D&D Puzzles that can ACTUALLY be Solved

[asierx]

I like how well the "Beauty is in the eye if the Beholder" joke works in universe because Beholders are notoriously self-obsessed

[ricecrew]

“I’m taller when I’m young and shorter when I’m old, what am I”

…A hyrulian.

[varia]

For a perfect example of riddles being weirdly hard for players, my first guess for “I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old” was Osteoporosis.

[wahluigisixtyninefourtwent]

One that I've used is what I like to call the "rune room". Basically, the floor is covered with faintly glowing runes that disappear with bright or dim light. Further, if the party moves in darkness, a few shadow creatures come out to attack them. It makes them need to remember where the runes are, and be careful while fighting the shadows since the runes can still activate in the dark and the light.

[xiongray]

"Speak friend and enter."
Wizard: WTF?
Party: Wtf?
Lotr nerd: hehehe

[ChickinSammich]

@5:11 - One of the sneakiest DM tricks I've employed is designing puzzles where I don't even bother creating a solution; I just let my players try to figure it out and if they suggest something that makes sense, it works. Why overprepare for something and get foiled by your players outsmarting you when you can just count on your players? A lot of DMs are so focused on creating problems with only one solution and spending an hour or more telling players "no" to everything they suggest that they overlook the obvious "but what if you just say yes and let your players think they're smart instead of making them throw darts in the dark?"

[adwenger]

It's ok to make a harder puzzle in DnD... Just give it a time out where if they don't solve the puzzle, they get stuck with a fight or take some damage and can move on. Just got to make sure solving the puzzle isn't the only way forward.

[anzyroadside]

The spike door room reminds me of the story about the Head of Vecna for some reason. You just know that someone will more than likely jump in those spikes.

[ChickinSammich]

@7:27 gave me two ideas for a variant:

1) Each player has to privately (hand out index cards and ask them to circle one and hand it back to you) pick one of two choices, and the resulting encounter they all have to deal with is all four things they picked

2) Each player has to, in turn, pick something that the other three players have to encounter and deal with.

[coalcreekdefense]

Thought the dungeon, the heroes find several small figures carved from cinnabar. There's a cube, a rectangle, a triangle, a cylinder, a semicircle, and a shape that looks like a rectangle with a semicircular cutout. Deeper in the dungeon, there is a circular white marble door with nooks in shapes that match the cinnabar figures.

Seems simple, but there's a twist you'll never guess...

[ThePiachu]

"Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder!"
Meanwhile, a thief with their dagger out, ready to gauge an eye of the Beholder to solve the puzzle...

[djburk]

One puzzle I used was a room of unlit tiles with runes on each. When a player steps on one, it glows. If they step on it again, it turns off. They have to light up ONLY the same runes they saw unlit in the hallway before the room.

I thought it would take them awhile, but in like 5 minutes one of the players (who's character had the lowest int score) figured it out and told everyone else.

Heck of a moment that was.

[hathus]

one I like is the Never Ending Stairwell...party finds themselves on a stairwell that never seems to end and no matter which they go, they are always going up (or down depending on how mean you want to be, throw some exhaustion in there if they are ascending the stairs). As long as at least one person can see the stairs, they will never end...Solution is to simply have all characters close their eyes and the exit will manifest.

[alexeisenhauer]

1:25 This first one, you can also draw or print a picture, glue it over the completed puzzle and cut it to fit - now it fits the setting - though most of my group I’m pretty sure would be 100% down for a kitty in a garden picture lol

[MemphiStig]

A construct looking like an old man stands there guarding the path, and says, "What's the airspeed of a sparrow carrying a coconut? Asking for a friend." If they ask him "European or African?" he'll say he doesn't know and let them pass. If they say they don't know or give any kind of answer, he'll say "thanks anyway" and let them pass. If they try to fight, it will be Hard, but he'll eventually surrender and let them pass, no matter who's winning.

[_oe_o_e_]

Trolley problems would be way interesting with a player who has very consistent morals for their character.

“The elf and the dwarf are children, but one will kill someone in 10 years!”

“I’ve been killing nonstop the last 3 weeks, whats the big deal?”

[rockincradilyyyy]

Here’s a puzzle: get one of those block shape things for babies, and tell your party to put all the blocks in their correct holes
The trick is that they all go in the square hole and when a incorrect choice is made whoever put the block in takes 1d4 damage

[djangoimager]

The spike door puzzle is more of a way to mess with your players than an actual puzzle

[chrisvossler]

For the last idea, could I suggest naming the genie... "Q"?

[NobodyDungeons]

I typically come prepared to brute force my way through puzzles in case we can’t figure it out.