Cosmere RPG

The Cosmere is the collective universe created by Brandon Sanderson for his books which encompass series like the Stormlight Archive, Mistborn and Elantris.

In collaboration with Sanderson, Brotherwise Games have created the Cosmere RPG which allows players to adventure within the Cosmere. We now have the Stormlight and Mistborn settings and have been teased with future settings that will allow us to worldhop throughout the entirety of the Cosmere.

We’re putting together guides to help you run and play games in the Cosmere RPG, which you can find below.

Vin and Sazed Cosmere RPG

Campaign settings

Rosharan system - Cosmere RPG: Brotherwise Games
Rosharan system – Cosmere RPG: Brotherwise Games

The Cosmere is home to many worlds and settings. So far, we have 2 settings; Stormlight and Mistborn.

Each covers a different world, magic system, gods and species.

About the Cosmere

Stormlight campaign setting

The Stormlight campaign setting takes place on the world of Roshar. It’s a world of many nations that is affected by the regular highstorms that pass over the land. These storms may be deadly, but they also help refuel the world’s source of magic, known as Stormlight.

In the Stormlight setting, you can fight against the forces of the god Odium, make bonds with sprite-like spren and use Stormlight to fuel radiant powers.

Mistborn campaign setting

The Mistborn setting takes place on the world of Scadriel where people scrape their survival through the constant ashfalls that beset the land. Here, individuals known as Metalborn, can tap into the powers of different metals to grant them magical abilities.

The Mistborn books span 2 different eras. One is a pre-industrial era, while the other is set hundreds of years later where industrialisation and technology are beginning to take shape.

Mistborn campaign setting

Paths

Metalborn characters: Brotherwise Games
Metalborn characters: Brotherwise Games

The Cosmere RPG path system to character creation is quite different from D&D’s class system with a lot more options to choose from. You can choose both heroic paths and a magical path (Radiant paths for the Stormlight setting and Metalborn paths for the Mistborn setting).

Heroic paths

All settings use heroic paths to grant non-magical talents to characters. These paths are:

  • Agent – Stealthy operatives
  • Envoy – Charismatic representatives of nations and organisations
  • Hunter – Scouts, trappers and stalkers
  • Leader – Respected commanders
  • Scholar – Intellectuals with knowledge of medicine, science and tactics
  • Warrior – Tough combatants

Each path also has specialities allowing you to specialise even further.

Heroic paths

Radiant paths

In addition to any heroic paths you take, those playing in the Stormlight setting can also take a radiant path. This allows you to bond with a spren and develop powers by filling your body with Stormlight.

There are 10 radiant paths with 9 available for player characters:

Radiant paths

Metalborn paths

If you’re playing in the Mistborn setting, then you’ll have access to metallic powers known as allomancy (allows you to burn metals to access powers) or feruchemy (can store attributes in metal objects for a burst of that attribute later).

There are 5 types of metalborn you can play as:

  • Mistborn
  • Misting
  • Feruchemist
  • Ferring
  • Twinborn
Metalborn paths

Ancestries

Melaan the Kandra: Brotherwise Games
Melaan the Kandra: Brotherwise Games

The equivalent of species in D&D, there are a few different intelligent lifeforms in the Cosmere, though the predominant ancestry is that of Humans.

Below are the ancestries that you can play as. They are:

  • Human: The most common playable ancestry in the Cosmere and one found across many different planets.
  • Kandra (Mistborn only): Shapeshifters that can form their gelatinous body around bones to take on the form of a deceased individual.
  • Koloss-Blooded (Mistborn era 2 only): Strong and resilient beings that were once controlled by the Lord Ruler, but were later granted their independence.
  • Singer (Stormlight only): Humanoids with natural armor in the form of a carapace and the ability to change their form to suit different roles and functions. They convey emotions and meaning through rhythms in their voice.

Rules

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Dalinar in the spiritual realm: Brotherwise Games

While the Cosmere RPG shares some DNA with other d20 systems like D&D, it is it’s own unique system (known as Plotweaver). Even then, there are mechanics unique to the Cosmere RPG and understanding the rules is important for helping you play the game.

Below you can find my guides to some of these rules:

Adversaries

Wax: Brotherwise Games
Wax: Brotherwise Games

The enemies you face in the Cosmere RPG are known as adversaries. These might be creatures like whitespines, chasmfiends or mistwraiths. They could also be intelligent and invested individuals like knights Radiant, mistings or inquisitors.

I’ve analysed the adversaries in the Cosmere RPG to give some insights that can help you build better for combat.

Adversaries

Lore

Hoid - Cosmere RPG
Hoid – Cosmere RPG: Brotherwise Games

The Cosmere has incredibly deep lore and history that spans 21+ novels, many short stories and is ever-expanding. You can learn a bit more about the lore in my guides below:

Latest Cosmere RPG articles