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An Entity of Type : owl:Thing, within Data Space : 134.155.108.49:8890 associated with source dataset(s)

This refers to any barrier that requires the heroes to solve some kind of puzzle or Riddle Me This in order to pass. Alternatively, it could be some test of skill. Often given by Threshold Guardians (especially if the guardian in question is a Riddling Sphinx). You must be able to work it out based on the clues you are given on the spot. (If you must come to it with some knowledge, it's Only the Knowledgable May Pass.) One wonders why this was deemed a better barrier than say, a lock and key carried on someone's person instead of being in a chest elsewhere in the building.

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  • Only Smart People May Pass
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  • This refers to any barrier that requires the heroes to solve some kind of puzzle or Riddle Me This in order to pass. Alternatively, it could be some test of skill. Often given by Threshold Guardians (especially if the guardian in question is a Riddling Sphinx). You must be able to work it out based on the clues you are given on the spot. (If you must come to it with some knowledge, it's Only the Knowledgable May Pass.) One wonders why this was deemed a better barrier than say, a lock and key carried on someone's person instead of being in a chest elsewhere in the building.
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  • This refers to any barrier that requires the heroes to solve some kind of puzzle or Riddle Me This in order to pass. Alternatively, it could be some test of skill. Often given by Threshold Guardians (especially if the guardian in question is a Riddling Sphinx). You must be able to work it out based on the clues you are given on the spot. (If you must come to it with some knowledge, it's Only the Knowledgable May Pass.) One wonders why this was deemed a better barrier than say, a lock and key carried on someone's person instead of being in a chest elsewhere in the building. If the goal was to actually allow smart people to pass, like into Mensa, then this would make sense. But it's often a defense against smart people who want to take whatever is being guarded. If evil, these smart people will either already be past this puzzle or trick the heroes into solving the puzzle for them. See Block Puzzle, the various Stock Puzzles and Stock Videogame Puzzles, and Solve the Soup Cans for examples of this. Expect even the least smart of protagonists to be able to find a way to solve what was supposed to be an ingenious puzzle. This trope dates back to at least the Sphinx in Greek mythology, making it Older Than Feudalism. Compare Only the Worthy May Pass, These Questions Three; also see First Contact Math, and contrast Only Idiots May Pass. Examples of Only Smart People May Pass include:
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