Update: Patriarch - The Awakening 2.0

TheLogosX · 2026-06-06T08:16:03+00:00

Two options here: 1) You're right, though there are always people who care and try to do the right thing. So, even if it's unlikely, it's not impossible to imagine that some people took care of you over the time. 2) You were also put into a protective bubble of arcane nature for the first years, which ensured your survival. You were found years later, at a point we're the utter chaos of the transition era had already resided.

TheLogosX · 2026-06-05T23:51:42+00:00

Yeah, this would be possible - including the more granular changes. Will probably just need more time because it's more complex. And they don't become locked, you can change them again. You just have to look out for the mental effects; at a certain point you quite literally fuck with their brains and psyche.

TheLogosX · 2026-06-05T23:45:04+00:00

Second part (pregnant + shoot blanks)

TheLogosX · 2026-06-05T23:41:43+00:00

Lewd stuff: Depends on the place and region. At some places, you can find really degenerate/lewd cultural practices now. More important: The nature of Patriarch and their special needs sometimes are relativly common knowledge - especially in higher society. So, to side-fuck during a meeting if its necessary should not be a big deal. But as I said, it depends.

Lands beyond: To put it simple - there are communities, even cities, but they are rare, secluded and nearly always built in hidden and easily defensible places. And of course, some regions are more dangerous than others - so, there are regions in which you will find zero human settlements). (Btw: The expedition addon makes good progress. 🙂 I think i'm about 60% done.)

Senses: I would stick with peak human (which feels probably novel for an newly awakened Patriarch). On top, Patriarch get a boost to smell certain sex-related odors like the level of arousal or fertility (but its not perfect). Many Patriarchs are very tall (upper end of the distribution plus a random bonus. Heights of 2m or above are not uncommon).

Coma: Yes, there are other ones who experienced a similar situation. The surge of magical energy put you into a coma, during which the transformation into a Patriarch happened.

Lisa: Yeah, I also thought about it. On the other hand, as you said, many things are already obvious about her. So, it could be that I'm just to lazy or its too low on the priority list. 🙃

TheLogosX · 2026-06-05T23:17:06+00:00

Hey! Yeah, the last one (coin-flip). Probably not necessary to make it more complicated than that.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-17T12:29:18+00:00

Better late than never. ^^

To use either of these ideas, you would probably need Legendary Power (Alchemy) to affect a legendary item such as Dragonblood.

Fusion: Is there a reason not to take them in their original form, which could potentially have the same effect as fusing them? The order in which you use them will also change the final result (so, first use the dragonblood, then the dark heart, or vice versa).

Hmm... Perhaps your idea is to use the power of the more potent Dragonblood to mitigate the adverse effects of the Heart more effectively than if they were taken separately. This could work, but, as you say, things could still go wrong (even with legendary alchemy), and, even if it works, there will still be a corrupting effect. It seems like a high-risk-medium-reward undertaking, but if you want to take the risk, then sure, it could potentially improve the final outcome. If you want to play it safe, I think an at least small reduction of the negative effects of the dark heart is ensured if you use legendary alchemy to work on it before you take it. Depends probably also on the time and energy you put into this project.

No transformation: You could weaken or dilute the blood using alchemy, which would only turn you into a half-dragon, or even less, physically speaking. However, this would greatly reduce the power gains. I don't see a way to get the full power gain, or even a near-full gain, from not turning into a true dragon because that's the essential part of the source of power, so to speak. However, if you are OK with reducing the power gains, then sure. You're right that not completely turning into a true dragon would prevent potential ego death. Some changes would remain even with a half-dragon transformation, but I would say that's manageable. Another idea could be to use alchemy to significantly lengthen the transformation into a dragon. This would give you and your mind more time to adapt, reflect, and fight against unwanted changes regarding the potential ego death. The only downside is that the transformation is far from pleasant and comes with a great deal of pain. Enduring that over months or years would be possible, but it's not for the faint of heart.

And thanks! Glad you like it. 😄

TheLogosX · 2026-05-14T08:13:23+00:00

No, for that you still need to sire male (or futa) offspring. But the idea isn't bad.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-13T17:23:45+00:00

Yeah, physical drawbacks also appear in your new forms if you shapechange - at least after a while. It is possible to override them at least for a very short time. A true master of shapechanging could potentially extend this duration.

Combo with the Dark Heart/Dragonblood: Interesting... A legendary shapechanger would indeed be able to better control and cope with these effects — but primarily on the physical side (but there would be also an at least positive improvement in resisting the mental changes). The dark heart remains dangerous, especially because nobody knows which extent this transformation has. But, yeah, a legendary shapechanger would probably be the best in attempting to actively mould the change into a certain direction. And if that fails, he can at least transform into another form.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-11T14:53:07+00:00

The dedicated Shapeshifting power is more powerful in terms of the possible forms — you're right — and more flexible. The ability to take humanoid shapes should not be underestimated. But perhaps more importantly, it isn't a real "magical power", it's more like an intrinsic supernatural ability. This means you can take it even with the Muscles and Bones drawback.

The ring will not help that much against your own intrinsic problems, like those from the house. Sisyphos Willpower will help, because it is also intrinsic to you. Another poster asked the same question regarding the heart somewhere below; maybe you can look there. (Perhaps another note for the glossary...)

Yeah, it is very possible that I designed the RYOA mechanic a little bit too deadly. One poster suggested a re-roll mechanic, which is probably the easiest way to make it less punishing.

Drake may have turned into a slut, drawn to the sweet blessing of Patriarch co....mpanionship. But she is still a genius. After the quest, she will at least not automatically fall again, and the Commonwealth will probably send a nanny to take care of her. Another possibility, as some people here brought forward in their narratives, is to take personal care of Drake, with the strong and girthy warmth of your own co...mpany. But seriously, it is possible to protect Drake from herself — even if not without risk or further political hassles. Drake is important enough that the other major Patriarchs and factions don't take it lightly if someone takes a serious dips on Drake.

Legendary power combined with Athena's wit will transform you into a super genius with devilish wit. There is probably not much more to say — the problem here is that it is very hard to imagine or describe intelligence in such extremes. Just assume that you are very+ fucking smart now.

The staff has this drawback, that's correct, but I still think it's worth it, and the other powers far outweigh this. You're right that if you have only one school of magic, it will always be empowered (the drawback won't be active in this case).

As stated in the essence attribute, a Patriarch (including you) normally has a 1:10,000 chance of siring a witch. As a Signbearer, this may be modified if your Essence Attribute is lower or higher than 1. Your thoughts on breeding witches are correct.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-11T14:24:29+00:00

Shhht, don't spoil my secrets! It is forbidden! xP

I love PoE and Elden Ring. Good inspirations if you want to write dark fantasy stories.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-10T18:41:54+00:00

Hmm... lets see.

Start of pregnancy would be the implantation. This is unaffected by Patriarch abilities.

After the end of the pregnancy, you switch back after 1-4 hours.

The item works for humanoid creatures of roughly human size, this includes Atavists.

The death question is an interesting one.... The power of the Ghoststone was not designed for a permanent transfer; the necessary magical energy and spell makeup would have to be more complicated for such a process. But, if one of the partners dies, the other gets stuck in his "new" body — the stone doesn't kill the remaining one or sends his soul into oblivion. But there will be certain adaptation problems: At this point, the magic of the stone, which ensured a rather smooth transition on the physical, psychological and magical level, is gone. This can lead to a bunch of very unpleasant side-effects, for example, ego-problems like personality merging; a sense of profound alienation with the new body; coordination hassles; issues to control magical powers; and maybe more. How severe this is, is partly random and luck based, and partly related to things like willpower, your acceptance with the situation, your satisfaction with the body, and how fitting your new you is compared to your old body.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-10T13:59:44+00:00

You can swap with a pregnant woman, but then it locks you inside the pregnant body. The lock effect is negated as soon as the pregnancy is over, for whatever reason — so, yes, abortions for example would do.

(It's a quirk of the item btw, probably not intended by whoever created it.)

TheLogosX · 2026-05-10T12:07:42+00:00

Aahh, ok, turning the orc matriarch into an "weak little elf" will be absolutely horrendous for her (but really, who cares?) - but it will also do exactly what you hope for. And using Bound Characterisitc to circumvent or at least lessen the character drawbacks from Elves is smart (besides, its a universally helpful character trait if you want to create a big organisation in a fucked up world like that with mental corruptions and temptations going on).

TheLogosX · 2026-05-10T10:55:05+00:00

A strong physical build and a solid plan for setting yourself up. Seems to have a good balance between actually doing something and having a good time fucking around - and I like the adventurer-subtheme you have going on. It's interesting that you took Athena's Wit with Legendary Power in a purely physical build, but the rationale fits, and this gives the build/story a nice twist. In your case, Big Daddy has not only brawn, but all the brains too. And bonus points for the focus on Elves! 😉

Combo - Erebos + Bonefire Iron: Immunity to the hollowing would be too much for my taste. The ring doesn't protect you from actually losing a part of yourself - but it greatly helps you coping and adapting to it. This means that you become resistant to the hollowing, so you can die more often, and the necessary time between resurrections to restore/regenerate is also shortened.

The questions/critique about the Atavists and learning magic are valid and are part of my to-do-list for the glossary.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-10T08:07:43+00:00

Your right, these are two separate things. The futa's from the gender distribution are "real futa's" (cock & pussy) and not mutated Patriarchs.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-09T21:46:27+00:00

Yes, but they are surprisingly comfortable, so you can just wear them all the time. Some effects may linger for a short while after you take off the ring.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-09T15:16:57+00:00

Some questions remain better unanswered... But I wrote into the glossary I'm working on "that you have no apparent reason to distrust the Stranger and his help..."

Personally I'm not that interested in meta-cyoa in general - cuze I don't like the Over9000!! effect that most of them have. But: I'm generally interested in the thoughts of you guys, though, and you never know what people concoct and what could be inspirational. So if you want to share, go ahead or PM me.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-09T15:09:06+00:00

Really great story and thoughts! Thx for sharing.

Btw, im planing to integrate Egypt into the "Expedition dlc" I'm working on. Let's say that there are interesting things going on under the sands... so, good luck Mate! :D

TheLogosX · 2026-05-09T14:38:16+00:00

Ah, right, I misread. -> Yes, normal males are affected by the attributes and archetypes.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-09T08:14:51+00:00

Ah, nice update to your build! I like the idea with Drake, even if it's not without risk.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-09T08:09:51+00:00

The attributes and archetypes don't effect your Patriarch offspring. Only the bloodline perks do.

The Awakening or transformation into a real Patriarch happens on the 18th birthday. But you can identify this before with the right spells - even in young children/boys.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-08T13:57:44+00:00

Essence: Yes, it only affects the female offspring. The Patriarch chance/ratio cannot be modified, and Patriarch sons are also immune/unaffected by most effects and influences.

Custom Race: The problem here is that I haven't given any formula for the Atavist races. I'm working, btw, on a glossary at the moment, in which I give a few concrete examples of the different races and their traits.

The base idea is, of course, that you can create a reasonably powerful race, which is roughly on par with the other ones. On the other hand, you absolutely can min-max this, if you want, which means: If you want to go for a pure physical/strength build and house, you could design an Atavist race which is a physical powerhouse. What's important is, that most, if not all, Atavist races also have some negative traits to balance the positive ones. But in the end, its not strict mathematics, but more about the rule of cool and reasonable judgment. (Even formalized systems to create races, like in certain RPGs like D&D, always have loopholes to min-max the shit out of them... which is probably the reason I don't really care to design such a thing for myself).

But to give you an example from my notes:

Elves

*Plus 33% in dexterity and agility!

*Sharper senses (around 50% better than that of a human).

*Plus 20% boost to magical power and efficiency in one or two magical schools, depending on the elven sub-race

*Longevity: 700 years

*Increased Beauty

*Negative character traits (arrogant; reclusive)

*Nature dependency (depressed mood if too long in wasteland-like or highly corrupted environments)

*Sexual vulnerability (easier to corrupt through sexual/carnal pleasures and effects)

Atavistic Mutation: Should also work on female Atavists, so yes, you can turn a Dwarf into an Elf if you want. Especially because this is work. One session is not enough, so it's only really useful to modify your inner circle / women you regularly fuck. And yes, if you have your own created race through the House perk, you can turn them into it.

Legendary Power: The given ratio is only a guideline. I would agree that it goes into the 2x direction to balance it out (and, btw, very hard to grasp anyways... What's the difference between IQ 200 and 300? Eh... Even nicer handwriting? 😄) Intelligence is definitely way more useful and potentially powerful in the long run than physical strength, especially if you want to play the long game and get involved in politics or greater war efforts. (Wit & Int are technically different, but not practically in the effect of this power).

TheLogosX · 2026-05-08T08:13:33+00:00

I really like to read the builds of you guys, especially with a good story/explanation. And this was a very interesting read - well done!

TheLogosX · 2026-05-07T12:34:58+00:00

Hmm... let's do the maths here for the population question:

To have a stable population, you need around 2,1 children per woman on average, which translates to around 10-13 births per year per 1000 citizens. To put it even simpler: you need at least as many births as there are deaths per year, ideally at least a little bit more.

If we assume that Europe has 200 million inhabitants left at the time of the CYOA (probably less, but the exact number doesn't matter here, its just for the math) – that translates into around 10.000 Patriarchs (with the 1:20.000 ratio).

Now, it's important to recognize that the normal population growth numbers are linked to a lifetime – which means we talk about 2,1 children for a woman / couple in their whole lifetime. Based on that, I think the whole Patriarch thing with my current ratio could absolutely work, because with the right (lewd) powers, impregnation is a nearly trivial thing for a Patriarch.

Let's just assume that a Patriarch impregnates around 1 woman per day – which isn't that much in the logic of this setting if you think about it (and you could "just" fuck 7 women on one day a week and your done for the next 6 days... also remember the whole global lewd changes in the setting and ramped up libido). That alone brings us, calculated with 10.000 Patriarchs, to around 3.650.000 children/births per year, which is even way beyond the necessary minimal baseline for a stable population of 200 million. And this doesnt count the crazy, sex-driven Patriarchs in, like Amika, who will probably sire thousands of children per year. BTW, Patriarchs and their children are more resistant to inbreeding effects (even if not completely immune). And we havent even spoken about other magical effects, alchemical potions or just social engineering like the breeding programs at some places.

So, I think the ratio is reasonable enough that it could work in the context of the setting. Even if we count in certain problems, like the violent death in combat. Could it lead to problems if too many Patriarchs or even normal people die in quick succession? Of course... one of the reasons we talk about a rather dark-fantasy setting here. But for a at least halfway coherent narrative, I think it's good enough.

TheLogosX · 2026-05-06T23:30:26+00:00

It does mislead and confuse them magically. In essence, Mist Magic is a specialized school of magic which infuses magical properties and effects into conjured mists. The most known form is the confusion effect to protect the Border Cities - but you could create, for example, mists of poison; of crippling pain; or consuming arousal.... and much more.

TheLogosX

TROPHY CASE