How to play

Untethered Tales is a choose-your-own-adventure game written and illustrated by an AI dungeon master. Every quest is brand new — the same heroes, the same world, but the story unfolds based on the choices you make. Quests can be completed, fail, or unfold in unexpected directions. There are no wrong answers, just different stories.

You build your own roster. Roll a hero’s six attributes (4d6 drop the lowest, with up to 6points to reallocate), then pick a class — locked in for that hero’s lifetime. Up to three heroes go on each quest together.

Each class wants particular attributes — your roll decides which class slots open up:

• 
  Paladin

  STR 14+ · CON 14+ · WIS 14+

  Sworn warrior — wades into the front line with shield, oath, and a steady moral compass.
• 
  Ranger

  STR 14+ · CON 16+ · DEX 16+

  Wilderness scout — silent footstep on the trail, longbow in hand, eye for tracks and weather.
• 
  Barbarian

  STR 16+ · CON 16+

  Raw force — hill-country muscle, fur-lined hide, a two-handed axe that ends most arguments quickly.
• 
  Mage

  CON 14+ · INT 18+

  Pure intellect — robes flecked with chalk dust, an old grimoire that hums when opened, fingertips that smell faintly of ozone.
• 
  Ninja

  INT 14+ · DEX 18+

  Quiet edge — lacquered armor under dark cloth, a pair of curved blades, a habit of arriving before anyone notices.
• 
  Druid

  CON 14+ · INT 14+ · WIS 16+

  Old-growth wisdom — vine-twined staff, a cloak that smells of moss after rain, more comfortable with crows than crowds.
• 
  Bard

  INT 14+ · DEX 14+ · CHA 14+

  Quick tongue and quicker feet — a lute on the back, a knife in the boot, more allies than the rest of the party put together.

Build, rename, or retire heroes from your party page.

Each choice button shows a number like 🎲 14+. That's the roll you need to win.

1. 1. The game rolls a 20-sided die for the chosen hero.
2. 2. It adds that hero's relevant stat modifier (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma — modifier = floor((stat - 10) / 2), so stat 18 = +4, stat 10 = +0, stat 6 = -2).
3. 3. If the total reaches the goal, you succeed. Just under: partial success (works, but with a complication). Way under: failure.

Example:A ninja tries to pick a lock. Goal 🎲 10+, using Dexterity. The die rolls a 7. The ninja’s Dexterity is 18 (modifier +4). 7 + 4 = 11 — a success!

Your party shares 5 hearts at the top of the screen. Failed checks and bad outcomes can cost 1–2 hearts. If you ever hit zero, the quest ends — but you can always try again with a fresh party.

Every choice is tagged 🌿 Safe, ⚖ Balanced, or ⚡ Risky.

• Safe choices have easier goals and small payoffs. They make the quest longer.
• Balanced choices are the middle path — moderate stakes, moderate gains.
• Risky choices are hard but jump you closer to victory. Failure costs more hearts.

Always playing it safe is not the optimal strategy — it just stretches things out.

You start every quest empty-handed. As you play, the dungeon master will give you items — rope, lanterns, a strange charm. They appear in the bag (top right of the screen).

When an item helps with a choice, the goal will drop and the item shows up next to the chip. Stronger items = bigger drops. Look for the green discount.

• • Match the hero to the task. Heavy lifting and front-line brawls reward Strength and Constitution. Locks, traps, and ambushes go to Dexterity. Runes, riddles, and lore are Intelligence; reading the situation is Wisdom; rallying a hostile crowd is Charisma.
• • Pay attention to items the DM gives you — they're hints about choices to come.
• • Use the ← prev / next → buttons (or arrow keys) to flip back through earlier scenes.
• • If a quest fails, the Try Again button starts a fresh attempt with the same premise.
• • Tap the 🎵 button up top to mute or unmute the quest music.

Quest music: “Wizardtorium” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0.