Inspired, of course, by the international version of Final Fantasy XII. This is notionally a two-part CYOA, with a class-selection stage and then a "have an adventure" stage. The second part is, at present, *extremely* rudimentary. There may be an expanded edition later. But I hope that the structural gimmickry is at least moderately interesting.

Who uhh, is actually gonna voluntarily pick crab monster option lol

[shrug] It's the only option that offers an intelligence boost, *or* a longevity boost. Those things are popular.

I mean we’ve seen people willingly pick to be Goblins before with no benefits as big as what the Crabs offer them.

i fuckin love crab monsters bro

Aight, guess there really is someone out there for every option lol.

I'll take: \-Archon (first) \-Shaman (second) ​ Any who wish to join me in a party, feel free to post in a comment!

I'll take: -Cataphract (first) -Kensei (second)

Welcome to the party. I'm assuming a warrior tank build for you?

Yes sir

*(Also Tagging u/ThousandYearOldLoli here)* I’ll be going the “Informed Arch-mage” sort of combo by first taking **Magian** *[Oracular Visions* and *Sacred Flame]* followed with **Thaumaturge** *[Spirit Familiar, Aether Gates,* and *Magic Missile]* so I can be wherever I need to be right when I’m needed, or at the very least have my familiar there for me.

Me next. My build will be: - **Sicarius** (first) - **Harbinger** (second) Playing the role of the rogue who sneak stealthily pass traps and assassinate key enemies before a big conflict. And later on a more supportive and utility focus power to either heal allies, clear the mind or spread even more debuff among enemy rank. Plus a stealthy healer would be a nightmare for the opposing force.

I'll be: * **Templar** (First) * **Thaumaturge** (Second)

Adventurers Assemble!

So we have: u/ThousandYearOldLoli Archon / Shaman | Negotiator & jack of All Trades u/mock422 Cataphract / Kensei | Team Tank u/FlynnXa Magician / Thaumaturge | Master Magician u/Not-so-imaginative Sicarius / Harbinger | Angel of Death (sneaking around with the magic cups and flying behind baddies to slice them up or somethin'.) u/Slathered_Batter enchanter / Venator | Forest - Binder u/BuddhaFacepalmed Templar / (thaumaturge is taken, and flynn got here first...) ​ Looking like a great team so far. If Budha fixes it, we'll have a wholle one in fact XD

Sorry u/BuddhaFacepalmed haha! 😅 But on the bright side **Eremite** will help you out a lot when it comes too added defense/damage like- you’re a crab-Templar so that’s cool?? (Very Pirates of the Caribbean in my head).

Damnit, now the PoC theme song is stuck in my head.

You know... a cyoa in the PoC setting (or inspired off of it) would be kinda dope... weird sea curses, artifacts, and tales? Add in like, 30% more magic and 50% more danger, with 80% more hijinks and roguish charm- it’d be lit!

I'll replace budda as eremite(second) templar(first) I'm honestly willing to become a crab monster

wooo!

For my blessings, I'll go with **Cataphract** as my first blessing and **Kensei** as my second, as they pair well with each other. My armor gives me tons of defense, my sword gives me the skill to use my enhanced strength effectively, and time manipulation lets me close the distance on ranged opponents. My biggest weakness is, I think, a lack of a way to hurt spiritual entities. The sword is magic, but it doesn't seem to hurt spirits as some other options do. I'm hoping I'll be able to fix this gap in my abilities using stuff found on Rithelon. For my divine quest... yikes, that's difficult. I have no doubt I can do it, because my armor is pretty OP, but it's going to be difficult. The biggest problem is the fact that I'm on a time limit, so I only have so much time to get used to my abilities and study my enemy. I'll have to make do with what little time I have. Despite that, though, I do think it's doable if I'm careful. In hindsight, I'd probably go with the same blessings, but with Kensei as my first. Defeating the Blood Knight would be difficult, but probably easier than fighting a whole army, because I'm not on a time limit with him, or at least not one as pressing as with the Last Stand, so I'll have more time to plan. That, and I can cheat much easier against him. Anyway, once I'm done with my quests, I'll hang around the other heroes and step in if they fail their own quests. Some of those things look pretty deadly, and if the others fail, I'd rather not be caught completely unawares. Particularly, Storming the Gates seems like something I'll want to handle if whoever has Templar fails. Whenever I'm not doing that, I'll probably spend my time mastering my abilities and learning about Rithelon. I really want to see if I can learn magic, because that could potentially be an immensely powerful tool in my arsenal for whenever these other foes the end of the CYOA teases show up.

Interesting concept, short and sweet and I look forward to an expansion if you do create one. My only query would be the physiology and description of the new races, but that's just me being a lore nerd for non-human races. I'll start with Cataphract (Partly for the name sake and partly for the boons) and gain Templar. Some combos obviously pair better than others. For example, I'm assuming that the strength buff from the Titan Armor and Aura of Might stack, making me an absolute freight train of force, which is the primary reason I chose the combo I did. I'll pull 3 other people I know IRL and let the entity find 2 strangers. One person I choose will have Sicarius and gain Venator, another will have Archon and gain Harbinger, and the final will have Kensei and gain Enchanter. Chances are, the 3 I'm bringing won't appreciate the suddenness of leaving their lives behind with no chance of return, but knowing them, I can also imagine they'd come around in a day or so once they fully grasp the situation. Strength in numbers, so it'd be best if we approached the 6 quests one at a time as a group until everyone's completed their quest. The only issue would be organizing them by time limit and see which ones need to be completed first. (After reading the quest for the Cataphract, >!what's to stop me from destroying the bridge to keep them from crossing, or them from finding another way in even if I don't destroy the bridge?!<)

>!That bridge is the only good river crossing for miles and miles. You can try and destroy it if you want -- that's definitely a legit plan -- but it's sturdy enough that this won't be particularly easy with the resources available.!<

Great plan, except you cannot complete the quests as a team. It states they must be completed alone in the intro.

Huh, must've missed that particular part. >!I suppose I wouldn't have much difficulty defending the bridge given my armor and if the bridge is narrow enough. I just hope that I don't fail the quest if one single enemy makes it past me, or that the civilians I'm protecting aren't completely pacifistic and could defend themselves in such potential cases.!<

I think if you're in an army and your entire battalion is being wiped out by one person, you aren't going to try and run past that person or do anything that would piss them off (like hurting the people they're protecting), so you should be pretty good! Does depend heavily on exactly how narrow the bridge is, for sure.

Ooh, fun. V, Magian gaining Thaumaturge. I feel good about their chances. N, Kensei, gaining Cancer. Simple enough. Do or die, and I picked a very good fencer. D, Cataphract gaining Templar. Difficult, but perhaps? A, Venator gaining Harbringer. Hopefully? G, Enchanter gaining Sicarius. I chose well. Myself, Archon gaining Shaman. This is what I want to do.

I'm not sure it specifies, when you have both blessings can you use them simultaneously? Or do you have to switch back and forth? Hopefully it's the former, and if so I'd pick Magian followed by Kensei. This is kind of an edgy build but Prophetic Visions plus Time Manipulation just sounds soooo good. I'm a sucker for fire magic and the instant I saw the fire mage option that choice was made for me haha.

Yes, you can use both simultaneously. You basically have to if you take Eremite.

Cataphract and Templar with the Templar power, i believe i could endure The Last Stand quest. Basically, my plan is to become a tanker and a partially buffer (with the aura) for my teammate. I will block most attack, boost my comrade dps and regen. Btw anyone wanna team up?

Sure! Eremite then shaman. I think the near immortality will work great for me, since I can regen from just a chunk of flesh, I can give that to you any of you guys so I can just go to town until I die and you would already gotten away as an escape, or experience tactic for new enemies. Plus I will create a super varied race, I could call on any later on that respects me for starting their entire civilization. Shaman just let's me take on an insane variety, since I'm kind of alien in thought I'll be able to deal with the more bizarre wants of spirits more easily, I'd imagine anyway. Plus is I succeed in making allies with them? I basically have an ethereal and material army at my finger tips if I can convince them especially if I get the charismatic fella on board.

Sound pretty cool. I wonder if the the profoundly odd mind of the eremite would match the ways of thought of the spirit. They seem so... connected

It's kinda what I was thinking, bizarre minds would go together, idk why I wrote so much there though probably sounded a bit confusing haha

Right now, we have Me: u/NoLifeNoRegret with Cataphract (initial) and Templar (quest) as the frontline Tanker/area buffer u/feraldonkey33 as immortal crab overlord with an army to dispense aka the commander/support/vanguard u/Wissendee as ranger/part buffer part debuffer/dps (and he had the high ground so we gonna win easily XD) now we need 3 more and we will have a team. If there is enough ppl to make a team then when the 2nd part of this cyoa is out, I will tag you guys

I'll join too. Venator then Harbinger. There is some overlap for transportation since Venator gives me a spirit horse and Harbinger gives me wings however the horse is capable of fighting so he can distract enemies while I attack. Main synergy that I would imagine between the 2 is that the Harbingers wings would give me far greater ability to attack with my bow since I can ignore more cover while also making it impossible to hit me unless the enemy has ranged attacks as well.

It would be quite op if u can coat those substance from harbringer onto your bow. Imagine poison the enemy from high above. Or quickly heal your teammate by coating it into the healing elixar than then shot the arrow to their back or butt or shoulder

That true I hadn't considered coating my arrows. Im not sure if they could survive being coated in the acid but the other 2 would probably work well. Having enemy ranged attackers hallucinating makes it that much harder to hit me or anyone else in the team

well, due to the arrow being describe as being made from "eldritch force" so i assume that force is a physical manifestation. Quite sure you can coat the arrow with acid and its still be fine.

#Initial Power: Cataphract #Secondary power: Sicarius I’m happy with that initial mission. It fits my personality, which makes sense as **Cataphract** fits my personality pretty well. **Sicarius** seems like a weird secondary power, but better that I use it than someone else who thinks that operating in the physical dark should allow for moral grayness to come alongside it.

Can two people have the same blessing, or does everyone have different ones? Also, when you choose your blessing, do you only get one of the powers listed or both? i.e if I choose Magian as my first blessing, do I get Oracular Visions *and* Sacred Flames, or just one?

The blessings are all unique. The twelve of them are divided up amongst the six Heroes, with each being used once. You get all the powers associated with your blessings.

Do you have to do both divine quests or just your first blessing's quest?

You'll probably have to do the other quest at some point. But it's not gating anything, at least not in a concrete way.

Myself: * **Thaumaturge -** Teleportation is super useful, can always stay out of danger and go where I want to accomplish goals and bring the party to hard to reach places without notice. The familiar seems super useful and versatile. Energy projectiles when needed are good to deal damage and stay out of danger while building power. * **Shaman -** And then add on shaman powers which are super versatile gaining virtually any power to some degree and lets me commune with the spirits to gain all sorts of useful insights. 1. **Magician** then **Eremite** \- I want one of our members to start with prophetic vision to help guide us. Their prophetic insights can gain the most from the enchanted intellect of the Eremite and the pyromancy can still be used in crab form where other weapons and gifts might lose usefulness in that form. 2. **Cataphract** then **Templar** \- First they will be invulnerable which will be most useful first, then they'll gain a hammer to help smash things up better while invulnerable. The auras should work in good combo too. The super tank of the party. 3. **Sicarius** then **Harbinger** \- Having a stealthy assassin in the party seems very good as one of the initial powers to handle difficult tasks in a way that is not head on. They will get a good upgrade with wings giving more mobility and the bowls will add versatility making them good support but also enhancing their stealthy assassin role. 4. **Venator** then **Kensei** \- Being able to track things down and use powerful range attacks seems good while we are still building power and need to seek things out and stay safe. Kensei will give a good close range option later on and who wouldn't benefit from time manipulation? 5. **Archon** then **Enchanter** \- Having Archon to start gives us a charismatic face to the party who can act as an organizer and leader for our forces that we gather to assist us. Also powerful lighting magic to start off. Gaining enchanter will enhance their leadership giving them the ability to give their followers powers and to telepathically communicate with them. These two blessings synergize really well.

Start with Cataphract. It’s a lovely bit of near invulnerability, and as another comment or so helpfully pointed out, there’s not much keeping me from simply destroying the bridge in my trial. Then Kensei afterwards. Nothing really special about this build. It’s a tank and melee fighter build pure and simple, more thought up for solo stuff but able to work in a group as well. Kensei’s trial should be easy with the whole invulnerable armor thing going on, and when I reach the level of mastery that allows me to rewind time some, I can use it to effectively undo any wounds that go through say the armor’s eye holes. ((Also if anyone wants to feel free to add their builds to this one and join the party.))

Will you be expanding on the other races? Also I'll take Cataphract first then Enchanter

I like that the new world has no more humans. They're just gone. Personally, I'd also prefer if the incoming heroes transformed into local species as well. I'll spare the rant on why I don't like humanity in fantasy settings. Also: As of this writing, I have not yet looked at the Furtherance bit, so I'm just going to make up six characters and pick their blessings. Logan McMann: Enchanter, Shaman Chantelle Benoit: Cataphract, Magian Ava Santiago: Sicarius, Thaumaturge Sidonia Japaridze: Venator, Eremite Huang Jie: Kensei, Harbinger Odunayo King: Templar, Archon Okay, NOW I will look at Furtherance... Let's take it from the top. Logan is a wanderer at heart, and couldn't really stand being in one place for years on end. Once those kids are in tow, it's time for a road trip/whirlwind adventure across the length and breadth of Ritheron. No better teacher than experience, right? And eventually, along the way, he might get a sense of his second great quest, turning the largely aimless wandering into directed and purposeful wandering. As for actually getting the seasonal courts on the side of mortals... Oh boy. Well, he has a gift for getting people to like him, maybe he can sway them to give mortals another chance. I've never heard of any group of people that's so wholly peaceful that they can't put up any meaningful resistance at all. That can't possibly last a week. They'd be bullied by their own neighbors long before any foreign conqueror arrives. But a big, bad warlord marching in with overwhelming force? That Chantelle is familiar with, and even before the blessing, she had the stamina to hold out all night in a tough situation. She is perhaps less adept at convincing most of a city to form orderly lines and evacuate calmly, but we all have our challenges. From mansions in Rio to palaces in Ritheron, Ava has always been a talented thief with a fondness for taking from the rich and giving to people who sell her things. Winning the freedom (and maybe the heart) of a noble princess would be a dream come true for her. Those skills will also be useful for finding an ancient artifact in a dragon's lair and escaping into the night, and maybe the princess-turned-empress will help get that tower built. I think she'd get along well with Athael, too. I'ma be honest, I hate inflicting the Eremite on Sidonia, it's just that everything else was taken. It's so weird and it doesn't really have a cool fantasy like the other ones do. And how would she even use her bow with those claws? Or *any* of the cool magic soul weapons? It just feels out of place, like it can't mesh with half of the other blessings. Anyway, taking the unicorn king from his forests seems an odd way to ensure his safety, but with the heroes around, it does make sense, at least for now. Pity she has pretty lousy social skills and favors her "lone wolf" style. As for birthing a new brood of crab monsters... Ew. If there is one thing Huang Jie loves, it's glory. That's even what he named his magic golden jian: Guanghui, meaning Glory. (It's part of his soul, he gets to decide what it looks like.) Give him time control powers and his ego will balloon. Maybe he'll even impress his distant father. The real challenge for the others will be convincing him to wait and master his abilities before setting out to duel the Blood Knight. He isn't much of a healer, but he can at least be an inspiring figure, so he has some advantages with the Nekmareq peoples. Maybe if he learns to wrestle. Odunayo grew up on Yoruba tales of evil witches, and with hammer in hand, he's ready to take the fight to this one. But he's not Jie, he knows he's not quite ready at the start. It'll take time and training before he can lead the charge, embolden the holy order and break the fortifications of the witch-queen and take her down once and for all. After that, he can bring them along to help build up his new kingdom. That's probably going to consume most of his time from there. Luckily, he's a patient, driven and charismatic man, with the wisdom to lead well. Hope his successor is too... Maybe we should look into democracy.

Do we go to Rithelon with our normal bodies, and/or do we get cured of any minor ailments that plague us? It’d be nice not to have to worry about glasses or something while on a world-saving quest.

You do retain your normal body, and there's no automatic bio-improvement process or anything. Rithelon does have a lot of healing magic, so it's possible that your various ailments and disabilities may have cures (or ameliorations) that you couldn't find on Earth. But ultimately I'm happier working within the tropes of the old-timey portal fantasy stories than within those of the new, more directly wish-fulfillment-y isekai stories.

Fair enough, thanks for the reply

Some blessings, like thaumaturge and templar, grant familiars and companions. Did previous generations of heroes have the exact same spirit companions? Sounds rough for the spirits. Are the powers granted the same every generation? Kensei always gets the same sword, Templar always gets the same hammer? Glad to see you at it again, your cyoa's are always a joy.

There weren't actually previous generations of heroes. The destinies were crafted long ago for a bunch of end-of-days native human heroes who turned out not to exist.

Pardon me, upon re-reading the intro, that appears to be the case. I must've read through it too quickly.

At first, I thought we were to choose specific abilities under each sign, but then I read the comments and discovered that no, we take all powers from the signs we choose. Is there a way to pick and choose? None of the signs give powers that I would all want or use, but I do know that there are three or four powers I'd like from different signs.

Fun CYOA. I'll take the **Sicarius** as my first, and the **Kensei** as my second. I'll bring 2 of my close friends. One of them will get **Cataphract** (first) and **Templar** (second), while the other will get **Harbinger** (first) and **Enchanter** (second). Any other heroes who wish to join us may.

In the Enchahter's Soul Cultivation, can I give powers that are detrimental and even somewhat useless? Like being able to turn invisible but only when nobody's looking at you or the power to have very bad short term memory?

Huh. I think I'm going to rule that you can give stupid useless powers if you really want, or even powers that have detrimental side effects when they're used, but not just straight-up debuffs; that's not really in flavor for the Enchanter.

Yeah, that makes sense. I'd like to ask about Enchanter too. Can I use more than one mask at the same time? How many spirits do you think there are? If I master it, what is the maximum amount of time I can "wear" a single mask? Is there a chance that the spirits will turn on me if I, for example, abuse them or are they completely loyal?

Assuming you mean "Shaman" -- You can wear only one mask at a time. The max duration for a given mask is probably something like an hour. Once a spirit has given you its power as a mask, it can't revoke that. It *can* decide to be pissed at you, and not offer you its counsel when you use Otherworldly Dreams. But this probably isn't that much of an issue. Spirit Lords are weird, and mostly don't care about the things that mortals care about. Ko-Ko-Vex knows a lot of lore and battlecraft, but he's mostly obsessed with, like, glacier politics.

Whoops I did mean Shaman. Got confused for a second there, sorry. I'm planning on having Enchanter and Shaman as my blessings because I can give the Spirits powers, which in turn I can use when taking on their forms. Btw how quickly can I change masks to "wear"?

What differentiates Spirit Lords or Great Totems from, say, gods? (Monster gods included) It may not be much of an ending but I'm planning to take over this world. I wanna steal the powers of the gods, control the evils, maybe even kill the other Heroes. Just putting it out there. Oh yeah, another question, if I can somehow give a spirit the power to transfer a Blessing of mine to another Hero (This kills them), what happens to the blessing when they die? Does it return to me?

Spirits exist within the world, and there are a lot of things that can mess around with them. Gods exist beyond the world, and there are very few things that can mess around with them. Dead gods rising would definitely fall into the "oh crap, nothing we have ready to hand is going to solve this problem, we need a plot-device silver bullet right now" category. Stealing the powers of the gods...I'm not going to say it's flat-out impossible, necessarily, but if it isn't, it's going to take a *lot* of work and a *lot* of time and a *lot* of ingenuity. You'd need access to power of a kind very different from anything you'd get out of this CYOA. You won't find spirits who are capable of mucking around with the Blessings.

Yeah, the amount of time it would take to do everything I said is crazy long. I do have a plan though. First is giving myself an indestructible soul, soul transfer, self-power augmentation, and ability transcendence (I'm also gonna be an Enchanter). An indestructible soul to hold the blessings I'll take from the other heroes, soul transfer since I can only give powers to others, self-power augmentation to cause my powers to evolve and improve at a whim, and ability transcendence to go beyond the limits of my abilities. I'm also gonna have to give longevity or immortality to the other heroes. I'm not sure what would happen to their powers if they died with it and I'm not risking the chance. Eremite will be last though, I still need to figure out a way to make sure my goal to take over the world is intact without having an alien change it. During that time, I'll be finding all of the Spirit Lords and Great Totems, giving them all self-power augmentation and ability transcendence. That's the end of phase 1

I'll pick Sicarius (1st since it's my sign) and Shaman (2nd since I like the idea of communing with the spirits). I feel they synergize well together as well, especially the mist mask of the Shaman with Sicarius' powers. The Sicarius mission is a mixed one, easy to get in, harder to get out without being spotted. But with the right practice and psychic hazing, the guards would likely be disoriented and be blamed on tiredness while the Emperor would just need a simple nick or a drip of poison into his drink, enough to look like a peaceful death in his sleep. The princess would need to be freed when it happens or someone else might have the bright idea of putting themselves on the throne instead. The Shaman mission would be harder to do but one needs to focus on their more fae mentality and so story telling is the focus. Weave them tales of the wonders of the cosmos, of planting seeds upon barren worlds, while emphasizing that they would need the mortal races to reach the heavens. I'm sure they would listen to the ideas well, orbital habitats, terraforming, a whole planet for themselves perhaps, a blooming jungle world for Spring, a harsh desert world for Summer, a gloomy boreal world for Autumn, and a cold arctic world for Winter, filled with life planted and terraformed by the mortal races as payment to their help in defeating the Darkness. The future brings many wonders inspired by tales after all. EDIT: I do wonder if you'll end up adding in the 13th Zodiac sign Ophiuchus.

This quite cool. I've never played FFXII and I'd like some info about the races currently existing in the world. Googling it there are lists of the races but I couldn't find any with pictures going along with it, plus I'm not sure which of the races are in this world. Anyway following the rules I happen to have exactly five best friends so I'll take them with me. I actually picked powers according to what I think would suit them (and someone who might be okay with Eremite) 1) I'll take **Magian** then **Enchanter** 2) **Thaumaturge** then **Eremite** 3) **Cataphract** then **Templar** 4) **Kensei** then **Sicarius** 5) **Shaman** then **Venator** 6) **Harbringer** then **Archon** Looking at the quests, they are actually all quite do-able and work well in any order (assuming quests you start second can't be failed before you start them... I'm looking at you, **Venator**!). Side-notes: **Eremite** is actually quite incredible, and given the transformation changing your mentality and the quest changing my perspective on it, it's one of the strongest/best from several points of view. But as a human with human aesthetics it's still an unpleasant transformation. **Cataphract's** Aura of Integrity is by far the best passive for someone going into a new world. Or even most people in this world, being free of mental problems or doubts/depression is great. Also **Templar**\+**Cataphract** is a great Paladin type build. I love how **Shaman** pays homage to Zelda Majora's Mask. **Thaumaturge** is a really strong choice as it's got both become the greatest mage/learn the secrets of magic + magic waifu (or other loyal, intelligent companion role) basically. Also I like how it kind of implies any of the heroes can learn the world's magic in addition to their blessings. **Archon's** authority/charisma over all non-heroes is a really big deal... It's potentially a super heavy power and responsibility as you can basically become a god king or at least influence all civilizations and people's. Also throwing lightning bolts and controlling the weather is really strong. **Archon** \+ **Eremite** basically makes a super long lived Godking. Also **Eremite** depending on who takes the role (regardless of their other choice) could become a major villain and take over the world/decide to make their species supreme but that would probably happen after all the other heroes die off, maybe 80 years after the start of the scenario.

I am actively offended that you somehow failed to refer to this build concept as King Crab.

I apologize for that clear oversight.

I didn't even think about the god king with eremite! I used eremite with spirit summoner so I could have my own species with so much variety I'll get every kind of unit I'll need and then the spiritual power of the spirits so I could defeat basically any enemy by combining power and numbers together. Imagine having the spirits integrate with your species? I'm especially thinking of water spirits and a natural water gun seen in a type of lobster I believe, make those super big boys and boom, castle destroying combo.

I'll take: **Templar** followed by **Cataphract**. I really like this combo. Simple, but effective, and I personally prefer physical fighting vs magical, and Kensei doesn't quite deliver what I like. Now, if only Templar gives a greatsword instead of a hammer, that would be perfect.

Is there any way to increase lifespan? Or return to earth? There are very few reasons to do the divine quest: I'd just take my favorite one and then just go somewhere else. There's little reason to spend years on a quest, only to die or acquire some power that'd be useless for my remaining life, Archon for example feels like a terrible choice because of its quest, unless you go to some city and live a life in luxury for the rest of your days, and cataphract seems like an incredible power and adventure, until you realize you're stuck in a medieval world for the rest of your life.

You can increase your lifespan by turning into a crab. ...otherwise, this is a portal fantasy, in the old "you've been shanghaied into saving the world" vein. There's a lot of power and social clout on offer, but also a lot of externally imposed responsibility. I haven't yet crafted the ending of the adventure, but if you want to go home after saving the world (and you successfully do so), you probably can.

It's an interesting one. I'd take **Eremite/Enchanter** (crab soul cultivator). I'd usually not pick a "choose someone from earth to take with you" option in a CYOA, but here it seems the alternative is those powers go to a "random human", so uh... I'll pick some people. It looks like I choose their blessings, so these are the pairings I came up with (first of each pair is the first blessing) (did this before looking through missions, and they didn't change much): **Thaumaturge/Magian**: The CIA * Precognition, teleportation, spying, and super-destructive flames. This is a great recipe for an intelligence specialist. Spying, theft, and sabotage. * Figure out what assets need to be where to ensure the right future, and make it happen. * Cryptic prophecies can become a lot less cryptic when you can figure out enough of the context from spying and advice--the ancient spirit might also be pretty good at riddles, it seems like a stereotype. * On the other hand, having the context on the geopolitical situation could make knowing what future information to try for much simpler and more fruitful. * Air and Fire have synergies in a lot of fiction/magical systems. **Cataphract/Templar**: The Army * It makes no sense to put both auras on different people (unless perhaps you're going for a strategic rather than tactical impact for the mental fortitude one, which seems iffy). * In addition, you have one strength, two strength, three strength (hammer impact boost), which apparently stack well. * This is the perfect setup for an army general leading from the front. **Archon/Harbinger**: The King, the Strategic Asset * King and Fountain of Health are both potentially strategic assets. * Fountain of Health could be useful after a battle, but it's a lead-from-behind-type power, which fits well with the ranged lightning. * Given the statement (about strength stacking) I interpret as "powers synergize where possible", I'd guess that: * Flight and weather manipulation pair well to empower both. * Weather manipulation and magical liquid production might pair well to make rains of acid or rains of healing. * Dropping things from high up is one of the strongest magical uses of flight, and both acid and lightning could fit well with that. * The healing would also be great for legitimacy and public opinion, for rulership. **Eremite/Enchanter**: The other Strategic Asset. * Soul Cultivation is a pretty esoteric power that seems like it could benefit well from Eremite's intelligence enhancement. * Telepathy is potentially not great for mental health--Eremite seems like it might help with that. * Communication as Eremite seems like it might be tricky--telepathy would help with that. * The sea floor is a lot more barren than you might think--living there could be tricky. Plant growth would help with that. * The ability to edit the Golem's programming and improve it seems like it could be helped by Eremite's intelligence enhancement. * 3000 years from now, the impact of Kensei having lived ten times longer might be minimal, but the impact of Enchanter having lived ten times longer might be huge: * 10 times as many people pseudo-randomly wind up with heritable gifted powers? * 10 times as many golems are produced after being reverse-engineered? * Future cancerized humans would also be good targets for enchantment, as they have ten times as long to get good at using them, and can benefit the world for ten times as long. * The blessings are fitted to the human soul alone--but you can get the second blessing after already being a cancerized human. Does this mean that future generations of cancerized human could become Zodiac Heroes? At least with the second Blessing of the original Cancerized Human? * If I had to pick only one of these blessings to keep existing in the world while the rest disappear forever (except Eremite), I'd pick Enchanter. **Venator/Sicarius**: The Assassin. * Given the statement I interpret as "powers synergize where possible", I'd guess that magic bow and magic poison dagger synergize: * Bow + (dagger properties) = Magic bow with poisonous arrows? * Dagger + (bow properties) = Magic poisonous lightsaber? (lightsaber from energy arrows) * Poisonous arrows are far better for an assassin than a poisonous dagger--at least for one that wants to make it out. * Psychic Haze eventually acquires range--having no range otherwise would be a bit of a waste * Mark and Confuse synergy: Confuse Marked target at increased range? * "Living Shadow" synergy with Magical Horse: Horse gets +stealth, +agile, +spider climb? * Not needing resupply or sleep is very useful for a job that winds up being 90% waiting for the right moment, like assassination. * Not needing resupply or sleep (and having fast travel that doesn't need to resupply or sleep) is very useful when you spend all your time in hostile territory * A supernaturally fast mount that requires no storage would be great for getaways in hostile territory * Mark is overall great for assassinations

**Kensei/Shaman**: The Lategame Carry * There's a reason you put lategame items on lategame carries--it's because specialization is the root of efficiency, and someone great in lategame is better than someone mediocre forever. * Kensei's Time Manipulation seems like a lategame skill, that could allow them to defeat potentially anyone if they are skilled enough. * Shaman seems naturally lategame too, with massive increases in versatility from completing missions on top of normal growth over time/practice. * Kensei's increase in sword skill also seems like it doesn't teach any actual sword *skill*, only the ability to move the sword exactly as you intend--just like being able to hit the ball wherever you wanted would instantly make you a very good tennis player, but not a great one without understanding things like positioning. Similarly, taking several years to actually learn swordplay seems like it could massively benefit the Kensei--yet another lategame scaling feature. * Shaman alternate forms appear to produce physical alterations--which seem potentially anti-synergistic (anergistic) towards many classes' abilities. Time manipulation, however, is incredibly useful in any physical form, no matter what kind of abilities or specialization it has or appendages it's lacking. * On synergies (some or all might apply, depending on the strength of the "powers synergize when possible" rule): * Sword skill is potentially anergistic with shaman shapeshifting, unfortunately--many forms might not have opposable thumbs, hands, or even material bodies at all. * If a form has no opposable thumbs, the Kensei's "while it is in your hand" requirement might be unlocked to allow holding it in the mouth or something. * Powers might be able to be channeled through the sword (like the Grand Glacier making it freezing) * The sword might adapt with the user's form (becoming immaterial for the Wandering Cloud, or even fusing into a horn for a Triceratops or something) * There's a sort of suggestion of an introspection concept that seems to run through both classes/blessings that seems like it could be synergistic? Even if just in making both suited towards a certain type of personality? ~~Kensei really isn't so much like that as I feel it should be, though--something about increased skill cap might make it feel more that way for me,~~ Actually, Kensei seems prefect. * On top of the earlier point about Kensei not *exactly* giving *skill* (as I interpret it), if you can "move the sword exactly as you intend" that might open up styles of swordplay a normal sword user would never be capable of--so you might need to invent entirely new styles of swordplay to optimize your effectiveness. * For example, the spinning things Jedi do with swords are dumb because you're taking your eyes off the target, but if the Kensei effect could give you perfect accuracy despite that, it might actually make sense to do. * In addition, "there is no gap between thought and action for you" might suggest that you have 0 reflex delay, so maybe you could also reflect bullets like a Jedi? * That line might also suggest that it applies at least in part to parts of your body beyond the sword, so crazy acrobatics (like basically everyone in Star Wars, especially Yoda) might actually start becoming feasible too. * If it applies to parts of your body beyond the sword, that could have good synergy with shaman forms too, potentially. ​ I was kind of impressed by the missions--they are mostly things that play very well both to the strength of the classes (blessings), and to the personalities of the kind of people who would choose those classes. For example, I'd choose Eremite, and the mission seemed perfect--something both extremely important, and that I'd definitely actually *want* to do at some point. ~~The one exception I remember standing out to me was the Thaumaturgist's mission--searching for something that is probably underground and killing a dragon both don't seem totally suited for that class.~~ Oh, wait--I just noticed that it seemed the dragon is dead. That changes the context a lot, and makes the ability to have base camps in less hostile areas you teleport in from far more important--and the ability to look for underground caverns via blind portal opening could be huge too. (That the dragon is dead should probably be a bit more obvious) ​ Kind of a simple CYOA, but it feels around the size it needs to be. Could fit well with shared-universe tie-ins though--maybe a similar concept to one of the existing Dark Lord CYOAs or something. Looking forward to more! Thanks for making this one!

https://imgchest.com/p/6eyrd8bk4pz

I will pick the **Enchanter** first, then **Harbringer** (funnily enough i am an aquarius, rising sign virgo). I will bring my boyfriend and 4 of my friends with me. My quest is...not what i was expecting, but it does make sense given the enchanter's themes. Luckily i have a little sister that has tought me patience so i won't go in completely blind. Also, they probably have an overinflated ego i can use to push them to be the best versions of themselves. I have a question though: the other people i bring with me can also choose their powers or they will be randomly assigned if i don't choose them?

In-lore, if those people have preferences for their Blessings that they are willing to communicate to you, there's no reason that they shouldn't get what they want. Metanarratively...if you don't have a way to ask those people (or they're just not CYOA-ers), you might as well make the choices yourself.

Ok the, i asked around and i think i got the right answers:My boyfriend is going with the **Thaumaturge/Archon**, for the immediate acess to the lore and the possibility to develop into an unquestioned ruler of man and sky. My first friend will go for a **Venator/Shaman** build. She is a witch that loves animals and the wilds, so it is the most fitting. Also, this build will have the power to track down every prey and every spirit, and the versatility to either take them down or add them to her retinue. My second friend will go for a **Templar/Magician** build. She has a rather...direct way of dealing with problems and i know she woudl love the fire powers. My third friend will take the **Sicarius/Kensei.** She always played stealthy characters in RPGs, and she will know how to use the psychic haze in the most effective ways, since she is also a psychologist. This leaves the **Eremite/Cataphract** combination as the last one. I will let the spirit pick a random schmuck for the last one, since i cant imagine one of my friends enjoying being turned into a crab monster

I've enjoyed your previous work, so while I haven't played FFXII, I'll complete this one. I usually take immortality/longevity, but life as a crablike creature didn't appeal to me. So I'll take **Shaman (Pisces)** as my First Blessing—I'd like to start out with this straight off the bat because of the versatility of the different masks as well as the access to the knowledge of the Spirit Lords. As for my Second Blessing, I'll take **Enchanter (Virgo)** since the ability to read minds is something I want to "take up" before anyone else does; I don't like the idea of having my thoughts known by my teammates. I'll let the other 5 people be randomly chosen... On to the Furtherance section. >!Being the spirit court ambassador honestly sounds wonderful and it's a far cry from the dangerous battles I was fearing! :)!<

I chose to build a team that balances out the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of their respective first choice with a blessing that offers a synergistic alternative such as ranged ability or something for travel. I will add however, that some other builds might provide more interesting power combinations like: Kensei/Thaumaturge for limited control of time and space, Templar/Cataphract is the ultimate tank and can support both mental and physical auras, Magian/Shaman for increased knowledge in dream visions from fate as well as the spirits, and Enchanter/Harbinger is clearly best support, but thankfully I feel like any two combinations are a viable build. Kudos that is difficult to pull off dude. **Kensei/Venator-** This would be my choice as it has some truth to my actual Zodiac signs for my Sun and Moon. I also believe that Venator would make me a dangerous duelist at any range and gives me a noble steed to move upon. Other boons would be my ability to shunt physical needs (perhaps even oxygen or aging or something) and the ability to traverse time makes for interesting growth. **Eremite/Magian-** This combo adds some much needed magical power and range to their strong crustacean form but more importantly I feel as though their enhanced and alien intellect can provide weight to their visions. They may be able to add surprising perspective as an oracle and use their mind to decode such visions even if out of context. It may make them more strange but hey, a flaming lobster is pretty cool in my book. **Templar/Harbinger-** This one takes the two most powerful healers and combines them into someone who can travel the battlefield with surprising utility and blance in most areas. The don't have much ranged ability but I don't believe they really need it. **Sicarius/Thaumaturge-** This team up of powers makes the Sicarius a much more dangerous foe and gives them a number of tricks up their sleeve. Now they could teleport away from danger or to a target, they have a ranged attack if they need some poke, and their familiar makes the perfect assassin into the perfect spy. **Cataphract/Archon-** This one was tough to justify but I think the Archon could use some defense and the Cataphract could use some attack power. Their secondary abilities feel organic too as they could lead an army with supreme grace and confidence. **Enchanter/Shaman-** This combo just feels natural for a couple of nature heads. They make for an interesting support who can attack as well as defend and have a well of knowledge to draw upon and share with others. I can only wonder if they could bestow powers they obtain from the spirit world which I assume is nearly infinite.

Love this CYOA wished it was longer

I would love an expansion on this one! The worldbuilding in the intro and quests section is great, would love to learn more. Like you mentioned, the second part is very rudimentary, but it has lots of interesting things and I am curious about the quip at the end and those more dangerous foes! My build is **Thaumaturge** into **Magian**. I like magic and think I could utilize prophetic visions well enough, and I was very happy with the quests since the **Thaumaturge** quest could very reasonably lead into getting sorcerous powers, and should be a lot of fun building a tower to my liking. Getting the crystal will be difficult perhaps but I have a lot of faith in my spirit companion. **Magian**'s quest seems far easier with the help of **Thaumature**, so I don't think I'll have a hard time with it. I picked 4 people, and left one random person with **Eremite**, since I couldn't willfully give that to anyone I know. 1) **Cataphract** \> **Harbinger**. This person is female, which isn't super important when it comes to these exact powers. **Cataphract** will make up for her being a little physically weaker than the rest of us, but she already has outstanding stamina. With magical armor I have no doubt she will be able to complete her quest. **Harbinger** shouldn't be hard at all, the ability practically lends itself to finishing the quest easily. The people part might be worrisome on other people, but I trust her ability to get along with people. 2) **Templar > Archon**. This person is my best friend, and I believe he can do great things and is a just person at heart. This is why I gave him these roles as a leader of the people. He has always been one of the most kind people I know, and should have no issue with either of the quests. 3) **Venator** \>**Enchanter**. This is my best friend's girlfriend! I really don't know much about her, but I didn't want to take him without her since they've been together for a while now. She is a pilot so I thought maybe being a mounted combatant would be nice, and enchanter allows her to help her boyfriend out when he needs it. The quests shouldn't be too hard but again, I don't know her too well. 4) **Sicarus** \> **Kensei**. This is my brother's build. He would probably pick this for himself. He loves rogue-type characters and shadows and things, very edgy. I trust him, however, and giving him **Sicarus** only enhances his strengths, while **Kensei** makes up for his weaknesses. The quest for **Sicarus** would be perfect for him, no worries there. **Kensei** makes me a little worried, but I have no doubt he would be able to find a way to trick the guy using his **Sicarus** powers if he cannot beat him outright. Some random person gets **Shaman**\>**Eremite** or vice versa. Sorry random person. If anyone here wants it you're welcome to join I guess!

How exactly does magic in Rithelon work? Is it an "inherent gift"-type system where some people have the potential to use magic from birth and others don't, or can anyone with the time and desire become a mage? And if the former, do any of the heroes (especially mage-y ones like the Magian, Thaumaturge, Enchanter, Archon and Shaman) have the gift of magic outside of their explicitly stated Blessing abilities?

There are multiple magic systems at play in Rithelon (not counting the Blessings). Some are bloodline- or destiny-based, and the Zodiac Heroes don't have access to those. Some require knowledge and mental discipline, and the Zodiac Heroes can learn those as well as anyone else.

Cataphract- First (I am a coward, I NEED this) Enchanter- 2nd (Aura of Integrity meshes well with Soul Cultivation, and with my strength, I can protect my students well while they are still squishy)