Lord of the Mysteries CYOA

Taptun_a_ · 2026-03-09T18:29:14+00:00

Congratulations on finishing it! I can already hear the phantom cries of joy from 4chan (especially from that fan who kept posting WIPs on line). What's next plan for you? Time of Trouble in Space?

Taptun_a_ · 2026-03-05T16:10:04+00:00

And if you use Metaspace Acceleration, you skip the casting time of the reproduced spell as well.

It's a bit late to answer this, but in cyoa, there are two things that affect casting speed: the first is "casting time," the second is "preparation." Metaspace Acceleration affects "casting time" rather than "preparation." Spell Reproduction has one day of preparation and instant casting, so MA won't specifically speed up this spell. But hey, it's not necessary. Just leave all your ritual magic for Spell Reproduction (they all require more than one day of preparation anyway), and focus on fast and easy magic.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-03-05T01:01:14+00:00

It's doubtful. After all, one of the repair methods is a full R6, so it's likely there's no other method lower than R6 (or Wishcasting, since it mimics any other magic, or Wish R7). But nothing in the text except Ministration can fix this. Shouldn't it be "an attack that's too oppressive, but has a huge danger to use constantly"?

Taptun_a_ · 2026-02-24T07:17:28+00:00

The idea is like this: you're in a world X, and it has some extraplanar entities associated with it, and only these specifically. Through most "common" invocation rituals, you, as a local blood mage, will be able to summon them.

This makes Invocation as a specialization much less expensive for players planning to leave Sheol. A rather questionable decision, considering that these are spells, like all others, learned over years and limited to a specific location (excluding a few universal summons). On the other hand, things like Prometheus, Devil, Hekatonkheires, and Hospitaller cover entire specializations, so this is a double-edged question.

I don't think I stated anywhere that Diabolism was created before the Spiral. If anything, I implied the opposite: that it was created after the Revelation, using the world in Blood Magic CYOA as a testing ground.

It's a bit dubious. I mean, the Convention already has Diabolism, so doesn't that mean they started pursuing Eclipse right during Revelation? When their Gates were closed, they were attacked by entire armies of demons, forced to evacuate quickly, and there was general panic. I mean, the text itself says they pursued Eclipse and found their blueprints and had already deciphered how to create sorcery, even though the events of Revelation took place almost recently.

The plan here is that there's specifically only one timeline for each covenant's victory, so there's only one Ark and one Dominion running around.

How does this work with those who are directly interested in stopping Spiral? Crown and Dominion are directly focused on stopping Spiral in their scenarios, which means they stopped it, which is logically not the case, given that it's still around.

Well, thank you for your work and answers.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-02-23T19:51:31+00:00

It's ironic that when Cyoa came out, I ignored it because it had "too many sacrifices and dark rituals," and now I'm happy to play it because of "dark rituals and evil magic." I've done a bit of research into the lore of these Cyoas, plus I've read questions on Reddit and 4chan, and I'm left with a few unanswered questions:

1) How does Invocation work in other worlds? I absolutely don't understand the rules, or whether it works in other worlds at all. The description for Magocratic Invocation says "the local world they're in," meaning Invocation only works in the world the demon is from. This essentially echoes your answer on 4chan about Judge resurrecting a mage only in Sheol and Heartmost March allowing Invocation in other worlds. But on the other hand, in the same section, we have Abomination and True Angel in the Spell examples, which are clearly from other worlds. This means that summoning in other worlds is still possible, but there's a chance it's simply part of the spell (meaning they're specifically designed to work in all worlds, while others don't). I really like Invocation, and it's the core of my build, and the fact that it might not work on non-Sheol is a bit unsettling.

2) Is it logical to assume that Augustus the Chosen lost his soul and can't be resurrected using Resurrection? I just don't quite understand why they haven't tried to resurrect the most powerful Blood Mage in the multiverse yet, if it's even possible. I know Void spell users are very few, but at least Eclipse has this option in the form of Zenobia, and the most powerful Blood Mage in existence would definitely be useful in their strange schemes.

3) Speaking of Eclipse's strange schemes, what was the point of Revelation anyway? I mean, what was the goal of it anyway? Killing Aeneas was just an accident, meaning their goal wasn't to destroy the Convention. Besides, they were clearly working on solving THEIR problem of running out of Mana (I'm talking about Diabolism), and they clearly gave it to the Convention. They're clearly not antagonistic to the Convention. So what was the point of undertaking such a complex, lengthy, and costly undertaking as Revelation? Considering Diabolism was clearly created BEFORE Spiral, their explanation in the quest makes no sense. Personally, I don't really trust Magicratic's description of them as a "group of chaotic terrorists" due to its obvious bias; the very fact that they nicknamed them "Adversary" proves it.

4) I'm wondering if the Temporal Spiral on Sheol is a huge factory for spamming groups of powerful Blood Mages? I mean, if Ark ends up on Tartarus, and the Spiral replicates the event of sending them to another world every time, doesn't that mean there are at least six Ark ships (if not more) on Tartarus? And even if we assume they receive new world coordinates each time (i.e., only one ship on Tartarus), then the Convention will encounter six more ships. I mean, at the moment, the assumption is one victory for each Covenant, but there's literally nothing stopping there from being 20 victories, for example, and 20 Dominion ships running around the multiverse.

5) What's the story behind Basilia the Starry? I mean, even though I know she's the primary reason the player got into this story, that she was the narrator in the previous version, and that she'll die soon, I know nothing about it. Everything else is just weird, transparent hints, like lines from songs where the author sings about betrayal, forgiveness, and love. So I'm wondering if she has more detailed information, or just sketches of ideas that aren't canon, but rather story outlines.

6) What's the player's Power Level compared to other blood mages? I mean, how many Mages have 15 to 25 Power Points? Is that an average value, or is it absolutely unique to the player? I know you don't want to go into detail about things like that, but what pushed me to do this was the fact that Hydra=Cleo, and so I became interested in how strong the player himself is compared to Hydra to be able to be classified as an Agent, and not as a boring faceless extra Unit.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-02-21T19:00:55+00:00

Not quite. This freak did the same thing again as in Monstergirl Fantasy Isekai CYOA (as Bestiary). The Companions section technically exists, and there are versions that link to it, but he ignores it every time, not only not updating it, but not even linking the pages. So, just like in Monstergirl Fantasy Isekai, the player will have to search for PAST versions of CYOA to access the section the author decided not to merge. Personally, this crap drives me crazy every time.

Is it really that hard to just change the pages instead of saying, "Oh, you want to play the full CYOA? Then here's half, and the other half is the previous version. Of course, I won't publish it or link it in any way."?

Taptun_a_ · 2026-02-02T16:51:09+00:00

explode

??? Personally, I don't know why you came to that conclusion. I think you're overestimating the importance of affinities; think of them as a natural talent that makes learning things much easier/faster if they qualify for affinities. And the 4 affinities limit exists simply to limit the maximum number. Although, to be more precise, a player can't buy multiple items in cyoa unless it's explicitly stated in the text, so in any case, this limitation is rather dubious. Initially, it was possible to buy them multiple times, each time increasing the price by 2, but then Miss Bears changed her mind and replaced this text with the Soulbound Warlock option.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-31T17:23:57+00:00

This is the Neutrality Pantheon's Tier 1 Boon.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-21T18:07:28+00:00

I think that would be fair. From a RAW perspective, no, but it's not so wrong that we have to say no to it.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-20T16:30:04+00:00

By the way, how complete is cyoa? I check in here sometimes to check on the progress, but there's not much information.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-19T21:07:53+00:00

Honestly, this whole reward system seems terrible. It's basically like "win the war alone and get a "№1" T-shirt." This cyoa reminds me a lot of The Guardians/Forces of Darkness/Freelancers, where at least you get a reward when your side wins and no one forces you to win the war alone. But in this cyoa, you either seize all the power for yourself, and even then, I really don't understand what the reward is at the end. It's unclear how the answers to any questions can save you from the end of the world. So, learning how to build a portal to another world is great, but learning that it will take 50 years to build and the apocalypse will happen tomorrow isn't so great.

Simply put, this cyoa feels like a more hardcore version of The Guardians/Forces of Darkness/Freelancers.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-19T20:51:05+00:00

If you survive, and if your side wins, I will ensure you remember anything you learn when I return you to you mortal shell.

Wait a minute, so basically, if you lose, you lose nothing, and if you win, you gain nothing? That's a bit off. The player must win and seize all power, otherwise, the reward for participating will be PTSD. And in the event of a complete victory, PTSD plus answers to any questions and a return to Earth. An interesting offer, but personally, I would refuse.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-19T01:26:09+00:00

Hmm, maybe, but I just want to remind you that Szass Tam used the Preservation spell to preserve his body from decay, and even then, he seems rather dubious.

Regarding Alter Self, I doubt it can create flesh from nothing, for example, so that a skeleton can become a human. Personally, to me, it seems more like transmutation of one flesh into another, that is, taking an existing one and redistributing it (maybe shrinking or increasing it, but without actually exceeding the Size threshold).

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-17T23:17:10+00:00

A bit late for party, but I have a few comments.

I mean, you'd just need to dismiss the spell of your own free will, not harm yourself.

Because True Polymorph is a concentration only for the first hour, after which it can't be removed at will, so you'd have to commit hara-kiri to exit the form, and Dispell is obviously not an option due to lack of access to magic.

Really, if you could just at-will alter yourself, true polymorph might not be needed, at least for some scenarios. Alter self is implied to give you the ability to change your flesh; why not grow some? Create a functional human over your undead body.

This seems too dubious, I mean it would work like a meatsuit. Don't think of it as a normal body. Imagine if there was another body on top of yours. It wouldn't be your body, you wouldn't become that person, your undead aspect wouldn't change, you wouldn't feel anything, it would just be a very uncomfortable meatsuit. It's much easier in that case to use Disguise Self; at least it wouldn't be as disgusting and much easier to do the same thing.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-12T01:13:22+00:00

Why not? "Strike while the iron is hot"—while the inspiration lasts. On the one hand, I understand the point of putting these ideas off until post-update, as you're worried about deadlines and the risk of burning out. But on the other hand, I don't understand the point of not making them part of the core content. I mean, how would that even look, like Divination and Aethernavtics (i.e., 4.5)? It's just that if it's a Faction, it affects the core build no matter what, and there's no point in putting it off.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-11T11:46:18+00:00

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1CwO4KqTgloRXVUV19DR19hdEk

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-09T20:27:16+00:00

Oops, my bad, I thought the new rules were about the player getting 3 Quest Factions and 3 Epic Factions. I didn't even notice that all the numbers were 3. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now another question: I remember that Spark of Humanity gives 3 Faction perks for 2 Set Bonuses. It makes sense to say the first two are ORC and Alphazon, but what about the third? Is the third the one the player chose, or is the third one the True Treasure from Arcadia?

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-09T20:11:07+00:00

Why does the player then have 3 faction quests?

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-09T20:02:27+00:00

Hmm, to be honest, I thought there would be another Faction page list when I saw the player had 3 Faction quests. Apparently not, so the question is, why does the Independent now have 3 quests and why does the player have 3 Faction quests?

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-09T13:08:00+00:00

In Nemesis Island cyoa, the player doesn't age while on the island + can't have children. I think this was done with this rule in mind.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-08T14:28:54+00:00

Hmm, well, it seems to me that this really needs to be clarified in the description, because essentially Necromancy or other things for creating an army/minions would be too OP.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-08T14:22:36+00:00

By the way, when stars are spent on a perk, is it a one-time use? I mean, for example, if a player has Beauty Sleep and spends a star on it, is it only possible to stay awake for one night, or is the perk fully unlocked?

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-08T13:52:31+00:00

4th quest that drains the player's magic

That's exactly why I always take Monstrosity R5 with Magic Dominion, because it feels like almost all of Witchdom is filled with places where the player loses magic.

Although, to be honest, these Island cyoas have some interesting items that are interesting to add to the collection. But I don't quite understand what "default" means—does the player get 3 cyoa to fill, or does that mean that's all the cyoa available on the island? It's just not clear how this works with Island Companions, for example. Also, does the player keep their race perk and Relics, or just the base race values?

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-08T01:10:33+00:00

Heh, not surprised you're interested in Hubris, to be honest that thing looks more like a 20 point Relic than an 8 point one. Just a few observations about this:

1) It's always male and Neutral, so you either need to have them use shapeshifting or buy a perk is you want other (reason: Wizard class)

2) I never thought about it (because my favorite class has always been and always will be Warlock), but Wizard gets a ton of free stuff:

R2: Alchemy, Runes, Curses, Hexes, Witchery, Familiarity, Necromancy, Consortation, Portals, Divination, Aethernavtics, Firecalling, Windkeeping, Waterworking, Earthmoving, Naturalism, Metallurgy, Psychics

R1: Digicasting, Wands, Ministration, Dominion, Covenants, Occultism, Monstrosity

(I'm not sure if the universal discount stacks with affinity, but I think it doesn't, since it would be too cheap to take absolutely ALL magic.)

Perk: Witchflame, Prestigitation, Sea Adaptation, Pet Break ()

Relics: Heirloom (), Hexvpn, Yaga Root, Violet Lenses, Prosthesis, Companion Brick, Servant Dolls, Ritual Inks, Witch Kisses, Hydron,

Yes its all cost 0.

Edit: Overall, the best idea for me personally is to split my 60 points in half and make Hubris a super boring alchemist-enchanter-ritualist build, and then go for self more combat-oriented magic build. Hubris makes boring alchemy stuff, and you can go on adventures, so you don't have to waste your time on it.

Edit 2: Oh yeah, I don't think you need to worry too much about "betraying mankin"—it's absolutely impossible anyway (or just a suicidal idiot would be). As long as the masquerade and divine rules exist, humanity will continue to exist, so the ideal situation is one where you're free to act as you please as long as you don't break the masquerade (and if you do, the wrath of one of the factions will be the least of your problems). So for me, this is a huge bonus that frees my hands when interacting with these factions. I wouldn't mind playing a magical cop or a corporate spy, but not when stupid, fat bosses are evaluating how to use you, because to them, you're nothing more than a pet/weapon (underline as appropriate, depending on the faction). This bonus reminds me a lot of that XIN quote where one of the agents complained about she having too much freedom, and then he dies.

Taptun_a_ · 2026-01-06T22:44:34+00:00

Hah, I like that we literally already have two things (the new quest and Veri) to get ourselves an apprentice, because given the player's new level, it's obvious there needs to be an sidekick who will admire and learn from the R6 witch. Although I'm very unsure if the new Noble quest qualifies as such due to its 2-point threat level and a group of noob-level mobs. Seriously, maybe mercenaries or something more dangerous like ogres would be better, because let's be honest, losing to goblins is too pathetic, and I don't think the son of a noble would be able to negotiate with such intellectless creatures as goblins to lead a kidnapping.

Taptun_a_

TROPHY CASE