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Random Dungeon Puzzles & Riddles

Table

Land of Eem Core Rulebook · p.206

No table.

d100	Name	Description
1–2	Mirror Mirror	In an exitless room, there is a mirror, a rusty knight's helmet, a wooden stool, and a candlestick resting in the corner of the room. While the PCs are reflected in the mirror, the candlestick is the only object in the room that reflects in the mirror. Only by following their own reflection to pick up the candle stick will a hidden door open.
3–4	Phantasmal Password	An old, withered phantom knight composed of spectral green light guards an impassable door and asks repeatedly: "What is a good password, hm?" The phantasm is earnestly looking for suggestions, and only lets the PCs pass if they come up with a good idea dealing with chivalry, honor, or the like.
5–6	Thirsty Wall	A door opens up to a dead end stone wall with a riddle written on it: "The key is found in every rill, every lake, and every gill." Splashing water on the stone door opens it.
7–8	Maestro's Floor	The stone tiles in the room rise and fall periodically with music, like piano keys. If the tune is perfectly repeated aloud, the music stops and the tiles form a staircase downward.
9–10	The Strange Door	There is a door with 10 locks on it and one key left inside the first lock. A sign in big bold letters reads: HOW STRANGE. Opening every odd lock: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, will unlock the door. Opening any of the even locks: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 locks the door. Opening all 10 locks in any order, traps the key and electrifies the door ( Dread).
11–12	Never-ending Staircase	A winding staircase with no end, spiraling upwards or downwards infinitely with torches that line the staircase. Traversing the staircase in total darkness leads safely to the exit. A chamber filled with once magnificent swords, now long rusted with neglect. The bones of
13–14	Conqueror's Sword	a forgotten conqueror sit at the far side of the room with empty hands and a riddle carved into his throne: "Present to me my mightiest weapon." There are hundreds of swords in the room, a quill, and a giant book that lists the swords' names, like: Deathbringer, Ruinmaker, Stormcleaver, Sword of Conquest, Blade of Giants, and Destroyer of Hamarung. Bring the conqueror a sword, and it hovers and slashes at the PCs (as creeper Attack:, Dread:).
15–16	Eyes of the Griffon	Bring the quill to the conqueror and a secret door opens. A stone griffon head marks the exit into the next chamber, however its eye sockets are hollow and the door is thick and magically sealed. There are two gems hidden in the room beneath the stone floor, and placing them into the eye sockets of the statue opens the door. However, a nest of slurpworms reside beneath the floor as well.
17–18	The Snorting Door	An immense iron-banded door with the brass face of a wild boar grimaces in the darkness. When approached, the boar animates and snorts rudely in a grumbling tone, "Nope. No more. Tired of bein' treated like dirt, I am. Rude, rude, rude, you all are! All's I do all the day is open, shut, open, shut. Well, I'll tell you lot, today the way is shut. So don't boss me!" The door is impassible unless the PCs say "Please."
19–20	Spitting Serpent	A two-headed golden serpent statue coils around the room. The left head has its mouth closed with its tongue sticking out and closed eyes (pushing in the tongue opens two ruby eyes). The right head is open-mouthed, baring its fangs with two emerald eyes. Inside the right snake's mouth appears to be a door, with two slots for gems. Removing one of the emeralds causes the serpent's fangs to flood the room with poisonous mist. Putting the rubies from the left snake's
21–22	The Cursed Painting	mouth into the right snake's slots opens the door. A finely adorned room with nice furniture and a locked brass door with ornate scribbles on the metal. A massive fresco on one wall depicts two ettins fighting over a key. Touching the key materializes it, and the same goes for the ettins.
23–24	Runes on the Door	A door marked by several glowing magic runes. They must be translated from runic to decipher their meaning: "I'm not a diamond but go on a ring and I've got teeth but I won't bite. What am I?" Speak aloud the answer (a key) to open the door.
25–26	The Bull's Eye	A simple wooden door with a bull's eye painted onto it in red and white. Strike the bull's eye with a projectile from the other end of the room and the door swings open. Miss, and the projectile bounces back at the attacker inflicting Dread.
27–28	The Caskets	A room with no doors filled with 10 caskets. One of the caskets is actually a secret passageway. The others are full of undead skeletons that attack if opened. Every round of Combat, another skeleton rises out of one of the caskets.
29–30	Venom Darts	The floor of this hall is covered with tiny holes. Any pressure on the floor fires venomous darts from the floor in that area, inflicting Dread and. On the opposite side of POISON the hall, 30 feet away, is a lever which disarms the darts.
31–32	Thirsty Skeleton	A skeleton chained to a door mimes and points at his mouth. If given a drink, the skeleton shouts, “Don't touch the door!” Touching the door with bare flesh magically chains the person as well, and summons an obsidian golem.
33–34	That's a Mouthful	A locked door with a knocker shaped like a menacing dragon's face spews insults at the PCs. However, the knocker is missing its ring. Stuff something into the dragon's mouth and use it to knock and the door opens.
35–36	The Dead End	A long hallway leads to a dead end stone wall. Etched into the wall is a message that reads: "Eyes on me if you want to escape." If the PCs turn around they find themselves trapped. The only way out is to look at the etched message and walk backwards.
37–38	Seven Knights	A chamber with 7 portraits of 7 Knights, all named: Faria, Arrnon, Dario, Gregarius, Borz, Eileen, Cherith. There is a large door with 7 nails pounded into it. Placing the portraits in alphabetical order opens the door.
39–40	Conversation With a Book	A library full of books on mundane subjects. There is no interesting lore or magic here, just textbooks and uninteresting histories. In the middle of the room is an out of place book with "Tell me everything," written on the inside jacket. There is no pen, but if "everything" is written in the book, the door to the next chamber opens. If something else is written, the book tries to magically suck the PC inside itself starting with their hand.
41–42	Switches	A hallway with 5 levers protruding from the walls and 5 iron doors thwarting the way forward. When a lever is toggled it opens a door, but must be held in place to keep the door open, otherwise it slams shut. All doors have concealed spike pit traps right after them, except for the final door.
43–44	The Mechanical Owl	A mechanical owl perched on a petrified tree branch hoots above a locked door. The owl sputters and clicks, then cocks its head and asks: "I can ford the angriest river, but never learned to swim. I can scale the greatest canyon, but never learned to climb. What's my name?" Speak aloud the answer (the wind) and the door opens.
45–46	The Greedy Goblin	A gaudy, papier-mache goblin with bright green skin and clownish makeup stands beside an iron gate. The goblin's eyes seem to follow you, despite being inanimate, and its gaping grin looks more menacing than joyful. There is a sign draped around its neck that reads: "Hungry? Me too! Feed me. Feed me a snack with a head and a tail, but no legs, feet, arms, or hands." Drop "a coin" in its gaping grin and the gate opens.
47–48	The Shushing Statue	A statue of a Felmog Knight looms in a static pose, with a finger over its lips. There are words carved into the plinth on which it stands: "You already possess this precious treasure. Yet, you want to share it. But when you share it, you will lose it forever. And should you keep it, you can never spend it...or enter.” Share a secret aloud to open the door.
49–50	Repeating Vapor	A room is a dead end, and a disembodied voice echoes throughout: "You can hear me, but cannot see me, and I cannot reply without being spoken to. What am I?" A hidden door is revealed if the word "echo" is uttered.
51–52	The Hungry Pit	A huge chasm full of funghouls divides the entrance from the way forward. A rusty panel device with a keypad at the edge of the cliff reads: "Passcode Required. The more that you give me, the smaller I am. The more that you steal, the bigger I get. What am I?" Should a PC type in "Pit," the chasm fills with dirt falling from the ceiling.
53–54	Cackling Jack	The ceiling has crumbled away and the light shines in through the cracks, revealing piles of bones. Birds squawk and cackle in the dark above, out of sight. A voice like breaking glass laughs, "Innocent am I! No crime was done. Yet every day I take part in a murder for fun! Tell me, what am I?" Should someone say the answer (a crow), Cackling Jack swoops down to reveal himself and leads the PCs to the next room. Any other answer and a murder of scare crows attacks.
55–56	The Pauper and the King	A grand tapestry of a pauper, a king, and a cow dominates the room. The pauper sits on a pile of mud, the king sits on a throne. Stitched into the tapestry are these words: "The pauper has it. The King needs it. And the cow knows it. What am I?" Say "Nothing” aloud and the tapestry falls to the ground, revealing a secret door.
57–58	The Bellowing Forge	A bright, furious forge spits fire and growls with crackling heat. A message cut from the hot metal and fire illuminates the words: "I am black when I'm born. Red when I'm alive. White when I die. What am I?" The answer is "coal" and uttering it squelches the forge's fire, revealing a passageway through the furnace itself.
59–60	The Beggar and the Thieves	You find an old beggar hunched by a locked door who laughs and says: "I was headed to the Middle-Route Run and met a thief and 40 thugs. Each thug had 60 brutes. Each brute had 80 goons. Each goon had 90 hounds. How many were headed to the Middle-Route Run?" Answer "one" and the beggar opens the door, otherwise thieves burst through the door and attack.
61–62	The Caves	A cavernous room with a subterranean river snaking through it. Three bridges cross the river to three separate cave mouths. Words are etched into the floor in front of the middle bridge: "Day or night, I never sleep. I always run, I never creep. I sing and speak without a voice. Take your time to make your choice." The river is the way forward while the three caves each lead to a random Adversary.
63–64	The Thousand Year Scroll	A mute skeleton in robes hunches over a scroll, overlooking a stairway blocked by a glimmering gate with a lock made of adamant. On the lock there are numbers 1–10 and letters A–Z. The scroll reads: "What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?" The answer is the letter "M" and selecting that letter on the lock opens the gate.
65–66	Candles in the Library	A library filled with lit candelabras glitters in the dark. A door on the opposite side of the room is locked with an altar before it. The altar has a marker with the words: "Young I am tall, old I am short. What am I?" The answer is “a candle,” and placing one lit onto the altar opens the door.
67–68	Wrinkled Riddle Master	A chamber with a door on each of the four walls, the ceiling and the floor. A small, hunched creature in a hood sits on a stool. The creature, a knobby, one-eyed tommyknacker says, "What am I?" And nothing more. Should the PCs answer "a riddlemaster" all of the doors open (each progresses the dungeon). For each wrong answer, a random Adversary comes out of a door.
69–70	The Toad Door	A giant toad's head blocks a green door to the next chamber. The mouth is open and its long tongue is like a carpet to a green door. On the door are the words: "I twinkle yet I am no star. I blink but never with my eyes." The answer is a "firefly" and speaking aloud opens the green door. On a wrong answer, the tongue springs alive and attacks (as thoad).
71–72	The Maze Map	The PCs stand at the entrance of a maze. Above the entrance reads: "Woods without trees, mountains without stones, oceans without water, cities without houses. What am I?" The answer is a "map" and uttering it aloud opens a compartment with a map of the maze. Navigating it otherwise requires traversing a Random Maze.
73–74	The Hound	A weorg hound chained to the center of a bone-littered floor barks and growls at the PCs. A chest of treasure rests between the hound's feet. Suddenly, the hound speaks in a gravelly, throaty snarl, "What animal keeps the best time?" Answer "watchdog" and the hound laughs and becomes friendly, nudging the treasure chest forward with its nose, which holds a key.
75–76	This Reflection	A bedchamber is in disarray, the bed shredded, the chest of drawers splintered and a vanity mirror the size of a tower shield is cracked down the middle. When anyone approaches, their reflections stare back at them intently. One of the PC's reflections says: "What is deaf, dumb, blind, and mute, but always tells the truth?" The answer is "a mirror" and uttering it correctly reveals a secret hatch and prevents the doppelgangers in the mirror from bounding out to attack.
77–78	The Laughing Dead	A catacomb lined with skeletons of the long dead, bound in burial wrappings. On the far end of the chamber, a large box jiggles and shakes. A voice moans inside and says: "Listen. Answer. Answer or join us. How...do you get a skeleton to laugh?" A pause. "Three tries. Or everyone dies." The answer is "tickle its funny bone." If answered correctly, the skeletons all laugh, then go silent forever, and the box opens revealing a dark hole.
79–80	The Fungal Door	A magically sealed door overgrown with lichen stands before you. On the stone arch above, carved words read: "This is a room you cannot enter." If the word "mushroom" is uttered, the door opens.
81–82	The Goblin Mouth	A door in the shape of a grotesque goblin mouth is locked by iron teeth. It says the phrase: "I sometimes slip, even though I'm held. If you're smart, you'll use me well. What am I?" If anything other than "tongue" is answered, a noxious gas emits from the mouth (Mettle Check or become ), otherwise a long carpeted tongue unfurls, opening the WEAKENED door.
83–84	The Heavy Rock	A large boulder sits in the middle of a room with no doors. The rock cannot be moved by any means. Carved into the rock are the words: "Forwards I'm heavy, backwards I'm not." The answer is "a ton," and when spoken aloud, a hidden hatch in the floor opens leading downward.
85–86	Copper Statues	Three copper statues stand in a room with no doors. One statue is a sarvang, one is a ramgore, and one is a gator. The words, "It has a copper head and it has a copper tail, but it has no body" are inscribed on the floor. The answer is "a copper coin" but each time a wrong guess is uttered one of the statues comes to life and attacks.
87–88	The Clam	The door slams shut behind the PCS as they enter a chamber with ankle-high, murky saltwater. In the center of the room is an ancient clam that utters: "You keep me when you do not need me, and throw me out when you do." Answer “an anchor,” and a hidden passage is revealed. With a wrong guess the water begins to rise to the ceiling as the clam repeats the question over and over.
89–90	The Comedian	A cackling cackletrice blocks a sealed door and paces back and forth like it's doing a standup routine, but it never gets to the punchline. "Wait, wait, wait--Have you heard this one? What is a sea serpent's favorite dish? HAHA!" Answer ”fish and ships” and the door unseals. Particularly unfunny guesses make the cackletrice angry.
91–92	The Weeping Ghost	You find what looks to be an old kitchen with dishes and food strewn about. A knife is stuck into a cutting board and next to it a plump ghost gorges himself on food: "You're the one who cut me up. Yet you're the one who weeps at my death! What am I?" The answer is "an onion," and the ghost reveals a secret door behind the pantry. If guessed wrong, the ghost shouts "NO!" and tries to eat the PCs instead.
93–94	Ghost in the Dark	You walk into a completely dark room where all light is magically snuffed away. A ghostly whisper says: "All night long, I cry and cry, though I am not alive. And if I stay awake all night, I will surely die. What am I?" If "candle" is guessed, the lit outline of a door reveals itself in the dark. Otherwise, an angry ghost attacks.
95–96	The All-Mighty Dragon	The door to the next room is actually a snarling dragon head that growls: "I am the beginning of eternity! I am the end of space and time! Don't you know what I am? If you do, say it or fry!" Each PC gets one guess and if none says "the letter E," the dragon breathes fire on the PCs ( Dread). Correctly answering opens the dragon's mouth to reveal the way forward.
97–98	The Haunted Workshop	A workshop with piles of lumber, hammers, saws, nails, and sandpaper. When the PCs enter, the entrance and exit shut and the tools come to life, attacking the PCs! A piece of parchment lies undisturbed on a workbench. The paper reads: "I'm a kind of wood that's never straight, never crooked, has no weight, and can't hold a nail. What kind of wood am I?" The answer is "sawdust" and uttering it makes the workshop go quiet and the doors open.
99–100	The Dawn Door	The room is empty except for a massive, impassible door with a giant grinning sun peaking over a mountain painted onto it. These words are written below the image: "Never have I been, but always shall I be. We haven't met, yet you're expecting me. What am I?" Should the PCs answer "Tomorrow," the door swings open.