try. What am I?

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True Love (Awwww)

To you, rude would I never be, Though I flag my tongue for all to see. What am I?

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A dog

My life is often a volume of grief, your help is needed to turn a new leaf. Stiff is my spine and my body is pale, but I'm always ready to tell a tale. What am I?
[spoiler] A book [spoiler]

There's also this site:
http://thinks.com/riddles/a1-riddles.htm

Examples:
There were five men going to church and it started to rain. The four that ran got wet and the one that stood still stayed dry. [sic] What happened?

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Body in coffin, four bearers

He who has it doesn't tell it. He who takes it doesn't know it. He who knows it doesn't want it. What is it?

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Counterfeit money

I am the beginning of sorrow, and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never out of darkness.

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This riddle brought to you by "The Letter S"

[Yukitsu]

The first one can be any variety of deadly storm, or could in general be answered with "storm clouds" as that fulfills all the technical requirements. Your answer doesn't necessarily indicate anything more.

The second, there may well be some dissent as to what "remains" means. If I left, I'm not really remaining in some contexts. You could even argue that 5 remain, as they remain as corpses. Those answers don't necessarily follow, unless you know exactly how the riddle asker views the word "remains".

[Scoot]

I have to agree with Yukitsu in that the first can easily also be Storm Clouds, I was actually somewhat confused when it turned out to be Sandstorm.

The second was also a little strange, and once again I must agree that "Remains" is a very loose word. Do they remain alive? Remain on the field of battle? etc.

But overall they're both rather clever, and not too bad.

Riddles aren't supposed to be straightforward I suppose, although they should have 1 definitve answer (IMO).

[Asbestos]

I have to agree with Yukitsu in that the first can easily also be Storm Clouds, I was actually somewhat confused when it turned out to be Sandstorm.

The problem with the 'Storm Clouds' one is that "quick, desert, death, wind" all evoke 'Sandstorm' to me more than 'Storm Clouds', probably that desert part mostly.

[AndrewTheLesser]

Awesome, thanks for the feedback. I'll give them a little work and see what I can come up with.

[Yukitsu]

The problem with the 'Storm Clouds' one is that "quick, desert, death, wind" all evoke 'Sandstorm' to me more than 'Storm Clouds', probably that desert part mostly.

However, he stated that they provide shade in the dessert, which is more a pleasant effect of a cloud than it is a notable feature of a sand storm. All of them come and go quickly, all can bring death, and all travel on the wind.

[Scoot]

The problem with the 'Storm Clouds' one is that "quick, desert, death, wind" all evoke 'Sandstorm' to me more than 'Storm Clouds', probably that desert part mostly.

Of course with "Desert" flash floods also comes to mind.

Also I suppose "all I touch are left underneath" does bring a covering of sand in.

I guess that one got me, durn.

Edit: But then of course comes in the shelter lines ... Which I don't totally understand with either answer. But that's just my low nighttime INT kicking in.

[Asbestos]

Also I suppose "all I touch are left underneath" does bring a covering of sand in.

That's key too, unless you consider a storm cloud 'touching' you by raining on you and interpret 'underneath' as beneath the cloud, but then you've fallen into a standard riddle trap: overthinking the problem. Riddles are areas of problem solving where the High Wis character should shine over the High Int character.

[AndrewTheLesser]

Here's my third one. I feel this one is really easy so I'll probably start with this to help ease them into it.

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In your thoughts when the dungeon begins
as you grow in power I grow in friends
when you beckon and call I leave for your foe
but I stay on the first level, no matter how deep you go
try as you might you cannot evade me
to answer this riddle you must name me

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The one and only magic missle (actually, there's one to five...)

Thanks again!

[Asbestos]

Here's my third one. I feel this one is really easy so I'll probably start with this to help ease them into it.

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In your thoughts when the dungeon begins
as you grow in power I grow in friends
when you beckon and call I leave for your foe
but I stay on the first level, no matter how deep you go
try as you might you cannot evade me
to answer this riddle you must name me

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The one and only magic missle (actually, there's one to five...)

Thanks again!

I don't know... you need OOC meta-gamey knowledge (what spell level is Magic Missile) to answer that. Or maybe the spellcasters in your games actually refer to their spells by levels, which isn't all that hard to imagine in a Vancian world.

[Yukitsu]

I don't know... you need OOC meta-gamey knowledge (what spell level is Magic Missile) to answer that. Or maybe the spellcasters in your games actually refer to their spells by levels, which isn't all that hard to imagine in a Vancian world.

IIRC, wizards know that there are levels to spells, but I believe they call them "circles" or something of the sort.

Only direct complaint is that it is not at all intuitive, but I do like it better than the others.

[Koury]

He who has it doesn't tell it. He who takes it doesn't know it. He who knows it doesn't want it. What is it?

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Counterfeit money

Oh, I know this one! Syphilis! *opens spoiler*



I mean, yeah, that!

...

[Ravingdork]

I said "sun" to the first one.

I got the second one, but I also assumed that trolls and dragons could get you anywhere, even at home.

[Asbestos]

Oh, I know this one! Syphilis! *opens spoiler*



I mean, yeah, that!

...

Hopefully "he who has it" goes to a doctor or discloses that information to their partner, or both! But indeed, I suppose that STDs fit as an answer.

[Temotei]

Ten little soldiers all in a row
eight rode forth, two went home
three were slain by vicious trolls
another eaten before their graves were cold
one was raised by a friendly priest
then five died to become a dragon's feast
How many soilders remain?

10 -- Begin
-3 = 7 -- Trolls
-1 = 6 -- Eaten
-5 = 1 -- Dragon
Wait...what? I thought two went home. Am I missing something?

[Yukitsu]

10 -- Begin
-3 = 7 -- Trolls
-1 = 6 -- Eaten
-5 = 1 -- Dragon
Wait...what? I thought two went home. Am I missing something?

There's a +1 that you missed.

[Temotei]

There's a +1 that you missed.

The raising thing? I thought that was included in the ten. Because being raised by a priest...yeah. I thought it was just irrelevant information. If that's the +1 you're talking about...yeah. I think too much. I'm going to stop.

[Koury]

Too hard? To easy? Too boring? Too cheesy?

This may be irrelevant and slightly off-topic, but was that on purpose? The rhyme-yness of that?

[Vernal]

Ten little soldiers all in a row
eight rode forth, two went home
three were slain by vicious trolls
another eaten before their graves were cold
one was raised by a friendly priest
then five died to become a dragon's feast
How many soilders remain?

10 -- Begin
-3 = 7 -- Trolls
-1 = 6 -- Eaten
-5 = 1 -- Dragon
Wait...what? I thought two went home. Am I missing something?

10 --begin
-2 = 8 -- two went home
-3 = 5 --trolls
-1 = 4 -- eaten
+1= 5 -- one raised
-5 =0 -- dragon

That's my count.

[Temotei]

10 --begin
-2 = 8 -- two went home
-3 = 5 --trolls
-1 = 4 -- eaten
+1= 5 -- one raised
-5 =0 -- dragon

That's my count.

This made me just think of the other definition of raising. Sorry. I was thinking "raise" as in like...upbringing. Not "raise" as in the spell. That makes sense now.

[Ravingdork]

Ten little soldiers all in a row = 10
eight rode forth, two went home = 10 (you could be attacked at home)
three were slain by vicious trolls = 7
another eaten before their graves were cold = 6
one was raised by a friendly priest = 7
then five died to become a dragon's feast = 2
How many soilders remain? = 2

So that's what I got.

[Asbestos]

Ten little soldiers all in a row = 10
eight rode forth, two went home = 10 (you could be attacked at home)
three were slain by vicious trolls = 7
another eaten before their graves were cold = 6
one was raised by a friendly priest = 7
then five died to become a dragon's feast = 2
How many soilders remain? = 2

So that's what I got.

Indeed the two that left 'remain' from the original 10. The others are merely 'remains'.

[Temotei]

Indeed the two that left 'remain' from the original 10. The others are merely 'remains'.

Heehee.

EDIT: Also, I thought of the sun for the first one, except it didn't really go with the whole shade thing...unless you're thinking about it covering the sky, which would shade you in light...which wouldn't be your stereotypical shade as in shadow, but...bah.

[Rogue 7]

I, too thought of the sun for #1. 2 is easy to puzzle out. 3, I said the entranceway.

[Temotei]

I, too thought of the sun for #1. 2 is easy to puzzle out. 3, I said the entranceway.

You can avoid the entrance, it doesn't come and fly towards your enemies when you call it, and I'm pretty sure the entrance always has the same number of friends, unless you count the dead bodies you're going to be leaving nearby.

[Tyndmyr]

The correct answers are, in order, Sneak Attack, Sneak Attack, and Sneak Attack, followed by looting of the shinies.

I vote you consider puzzles instead of riddles. Riddles are notoriously plagued with ambiguity and interpretation problems(unless they are ridiculously easy), and are frequently hated as a result. Puzzles provide a similar challenge, but as they are normally based on more concrete, simpler rulesets than the english language, lend themselves better to discrete, unarguable solutions.