Cosmere Roleplaying Game

The Cosmere Roleplaying Game is a tabletop roleplaying game where players create fantastical heroes from the worlds of Brandon Sanderson's fantasy novels, and one player, the Game Master, presents them with an adventure, playing as the other characters, villains, creatures, environments, and factions they encounter. When player characters attempt something risky or uncertain, they'll turn to the dice to test their skills and determine whether they succeed or fail. The core mechanic of the Cosmere RPG is rolling a 20-sided die, adding any bonuses from your character's abilities or circumstances, and comparing the result to a target number, a difficulty set by the GM. Meeting or exceeding this target number means your character succeeds! For especially important rolls, the GM might "raise the stakes" and include the Plot Die as well, a six-sided die marked with unique symbols that can add unfortunate complications or beneficial opportunities to the roll. If abilities or circumstances grant your roll an advantage, you can roll multiple copies of your choice of the d20, Plot Die, or damage dice (if you're attacking), and choose the higher one. If you have a disadvantage, you'll choose the lower one.

Player characters choose attributes and paths that allow them to customize their character as they advance, taking abilities and specialties from one path or many as they grow and change. In combat, players attack by making a test with the core mechanic: rolling a d20, adding their weapon skill, and comparing it to the target's defense value. A success deals full damage to the target's health, but even on a failure, players can spend a resource called focus to "graze" the target and still deal some damage. Conversations, or social encounters, work similarly, but use negotiation skills instead of combat-based ones, and the target's defense value is their Cognitive instead of Physical defense, and they can spend available focus to resist being swayed. Endeavors, which cover various things like traversal, chases, and investigations, are a structured way to resolve longer challenges that require multiple rolls to accomplish.

Using magic also works with the core mechanic; once players have access to magical abilities, they'll roll to use them just like any other skill. Talents gained from paths grant more powerful skills as characters level up.