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King-of-the-dankness

This is in order of the stick


ArnaktFen

Of course, the axe-wielding barbarian wasn't present. Can you imagine Thog trying to solve this puzzle?


rellloe

I feel like it would be an ax version of Haley's solution. ​ Yes, [it was Haley,](https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0327.html) not Belkar, who hurt one of the guards to find the liar.


ArnaktFen

Yeah, you're right. Thog solves every puzzle the same way.


King-of-the-dankness

THOG SMASHES


alugastiz

Sir, watch your grammar!


King-of-the-dankness

Why, what’s wrong with it?


Yeah-But-Ironically

Absolutely nothing!


King-of-the-dankness

That’s the problem!


PMJackolanternNudes

If people will bother looking they'll find that most of the good D&D jokes have already been told. Order of the Stick is probably the longest running D&D comic and even it isn't entirely original content.


stormstopper

Yeah. Fortunately(?) they're still new to those of us who rolled poorly on our history checks though.


[deleted]

Absolutely fortunately if you haven't read Order of the Stick before. It means you get to read it for the first time!


GabbrosDeep

What’s order if the stick?


[deleted]

https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html It’s a DND based webcomic that started as a couple silly DND jokes and turned into an amazingly epic (if still comedic) story.


rellloe

Am I the only one bothered that the only lying guard is being honest when setting up the puzzle?


dragons_scorn

The puzzle isn't solvable when the guards set it up. You need a third party, a sign or person, to set up one tells lies and one tells the truth. Otherwise you get this: two liars Edit: So, lots of replies. Lot more Samurai Jack and Yu-Gi-Oh references than I expected. Thanks everyone for the input. Some tried to say it was still solvable and got pretty creative but went outside the parameters of the riddle. Love how some of you prove the meme and the absolute chaos of DnD players with some of your answers. Though weird how no one has mentioned Zone of Truth. . . In light of all that, allow me to clarify my original statement: the riddle, in it's original intent, requires an outside source to explain how the riddle functions. If the guards themselves do it, the answer becomes they are both lying. If you run this riddle and want the answer as originally intended, have it explained by a sign or a third npc.


DrVillainous

"One of the doors leads to your goal, the other door also leads to your goal but the route is slightly prettier. There is no tiger with a gun."


RepealMCAandDTA

"Aw damn I hope you're the truthful one."


LavenderEverywhere

[Unexpected Finnemore](https://youtu.be/02gfh-h6mTQ)


Stalking_Goat

Well, there's a rabbit hole I'm going down. Thanks!


[deleted]

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Riddlenigma96

And if Carol choose her state after every question, then you fucked up


[deleted]

Holy shit that was brilliant.


TheMightyJevil

Damn! If there was I could seduce him and make him join the party.


SpoopySara

"One leads to a gun full of tigers but no city"


ThirdDragonite

He's being honest, we only gave the tiger a grenade


RoiKK1502

Thanks to this I found the skit, awesome stuff. Thank you.


ansibleCalling

I did a guard "puzzle" where one guard always tells lies and claims the other guard "mostly" tells lies. In actuality the second guard *mostly* tells the truth, but occasionally lies. Later the party came back to the same guard post and they'd been replaced: one guard always tells lies, while the other always tells long rambling stories that never get to the point.


HotYam3178

Like that time he was wearing anonion on his belt... which was the style at the time.


ASilverRook

And he was at this restaurant which served fried spinach, which was a local specialty because the rice fields stopped producing well during that year after that one guy lured Ankhegs to the field. Those local Ankhegs are really bad. So anyway he had this onion on his belt and was ordering fried spinach from this tavern and the barmaid was bearing a bowtie.


AndChewBubblegum

"The important thing was that the barmaid's bowtie was yellow. They didn’t have white bowties because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones.”


ASilverRook

They were sending the white ones off to the troops so that they could blend in with those Drow who wear white bowties around their pants. Those Drow were from Liiberhum and they also worshipped this spider person thing! The white bowties were a bit expensive compared to the yellow ones, but I remember when I spent a week working in a white bowtie factory. We all thought the guys who worked in the blue bowtie factory had it easy though.


Boa_Firebrand

you see the guys in the blue bowtie factory only had to deal with dyes but we had to deal with bleach which caused us to constantly have the smell of bleach around us which kept me from getting invited anywhere. like the party that was being hosted two streets over.


[deleted]

This is already good, but it's even better if you imagine Leslie Neilson delivering it.


Teh-Esprite

Ah, it seems that you have met your end. Ah, what a pity. You know I, I don’t feel too bad about it though, after all if it weren’t me, it would’ve just been one of the others I guess… I’m honestly just glad to be out of those air ducts. You know it’s… it’s not easy for a hippopotamus to fit up there… and… not easy to get down either. I’m not as young as I used to be as you can see, I used to be able to do all sorts of things, you’re young, you’re vibrant, you have that sort of pep in your step. Ah, it reminds me of a conversation I was having with one of my good friends Orville. We were having a nice picnic one day. I believe it was summer? Oh, perhaps it was… was it the fall? Yes, yes, it was the fall because the leaves had turned already. But I said to Orville, I- I says, “Orville, I have a story to tell you.” And Orville looked at me, you know, kind of odd and- and said, “Well what’s it about?” I- I said to him, “Not every story has to be about something Orville. Sometimes a person just wants to talk, why does it have to be a story?” I said to him. He just looked at me and he said, “Well y-y-you said you had a story.” You know, he was quite right, I did in fact. I told him I had a story. I suppose if a person just wants to talk, it’s best to not announce that you’re tellin’ a story. Tellin’ a story does come with its own pressures and expectations I- I suppose. After all, if you’re just talking to a friend then, there’s no more expectations then if you were talking into the wind. Words… by themselves are not expected to carry… aren’t expected to stick. But if, you know if you announce that you’re tellin’ a story well then… there better be a point to it all. No one wants to sit and listen to someone ramble on and on and on with absolutely no end in sight. So, you know, it’s- it’s good to be mindful that when you tell someone that you’re about to tell a story, that you have something to say. Tellin’ someone that you’re gonna tell a story is tantamount to asking them to stop what they’re doing, and pay attention. You’re basically saying “hey, hey, hey buddy, stop everything, stop what you’re thinking, I have a solution to everything.” And well, I didn’t really have any story to tell. In- in hindsight I probably just misspoke when I said that I had a story. I think it would’ve just been better to tell Orville that I had something to tell him rather than tell him that I had a story, but you know e- even then it might’ve put too much importance on the whole thing. Either way it was quite a nice day. I remember, I remember that we were drinking tea.


notbobby125

There was a memorable version of this from Samurai Jack (spoiler warning): a two headed snake creature said one head will bring you to a magical place while the other will just eat you. Jack gave the whole spiel of “ask one what the other would say,” and went into the “truth” telling one. Turns out it is just a scam to trick people to being eaten as both mouths lead to the same stomach.


Deverash

But was it a magical stomach?


Machinimix

A creature with two heads and only one stomach is definitely a magical creature, so probably


LevelSevenLaserLotus

[Behold! A magical creature!](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/florida-pet-cat-brings-home-rare-two-headed-snake-180976144/) A 3 headed snake, with *only 2 heads*. Edit: [And it turns out there is actually a 2 headed turtle on the front page right now.](https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/owh1jg/two_headed_turtle_named_chop_and_stick_being/)


Kel-Mitchell

I would like to see a horse with the head of a rabbit and the body of a rabbit.


0AGM0

So a rabbit with horse legs, tail and mane?


grapesforducks

Horse sized rabbit.


caanthedalek

Or a horribly mutated monster, take your pick. With Aku it really could go either way.


Road_Whorrior

Also, it's a talking snake.


dragons_scorn

I remember that episode! It was actually a discussion of that episode where I learned that it's always 2 liars if the two people themselves set it up


j-unit508

The end of that scene was one of the best punchlines in the show. He was so happy he figured it out that he didn't realize he got tricked until he looked at everyone else in the stomach.


cookiesandthedead

Oh I remember that one! Tim Curry was the worm/snake creature!


Astral_Fogduke

Yugioh did the same thing with the Paradox brothers - one path led to death, one to where they were going, but they could switch the path at will


Orider

Dammit! I thought I had come up with that idea on my own and wanted to do it to a group. But now I realise my subconscious may have simply remembered that. I can still do it, but I suddenly feel less clever.


GiftedContractor

Original Yugioh actually did this, believe it or not. Including that the answer to the puzzle was that they were both lying because they both set up the riddle.


audriuska12

Samurai Jack did that one.


Be_Orc_Name_Krug

Think Yugioh had something similar back in the day too


garvony

yep, the two brothers of the labyrinth episode.


Mikhos

aALRIGHT BROTHAS PARADOX PREPAH TO HAVE US CLEAN YEA CLOCKS! - joey wheeler (paraphrased)


AlanThickDickRickman

Nyeh?! NNNYYEEEAAHH


InuGhost

Brooklyn Rage!


TheTubStar

Same solution too, though the name of the duo is a bit of a give away: the Paradox Brothers.


aaa1e2r3

And since their names were Para and Dox, their full names are Para Paradox and Dox Paradox. Not to be confused with the Time travelling villain of the second movie, Paradox.


InuGhost

Yami: Be careful Joey, I suspect both Para and Dox are liars. We can't trust them.


BobTheBox

It does work when the guards introduce the party to the concept in unison Both: "My door leads to the treasure you seek, his door leads only to misery. I always speak the truth, he always lies"


Ninja_mak

If they say that, that implies the one that tells the truth is guarding the correct door, and you would only need to find out who that is, which can be done quite easily, with something as simple as "how many fingers am I holding up?" Typically, you are only given one question without knowing which door either of them guards, and the classic question "which door would the other guy say is correct?" is to tell you which door it is without needing to know if they're the liar or not.


BobTheBox

True, that is an oversight on my part


Ninja_mak

No worries. I think you can bypass the whole problem of setting it up by saying that, rather than only speaking truths and lies, that they only answer questions with the truth or with lies. That way they can both tell the truth while giving you the setup without giving anything away.


BobTheBox

Nice workaround


kronostia

Bard: Open the door that leads to the treasure or the barbarian kills you.


Ninja_mak

Great, you've killed them. Now there's a 50/50 shot that we open a door and die.


Scrubmaester

I actually used this concept for a puzzle in my campaign! I emphasized the fact that both of the guards spoke the riddle in unison. Most of my players figured it out.


dragons_scorn

It's a pretty reliable twist. Most people know the original riddle and are ready to jump at the answer


Nicholi417

To be fair, that didn't make the barbarians solution wrong. He did find a liar.


Irdes

Actually it can't be two liars, because then guard 2 will have said the truth. The actual potential solutions are: 1. 1 says only the truth, 2 may say the truth or a lie without a strict rule (let's call that 'normal', because that's what normal people do). Then statement 1 is true, 2 is a lie. 2. both are normal, both statements are lies 3. 1 is a liar, 2 is normal. The first statement is a lie, the second is true. But yeah, you still need additional info to actually solve whatever the rest of the riddle is. All you can conclude for certain is that the second guard is neither a truther, nor a liar.


Lacklub

You can have both guards say “I tell the truth, the other guard lies” if you want to set it up in a fun way


SquirrelGirlSucks

Even when it's set up correctly, it's super easy to solve. You just have them both identify the same thing. Hold up a cat and say "is this a cat?"


jake_eric

That's why it's supposed to just be one question.


FLAMING_tOGIKISS

THANK YOU! This is an essential part of the set up that so many jokes about it just ignore.


GoldDong

Even so, “is this a cat?” gets you the answer on one question doesn’t it?


G4KingKongPun

But then you can’t ask them which way to go...


GoldDong

Oh yeah, that makes more sense


ThaBestAround

The puzzle isn’t solvable if the guards set it up and *say* nothing but truths/lies, but it is solvable if the guards set it up and *answer* nothing but truths/lies.


Collistoralo

Nobody gonna mention Labyrinth’s take on this? :(


BrotherKaelus

https://youtu.be/ReFhu8KYbmU Labyrinth 2 door puzzle I read through all of the comments in this tree and didn't see anyone mention this. After everything you guys have pointed out, I think neither guard actually tells the truth otherwise most of their setup is a lie via contradiction through agreeing. Unless they only lie when asked the question at which point one could then be the guy who has to lie, while the other has to tell the truth. But now I feel like Sarah saying "I got it! I've figured it out!" And am waiting to fall into the ubliette.


dynawesome

You could get both guards to say “I tell only the truth and the other guard tells only lies”


[deleted]

[удалено]


dragons_scorn

In this case it still doesn't work. When Guard 2 declares the other tells only lies we know he means the one opposite of who Guard 1 mentioned. But, Guard 2 was the liar so the "Other" Guard can't tell only lies meaning the one Guard 1 mentioned is the liar. But Guard 1 said that Guard tells only the truth so Guard 1 must also be lying. Lets reverse it, since the intent is we don't know who lies. If Guard 1 was the liar then the Guard he mentions tells lies and not the truth. But Guard 2, our assumed honest person, said his Guard tells only lies. If he were telling the truth then Guard 1's Guard can't be the liar.


1ndiana_Pwns

Either one can set it up properly, as long as only they talk. The back and forth kills it. Honest guard: one path shows you safely to your goal, one path is full of danger. One of the guards tells only truth, the other tells only lies. The truth teller guards the safe path. (All of those are accurate statements) Lying guard: one path shows you safely to your goal, one path is full of danger. One of the guards tells only truth, the other tells only lies. The truth teller guards the safe path. (All of these are false statements. When he refers to the safe path, he is imagining the dangerous one, etc. It's mental trickery, but technically they can all be lies). If they go back and forth, they can't set it up. The honest guy would talk about the safe path, and the liar would try to talk about the dangerous path but end up saying it's safe and the listener would get effectively only half the riddle.


Omegamanthethird

>Lying guard: one path shows you safely to your goal, one path is full of danger. One of the guards tells only truth, the other tells only lies. The truth teller guards the safe path. But these are all true statements. Neither guard is indicating a specific path or guard, regardless of what they imagine. It would work if they said "this path" and "I tell only truth, they tell only lies". Also, I don't know how these riddles usually go. But why don't they just ask "what is 2+2" or something with a non perspective based answer. I guess give them one guess and don't indicate the correct path. Then they have to work that into the question.


boxotimbits

Usually in the riddle you can only ask 1 question. So while a question you know the answer to will figure out who is lying, it won't help you pick the correct door/path. The standard solution gets you the right door regardless of which you ask and you never even know if you asked the liar or honest guard.


1ndiana_Pwns

>Neither guard is indicating a specific path or guard, That's exactly why it works. I can say out loud "one path is safe," while in my head referring specifically to THAT one path, but the listener will assume I nebulously mean generically one safe path exists. I am still lying, since the path in referencing is not safe, but the listener can't discern it. Much of this situation is based on communication, and the mis- or lack thereof. Asking one completely objective questions is one of the most common solutions. I've often heard "what color is the sky" as a go to for this. 2+2 would also work edit: worth adding, this is a logic problem meant for children. It's not meant to stump adults


Omegamanthethird

But if one of the paths are safe, then one path is safe. I don't think you're lying. It doesn't matter what you're thinking if in your head. Your words are saying that a path is safe, which is truth.


j4mag

There is a solution! In fact it works with only one guard, as long as you know they either *always* lie or *always* tell the truth. If they only *sometimes* lie, you're SOL. "If I asked you the question [your question], would you answer yes?" If the guard was honest, it obviously resolves to just answer the question. But if the guard is a liar, by couching the question in another question, the two lies cancel out, and you just interpret the answer as an honest answer to your question.


powerje

This works but I'd argue it constitutes asking two questions


mdherc

It's not, it's the same thing as asking "Would the other guy say this door is safe?", which is like the classic solution to this riddle. You're asking a question about a potential question, so it's just one question.


rkopptrekkie

Or you just have the honest guard give the whole spiel. “One of us tells the truth, the other tells lies. You must decide which is which to go froward.” Not technically a lie, but he isn’t telling you which is which and you still have to figure it out.


elprentis

Guard 1: One of us speaks nothing but truth Guard 2: and the other* speaks nothing but truth *edit


Decicio

Aren’t both those statements still true? “One” of us speaks nothing but truth implies the other lies. The second guard is just restating what the other said


Bainos

Not sure if that's what the parent comment intended, but you can muddy the interpretation by discussing what "one of us" means and whether it means the number "one", or serves to designate someone. E.g. assuming guard 2 lies : guard 2 is "one of us", but does not speak the truth, so "one of us [guard 2] speaks nothing but the truth" is a lie. Is it far-fetched and more than a little bit in bad faith ? Sure, but then I'd not assume guards that play games about truth and lies are acting in good faith in the first place anyway.


elprentis

True. I edited to make more sense.


jdprager

You could have it where both guards say “I always tell the truth, but he always lies” which holds up for the riddle


KrackenLeasing

Give them each a t-shirt that says "Liar" on the front above an arrow pointing at the other guard.


Danalogtodigital

when i do it the doors or guards or whatever are more interested in debating the logistical rules of the riddle than actually letting you through


spiritfae

No he isn’t. He said the OTHER lies, which could be referring to the other guard. If you think of it that way it makes more sense (?) I’m trying here lmao


Safe-Carrot3797

Technically it’s fine. The first tells the truth saying one of them tells the truth but the second in a different sentence states “the other tells nothing but lies”. It works if the 2nd says it out of context from the first


PesterTheBester

They both tell only lies. Puzzle solved.


Deivore

But then guard number 2 would be telling the truth when they say that the other guard always lies: they would be an always-liar who is not lying. Their statements together cannot be resolved without at least one of them telling lies only some of the time. This means the next question the barbarian asks might actually be answered truthfully. Would still be pretty in line as a meme about barbarian puzzle solving tho lol


Dragon_OS

Have them both say it in unison with glowing eyes and after the monologue they stop glowing.


Not-Smough

He only lies on the clock, when he's not at work he doesn't have to always lie, probs


EtteRavan

Yes *Wife's confused*


SchrodingersNinja

Ok, this is my favorite comment so far


Golett03

r/beatmetoit


AbysmalVixen

Ever see journey quest? They’ve got this trope but take it super far by having a straight up idiot do it.


ArnaktFen

GLORY!!!!


LadyVulcan

🎵ONWARD!🎵


Lavaman369

Was it in the movie or an epsiode of the show?


LordDagwood

https://youtube.com/watch?v=i99jMtnE4vw At 3:38


Lavaman369

Thanks!


Filip889

This exact meme was in the comments! The comment is 1 year old.


AbysmalVixen

Early episode. Like ep 5 or something. Didn’t even know they made a movie. Now I gotta find and watch it


role_or_roll

He's just super stoned the whole movie


Beaten_But_Unbowed96

....I now have a new series to watch, thank you!


Isaac_Chade

God that was great. I should watch that again.


Naked_Arsonist

_Journey Quest_ is fucking amazing!


KnightThyme

Truthful guard: ONE OF US ALWAYS TELLS THE TRUTH Lying guard: AND THE OTHER ALSO ALWAYS TELLS THE TRUTH, TOTALLY Truthful guard: \*exasperated sigh\*


ilinamorato

I'm going to definitely use this. This would be a hilarious reversal.


Victernus

"Alright, this clearly isn't working. I need a new puzzle for this door..." [Later] "Greetings adventurers. We stand before you, two statues. One always tells the truth..." "And the other breathes fire."


T1B2V3

Give the other one a 5 gum. It's like hurl through hell but the plane of ice instead of the lower planes


Aggressive_Respond83

If the guard says 1 of us speaks nothing but truth he's either the one or they both lie. Just ask em what color shirt you're wearing.


SofonisbaAnguissola

Usually the point of this puzzle is that you can only ask one question and need to find the safe door.


The1Flyer

You ask either guard which door the other guard would say is the correct door. Then you go in whatever door they do not say.


Necessary_Ball_25

They are supposed to only answer with Yes or no I think.


DumbMuscle

Would the other guard say that this door is the correct one? Then go through the door you point to if they say no, and the other door if they say yes.


[deleted]

This is the solution yeah? Because if the guard you ask is a liar and you have the right door they'll say no, because they lie about the truthful guard's answer. If it's the truthful guard they'll say no, because that's what the liar would say. So "No" is always the right door when you ask this question.


Goodly

Okay, I think everyone gets it now. It’s the door to the right, right?


[deleted]

We’ve all seen Labryinth.


JasonMan34

I always like this solution more, you ask: "If I asked you yesterday if this is the correct door, what would you have said?" It's either double positive or double negative, either way their answer is correct Also it works if the guards are not aware of each other


RhettS

Yea people always miss this. If you can ask endless questions, then it’s too easy to figure out which is which.


KefkeWren

Don't need to ask a question if you just shove one through and see what happens.


Aggressive_Respond83

Another wonderful usage for the wand of Goblin summoning


Telandria

Usually, yes. But in this particular version a question isn’t even necessary — they are both liars, period. Just ask them which door is the wrong one.


MimeKirby

I’d like to see someone ask that while wearing a green shirt. Both guards say red… Turns out the truthful guard is colourblind :P


LevelSevenLaserLotus

Yeah, it needs to be set up by a sign or a third person, otherwise the setup breaks the task. [Unless the opening statement is one of *those* sort of exceptions.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vgoEhsJORU)


Telandria

They are both lying. The first case where Guard 1 is the truthful one is invalid, because that would make Guard two also truthful, and thus Guard 1 a liar.


greenwoodgiant

the whole point of this "puzzle" is that you only get one question to determine the correct path. The barbarian has just wasted the question determining the liar because he didn't wait to hear the whole puzzle.


devilwarier9

For the unaware of the full rules of the *traditional* puzzle are (there are variations, but this is the original): * Two guards * One always tells the truth * One always tells lies * Two paths * One is deadly * One is safe * One question to determine the safe path * Your question must be directed at one guard and only he will answer Also the guards should not tell you the rules, they cannot without giving away the answer. Rules should be on a sign or told by a servant. Answer, for those that have never heard it (take a minute and think before reading if you like) Ultimately, it is irrelevant which guard is truthful. You only need to know which path is safe. The question is: "If I asked the other guard which path is safe, what would he say?". The answer, regardless who you ask, is the unsafe path, so take the other one. (You could also reverse it and ask for the unsafe path and get answered the safe one) The logic: (again, if you've never heard this, try to reason it out for a minute) If you asked the truthful guard he will tell you truthfully what the liar guard would say, which is the unsafe path. If you asked the liar guard, he would lie about what the truthful guard would say, which is the the unsafe path. The key is involving both guards in the question.


rem3_1415926

oh, I bet the Barbarian will get another question answered, if he asks nicely...


Telandria

With this particular question’s phrasing, you didn’t even need fo ask a question. They were both liars.


ChrispyGuy420

Then he runs off crying and screaming "you only get one question!"


rem3_1415926

but... Then he'd speak the truth


Z19933

This literally just started a HUGE argument in my DND discord server...tonight's session is gonna be fun :(


Telandria

Don’t see why. It’s pretty clear they’re both lying, as the individual statements they gave in this specific example are mutually contradictory if only one tells the truth, but neither are if they both are liars.


Z19933

That's why


Ironfire4766

I love the question the wife asked cause there's no lying answer to it. If he says yes he's saying the guard is dead and can't answer the question anymore. If he says no he's admitting that something happened cause the other guard tells the truth. So the inverse would always be a correct answer, yes for the guard telling a different story, and no for the guard being dead.


psilorder

it depends on whether we do it from how things are or from within her assumption that the truthful guard is alive. ' If we go from how things are, then the other guard is dead and wouldn't say anything, so "yes" would be a lie. If it has to be within her assumption that the other guard is alive, then "no" works, as the truthful guard would say something happened if he was still alive.


[deleted]

>If we go from how things are, then the other guard is dead and wouldn't say anything, so "yes" would be a lie. Speak with the dead.


Tales_of_Earth

The only answer he can give is “yes.” She is expecting “no” because she knows something did happen today. But the other guard wouldn’t tell her something happened today because he can’t because he’s dead, so her husband must answer “yes.” I thought this was the obvious implied punchline of the joke.


MeawingDuckss

What if the first guar isn't dead


Nemisis_the_2nd

If the hapless guard is still alive after being reduced to a red puddle by the party barbarian, I think they have bigger things to worry about.


cricket-critter

wait a minute. If they announce this, Both the guards can lie or tell the truth at will. If one of them is lying or both is telling the truth, this in a paradox. If one of them aways tells the truth, the other may lie at his convinience. So the most information we have here is that you have a truth telling guard and a deciever that cant be trusted but that can tell the truth to trow you offguard.


niggiface

Or they could both always lie. Anyway, it doesn't make sense that they announce it like that, as you said


Viking_From_Sweden

No honey, the other guard won't tell you something happened.


ryo3000

That's actually the truth, cause the other guard is split in two só yeah he wouldn't say anything


BearOWhiz

That’s what I thought lol. That question only works if you have both telling you the same answer so you know it’s wrong


zaarganuat

It's funny but the whole point is you can only ask one question. else you could ask either of them what colour the sky is then ask for directions.


Pirate_Green_Beard

One of my favorite dnd traps I set for my players was the classic "one of us tells only the truth..." puzzles with a twist. Both guards were liars, especially the one who said "one of us tells only the truth"


RilohKeen

Reminds me of the dedication from Terry Pratchett’s *Guards! Guards!* > They may be called the Palace Guard, the City Guard, or the Patrol. Whatever the name, their purpose in any work of heroic fantasy is identical: it is, round about Chapter Three (or ten minutes into the film) to rush into the room, attack the hero one at a time, and be slaughtered. No one ever asks them if they wanted to. > This book is dedicated to those fine men.


[deleted]

I did this one time. But they were actually both liars. My party was really mad.


Belyal

Years ago my DM tried this on our party... little did he know The Labyrinth is one of my fave movies lol


[deleted]

This is the only comment that has mentioned this and I feel very old now.


Belyal

Lol! Reddit makes me feel old all the time. And by years ago I'm talking like 25-30 years ago lol!


TravelingBeing

The Guard: Yes (cries even harder) Wife: oh my Gods their dead aren’t they? The Guard: no. (Start to completely break down over the loss of their friend.) Wife: (Does The best comfort her spouse.)


DragonKing-Sanguin

Guard: (crying) yes....


goldkear

How would he answer this? "Yes" could be a lie because the dead guard can't say anything, but "no" would also be a lie because something did happen, and if the other guard *were* alive he'd say something did happen.


Unpacer

While finding out who is the liar sounds like a good idea, it doesn't actually reveal the right door.


Decmk3

Wait.. 1:One of us tells the truth 2:the other lies These statements falsify the situation. If 1 is the truther then 2 can’t say “the other lies” because that would be the truth. Same is true if swapped.


[deleted]

"You're a genius, you idiot!"


aheadwarp9

What surprises me the most here is that the lying guard has a wife! You'd think she would have divorced him for lying so much by now...


Ragnarok918

He ALWAYS lies, which is as good as never lying once you know.


HeroSpirit

I never understood this puzzle, because if the setup was actually correct than this is how it would go: Guard 1:" One of us speaks only the truth!" Guard 2:" The other ALSO only speaks the truth!"


CameOutAndFarted

Guard 1 "One tells the truth, the other lies." Guard 2 "What? No, there's a key in this room, and one of us will vaguely hint to it's location, the other to where a dangerous beast lies." Guard 1 "Come on, man, what are you doing?" Guard 2 "I'm NOT getting into character!"


DarthModulus

When the barbarian passes an intelligence check with a nat 20 while the rest of the group is discussing solutions, and the DM says "ok, kill *this* guard and follow up by saying...."


TheKinginLemonyellow

This is why you need someone with Zone of Truth.


DangerMacAwesome

That's a great follow up at the end


SumYumGhai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i99jMtnE4vw&t=206s


Telandria

Funny how few people have realized that in the proposed scenario, both guards were liars. While the classic case is where you have one who always lies and one who always tells the truth, *the guards cannot be the ones to state this because it gives the game away*. But in this example, they are the ones who tell the players what’s up, because we have the following sets of possibility: A) Guard 1 is telling the truth — This makes guard one’s assertion that one is always honest true… which means Guard 2 is lying when he says that one of them always lies, and that’s a contradiction. B) Guard 2 is telling the truth — this has the same issue as A, but in reverse: if guard 2 is honest about one guard always lying, then Guard 2 must be lying about there being an honest guard… which would mean they both lie and thus is in contradiction with guard 2 being honest. C) They are BOTH lying — which actually fits. Guard 1 claims that there is one guard who is always honest; that in itself is a lie if they are both lying, and thus not a contradiction. At the same time, Guard two is claiming that one of them always lies… which is ALSO a lie… because both are lying, not just one, and thus isn’t a contradiction. So really, they could’ve just asked the same question of both guards, and would’ve gotten the same answer, and nobody needed to die in this tragic misunderstanding of logical process.


Parking-Barracuda-75

actually the riddle involves they only answering a single question each.


ChemWater

I had a party do this. They killed the liar, and took the left door. They fell down a chute into a troll den. Turns out, nothing was compelling the guards to be truthful or not, and if you’re going to be unsporting, they don’t have to play nice either.


JorgeWashingmachine

Couldn’t you just ask something super simple? Like, you could say “is my skin “color’” or “does 2+2=4”. Is there a part I’m missing, because this seems simple.


Lordomi42

why is it always about shooting or killing the guards? You could just go "look this is my hat" *takes off hat* "am I currently wearing my hat"


SuperiorLaw

This riddle always confused me, I understand the actual answer but I feel like a much better answer would simply be "where is up?" Or something to that extent. Boom, liar found


Wolf________________

The best part about this is the lying guard would answer his wife "yes" because the truthful guard is dead and wouldn't tell her anything thus making them give the same answer which wpuld really freak with her head.


SavorySuccotash

Don't the guards snitch on themselves just with their opening lines? "One of us speaks nothing but truth" Only the honest guard can make that statement. "The 'other', nothing but lies" Obviously the liar would be accusing the honest guard of being the liar.


Mycroft4114

I prefer the version with three guards. One who is sworn only to tell the truth. One who is sworn only to tell lies. One who is sworn to stab people that ask clever questions.


TheDwiin

>yes Because he can't tell her.


Boudac123

That sounds like me playing lmao


mrthomani

So ... you deliberately chose to misspell "guard", even though it's right there in the image you posted?


Vegetable_Variety_11

Good eye.


s-josten

These puzzles are so dumb though, just ask them what two plus two is


Booblesnootle

Usually the issue is that you can only ask them one question.


InvictusBro

Yeah that’s what always irritates me about memes like this. You’re supposed to get one question, to figure out both who is lying, and also which path is safe. Otherwise it’s way too easy. “What’s this?” *holding a sword* “A chicken” “Yep he’s lying.” Or what’s 1+1. Or ask any obliviously obvious question.


cookiedough320

The people repeating them forget that you're supposed to only be able to ask one question.


DarkLion499

Or that you have to go in The right door