Making character creation easy in the Cosmere RPG with all the next steps you need.
The long wait for the Cosmere RPG is finally here! Chances are, you’re excited to dive straight in and create your character.
The rulebook does a great job of explaining how everything works, but in between all of this, it’s easy to miss some of the smaller steps and additions to creating your character. You might also find that some inspiration is spread across different pages and sections.
To help you out, I’ve created a really easy, step by step guide helping you to create a level 1 character, without all the extra explanations in between of how the rules work, while pulling in important information from elsewhere in the book.
Creating your Cosmere RPG character
1. Choose your origins
- Choose an ancestry: This is your species. In the Stormlight setting, you can choose to be either a human or a singer.
- Choose 2 cultures: These are the societies you have been most exposed to. These include the following (though you can work with your GM to take a different culture if you want):
- Alethi
- Azish
- Herdazian
- Iriali
- Kharbranthian
- Listener
- Natan
- Reshi
- Shin
- Thaylen
- Unkalaki
- Veden
- Wayfarer
2. Choose your starting path
Choose a heroic path: You start with a heroic path at level 1. At later levels, you can stick to this path or branch out to other paths including a radiant path. Your choice of heroic paths includes:
- Agent: A talented operative who solves problems with a keen mind or deft hand.
- Envoy: An insightful negotiator who adeptly influences others.
- Hunter: A skilled sharpshooter and outdoorsperson who seeks and eliminates problems.
- Leader: A poised commander who directs and guides others to be their best.
- Scholar: An adroit thinker who excels at planning and building.
- Warrior: A fighter who relies on their skill, brute strength, or indomitable will.
3. Choose your attributes
- Assign scores to each attribute: There are 6 attributes (strength, speed, intellect, willpower, awareness and presence) which range from 0-5. At level 1, you distribute 12 points between these attributes, but no single attribute can be higher than 3 (at level 1).
- Record related statistics: Some ability scores will impact other statistics. Record the following based on the attribute scores your character has:
- Lifting capacity: Based on strength
| Strength | Lifting capacity | Carrying capacity |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 100 lb. | 50 lb. |
| 1-2 | 200 lb. | 100 lb. |
| 3-4 | 500 lb. | 250 lb. |
| 5-6 | 1,000 lb. | 500 lb. |
| 7-8 | 5,000 lb. | 2,500 lb. |
| 9+ | 10,000 lb. | 5,000 lb. |
- Movement rate: Based on speed
| Speed | Movement |
|---|---|
| 0 | 20 feet per action |
| 1-2 | 25 feet per action |
| 3-4 | 30 feet per action |
| 5-6 | 40 feet per action |
| 7-8 | 60 feet per action |
| 9+ | 80 feet per action |
- Recovery die: Based on willpower
| Willpower | Recovery die |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1d4 |
| 1-2 | 1d6 |
| 3-4 | 1d8 |
| 5-6 | 1d10 |
| 7-8 | 1d12 |
| 9+ | 1d20 |
- Senses range: Based on Awareness
| Awareness | Senses range |
|---|---|
| 0 | 5 ft. |
| 1-2 | 10 ft. |
| 3-4 | 20 ft. |
| 5-6 | 50 ft. |
| 7-8 | 100 ft. |
| 9+ | Unaffected by obscured senses |
4. Choose your skills and expertises
- Gain a skill rank from your heroic path: The heroic path you choose will identify a starting skill. Add a skill rank to the skill associated with your heroic path. These are:
- Agent: Insight
- Envoy: Discipline
- Hunter: Perception
- Leader: Leadership
- Scholar: Lore
- Warrior: Athletics
- Distribute 4 more ranks among your skills: You have 4 more ranks to distribute among the various skills. You can choose whichever skills you want to assign these to but no skill can go above 2 ranks at level 1.
- Calculate your skill modifiers: The equation for this is:
- Your number of ranks in that skill + your score for that skill’s attribute + any bonuses or penalties
- Choose your expertises: Choose an additional number of expertises equal to your intellect score (if this is 0, you don’t choose any additional expertises). You can get some help choosing expertises on p51-54 of the handbook.
5. Choose your talents
- Gain the key talent from your heroic path: You gain the key talent from the heroic path you chose. I’ve summarised these below:
- Agent: Opportunist – Reroll the plot die once per round.
- Envoy: Rousing presence – Make an ally determined.
- Hunter: Seek quarry – Choose one character to pursue and gain an advantage against.
- Leader: Decisive commands – Add a d4 “command die” to an ally’s tests.
- Scholar: Erudition – Gain bonus skill ranks that you can reallocate.
- Warrior: Vigilant stance – Gain a fighting stance that makes you more responsive and flexible in combat.
- Choose an ancestry talent: Your ancestry will let you take an additional talent in the following ways:
- Human: You can choose another talent within your existing path or choose the first talent from another path.
- Singer: You gain change form and gain a talent that grants starting forms as described in the singer entry (see p31-35 of the handbook).
6. Equip yourself
- Choose your starting kit: You can choose any of the starting kits found on p243. These are:
- Academic kit
- Artisan kit
- Military kit
- Courtier kit
- Prisoner kit
- Underworld kit
- Purchase more equipment: Buy any additional equipment with the marks granted by your starting kit (if you have enough money). See chapter 7 of the handbook to see what you can buy.
- Record your deflect value: If you have gained armor, record its deflect value on your sheet. If you don’t have any armor, this value is probably 0.
7. Tell your story
- Choose your purpose: Your purpose is the most fundamental thing that drives you. Some examples in the handbook (though you can choose any you want) include:
- Save others
- Seek truth
- Push yourself to new heights
- Find connection
- Seek justice
- Preserve life
- Choose an obstacle: Choose a personal obstacle that represents a character flaw that you may struggle to overcome. Some examples in the handbook (though you can choose your own) include:
- Deep regret
- Specific fear
- Spite
- Self-doubt
- Mistrust of others
- Choose goals: Choose 1 or 2 goals that your character wants to accomplish. Progressing towards these goals provides both character development and in game rewards. Some examples from the handbook (though you can choose something else) include:
- Become a noble
- Find a missing person
- Fulfil a specific oath
- Repay a debt of gratitude
- Get revenge
- Tell your story: Flesh out your backstory. You can consider some details like the below examples:
- Occupation
- Relationships
- Loyalties
- Personality
- Appearance
- Possible radiant order
8. Calculate your final statistics
- Calculate resource pools: Work out maximum values for depletable resources you have:
- Health: At level 1, this is 10 + your strength attribute + any bonuses or penalties
- Focus: At level 1, this is 2 + your willpower attribute + any bonuses or penalties
- Investiture: At level 1, this is 0.
- Calculate defenses: Work out the 3 defence scores your character has:
- Physical defence: This is 10 + your strength attribute + your speed attribute + any bonuses or penalties.
- Cognitive defence: This is 10 + your intellect attribute + your willpower attribute + any bonuses or penalties.
- Spiritual defence: This is 10 + your awareness attribute + your presence attribute + any bonuses or penalties.
- Complete other fields: Complete the remaining fields on your character sheet. These are:
- Level: For now, this will be 1.
- Conditions and injuries: For now, you won’t have any of these.
- Connections: You won’t have any of these for now so this will remain blank.
Congratulations! You’ve made your very first Cosmere RPG character! What kind of character have you built? And how did you find character creation in the Cosmere RPG? Let me know about it in the comments below.
