Become an expert in expertises.
When getting to grips with character creation, you may have noticed expertises pop up a few times. It’s likely not a term that D&D veterans will be familiar with, let alone RPG initiates (and the pluralisation can be off-putting too). From reading about this in the handbook, it took a few readings and jumping back and forth between sections to get fully clear on exactly how they work.
However, I’ve pieced all that information together in a single place to help you understand what expertises do, what options you can take and some advice on choosing the right expertises for your character.
What are expertises?
They’re areas of unique knowledge or training that your character has. They’re a bit more granular than skills which cover broad areas like athleticism or persuasiveness. Expertises instead are much more specific and are required for specialist knowledge and techniques like knowing a language or wielding a shardblade.
Some expertises have specific, mechanical benefits, like expertise in a type of armor, weapon or fabrial crafting. Others are more vague and may require you to justify to the GM why you might benefit from it in a skill check.
What benefits does an expertise provide?
For starters, it means you can automatically assume that your character can accomplish certain tests or hold certain knowledge. This might be the case for an expertise in a language where you can just speak that language to an NPC or having an expertise in a weapon, you can just use its expert trait. No test required.
In other instances, it will mean you at least have the expertise to have a go at a skill test that would be impossible for those without your expertise. For example, if you have the fabrial crafting expertise and want to deduce how the enemy’s shiny new fabrial works, you can use a skill test to deduce this, but those without this expertise wouldn’t have the knowledge to even attempt this.
When do you get expertises
There are a few times when you might get expertises:
- When you create your character, you choose up to 2 cultural expertises
- When you increase your intellect, you gain an expertise for each point you increase your intellect by.
- Some talents grant expertises.
- A reward might also grant you an expertise.
Its worth being aware that most expertises are generally available, but special expertises can only be received through talents, rewards or at the GM’s discretion.
What expertises can I take?
There are 5 categories of expertises, and these give you options to choose from or that you’re granted from a talent.
However, not every possible expertise is listed. You can come up with your own, as long as it represents expert knowledge in a field and your GM agrees.
I also found that the specific examples of expertises in the book weren’t in one place. For this reason, I’ve tried to list these out more clearly below:
Armor expertises
You can choose an armor expertise in any non-specialised armor type (so this expertise type isn’t for shardplate for example, that will come under specialist expertise).
This expertise makes you adept at cleaning, maintaining and crafting that armor type. However, there’s literally no mechanic for cleaning or maintaining armor, and the crafting skill says it’s assumed you can maintain your own equipment (regardless of expertise) so mechanically, the only one of these of any benefit is being able to craft that armor type.
The other benefit you get here is you can use the expert trait of the chosen armor type. These are:
| Armor | Expert trait |
|---|---|
| Uniform | None |
| Leather | Presentable |
| Chain | Unique: loses cumbersome trait |
| Breastplate | Presentable |
| Halfplate | Unique: Cumbersome [3] instead of cumbersome [4] |
| Full plate | None |
You might notice that uniform and full plate don’t have expert traits meaning the only benefit of expertise in these is being able to craft them. At just 40 marks, this makes uniform expertise kind of pointless.
Cultural expertises
When you create your character, you choose up to 2 cultural expertises for your character. These are cultures you have extensive experience with (you don’t have to have been born among them or have their lineage) meaning you likely know a lot about their culture, religion and language. Cultural expertises include:
- Alethi
- Azish
- Herdazian
- Iriali
- Kharbranthian
- Listener
- Natan
- Reshi
- Shin
- Thaylen
- Unkalaki
- Veden
- Wayfarer
Utility expertises
These represent expertise in trades, tools or technical knowledge. The handbook doesn’t provide a definitive list of expertises, but instead gives examples. Looking at expertises granted by talents, there’s a much wider range of possible expertises, and even then, you don’t even have to choose one mentioned in the handbook. The examples we have from talents and the expertise section include:
- Animal care
- Armor crafting
- Criminal groups
- Diagnosis
- Engineering
- Equipment crafting
- History
- Legal codes
- Mental health care
- Military logistics
- Military strategy
- Motivational speech
- Music
- Painting
- Religion
- Riding horses
- Scandal
- Sleight of hand
- Weapon crafting
Its interesting that here you can grab expertise in crafting armor or weapons when this is also tied to individual weapon and armor expertises. I assume that these expertises will let you craft any non-special weapon or armor, but won’t grant you expertise wielding those weapons or armor.
Weapon expertises
You can take a weapon expertise in any non-special weapon type or with improvised weapons or unarmed attacks. This makes you adept at cleaning, maintaining and creating that weapon type. It also means you can use the expert trait of that weapon type.
Just remember that cleaning and maintaining weapons has no mechanical benefit so you’re mainly here for the expert trait in that weapon and the ability to craft it.
| Weapon | Weapon type | Expert trait |
|---|---|---|
| Javelin | Light | Indirect |
| Knife | Light | Offhand, thrown (20/60) |
| Mace | Light | Momentum |
| Rapier | Light | Defensive |
| Shortspear | Light | Unique: Loses two-handed trait |
| Sidesword | Light | Offhand |
| Staff | Light | Defensive |
| Shortbow | Light | Quickdraw |
| Sling | Light | Indirect |
| Axe | Heavy | Offhand |
| Greatsword | Heavy | Deadly |
| Hammer | Heavy | Momentum |
| Longspear | Heavy | Defensive |
| Longsword | Heavy | Unique: Loses two-handed trait |
| Poleaxe | Heavy | Unique: Melee [+5] |
| Shield | Heavy | Offhand |
| Crossbow | Heavy | Deadly |
| Longbow | Heavy | Indirect |
| Improvised weapon | Special | Unique: Expert trait of the weapon most similar to this |
| Unarmed attack | Special | Momentum, offhand |
Specialist expertises
These are expertises that are quite rare and not accessible to ordinary individuals. For this reason, you can’t gain specialist expertises when you increase your intellect. Instead, these are only granted through talents, rewards and special permission from your DM.
Specialist expertise relate to things like; shards, fabrials or the lost history of singers and the radiants. You can choose expertises like:
- Half-shards
- Grandbows
- Shardblades
- Shardplate
- Warhammers
- Fabrial crafting
- Singer history
- Knights radiant
Which expertises should you choose?
There are no best or worst expertises to choose. The most important thing is to choose ones that fit your character.
Having said that, if you want a well-optimised character and a party that’s ready for whatever your GM throws at them, then you may want to choose your expertises carefully.
For example, it could be useful to have a wide range of cultural expertise to increase your odds of having someone in the party familiar with that culture or able to speak that language.
You’ll also likely want to make the most of your weapon and armor so may want expertise in whichever options you’re using for these. For example, if you want to wield 2 weapons, this may cost a fair bit if focus attacking with your offhand, but if you have expertise with sideswords, then you can strike with this in your offhand using half the focus it might normally cost.
You may also want to pay attention to the talents you intend to take as you level up. Some talents will grant expertise like the shardbearer warrior who gets expertise in shardplate and a special weapon. This may make other expertises with standard weapons and armor obsolete.
I’d also consider the likelihood of an expertise coming up and how crucial it would be. Sure, it can be good to have an expertise in fashion, but how often will this expertise be of use (this happens to be an actual expertise you can receive through the envoy path). Having said that, this never stopped Adolin from this passion… and you may find connection with other fashion-conscious individuals, so don’t let me stop you wearing those fine clothes!
What do you think of expertises in the Cosmere RPG? And which do you find the most useful? Let me know in the comments below.
