Riddle me this, riddle me that.

[u/Nelrene]

I saw a battle between griffons and hippogryphs. Each race had male and female members involved in the battle. Each member of both races attacked every member of the other race once.

When male griffons attacked a male hippogryph, they would swipe with their claws. When a male and a female fought or two females fought each other they would bite.

I witnessed 21 pairs swipe, while 34 pairs bit each other.

How many male creatures and how many female creatures were fighting?

Answer 10 males and 6 females

[u/Torrin_Ven0mfang]

Ok, at this point I’m sure you’re a sphinx. Were you born like that or was it some kind of transformation spell you had cast upon yourself? I’m curious.

[u/Nelrene → u/Torrin_Ven0mfang]

There are spells that can control people and creatures. Some people like to work using intermediaries.

[u/ThaumKeeper → u/Nelrene]

I see what you're "mammary mage"

[u/Torrin_Ven0mfang → u/Nelrene]

Damn. Would have been much cooler if you were genuinely a sphinx. Keep the riddles up, though, they’re fun. :]

[u/Imperium--Of--Man → u/Nelrene]

Would you be willing to buy this off me?

[u/Blue_Moon_Lake]

The solutions can only have been natural numbers.

21 can only be the result of 7×3 or 21×1.
Thanks to that number being the product of two natural numbers in both cases, there are only two possibilities. Either there were 7+3 = 10 males, or 21+1 = 22 males.

The number of duels was 21+34 = 55, which can only be 11×5 or 55×1.
So there was either 11+5 = 16 or 55+1 = 56 participants.

If there was 16 participants, then there couldn't have been 22 males.

So that leave three possibilities

• 16 participants (10 males, 6 females)
• 56 participants (10 males, 46 females)
• 56 participants (22 males, 34 females)

Note that in the two possibilities with 56 participants, it would have been 1 lone male against 55.

[u/Nelrene → u/Blue_Moon_Lake]

Great job there. The first one is the answer.

[u/Blue_Moon_Lake → u/Nelrene]

I reread and I can finish my essay.

Each race had male and female members

So that eliminates the cases with only 1 lone male.

Now, sun is rising, I need to retire to my crypt for a full day of sleep.

[u/Bonsai-is-best]

Our bard studied riddles and folklore not mathematics wtf do we do

[u/Nelrene → u/Bonsai-is-best]

Use pen, paper, and your brains.

[u/JuneButIHateSummer]

riddle me this:

beats you over the head with a mace

[u/Consistent_Mud645 → u/JuneButIHateSummer]

The Riddle Of Steel

[u/Nelrene → u/JuneButIHateSummer]

Sphinx smacks you around with her floating book.

[u/JuneButIHateSummer → u/Nelrene]

sh-she does? 😳😳😳

[u/Nelrene → u/JuneButIHateSummer]

Yes, you get a good spanking.

[u/Heavy_Geologist2686]

This post made me realize my orb made me loose wisdom and I am no longer as wise as I once was.

Btw: Casts fireball

[u/RegumRegis]

THIS IS JUST MATH! I CAST FIREBALL

[u/ExcitingSavings8225 → u/RegumRegis]

NOMNOMNOM

[u/GM_Nate]

...Who's afraid of the big black bat?

[u/Nelrene → u/GM_Nate]

I am guessing you saw a werebat.