TEXT: 1 
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  Puzzles and Riddles 
  ’ 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Creator: Erik A. Hawley 
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, 
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  property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained 
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  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 
  The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. 
  
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  Page 2 
   
  Included in this supplement are a variety of 
  puzzles and riddles you can use to spice up 
  your adventures. 
  Puzzles and riddles have a strong history in 
  fantasy literature, stretching from the 
  ‘Riddle of the Sphinx’ to Tolkien’s tricksy 
  “What have I got in my pocket?” It is only 
  natural that they would also fit well in an 
  RPG game. Solving a difficult puzzle or 
  riddle gives players a strong sense of 
  satisfaction they cannot get from defeating 
  monsters in combat. Conversely, failing to 
  solve a puzzle or riddle can be extremely 
  frustrating and turn an otherwise enjoyable 
  adventure into an exercise in frustration. 
  There are a few things to remember when 
  incorporating puzzles/riddles into a D&D 
  adventure. 
  Do not make the solution to a puzzle/riddle 
  required to continue the adventure. 
  Instead, use them to give the party some 
  sort of advantage, or greater reward. For 
  example, solving a riddle may allow the 
  party to access a secret door and bypass a 
  tough encounter. Alternatively, it may 
  reveal an item that will make the next 
  encounter easier to win. There will be times 
  a party will fail to solve a puzzle/riddle and 
  you do not want that failure to derail the 
  entire adventure. 
  If possible, work in a way to provide clues as 
  needed. Since solving a puzzle/riddle is 
  rewarding, and failure is frustrating, we 
  would prefer that players solve the 
  puzzle/riddle! Try to anticipate in-game 
  methods you can use to provide clues to 
  stumped players. For example, a wandering 
  monster may provide a clue or possess a 
  scrap of paper with a crucial piece of 
  information. 
  Riddles 
  I’m tall when I’m young and I’m short when 
  I’m old.  What am I?  A candle 
   
  If I drink, I die, If I eat, I am fine. What am I?  
  A fire 
   
  If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I 
  don’t have it.  What is it?  A secret 
   
  What is light as a feather, but even the 
  strongest warrior couldn’t hold it for more 
  than a minute?  What is it?  His breath 
   
  What is so delicate that saying its name 
  breaks it?  Silence 
   
  What has one eye but cannot see?  A needle 
   
  They come out at night without being called 
  and are lost in the day without being stolen.  
  What are they?  Stars 
   
  What does through towns and over hills but 
  never moves?  A road 
   
  What has a head but never weeps, has a 
  bed but never sleeps, can run but never 
  walks, and has a bank but no money?  A 
  river 
   
  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.  What is it?  A coffin 
   
  Take off my skin and I won’t cry, but you 
  will.  What am I?  An onion 
  
  3 
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  The more you have of it, the less you see.  
  What is it?  Darkness 
   
  Ripped from my mother’s womb, beaten 
  and burned, I become a blood thirsty killer.  
  What am I?  Iron ore 
   
  All about, but cannot be seen.  Can be 
  captured, but cannot be held.  No throat, 
  but can be heard.  Wind 
   
  I drive men mad for love of me, easily 
  beaten, never free.  Gold 
  Each morning I appear to lie at your feet.  
  All day I will follow you no matter how fast 
  you run, yet I nearly perish in the midday 
  sun.  Your Shadow 
   
  It cannot be seen, it weighs nothing, but 
  when put into a barrel, it makes it lighter.  
  What is it?  A hole. 
   
  You saw me when I never was and where I 
  could not be.  And yet within that very 
  place, my face you often see.  What am I?  A 
  reflection 
   
  A box without hinges, lock or key, yet 
  golden treasure lies within.  What is it?  An 
  egg. 
   
  What has roads but no wagons, rivers but 
  no water and hills but no trees?  A map 
   
  It speaks with a hard tongue, it cannot 
  breath, for it has no lung.  What is it?  A bell 
   
  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.  Stove, smoke, and fire 
   
  At the sound of me, men may dream, or 
  stamp their feet.  At the sound of me, 
  women may laugh, or sometimes weep.  
  Music 
   
   
  You heard me before, yet you hear me 
  again, then I die, ‘till you call me again.  An 
  echo 
   
  My life can be measured in hours, I serve by 
  being devoured.  Thin, I am quick. Fat, I am 
  slow.  Wind is my foe.  A candle 
   
  You cannot keep this until you have given it.  
  Your word 
   
  I have six faces, but cannot smile. I have 21 
  eyes, but cannot see.  What am I?  A die 
   
  A cloud was my mother, the wind is my 
  father, my son in the cool stream, and m y 
  daughter is the fruit of the land. A rainbow 
  is my bed, the earth my final resting place, 
  and I’m the torment of man.  Who am I?  
  Rain 
   
  What is put on a table, cut, but never 
  eaten?  A deck of cards 
   
  What travels up a hill faster than it travels 
  down? Fire 
  
  4 
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  You can see me in water, yet I am not wet.  
  Your reflection 
   
  Make a hole in me and I will have fewer 
  holes.  A net 
   
  The more you take, the more you leave 
  behind.  Footsteps 
   
  With potent, flowery words speak I, Of 
  something common, vulgar, dry; I weave 
  webs of pedantic prose, In effort to 
  befuddle those, Who think I wile time away, 
  In lofty things, above all day. The common 
  kind that linger where Monadic beings live 
  and fare; Practical I may not be, But life, it 
  seems, is full of me! And so adventurer I 
  cry, can you tell me what am I? Riddles 
  (Riddler) 
   
  I cannot be measured until I am done, but 
  how you miss me when I am gone.  Time 
  (Lifespan) 
   
  Arriving stealthily during the night, I greet 
  the world with the morning light. By the 
  midday sun, I have again departed.  Dew 
   
  You will always find me in the past. I can be 
  created in the present, But the future can 
  never taint me. Memories 
   
  I have not flesh, nor feathers, nor scales, 
  nor bone. Yet I have fingers and thumbs of 
  my own. Gloves 
   
  You use a knife to cut up my head, but you 
  weep beside me when I am dead. An Onion 
   
  I do not breathe, but I run and jump. I do 
  not eat, but I swim and stretch. I do not 
  drink, but I sleep and stand. I do not think, 
  but I grow and play. I do not see, but you 
  see me every day. A leg 
   
  What gets bigger, the more  you take out of 
  it?  A hole 
   
  Making mortal privation once firmly in 
  place. An enduring summation etched in my 
  face. A tombstone 
   
  I am a word, who’s hardly there. Remove 
  my start, and I’m a herbal flair.  Sparsely 
   
  What can the hand only sow, yet the eye 
  only harvest?  Writing (stories) 
   
  In marble walls 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. 
  An egg 
   
  Whatever we caught, we threw away; 
  whatever we did not catch, we carry. Lice 
   
  Four hang, four sprang, two point the way, 
  two to ward off dogs, one dangles after, 
  always rather dirty. What am I? A cow 
   
  If you had taken me in my youth, haply you 
  would have drunk the blood shed from me; 
  but now that time has finished making me 
  old, eat me, wrinkled as I am, with no 
  moisture in me, crushing my bones 
  together with my flesh. A raisin 
   
  We are little airy creatures, All of different 
  voice and features; One of us in glass is set, 
  One of us you'll find in jet, Another you may 
  see in tin, And the fourth a box within; If 
  the fifth you should pursue, It can never fly 
  from you. Vowels 
  
  5 
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  I have nothing inside me and everything is 
  inside me, and I grant the use of my virtue 
  to all without charge. A mirror 
   
  Fill me, that I may tell you what is lost.  A 
  ledger 
   
  We outnumber man trillions to one, owe 
  our allegiance to the sun. Our armies stand 
  everywhere, silent and still. Yet whisper 
  through the wind we will. Grass or a field 
   
  I have a tail, I have a head, yet a serpent I 
  am not.  A coin 
   
  How many letters are in the answer to this 
  riddle?  Four 
   
  What means everything to you, yet nothing 
  to me?  Your life 
   
  I have no legs to walk, but my steps you still 
  stalk.  Over rivers and mountains I give the 
  guidance you seek, unspoken for I cannot 
  speak.  A map 
   
  I am hoarded by nobles, Kings rarely break 
  me, and peasants rarely find me.  I am 
  valuable, but can be shared by all.  The 
  Truth 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Puzzles 
  These puzzles can be adapted in a variety of 
  ways to an adventure setting.  Most of the 
  puzzles have some sort of limitation to their 
  solution, such as only moving one piece.  
  These should be imposed through magical 
  means as necessary.  Included in each 
  puzzle is a short box text that may be used 
  to easily incorporate the puzzle into an 
  adventure. 
   
  Puzzle 1 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The old man’s gaze sweeps across 
  you and your friends.  It feels as if his 
  eyes penetrate deep into your soul. 
  “You want me help do you?  You 
  must first prove yourself worthy.  You 
  will face many foes and you must 
  show me you can outsmart them.” 
  He pulls 7 copper pieces from his 
  pocket and places them on the table 
  in two rows. 
  [show players first diagram] 
  “Show me your cunning!  You may 
  move only one coin, but you must 
  end up with two rows, each made up 
  of four coins” 
  He crosses his arms and waits 
  expectantly. 
  
  6 
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  They must form two rows of 4 by only 
  moving one coin. 
   
  The solution is to move the coin on the far 
  left on top of the coin shown below: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Puzzle 2 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Place ten coins into 5 rows, with each row 
  containing 4 coins, without placing any coin 
  on top of another coin. 
   
  Solution: 
   
   
   
   
   
  The old man’s breath reeks of garlic 
  and spittle flies from his mouth as he 
  addresses you, “You think yourselves 
  smart, do you?  There is a difference 
  between smart and cunning.  You 
  must be cunning!  Show me that you 
  are worthy of my efforts!” 
  He reaches into his pocket and places 
  ten copper coins on the table. “You 
  must arrange these ten coins into 5 
  rows.  Each row must contain 4 coins, 
  no more, no less.  Someone who is 
  cunning will find the solution.  Wake 
  me when you are done.” 
  With that, he closes his eyes, leans 
  back and begins to snore loudly. 
  
  7 
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  Another example of the solution using real 
  coins. 
   
   
   
   
  Puzzle 3 
   
  This puzzle will require the characters to 
  cross a 12 foot gap using only two 11 1/2 
  foot boards.  Feel free to put something 
  suitably nasty in the 12 foot gap. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Magic will not work if the fey pocket 
  dimension.  If the characters try to use any 
  objects besides the plank, the fey will 
  remind them that is not allowed and 
  threaten to take the object and leave. 
   
   
   
  The fey creature looks at you with 
  some annoyance. 
  “You seem to have made it this far, 
  aye, but I will not surrender my 
  valuables as easily as you might 
  think.” 
  With a snap of his fingers, you are 
  instantly transported a strange and 
  terrifying place.  You stand upon a 
  square of solid stone, hollow in the 
  middle.  Within the hollow space 
  floats another small stone island, 
  upon which is placed the object you 
  desire. 
  A distance of 12 feet separates the 
  ring upon which you stand from the 
  square island in the center.   
  [Show players figure below] 
  Beyond the solid stone is a maelstrom 
  of magical energy.  You see no other 
  solid surfaces. 
  Resting on the stone next to you, are 
  two mithrial planks, each 11 ½ feet in 
  length. 
  The fey says, “You may have the 
  object if you can reach the island 
  using only those planks.” 
  
  8 
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  Solution: 
   
   
   
   
  Puzzle 4 
   
  In this puzzle, the characters are provided 
  with a set of ropes that each take exactly 
  one hour to burn.  The ropes do not burn at 
  a uniform rate.  They are required to 
  measure exactly 45 minutes. 
   
  Solution:  Start burning one rope at both 
  ends and a second rope at one end only.  
  When the first rope finished burning (which 
  will take 30 minutes), light the other end of 
  the second rope.  45 minutes is up when 
  the second rope finishes burning. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Puzzle 5 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  In this puzzle, the characters are presented 
  with 7 lava spewing pipes arranged in a 
  circle.  Each lever on the control panel with 
  change the state of a pipe (if it is spewing 
  lava it will stop, if it is not spewing lava it 
  You drop onto a platform surrounded 
  by a ring of lava. You see the faint 
  shimmer of a magical barrier 
  gradually cover the opening above. 
  Seven pipes, about 1’ in diameter, are 
  spread evenly around the outside 
  wall and spew lava into the pool 
  surrounding the platform.  You can 
  just see the top of another large pipe, 
  easily 3 or 4’ in diameter, submerged 
  in the lava pool. 
  On the platform in front of you is a 
  control panel with 7 levers and a 
  button.  The levers are marked with 
  the numbers 1 through 7.  The button 
  is marked ‘Override’. 
  
  9 
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  will start).  The problem is, if a character 
  flips the switch for any given pipe, it will 
  change it, and its two neighboring pipes, to 
  the opposite of their current states.  That is, 
  if a pipe is spewing lava, it will go stop.  If it 
  is not spewing lava, it will start.  The goal is 
  to turn off all 7 pipes so the group can exit 
  through the large pipe at the bottom.  The 
  button resets all pipes so they all spew lava. 
   
  Only one switch can be activated at any one 
  time.  If the characters attempt to activate 
  more than one switch at the same time, 
  randomly determine the order in which 
  they are activated and apply the effects in 
  sequence. 
   
  Solution:  The easiest solution is to throw 
  the switches in sequence, starting at switch 
  one and proceeding clockwise, or 
  counterclockwise.  After all 7 switches have 
  been toggled in sequence; none of the 
  pipes will be spewing lava. 
   
  This is a very visual puzzle and the easiest 
  way to present it is to represent the pipes 
  with circles on a paper, or battle mat, and 
  use dice to show when a pipe is spewing 
  lava.  Remove the die when a pipe is no 
  longer spewing lava.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Puzzle 6 
   
   
  This is a pathing puzzle.  It can be used in a 
  variety of ways.  One method would be to 
  require the characters to each start on one 
  of the colored locations and walk to the 
  other location.   
  As they walk on a square, the square 
  becomes impassable to others (As you can 
  see, each square is used once, and only 
  once in the solution).  If they backtrack, the 
  square is once again passable (that way 
  they can reset the grid by returning to their 
  starting locations.  When the entire grid has 
  been traversed, and the five characters are 
  at their finishing locations, whatever needs 
  to be unlocked or revealed will be triggered.  
  The red position is located in the center, 
  rather than the outside, and the player can 
  start on either space and work toward the 
  other. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  10 
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  Puzzle 6 Solution 
   
   
   
  Puzzle 7 
   
  This is a logic puzzle.  The characters are 
  presented with three individuals; they could 
  be NPC, monsters, magic mouths, or 
  anything capable of speech.  One of the 
  individuals is truthful and the characters 
  need to determine which one it is, perhaps 
  to find a safe route or the path to the 
  treasure.   
   
  Each individual will offer one statement: 
  Orc:  The goblin tells lies. 
  Goblin:  The kobold tells lies. 
  Kobold: The orc and the goblin tell lies. 
   
  Solution:  The goblin is telling the truth.  
  The orc lies when he says the goblin is lying. 
  The goblin is telling the truth when he says 
  the Kobold is lying.  The kobold is lying 
  when he says both the orc and goblin are 
  lying since one of them is telling the truth. 
  Puzzle 8  
   
  In this puzzle, the characters are presented 
  with a pattern.  Two locations in the pattern 
  are already colored red and blue.  The 
  characters have the ability to color each of 
  the other locations either red or blue (the 
  original two locations may not be changed).  
  The goal is to color the pattern in such a 
  way that there is never three of any single 
  color in a row along any of the straight 
  lines.  In a dungeon setting, the locations 
  could change color magically by touch, or 
  perhaps provide a bowl of colored stones or 
  gems next to the pattern.  Depending on 
  how hard you want to challenge your 
  players, you could allow them to figure out 
  the solution condition (all circles lit and no 
  rows of three of the same color) through 
  trial and error. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  11 
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  Puzzle 8 Solution 
   
   
   
  Puzzle 9 
   
  In this puzzle, the characters find a bottle 
  stoppered with a cork, the top of which 
  extends past the top of the bottle by about 
  an inch. Inside the bottle, they can see an 
  object they will need to get out. It can be a 
  key, small note, or any other object able to 
  fit through the mouth of the bottle. Two  
  additional facts make getting the object out 
  more difficult. First, the bottle is 
  unbreakable. No mundane or magical 
  means will allow the characters to break 
  open the bottle. Second, no matter how 
  hard they try, they are unable to pull the 
  cork from the bottle. The cork cannot be 
  broken into pieces or destroyed.  
   
  Solution: Simply PUSH the cork INTO the 
  bottle and then remove the item located 
  inside. 
   
   
   
  Puzzle 10 
   
  This is a complex puzzle with a few magical 
  elements. As the characters enter the 
  puzzle space, they will see a fragile 
  translucent glass sphere with an object 
  inside. The object could be a small key, a 
  note, or some other item they need. The 
  sphere will slide into a tube set into a metal, 
  or stone, block and roll to the bottom. The 
  block should be part of the floor or wall to 
  prevent the party from moving it. It is 
  preferred that the tube have several twists 
  and turns to prevent easy solutions to the 
  puzzle. In order for the characters to 
  observe the tube, and its twists and turns, it 
  works best if the block is transparent. 5th 
  edition lacks a glasteel spell, but it is 
  reasonable to assume some mage could 
  figure a way to make metal, or stone, 
  transparent. As a final twist, the sphere has 
  anti-magic effect radiating from it. No spells 
  cast on the sphere will work. This will 
  prevent easy solutions like levitate. The goal 
  is for the party to get the sphere out of the 
  tube to recover the item inside.  
   
  
  12 
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  Solution: Fill the tube with water, or some 
  other liquid, to make the sphere float to the 
  top of the tube. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Puzzle 11 
   
  In this puzzle, the character must choose 
  one of three colored gems.  The gems are 
  colored red, green, and blue.  The 
  characters are given the following riddle: 
   
  2/5 of Elves guess know the right answer, 
  3/7 of dwarves, but no goblin are ever 
  correct! 
   
  Solution:  Red is the correct color.  The 
  fractions refer to the proportion of letters 
  for ‘RED’ in each of the races names.  Elves, 
  dwarves, goblin. 
   
   
   
   
  Puzzle 12 
   
  In this puzzle, the characters are presented 
  with 10 gems laid out on a table.  There are 
  multiple depression in the table, most 
  empty, but each of the gems occupies one 
  space.  The point of the triangle formed by 
  the gems points toward the open doorway 
  the group used to enter the room.  On the 
  opposite side is a magically sealed doorway, 
  the group wishes to open.   
   
  Sealed Doorway 
   
  Open Doorway 
   
  As soon as one gem is removed from the 
  pattern, the open doorway will close and 
  magically seal.  Replacing the gem will open 
  the doorway, so long as the point of the 
  triangle is pointed toward the doorway. 
   
  The characters can only move 3 gems from 
  their starting locations.  If they attempt to 
  move more than 3, any additional gem will 
  be stuck in place and no force will move it.   
   
  
  13 
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  Replacing a gem to its starting location will 
  allow another gem to be moved. 
  Through trial and error, the party should 
  realize they need to make the point of the 
  triangle point toward the sealed doorway 
  by moving only three gems. 
   
  The solution is show below.  The black gems 
  have been moved to the orange locations, 
  reversing the point of the triangle and 
  opening the sealed doorway. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Puzzle 13 
   
  In this puzzle, the characters are presented 
  with 16 colored gems, or stones, and a 4 by 
  4 grid. 
   
  The 16 gems are colored: 4 blue, 3 red, 3 
  white, 3 green, 3 yellow.  The characters 
  must place the gems such that no color 
  appears more than once in any horizontal, 
  vertical, or diagonal line. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  14 
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  Puzzle 14 
   
  In this puzzle, players must place nine 
  weights onto a grid such that it is evenly 
  balanced.  The weights vary from 1 to 9, in 
  single step increments.  It is a physical 
  manifestation of the magic square puzzle. 
   
  Basically, the grid needs to be perfectly 
  balanced in order to solve the puzzle and 
  activate a switch or lock. 
   
  Solving puzzle should open a door, or 
  unlock a lock, etc.  There are multiple ways 
  you could include this in a dungeon setting, 
  here is one: 
   
  In the center of this room is a pedestal.  On 
  top of the pedestal are nine small metal 
  cylinders, of varying heights.  They are all 
  the same diameter.  There is also a lever on 
  the side of the pedestal. 
   
  Etched into the pedestal top is a pattern of 
  9 circles.  The center of the pedestal appears 
  able to move as there is a gap between it 
  and the outside of the pedestal. 
   
   
   
  Through experimentation the characters 
  will discover: 
   
  -The cylinders weigh in increments from 1 
  to 9.  That is cylinder 2 weights twice as 
  much as cylinder 1.  Cylinder 6 weights 3 
  times cylinder 2. Etc. 
   
  - The diameter of the circles on the pedestal 
  matches the diameter of the cylinders. 
   
  - Pulling the lever causes the circular center 
  of the pedestal to make a grinding sound 
  and tilt slightly unless the weights are 
  arranged correctly.  Pulling the lever 
  without the correct solution may also cause 
  some sort of damage to the party (some 
  sort of magical damage based on level). 
   
  - Pulling the lever while the cylinders are 
  arranged in the correct configuration will 
  cause the center portion to sink into the 
  pedestal and unlock or open whatever you 
  have placed in the room or dungeon. 
   
  The proper configuration is one in which 
  the weight totals equal 15 along each 
  horizontal, vertical, and diagonal axis. 
   
   
  
  15 
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  Puzzle 15 
  This puzzle would be used to open some 
  type of door, either into a room or into a 
  strongbox. 
  Either etched into the door, or found 
  previously by the players will be a strange 
  riddle, 
   “THE SERENE MAY NOT ENTER HERE. LET 
  GO YOUR EMOTIONS AND BECOME LIVID 
  TO PROCEED” 
  On the door are three combination type 
  dials.  They are set in a vertical row.  Each 
  has numbers differing in range and 
  increments. 
  The top dial ranges from 1 to 100 in 
  increments of 1. 
  The middle dial ranges from 1 to 10 in 
  increments of 1. 
  The bottom dial ranges from 25 to 1000 in 
  increments of 25. 
  Players must figure out the correct 
  combination: 51, 6, and 500 from the clue 
  given.  The answer is the roman numeral 
  value for the word LIVID:  LI=51, VI=6, 
  D=500.  
   
   
   
   
  Puzzle 16 
  This puzzle is called “Petals Around the 
  Rose”, a fact that might be mentioned to 
  the players at the start of, or sometime 
  during, play. 
  It is a simple pattern matching task using 
  four or five tradition (using pips to indicate 
  value) six sided dice.  An NPC will challenge 
  the PC’s with the task of providing the 
  correct value following a roll.  The NPC will 
  first roll the set of dice and make a 
  declaration of the correct answer.  The NPC 
  will then roll another set and ask the PC’s 
  for the correct answer. 
  The rules to determine the correct answer 
  are simple.  The center pip on any die face 
  represents the ‘rose’ and any pips 
  surrounding the center pip count as ‘petals’ 
  and add to the total.  Any die that does not 
  possess a center pip is ignored (as is ‘1’ 
  since there are no pips, or ‘petals’, 
  surrounding the center pip). 
  Thus: ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘4’, and ‘6’ have no value. A 
  roll of ‘3’ adds 2 to the value.  A roll of ‘5’ 
  adds 4 to the value. 
  It will usually take several rolls for players to 
  begin to understand how the number is 
  calculated.  For this reason, the puzzle is 
  best presented in a low pressure setting, 
  such as a challenge by an NPC to a group 
  attempting to acquire information. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  Page 16 
   
  Dastardly Trap 
  Read the first text box when players open the door to the hallway. 
   
   
   
  The pit the players see is an illusion.  Where the players see a pit, is actually solid floor.  
  BUT…the 10 feet after the illusory pit is a trap door to a REAL pit, with a nasty surprise at the 
  bottom! 
   
  If players attempt to jump across the illusory pit, they will land on the real pit and be dumped 
  30 feet into the room below, surrounded by undead.  The trap door will then spring shut. 
   
  As you can see, no matter where the player stands, they will be subjected to multiple attacks.  
  As an option, you may have the bars descend into the floor allowing the undead to surround 
  the player. 
  In front of you is a 50 foot hallway with a door on the opposite end.  In the center of the hallway is a 
  10 by 10 foot pit.  The pit is 40 feet deep and the bottom is lined with iron spikes, a greenish ichor 
  appears smeared across their sharp tips. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/DMsGuild/Non-Publisher Titles/Puzzles and Riddles.pdf