Cosmere Roleplaying Game — Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight world, at your table

"Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination."

Diced20 + plot die

Players3–6

Prep~45 min

Foundry VTTOfficial

Complexity

What is this system

The official RPG of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere from Brotherwise Games. An original d20 system, not a D&D clone: flexible talent-tree paths instead of classes, three defenses instead of one AC, and a special plot die that throws in opportunities and complications. It starts on Roshar from The Stormlight Archive, then opens up Mistborn and the other worlds of the Cosmere.

Setting

Roshar is a world of stone scoured by highstorms. Spren, Shardblades, spheres of Stormlight and the Knights Radiant returning after centuries of absence. Alethkar wages war on the Shattered Plains while the singers remember their ancient forms. The line later added Scadrial from Mistborn — Allomancy and ash falling over Luthadel.

What it looks like at the table

A singer warrior holds the edge of a plateau. You attack with your spear: d20 + skill modifier against the enemy's Physical defense of 13. It matters, so the GM asks you to raise the stakes and you add the plot die. The d20 shows 11, +3 makes 14 — a hit: damage dice plus your skill modifier. The plot die lands on an Opportunity — the enemy loses their footing and your ally gains an advantage. Next turn you roll 9 + 3 = 12, a miss. But you spend 1 focus to graze: you deal the damage dice anyway, just without the modifier.

Playstyle

Narrative Combat Fantasy

Key mechanics

The plot die

When the stakes rise, a special d6 joins the d20: two faces give an Opportunity, two a Complication (with a +2 or +4 to the roll as consolation), two are blank. A natural 20 on the d20 always yields an Opportunity.

Three defenses, three resources

Physical, Cognitive and Spiritual defense instead of a single AC. Health soaks blows, focus pays for reactions, talents and grazes, and Investiture fuels Radiant powers.

Fast and slow turns

Every round, players choose: a fast turn before the enemies with two actions, or a slow turn after them with three. Fights are short, three or four rounds, and every choice counts.

Paths, not classes

Six heroic paths — Agent, Envoy, Hunter, Leader, Scholar, Warrior — plus nine Radiant paths. Pick talents from any tree, and earn rewards by advancing your hero's personal goals.

What people say

Publisher Brotherwise Games has put a lot of love and care into explaining and recreating the world of Cosmere, with heaps of resources for helping you bring it to life.— Mollie Russell, Wargamer

Art & materials