Games:Puzzles in Lone Wolf (books 13 to 16)

Define N as the required number:

N = (80 / 0.5) - 14
N = 160 - 14
N = 146

The correct answer is therefore 146:

Project Aon: Lone Wolf, Book 13 (The Plague Lords of Ruel), Section 146

Note that if you mistakenly multiply rather than divide by one half, you will calculate N as 26. Interestingly, there is a corresponding section for this result:

The diagram shows a normal magic square of order 3. The "true number" is therefore likely to be the magic constant for this square:

Each of the rows, columns, and long diagonals sums to 15. And this is indeed the correct answer:

The sequence of numbers is:

Each number in the sequence is four greater than the number to its left:

• 4 + 4 = 8
• 8 + 4 = 12
• 12 + 4 = 16
• 16 + 4 = 20

The correct answer is therefore 20:

The sequence of numbers is:

Each number in the sequence is the square root of the number to its left:

• 6561 = 81 × 81
• 81 = 9 × 9
• 9 = 3 × 3

The correct answer is therefore 3:

The sequence of numbers is:

Each number in one of the boxes is twice the number in the same position in the box to its left:

• 3 × 2 = 6; 6 × 2 = 12
• 5 × 2 = 10; 10 × 2 = 20
• 2 × 2 = 4; 4 × 2 = 8
• 6 × 2 = 12; 12 × 2 = 24

The correct answer is therefore 8:

The sequence of numbers is:

Each number in the sequence is n less than the number to its left, where n is the position in the sequence of the number to its left:

• 15 - 1 = 14
• 14 - 2 = 12
• 12 - 3 = 9
• 9 - 4 = 5

This would then naturally end the sequence since 5-5=0.

The correct answer is therefore 5:

The sequence of numbers is clearer when placed in a square grid:

Looking at each row, the numbers in the first column divided by the numbers in the second column give the numbers in the third column:

• 100 / 4 = 25
• 90 / 3 = 30
• 80 / 2 = 40

Furthermore, the numbers in each column form an arithmetic progression:

• 100 - 90 = 90 - 80
• 4 - 3 = 3 - 2
• 25 - 30 = 30 - 40

The correct answer is therefore 40:

Define S as the number of loyal servants, D as the number of Dwellers of the Abyss, and L as the number of Lieutenants of the Night. The riddle breaks down into three statements with the following equations:

D = 2
2×(S + D) = S + D + L
(S + L)/2 = S + 1

Substituting D from the first equation into the second gives:

2×(S + 2) = S + 2 + L
2×S + 4 = S + 2 + L
S + 4 = 2 + L
S + 2 = L

Further substituting this value of L into the third equation gives:

(S + (S+2))/2 = S + 1
(2×S + 2)/2 = S + 1
S + 1 = S + 1

But that's as far as these equations take us. We can't actually solve for S!

This "riddle" is the equivalent of the following "magic trick":

• Think of a number (of loyal servants)
• Add 2 to it
• Double the result
• Take away 2 from this value
• Half the remaining number
• Take away one more
• And you're back at the number you started with

This will work for any arbitrary number of loyal servants.

So there is insufficient information in the riddle to actually solve it. The solution can only be reached by guessing. As it turns out, the correct answer happens to be 10, but there is no logical route to reach that conclusion:

The sequence of numbers is:

Looking at each row, the numbers in the first three columns sum to the same value as the numbers in the last two columns:

• 6 + 4 + 3 = 8 + 5
• 2 + 5 + 6 = 4 + 9
• 4 + 3 + 9 = 8 + 8

There does not appear to be any relationship between numbers within a column.

The correct answer is therefore 6:

The sequence of numbers is:

The pattern is the same as the first sequence for this puzzle, but the larger numbers make the relationship easier to spot (or rather, they make it easier to discount other invalid relationships).

Looking at each row, the numbers in the first three columns sum to the same value as the numbers in the last two columns:

• 23 + 41 + 55 = 88 + 31
• 86 + 68 + 110 = 129 + 135
• 141 + 192 + 220 = 216 + 337

There does not appear to be any relationship between numbers within a column.

The correct answer is therefore 110: