User Guide

How to Use
StoryQuestor

Everything you need to create branching stories and play through adventures made by others.

Part 1

Creating a Story

Build your branching adventure from scratch on the visual canvas.

1

Create a new story

Sign in, then click New Story on the home page. Give your story a title and an optional description — you can always update these later in settings.

Creating and editing stories requires a subscription (from $1.99/week). Reading stories is always free.

2

Set your audience and tags

Click the Settings button in the editor toolbar to configure:
  • Audience — All Ages, Teens, or Adults Only. Affects how scene images are generated.
  • Tags — Keywords like fantasy, mystery, horror. Press Enter after each tag.
storyquestor.com/edit/…
Add Scene
Settings
Image
Publish
Start

The forest path splits before you…

Scene

You enter the dark cave…

Scene

The river flows east…

Ending

The hero triumphs!

3

Add scenes to the canvas

Click Add Scene in the toolbar. A new scene card appears on the canvas. Click any card to open the editor panel where you can:
  • Set the Scene Type — Start, Scene, Ending, or Next Chapter
  • Write a Title and Content
  • Mark the scene as Done when you're finished writing it
  • Click the music note button to search and attach ambient sound or music — it autoplays when readers reach the scene

Each chapter needs one Start scene. Use Ending to conclude a path, or Next Chapter to send readers onward.

Scene Types

Start

Where every reader begins — one per chapter.

Scene

Regular story moments. Add as many as you like.

Ending

Concludes a path. Stories can have many endings.

Next Chapter

Ends a chapter and sends readers to the start of the next one.

4

Organize scenes into chapters

Use the chapter sidebar on the left to break your story into acts or chapters. Every new story starts with Chapter 1 already created.
  • Click Add Chapter in the sidebar to create a new chapter — a Start scene is added automatically
  • Select a chapter to view only its scenes on the canvas
  • Add a Next Chapter scene to link the end of one chapter to the start of the next
  • Use the Entry scene dropdown on a Next Chapter scene to send readers to a specific scene in the next chapter, not just the default Start
  • Click View all scenes at the bottom of the sidebar to see the full story at once

Each chapter is its own canvas view — keeping things clean even for epic, multi-chapter stories.

Chapter Navigation

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Add Chapter
Chapter 2
Start

The village at dawn…

Scene

The market square…

Next Ch.

→ Chapter 3

5

Connect scenes with choices

Hover over any scene card to reveal connection handles on the edges. Drag from a handle on one scene to another to create a choice. A prompt will ask you to name the choice (e.g. "Go left" or "Open the door").
  • Double-click a choice label to rename it
  • Click once to reveal a delete button

Readers see choices in the order they were created — up to 3 choices per scene.

Connecting Scenes

Scene A

You reach a locked door…

Pick the lock
Scene B

The door creaks open…

Drag from the edge handle of one scene to another to create a choice

6

Generate scene images

Open a completed scene and click Generate Image. StoryQuestor creates a cinematic illustration based on your scene title and content.
  • You can regenerate up to two times per scene
  • Images generate automatically when you mark a scene Completed
7

Publish and share

On the home page, click Share on your story card. This generates a public link and lists your story on the Explore page.

Toggle sharing off at any time to make a story private again.

Scene Image

Scene — The Haunted Tower
Generating image…

The tower loomed against the moonlit sky, its windows flickering with an eerie light…

Generate Image
2 left

A cinematic illustration generated from your scene content

Part 2

Playing a Story

Discover stories created by the community and navigate branching paths.

1

Find a story

Browse the Explore page to discover public stories. Click Play on any card, then Start Playing. Or just open a direct link someone shared with you.
2

Read each scene

Each scene shows a title, an illustration, and story prose. Read through it before choosing — the writing gives you context for each option.
3

Make your choice

At the bottom of every scene you'll see up to three choice buttons. Tap one to move to the next scene. Every choice shapes your unique path through the story.
4
Use the ← Back button in the top-left to undo your last choice and try a different path. Use Home to return to the main page at any time.
5

Reach an ending

When you arrive at an Ending scene you'll see a short ceremony marking the close of that path. Click Play Again to restart and discover different outcomes.
6

Rate and review

After reaching an ending you can leave a star rating and a written review. Ratings are shown on the Explore page to help other readers find great stories.
Chapter 1The Crossroads
Scene image

The wizard gestures toward two glowing portals. “Choose wisely…”

Step through the golden portal
Take the silver portal
Walk away

The reader experience — clean, immersive, works on any device

Part 3

World Builder

Create RPG-style adventures with a living party of heroes, collectible items, and enemy combat. Choose World Builder as your story type when creating a new story.

World Builder stories use the same node canvas editor as Story Path, with three additional panels in the left sidebar: Characters, Items, and Chapters.

1

Create hero characters

In the Characters panel, click Add character and set the type to Hero / Party Member. Heroes have:
  • Custom attributes — add any mix of number, boolean, or text attributes (HP, Gold, Strength, etc.)
  • Set a default value and optional min/max for each attribute
  • The party sidebar shown to readers updates live as stats change throughout the story
2

Create foes

Add a character and set the type to Foe / Villain. Foes have dedicated combat stats instead of the attribute system:
  • HP — the foe's total health in combat
  • Damage per round — how hard they hit back each turn
  • Defeat description — flavor text shown when the party wins
  • Emoji icon — used in the dramatic foe-reveal screen

Assign a foe to any scene using the Assign foe field in the scene editor. Set a Run Away destination so readers who flee have somewhere to go.

Characters Panel

A

Aldric

Hero · Party Member

Hero
❤ HP 100/100🛡 Armor 40⚡ STR 12
🐉

Cave Drake

Foe / Villain

Foe
❤ HP 80⚔ 15 dmg/rd
Add character
3

Create items

Switch to the Items panel and click Add item. Items can serve different roles:
  • Weapons & abilities — set a damage value; these appear in the combat action picker
  • Potions & buffs — add stat effects (e.g. +20 HP) that apply when the item is picked up
  • Durability — set a use limit; items become spent when exhausted
  • Revival items — toggle Can revive and set how much HP is restored; readers can use these mid-combat to revive a fallen hero
4

Place items in scenes

Open any scene in the editor. Use Place item to drop a findable pickup into the scene. Readers who arrive see a pickup prompt — claiming the item adds it to that hero's inventory. Items and inventory persist across all scenes via the reader's session.

You can place the same item in multiple scenes — great for giving different party members a chance to find it on different paths.

Items Panel

⚔️

Iron Sword

Weapon

⚔ 25 damage∞ uses
🧪

Healing Potion

Consumable · Can revive

❤ +30 HP on pickup3 uses✦ Revives
Add item
5

Configure choice paths

Click any choice arrow on the canvas to open the Choice Editor. Each choice can have:
  • Stat effects — modify any attribute when a reader takes this path (e.g. “HP −10 on the dangerous route”)
  • Conditions — hide the choice unless an attribute meets a threshold (e.g. “show only if Strength ≥ 15”)

Readers who don't meet a condition simply never see that choice — creating naturally different paths based on how their stats developed.

6

Set health and armor attributes

In the character editor, scroll to the Combat health panel (visible when the hero has at least one number attribute). Designate:
  • Health attribute — the attribute that drains when the hero takes damage
  • Armor attribute (optional) — absorbs foe damage first; overflow goes to health
When the health attribute reaches its minimum, the hero falls and is shown with a Fallen badge in the party sidebar.
7

Generate character portraits

Open any character in the editor and click Generate avatar (requires a monthly subscription). A portrait-style image is generated based on the character's name and description.
  • Hero portraits appear in the party sidebar as readers play
  • Foe portraits replace the emoji icon in the dramatic encounter reveal
  • Save the character first — the generate button is available once a character has been saved

Foe Encounter

🐉

Cave Drake

A fire-breathing drake guards the ancient tomb…

HP60 / 80

Select hero

A
AldricHP 85/100

Select weapon / ability

⚔️Iron Sword25 dmg

Reader Experience

Playing a World Builder Story

What readers experience when they play a World Builder adventure.

1

Party sidebar

A live stats sidebar appears alongside the story showing every hero's current attributes — HP, Gold, Strength, and any others you defined. Stats update in real time as readers make choices that have stat effects attached.
2

Collecting items

When a reader arrives at a scene with a placed item, a pickup prompt appears at the top of the scene. Clicking it adds the item to that hero's inventory. Items with on-pickup effects (like “+20 HP”) apply immediately. Inventory persists across all scenes in the session.
3

Foe encounters

Scenes assigned a foe open with a dramatic reveal — the foe's icon or portrait, name, and lore. Readers choose to fight or flee. In combat:

1. Select a party member to fight.
2. Select a weapon or ability from their inventory.
3. Attack — the hero deals damage, then the foe counterattacks.
4. Repeat until the foe is defeated or the reader flees to the Run Away scene.
4

Fallen heroes and revival

When a hero's health hits its minimum they fall — shown with a red Fallen badge in the party sidebar. Fallen heroes can't be selected to attack. If any party member holds a revival item, a Revive tab appears in the combat action picker to bring them back with a configurable amount of HP restored.
5

Game over

If all heroes fall simultaneously, the story ends with a full-screen game-over screen showing each fallen hero and an encouraging message. Readers click Try Again to reset all stats and inventory and return to the very first scene — or Back to home to exit.

Pro Tips

Tips & Tricks

Every new story starts with Chapter 1 already created — just start adding scenes.

Use a "Next Chapter" scene at the end of each chapter to chain them together.

Scenes marked Done are highlighted on the canvas so you can track writing progress at a glance.

Drag scenes freely to rearrange the canvas — positions are saved automatically.

Scene images respect your audience setting — Adults Only stories never depict minors.

The home page shows reachable ending count — a useful measure of story depth.

Scene sounds autoplay when readers arrive. Use ambient tracks to set the mood — readers can pause, adjust volume, or mute globally from the header.

On Next Chapter scenes, set an Entry scene to drop readers into a specific scene in the next chapter based on where their path leads — not just the default Start.

World Builder: give every hero both a Health and an Armor attribute. Armor absorbs foe damage first — readers feel tanky until it runs out, then the tension spikes.

World Builder: add at least one weapon or ability to every scene path so readers always have something to fight with when they hit a foe encounter.

World Builder: place a revival item somewhere early in the story so readers who lose a hero can still recover — an unwinnable combat feels unfair, a narrow escape feels epic.

World Builder: use stat conditions on choices (e.g. "show only if Strength ≥ 15") to reward readers who took difficult earlier paths — it makes replays feel meaningfully different.

Ready to start your story?

Have your first branching story live in minutes.

From $1.99/week. Cancel anytime.