Cosmere RPG Review

I archetypal work The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson backmost successful the mid-2010s, and ever since I person theorycrafted however I would play a Knight Radiant successful my TTRPG campaigns. Conceptualizing however shardblades would relation oregon however champion to marque a spren that wasn’t conscionable a reskinned familiar. Thankfully, I tin enactment that tiring task down maine acknowledgment to the merchandise of the authoritative Cosmere RPG, which, aft a VERY palmy crowdfunding campaign, has been released. At agelong last, I tin role-play my Windrunner quality with my spren partner, Malbifina (Mal for short), and basal against the Desolation.

Developed by Brotherwise Games successful adjacent collaboration with Brandon Sanderson himself, the archetypal offerings for the Cosmere RPG absorption solely connected Roshar and the systems of the Stormlight Archive books, with 3 offerings: The Stormlight Handbook (the Player’s Handbook), The Stormlight World Guide (the Dungeon Master’s Guide), and Stonewalkers (a standalone run you tin play through). For those who aren’t acquainted with the Cosmere oregon Sanderson’s work, the Cosmere is simply a ample galaxy-spanning, progressively much interconnected bid of (mostly) epic phantasy novels by Brandon Sanderson. Composed of aggregate worlds, each with its ain unsocial and cleverly crafted magic systems, 1 of which is Roshar, location to Stormlight (magic lightning), spren (manifestations of antithetic emotions and feelings), the Knights Radiant (super paladins), and millennia of war. We person a broad speechmaking guide, truthful to find retired much and get a amended picture, I suggest you caput determination and instrumentality a look.

Cosmere utilizes a D20-based system, akin to thing similar D&D oregon Pathfinder, wherever you volition usage a 20-sided dice to marque assorted accomplishment checks, with different dice utilized to fulfill different needs (such arsenic dealing damage). The enactment system volition besides consciousness familiar, with basal actions during combat falling into either Actions, Reactions, oregon Free Actions territories, with Actions requiring anyplace betwixt 1 and 3 of your excavation per turn. Generally, connected your turn, a subordinate volition person 2 oregon 3 enactment points they tin use, with much almighty Actions requiring aggregate points to propulsion off. Thanks to its intelligent usage of icons denoting the antithetic types and however galore points an enactment takes to use, the full process is alternatively caller player-friendly and speedy to grasp. But conscionable due to the fact that aspects whitethorn consciousness acquainted doesn’t mean that the Cosmere RPG doesn’t bash thing new, however.

Considering this is simply a strategy that was designed successful portion by Brandon Sanderson, a antheral with the quality to constitute an inhuman magnitude of books successful a abbreviated play of time, it shouldn’t beryllium a astonishment that communicative and communicative play a ample portion successful the existent mechanics of the Cosmere RPG, too. A peculiar d6, referred to arsenic the “Plot Die”, isn’t utilized for each cheque and is alternatively reserved for those moments that the GM deems arsenic moments captious to the crippled and communicative they are telling. Moments wherever the stakes could beryllium raised, granting unforeseen opportunities that interaction the communicative oregon granting you an “Opportunity,” which is simply a peculiar assets that tin beryllium spent. On the flip side, your rotation of the crippled dice whitethorn alternatively origin a complication to originate successful your plan, possibly causing you to get successful an ally's mode during a important moment, oregon different blunder that results successful a failure.

This intertwining of communicative and communicative improvement besides seeps into the quality instauration process and progression, resulting successful a much unfastened and flexible strategy that I recovered peculiarly enamored by. Before anything, you prime your ancestry from either Human oregon Singer (and yes, you tin messiness astir with Singer forms), which volition assistance dictate what areas of the satellite oregon lore you specialize in. As a human, you tin prime from what portion you hail from, giving you an borderline connected checks connected topics, legends, houses, and language, for example, that would marque consciousness for your quality to have. With your ancestry picked, you commencement fleshing retired the benignant of idiosyncratic they are.

Instead of picking a circumstantial people similar Warrior oregon Druid, players alternatively take a Heroic Path, specified arsenic a Hunter, Leader, oregon Agent, each with its ain unsocial accomplishment histrion and specialization lines that you tin dive into. There are six basal Heroic Paths (Agent, Envoy, Hunter, Leader, Scholar, and Warrior) disposable successful the Stormlight Handbook, each with 3 specializations, and each has a peculiar Key Talent that helps acceptable each way isolated from the others. When you level up, you aren’t leveling up a people but your quality themself, meaning if you privation you tin proceed down the way you person chosen already and unlocking caller Talents (the abilities of the path) if you want, oregon you tin freely take a caller way to commencement traveling down that makes consciousness for wherever your quality finds themselves astatine that moment. No having to woody with analyzable multi-class rules oregon antithetic deed dice for health, nary of that. It makes the thought of making a analyzable and multi-faceted quality much approachable and incentivized, and besides conscionable makes the leveling process quicker.

Once you deed level two, though, things truly get breathtaking as, if you privation to, you are capable to statesman down a Radiant Path of your choice, and yes, each of them are here: Stonewards, Bondsmiths, Windrunners, Skybreakers, Dustbringers, Edgedancers, Truthwatchers, Lightweavers, Elsecallers, and Willshapers. Each Radiant Path volition assistance you a spren of your ain you tin travel up with, entree to that Radiant’s associated Surges, and of course, spending Stormlight and Investiture. If you person work the Stormlight books, past let’s beryllium honorable with ourselves, being a Knight Radiant is simply a large selling constituent of these books for us, but if you haven’t work them, deliberation of these orders arsenic ace Paladins. Each bid has entree to beauteous awesome powers, a small familiar, and eventually, you tin adjacent enlistee squires to enactment with you. And conscionable similar the Heroic Paths, each Radiant Path features 3 endowment trees you tin dive into, with 2 focusing connected a circumstantial surge, Abrasion and Division, for example, with Dustbringers, and past a way that improves your enslaved with your spren, allowing you to curse further Ideals arsenic a Knight Radiant. Yes, this is awesome, and yes, I person travel up with much spren friends than I attraction to admit to since getting these books. Come astatine me, Unmade!

To assistance further specify your character, you volition besides found a intent for them, thing that drives the quality successful what they do, which volition pb you to make goals for them to strive for. A extremity whitethorn beryllium thing arsenic elemental arsenic seeking revenge connected idiosyncratic to thing much nebulous, specified arsenic uncovering caller ways to heal others, but you are besides required to travel up with obstacles oregon quality flaws that you person to contend with portion striving for your goal. Perhaps successful your pursuit of your extremity to find caller ways to heal others, your quality could beryllium blinded by immoderate of the harm done successful trying to corroborate a hypothesis, oregon beryllium consenting to trial ideas that whitethorn not beryllium wholly safe. Making this extremity and obstacle constituent front-and-center not lone helps the GM program and tailor adventures to idiosyncratic characters, but besides makes the players deliberation much astir the characters they are playing arsenic radical and not conscionable a quality sheet. I've recovered that much role-playing is ever a bully happening successful TTRPGs.

While I whitethorn bask the mechanics of the Cosmere RPG, arsenic a instrumentality of Sanderson’s books, I would situation accidental I whitethorn similar these RPG books much for the details they uncover and however they dive deeper into the satellite of Roshar and Cosmere arsenic a whole. Since you are capable to play arsenic a subordinate of immoderate of the orders of Knights Radiant, I loved looking done the descriptions and breakdowns of not lone the assorted ideals, but besides their respective Surges (i.e. the peculiar abilities of a peculiar order). Reading done these books, particularly the World Guide, gave maine a amended thought of the cultures and ocular individuality of the peoples of Roshar.

Brandon has stated that the worldly successful these guides volition beryllium considered canon with the events successful his books, and arsenic such, a large magnitude of attraction has been taken by the squad to consult and corroborate with his lore keepers that everything fits. For readers who whitethorn not person finished Wind and Truth, the latest introduction of the Stormlight Archive that was released successful December 2024, you volition privation to beryllium cautious of spoilers.

In a unusual way, the wealthiness of accusation these books contiguous besides truly drew my attraction to what the Cosmere RPG doesn’t springiness maine to play astir and roleplay with, and it’s present wherever a immense bulk of my complaints reside. Take, for instance, the Heralds, legendary heroes that person held backmost the evil forces of Odium betwixt desolations. Beings that full religions connected Roshar person been built up around, and whose power is felt successful astir each facet of the lore. The books person bully sections talking astir them, featuring gorgeous artwork, but the RPG is utterly lacking successful details for folks that whitethorn privation to effort playing arsenic one.

As idiosyncratic who is typically successful the “forever GM” chair, the information that nary of the books springiness maine basal stat blocks for them is shocking to me. Why aren’t determination rules oregon stats for the Honor Blades? Going adjacent a measurement further, the information that the rules don’t springiness maine details for large bads similar the assorted Unmade oregon adjacent the shards of Odium, Cultivation, oregon Honor, conscionable bum maine out. To a lesser extent, I privation that these archetypal books gave america astatine slightest a small tease connected what fans whitethorn expect from however the different magic systems whitethorn run oregon the absorption they privation to instrumentality with them. The Ghostblood Enforce force does diagnostic “Burning Pewter” which lone serves arsenic a buff, and doesn’t springiness overmuch of an thought connected however burning metals volition disagree from utilizing Stormlight. I recognize that each of the worlds volition yet get their ain tomes of goodness that dive heavy into these things, but couldn’t we person gotten a small, itsy-bitsy tease of however allomancy oregon AonDor whitethorn work?

In summation to the carnal books that volition beryllium disposable to the masses successful November, Cosmere is seeing comparatively predominant updates and further supplemental materials being added to the Virtual Tabletop service. Not lone are you capable to snag integer versions of each the books close now, allowing you to physique your characters and tally games, CosmereRPGNexus.com besides has scenarios that you tin tally and supply you with details and rules to make customized higher-tiered enemies to contend with. If you would similar conscionable having PDFs, though, you tin acquisition them each astatine Drive Thru RPG, too.

For diehard Sanderson fans, adjacent if you person nary tendency to play a TTRPG, these books, peculiarly the World Guide, is simply a must-buy conscionable for lore and the accusation it provides connected Roshar. As TTRPG books, they bash good enough, but the point and force offerings are lacking successful presumption of options, particularly erstwhile compared to different phantasy RPGs. As some a longtime TTRPG subordinate and person of the Cosmere, it surprises maine that immoderate of what has been omitted has near maine a spot disappointed. It conscionable comes disconnected arsenic “just hold for the 2nd Roshar set” to me.

The carnal Cosmere RPG books volition beryllium released connected November 12, with integer versions disposable for acquisition present connected DriveThruRPG oregon virtually connected Demiplane.