Book of Changes
Quickstart
- Get the Book of Changes — find it in the creative Book of Changes tab or the Tools tab. In survival, craft or obtain it through play.
- Hold the Book and right-click to open your hexagram index and see all discovered pages.
- Sneak + right-click the Book for a quick daily reading — this draws a hexagram, triggers an omen effect, and unlocks a new page if the hexagram is new to you.
- Craft a Ritual Pedestal and place it in the world to perform more powerful ritual readings using Yarrow Stalks or a Coin Set.
- Grow Yarrow Plants from Yarrow Seeds (found by breaking short grass or tall grass) and harvest them at full growth for Yarrow Stalks.
- Listen for the chime "A New Pattern Emerges" — it means you've discovered a hexagram for the first time and a new page has been added to your Book.
Overview
Book of Changes is a divination-themed mod built around the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. You perform rituals to draw hexagrams, each of which triggers a timed omen — a gameplay effect lasting 60–120 seconds or more — and records a new page in your physical Book. The goal is to collect all 64 hexagrams (a Cycle of Change), using the powers they reveal to aid exploration, combat, farming, and travel. A world-wide Chaos Meter shapes the intensity of every omen, and a daily ritual limit keeps the experience paced and meaningful.
What It Adds
| Item / Block | Description |
|---|
| Book of Changes | Unique enchanted item; tracks discovered hexagrams; required to activate the Ritual Pedestal |
| Ritual Pedestal | Placeable block; the site of all full ritual readings |
| Yarrow Seeds | Plantable crop seeds; obtained from grass or harvested plants |
| Yarrow Stalks | Harvested from mature Yarrow Plants; consumed to perform readings at the Pedestal |
| Yarrow Tea | Crafted from Yarrow Stalks; a consumable drink |
| Coin Set | Craftable divination tool; an alternate way to perform readings without candles |
| Ritual Incense | Placed on the Pedestal to enhance rituals with burning smoke |
| Yarrow Plant | A crop that grows in plains, forests, meadows, and flower forests |
How To Use
The Book of Changes
- Right-click while holding the Book to open the hexagram index UI. Each discovered page shows the hexagram's number, symbol, name, meaning, prophecy, and effect summary.
- Sneak + right-click to perform a daily reading directly from the Book. This draws a hexagram and applies its omen. You may do this once per in-game day per player; a second attempt that day shows the Sealed Day page instead.
- The Book has an enchant glint and emits END_ROD and HAPPY_VILLAGER particles when held in Harmony biomes (Meadow, Cherry Grove, Flower Forest, Sunflower Plains, Plains).
- Your Path is shown in the tooltip — one of eight paths (Path of Stone, Flame, Tides, Winds, Shadows, Light, Echoes, or the Wanderer) — and subtly influences which hexagrams you tend to draw.
The Ritual Pedestal
Place the Ritual Pedestal and interact with it using any of the following to prepare and trigger a reading:
- Yarrow Stalks — drop up to 3 stalks onto the pedestal or right-click with them. Once loaded, trigger a yarrow-method reading.
- Ritual Incense — drop incense onto the pedestal to begin burning it (~90 seconds of smoke particles). Burning incense enhances the ritual.
- Offering item — drop any non-stalk item onto the pedestal as an offering to focus the reading.
- Coin Set — use the Coin Set on the Ritual Pedestal to draw an alternate, candle-free hexagram reading.
Daily Ritual Limit
Each player may perform 3 rituals per day. The count resets automatically at dawn. Attempting a fourth ritual on the same day is blocked with the message:
The patterns are silent. The Book needs time to realign.
No offerings, stalks, incense, or Coin Set charges are consumed on a blocked attempt.
Floating Text & Omens
When a hexagram is drawn at the Pedestal, its symbol appears as floating text above the pedestal. The hexagram's omen effect then activates, lasting roughly 60–120 seconds (some powerful hexagrams last longer). Effects include speed changes, status effects, weather shifts, mob spawn changes, buffs to combat or farming, and more.
Crafting And Obtaining
Ritual Pedestal
Obtaining Yarrow Seeds & Stalks
- Break short grass or tall grass for a small chance (~3.5%) to find Yarrow Seeds.
- Yarrow Plants also spawn naturally in Plains, Meadow, Forest, Flower Forest, Birch Forest, and Old Growth Birch Forest biomes.
- Plant Yarrow Seeds on farmland. At maximum growth (age 3), harvesting yields 1–2 Yarrow Seeds and 1–3 Yarrow Stalks.
- Breaking an immature plant yields only 1 Yarrow Seed and no stalks.
Abilities And Mechanics
Hexagram Discovery
There are 64 hexagrams in total. Each time you draw one for the first time:
- The chime "A New Pattern Emerges" plays (amethyst block chime sound).
- The message §dA New Pattern Emerges appears on screen.
- A new page is permanently added to your Book.
Subsequent draws of the same hexagram still trigger its omen but do not re-announce discovery.
The Chaos Meter
A persistent, world-wide Chaos Meter runs from 0 to 100 (starting near 35). Ritual outcomes and certain hexagram effects raise or lower chaos. At 60 or above, the world is considered High Chaos and omens become more intense and disruptive. At 35 or below, the world is Low Chaos and readings trend toward calmer, beneficial effects. Completing a full Cycle of Change resets chaos to 0.
Book Progression Levels
Your Book levels up as you accumulate total readings:
| Readings | Level | Unlocks |
|---|
| 1–2 | 1 | Daily Reading; first hexagram pages |
| 3–6 | 2 | Cleansing Ritual; expanded hexagram pool |
| 7–11 | 3 | Seeking and Binding Rituals; Yarrow Deep Reading at dusk/midnight |
| 12–19 | 4 | Deep Reading, Reversal, Revelation; rare yarrow hexagrams |
| 20+ | 5 (Radiant) | All rituals, rare whispers, yarrow omens, full 64-hexagram wheel |
The current level and unlock status are always visible in the Book's tooltip, along with your total readings and discovered hexagram count.
Omen Effects
Hexagram omens cover a broad range of in-game effects, including:
- Speed/movement buffs and debuffs
- Combat boosts (strength, ranged damage, heroic presence)
- Farming benefits (crop growth, luck)
- Weather changes
- Mob spawn alterations
- Exploration aids (ore detection, luck shifts)
- Long-duration Deep Reading omens (up to 20 minutes) at higher Book levels
Progression And Strategy
Core loop: Perform rituals → discover hexagrams → level up your Book → unlock stronger reading types → collect all 64 pages for the Cycle of Change.
- Start with grass. Break short and tall grass until you find Yarrow Seeds, then plant a small farm immediately. Yarrow Stalks are your most reliable ritual fuel.
- Use your three daily rituals wisely. With only three per day (resetting at dawn), timing matters — rituals at dusk or midnight unlock special Yarrow Deep Readings at higher Book levels.
- Mind the Chaos Meter. If chaos climbs too high, omens become unpredictable and disruptive. Use calming hexagrams and lower-disruption offerings to keep it manageable, or embrace high chaos for powerful but risky effects.
- Carry the Book in Harmony biomes. The Book glows and emits particles in Meadow, Cherry Grove, Flower Forest, Sunflower Plains, and Plains biomes — a visual sign of resonance that can hint at favorable reading conditions.
- Complete the Cycle of Change. Discovering all 64 hexagrams resets chaos to zero and marks a full cycle — the ultimate milestone and a fresh start for experienced readers.
