Automatic Success/Failure: Some card effects make an investigator automatically succeed or automatically fail a skill test. If this occurs, depending on the timing of such an effect, certain steps of the skill test may be skipped in their entirety.

• If it is known that an investigator automatically succeeds or fails at a skill test before Step 3 (“Reveal Chaos Token”) occurs, that step is skipped, along with Step 4. No chaos token(s) are revealed from the chaos bag, and the investigator immediately moves to Step 5. All other steps of the skill test resolve as normal.
• If a chaos token effect causes an investigator to automatically succeed or fail at a skill test, continue with Steps 3 and 4, as normal. - FAQ, v.1.7, March 2020

Q: At which point during setup does your investigator card get replaced with Body of a Yithian? How does that interact with the special abilities of investigators like "Ashcan" Pete, Sefina Rousseau, Diana Stanley, Joe Diamond, etc? How does it interact with double-sided permanents such as Lily Chen's signatures? A: In the scenario The City of Archives, you are expected to replace your investigator card with Body of a Yithian as you resolve Step 10 of "Setting up the Game". Investigators that have abilities that trigger before step 9 can resolve those steps.

• Follow-up Q: Since opening hands are resolved before step 10, can “Ashcan” Pete end up with Duke in his opening hand? i.e. one should look ahead and know that one should shuffle Duke into your deck? Secondly how exactly should Lily Chen resolve setup for this scenario with respect to her Disciplines? A: We would say that for Yithian Lily and Yithian “Ashcan” Pete, they can have Disciplines and Duke in play when the game begins. Your question sparked a conversation about ways we might expand the standard Setup and where cards that “begin the game” would actually be put into play, or at least what step they would be set aside at. We likely won’t have a solid answer until our next FAQ update [see below], if that, but for The City of Archives scenario, go ahead and put those cards in your play area before swapping your investigator card to a Yithian.

Q: When setting up The City of Archives, do I follow Setup instructions or constant abilities on my investigator card, such as Sefina Rousseau or Lily Chen? A: When setting up The City of Archives, you are instructed to swap your investigator card with a Body of a Yithian card. This swap occurs during Step 10 of Setting Up the Game, as outlined in the Rules Reference. Any investigators with Setup abilities that resolve before Step 10 of Setup should do so, meaning Sefina Rosseau should choose her 5 events and Lola Hayes should choose her role before swapping. - FAQ v.2.1, August 2023

Q: In The City of Archives, if I am instructed to use the Body of a Yithian card for the remainder of the campaign, how should I set up my investigator in future scenarios? A: In future scenarios, you must swap your investigator card with a Body of a Yithian card during Step 10 of Setting Up the Game, as outlined in the Rules Reference, just as you would when playing The City of Archives scenario (see above). - FAQ, v.2.1, August 2023