Riddle’s Power

After approaching Riddle in Book 6, CHARON report Riddle as being “hostile.” They fire a technomantic capture beam that seems to render him paralyzed, but Riddle then resumes “hostile activity” via what might have been fire magic, causing the CHARON to fall back. Riddle is successfully captured after being struck with a second capture beam and, later, Cater describes the area where he was taken as “like a war zone. Even the grass was burned to a crisp.”

Riddle starts building up magic almost immediately after arriving at STYX, with a CHARON trooper reading a stun to render him unconscious (again), but Idia interrupts.

The kidnapped students are all fitted with chokers that Riddle describes as having the same effect as his unique magic, with Riddle saying, “I’ve been trying to muster up some magic for a little while now, but l’ve come up empty.” Idia responds, “You’ve been trying to use magic? Can’t take my eyes off you for a second…”

After a STYX evaluation, Idia describes Riddle’s use of magic by saying, “He busts out spells like he’s in hyperdrive. And his magic pool is way beyond other mages his age,” with Ortho later adding, “The bare minimum requirement to beat Riddle in a duel is to cast faster than he can. He’s the dictionary definition of an offense-heavy ranged DPS.”

Idia guesses that Riddle “must’ve had special training from a super young age. Like a sports pro who’s practiced their whole life,” which “artificially increased his (magic) pool.” After hearing about how Riddle’s diet was managed throughout his childhood Idia adds, “No wonder he seemed like an artificially improved sports pro…”

Ortho says that, during his tests, Riddle “had a tendency to elevate his output and brute-force his magic during moments of indecision,” wand Idia explains, “He can get away with that since he’s got the power to back it, but it’s kinda inefficient. Besides, his blot accumulation rate spikes with his output. It’s through the roof.”

Ortho says that, according to their data, RIddle’s “mental state is heavily impacted by external factors. He was under more stress in test two, and that had a clear influence on his blot levels.”

Idia adds, “He’s got magic muscle in spades, but he’s fragile physically and mentally. High offense, paper-thin defense.”

Ortho comments that Azul’s style is “basically the opposite of Riddle Rosehearts’,” which we see during the pair’s journey into Tartarus where Azul comments that Riddle’s argument in favor of a more brusque approach to the phantoms is “Spoken like someone with magic to burn. I could never waste my reserves like that.”

Azul cautions Riddle against using his magic on a cage that might contain a person (“If you misjudge your strength, someone else could pay the price”). Riddle retorts, “You actually think I’d make such an egregious error?,” and Azul responds, “After seeing the power of your magic? Anyone would.”

Later, however, Azul’s approach to the phantoms seems to convince Riddle to change tactics, with Riddle saying, “You’re right to use targeted strikes to conserve your magic. I’ll try to follow your example.” At a later cage Riddle says, “I’ll moderate my output so I don’t hurt whoever’s inside,” so it seems he is entirely capable of reining in his magical power when he so chooses.

During their descent Riddle takes over carrying the thunder spear from a worn-out Azul. Azul comments, “Surely you’re just as exhausted after taking point in all those battles” and Riddle explains, “I spend most of my time learning magic. I have ever since I was born. This is well within what I can handle.”

When asked how old he was when he first started training in magic, Riddle says, “I was already receiving specialized lessons by the time I was three,” and it is possible that these “specialized lessons” were courtesy of his mother: when asked if he took any private lessons prior to NRC Riddle says, “In a manner of speaking. Both of my parents are mages. I learned a great deal from the drills my mother put me through.”

When asked what kind of drills he was put through as a child Riddle says, “Simple things at first. Putting away books after I’d read them, or changing my clothes. When I was five or so, I tired myself out completely trying to complete a task through trial and error and ended up falling asleep. Mother was quite cross when she found me and gave me an even greater challenge.”

Azul tells Riddle that he “must’ve been quite the prodigy,” and Leona also says that Riddle might be “some kinda prodigy,” but Idia suggests that “his strength is from hard work rather than being some kind of prodigy,” and Riddle seems to agree, telling Azul, “…I wouldn’t say that. My mother apparently went to every possible length to ensure I’d be an exceptional mage, starting from when I was in the womb. I can’t be certain if I had any special talent to begin with.”

Azul says, “it’s frustrating to see so clearly the difference between me and someone who’s worked hard their whole life,” and Riddle responds, “But if you’d focused solely on your studies the way I did as a child, I doubt you’d have the same ambition and drive that you do today.”

Towards the bottom of Tartarus even Riddle begins to run low and magic and stamina, but in their standoff against Idia and Ortho he declares that he and Azul will be making up for the low energy of the thunder spear with their own magic. 

After their battle Riddle’s hair goes white and he loses consciousness. Jamil guesses that it was partially because “he exhausted his magic using the Thunder Spear,” which Leona seems to agree with, saying that if Azul hadn’t held back power in reserve they might have both ended up falling into the Underworld. 

Towards the end of Riddle’s dream in Book 7 Ace comments that Riddle’s unique magic isn’t the only threat to them: “He knows some really brutal attack spells.” While attacking Deuce and Ortho, Riddle seems to cast fire, ice, and lightning, and Ortho says, “He just chain-cast three separate elemental attack spells, each at maximum destructive power!…It’s not just his quick casting that makes him so strong! It’s his confidence in his own reserves… Plus, a keen intelligence that lets him immediately discern my role and employ an optimal approach for neutralizing my threat. He’s good!”

In Riddle’s initial dream, however, he is magicless, born to equally magicless parents. 

Leona seems to be aware of Riddle’s strength, telling Ace in a vignette that he hadn’t worried about a rogue spelldrive disc that nearly struck Riddle in the head because “Riddle woulda batted that little disc away with his magic, no problem,” which Riddle confirming that he was never in any danger.

Riddle says, “In Heartslabyul I employ practical magic to manipulate cutlery or paint roses. But my dormmates who are less assured of their magical abilities often simply do those things by hand.” Vil says that Riddle sounds as though he considers himself “a cut above” the rest of his dorm, which Riddle confirms: “Of course I do. I had already mastered practical spells by the time I enrolled here.” By way of example, Riddle says, “I can paint every rose in the courtyard red in under ten minutes.”

During the Ghost Marriage event Riddle announces taking 362 victories against aggressive ghost guards, one of whom comments, “He’s so tiny, but he’s as strong as a monster!”

Later Floyd calls him “one powerful goldfishie.”

Riddle uses his unique magic often throughout the game, beginning with Grim in the prologue. Among the other people we see him collar include Ace, Deuce, unnamed Heartslabyul students, and unnamed Savanaclaw students.

While Riddle has failed to collar Leona once he has succeeded twice, the second time we have seen being doing his dream of Book 7, where he also collars Trey (according to Cater, Trey has also been collared at least once in the real world).

Riddle gets to wear his own collar for possibly the first time in his life when Ace turns his unique magic back onto him in Book 7, but this was not Riddle’s first time experiencing what it is like: he describes the chokers that the students wear at STYX as appearing to have the same effect as his unique magic.

Riddle also uses his unique magic on the dream-version of his mother in Book 7, on Floyd in Book 7.5, and during the Eternity Float event, the Ghost Marriage event and the NBC event, and on Sebek in a vignette.

Outside of when he actually uses his unique magic we see him threaten to use it in several situations in the main story, events and vignettes.

The members of Heartslabyul will also comment on the threat of Riddle using his unique magic on them.

Sometimes Riddle seems to refer to his unique magic in a gentler manner than his usual threats, smiling as he says it prior to Beanfest, to Stitch, and to Trey.

During the prologue Riddle tells Grim that “the collar will disappear once you’re removed from campus,” but it is a little unclear if the school is a limit that he has set for himself, a natural limit of his reach, or something else.

Cater says that Riddle’s unique magic “allows him to temporarily seal away the magic of another,” saying, “To a mage, losing the ability to use magic is about as painful as losing your head completely,” while Ace describes it as, “like having your arms and legs bound and shackled.”

Trey says that Riddle “mastered his signature spell by age ten,” and a dream-Cater of Riddle’s mind says that Riddle can use it on multiple people simultaneously. Trey explains that Riddle’s unique magic “relies heavily on initiative. If he can land it, he effectively neutralizes his opponent’s magic. That’s why he works so hard on improving his casting speed.”

Ortho days that Riddle’s unique magic “doesn’t work on technomantic humanoids. Well, technically speaking, it’s more that Riddle perceives magic and technomancy as totally separate things. So his unique magic doesn’t treat (Ortho) as a target for locking down magic…so far, at least.”

This seems to insinuate that Riddle actually is capable of having a degree of effect on technomantic humanoids or objects, but Riddle did not believe it was possible in his dream and the dream world were limited by what the dream-owner was capable of imagining.

Riddle’s unique magic is overwritten by Trey’s unique magic in Book 1, but when Riddle asks if that means that Trey’s is the stronger of the two Trey responds, “Of course it doesn’t.”

Afterwards Trey says, “I was seriously lucky I managed to overwrite Riddle’s magic back then,” but Silver wonders if it was less so luck and more so the power of wishes: “Wishes are pure things with a great and unshakable power. You must have had a strong wish in your heart, to stop your friend’s violence. And in that moment, your wish was more powerful than Riddle’s magic.”