Radiant Paths - Ofer Nave

# Games > Cosmere > Stormlight > Character > Radiant Paths *from Chapter 5 — p.123-207 (also: [[Radiant Spren]])* p.130 "The ancient Knights Radiant were a group dedicated to protecting Roshar during the Desolations — the cataclysms where Odium’s forces returned to wreak havoc and destroy human society — and in the times in between, to rebuild. After the Last Desolation thousands of years ago, the knights forswore their oaths in an event called the Recreance. The power of Surgebinding was lost, and only legends remained of the Radiants and their betrayal of humanity. In the modern era, these legendary powers were rediscovered when spren began to feel a new Desolation coming, and people began to forge new spren bonds."i Not all Radiants have joined together in these formal orders; a few prefer to work alone. These independent Radiants still adhere to their Ideals, but they don’t observe an order’s traditions or hierarchy. - ten orders of ancient Knights Radiant protected humankind from the Desolations, then mysteriously abandoned them - Desolations = the cataclysms where Odium’s forces returned to wreak havoc and destroy human society - they formed bonds with bits of sapient Investiture known as spren and gained access to two of the ten surges - surges powered by Stormlight - nine playable Radiant paths - each grants access to three talent trees - one for spren bond, two for surges - nince common types of Radiant spren ban bond with humans and singers, each corresponding with an order - surge skills **Becoming a Radiant PC** - tell your GM which Order you're interested in - start conspicuously acting in a way that manifests that order's ideals to attract the appropriate spren; record spren name and type in "Connections" section - take First Ideal key talent for your Order (level 2+) - unlocks Investiture character stat (2+ awa/pre) (+the 3 stormlight actions: Breathe Stormlight, Enhance, Regenerate) - grants you goal "Speak the First Ideal" - The First Ideal talent represents that you’ve attracted the attention of a Radiant spren. - "initiate the bonding process before or after choosing the talent" - work toward goal which you'll likely complete before you gain your next level - rewarded with the two surges (add to Skills section) - Starting with the First Ideal, you’ll work toward your current goal by embodying the philosophy of your Radiant order. As you achieve significant personal milestones, the GM will have you mark milestone boxes on your character sheet (see “Progressing the First Ideal” for example milestones). Once you’ve marked all three milestone boxes toward your Ideal goal, the rules of your talent allow you to speak the Words — but you might want to wait until a particularly fitting moment in the story (see the upcoming “Saying the Words” section). Each time you take a step like the above in a dramatic or narratively satisfying way, ask the GM if you can mark a milestone box. All orders share the First Ideal: “Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination.” You’ll generally swear an Ideal “on camera” during a scene, ideally at the climax of a narrative arc. Once you’ve marked all three milestone boxes, you can collaborate with your GM to plan a fitting moment — or when the timing feels right, either you or your GM can suggest swearing an Ideal during that scene. If you both agree, the GM prompts you to “speak the Words” for that Ideal. After you do so, the GM replies that “these Words are accepted,” and your goal is complete. This game tracks your progression through each Ideal via special Ideal goals (see chapter 8), which you acquire from the corresponding Ideal talent Each time you complete an Ideal goal, your character bursts alight with power! As stated in each Ideal’s talent, you become Empowered until the end of the current scene, and you unlock any remaining benefits from that talent. -- Like your First Ideal talent, your new Ideal talent doesn’t immediately grant all its benefits; instead, you gain a new goal that’ll eventually allow you to swear its Ideal. (three milestones) represents strengthening your spren bond and demonstrating growth toward your IDeal to become worth of it For higher Ideals, the Words differ for each person and order. Some orders have more structured themes, while others are entirely personalized for each Radiant. Only a handful of modern Knights Radiant have sworn the Fourth Ideal. While each order of Radiants has a Fifth Ideal, it hasn’t been spoken by any living person for over two thousand years. These Words are lost to time, and characters in this game can’t achieve it (yet). Squires: TODO spren bond - scholars call the "Nahel bond" a linking of spirits / symbiotic relationship that grants benefits to both partners - spren gains ability to manifest in Physical Realm wo/losing their sapience or memory - person gains Surgebinding and ability to breathe in Stormlight Spren are NPCs with individual motives and preferences just like people each order has five Ideals - immortal words, their ethos and creed You must understand the Words and feel their meaning and purpose deep in your soul — a process that takes much time, growth, and dedication. #### Interacting w/Spren Your spren is both an extension of your character and an individual in their own right. Feel free to roleplay both sides of the partnership between your character and their spren — but at times, the GM may speak through your spren, maybe even sharing information that you and your character don’t know. In this way, roleplaying a spren is a joint effort between you and the GM. Together, you shape the personality of your spren. The section for your order describes the spren associated with it, but each spren is unique, and discovering your spren’s personality through play can be a very fun and rewarding experience. Your spren doesn’t have a stat block and they don’t take turns of their own; instead, they serve more as a force of nature who can act whenever it suits the shared story. In combat, your spren can move up to your movement rate each round, ignoring terrain penalties when they do. A newly bonded spren temporarily loses their sapience if they move out of your spren bond range — this range begins at 30 feet, but you can increase it further with the Deepened Bond talent. In general, your spren is invisible and inaudible to other people, but this varies between spren, as described in the section for each Radiant order. Even if your spren is inaudible to others, you can’t hear their voice unless they’re reasonably close to you (or have the ability to communicate telepathically). You generally need to speak aloud to communicate with your spren, which can potentially reveal your position to other characters. However, once you speak the Third Ideal and can manifest your spren as a Radiant Shardblade, you can carry on silent telepathic conversations while touching them. When you give your spren a specific task, such as answering a difficult question or doing something to assist you, the GM may require you to spend some FP to gain a benefit from the interaction. This reflects the fact that spren aren’t creatures of the Physical Realm; they may have difficulty understanding or explaining concepts, requiring additional attention on your part. can spend IP to activate surges, surge talents, spren bond talents, or maintain ongoing Invested effects IP = 0 → you are "non-Invested" spheres (money) act as batteries for Stormlight (infused vs dun) you usually start scenes with full IP - unless Surprised, assumed to have already used Breathe Stormlight (like drawing a weapon) if surprised → 1 IP If you have at least three times as many marks as your IP total, it’s assumed you have enough infused spheres to draw from. - if tracking resources, you recover 1 IP for each infused mark or broam you drain **Light & Anti-Light** - During your adventures, you’ll primarily use Stormlight, but Investiture can also appear in rarer forms like Lifelight or Voidlight, or even hybrids like Towerlight. - p.124 - each has an inverse (anti-Stormlight) - These Lights glow differently and are horribly destructive when they encounter their opposite Invested effects vs Investiture effects infusions | Order | Surges | Str | Spd | Int | Wil | Awa | Pre | | :---------------: | :-----------------------------: | :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: | :-: | | **Windrunners** | Adhesion + Gravitation | | | | | ✔ | ✔ | | **Skybreakers** | Gravitation + Division | | | ✔ | | ✔ | | | **Dustbringers** | Division + Abrasion | | ✔ | ✔ | | | | | **Edgedancers** | Abrasion + Progression | | ✔ | | | ✔ | | | **Truthwatchers** | Progression + Illumination | | | | | ✔ | ✔ | | **Lightweavers** | Illumination + Transformation | | | | ✔ | | ✔ | | **Elsecallers** | Transformation + Transportation | | | ✔ | ✔ | | | | **Willshapers** | Transportation + Cohesion | | | ✔ | ✔ | | | | **Stonewards** | Cohesion + Tension | ✔ | | | ✔ | | | | **Bondsmiths** | Tension + Adhesion | ✔ | | | | | ✔ | ## Radiant Orders | Order | Surges *Spren* | *Philosophy* Intro | Ideals | | :------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------------------------: | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Windrunners** *p.198* | **Adhesion** **Gravitation** *Honorspren* | *Protect the innocent and the defenseless.* In the modern era, when the average person thinks of the archetypal Knight Radiant, they picture a Wind runner: a hero soaring through the sky who stops at nothing to see others safe. Windrunners are the scouts and special forces of the Knights Radiant, wielding the surges of Adhesion and Gravitation. The first allows them to create powerful bonds between objects, such as sticking an enemy’s clothing or weapon to the floor. They use the second to glide through and above the battlefield, dynamically changing the direction gravity affects them. | 2. *“I will protect those who cannot protect themselves.”* 3. *“I will protect even those I hate…”* 4. Individualized. You must forgive yourself for past failures and accept that though you can’t save everyone, you must still fight to protect those you can. | | **Skybreakers** *p.164* | **Gravitation Division** *Highspren* | *Enforce the law and strive for justice.* Skybreakers are justice incarnate, ensuring that power is never abused and that order never devolves into chaos. Though other Radiant orders see them as rigid fanatics, Skybreakers typically use moral codes and legal structures to fight for justice, protect civilization, and champion vital causes. They are the bane of tyrants, violent criminals, anarchists, and all who seek to pervert the law and prey on the weak. With the surges of Gravitation and Division, Skybreakers can bypass or annihilate nearly any obstacle that hinders them from delivering justice. | 2. *“I swear to seek justice, to let it guide me, until I find a more perfect Ideal.”* 3. *“I swear to follow…”* An oath pledging yourself to a singular authority: A code of conduct, law, specific person. 4. Individualized. You pledge to take on a personal quest with the permission of (or in keeping with the tenets of) your pledged entity. | | **Dustbringers** *p.132* | **Division Abrasion** *Ashspren* | *Great power requires strong discipline.* Dustbringers enjoy engineering and taking things apart to learn how they work. The surges of Division and Abrasion make them incredibly hard to pin down, giving them a great advantage as mobile artillery and sappers on the battlefield. Division allows them to selectively decay and destroy, whether by disabling war machines, rending the air into flame, or destroying weapons, armor, and structures. With Abrasion, they can make any part of themselves frictionless, enabling them to slip, slide, and dodge at incredible speeds. | 2. *"To control my power, I will control myself.”* 3. *“To understand my power, I will understand what power is.”* 4. Individualized. Requires acknowledgment that all power is accompanied by obligation, and that ignoring your responsibility can have dire consequences. | | **Edgedancers** *p.140* | **Abrasion Progression** *Cultivationspren* | *Remember and serve those who others forget.* An Edgedancer’s core duty is to provide service and assistance to the common people. These Radiants generally prefer to avoid combat, instead using their surges of Abrasion and Progression to perform triage for the wounded, rescue the trapped, and create cover for noncombatants. However, when necessary, Edgedancers reveal their deadly grace, vexing their opponents with their speed, literal slipperiness, and ability to grow obstacles and cages from plants. | 2. *“I will remember those who have been forgotten.”* 3. *“I will listen to those who have been ignored.”* 4. Individualized. Progresses you into advocacy: carrying ordinary people’s concerns to those with power to address them. | | **Truthwatchers** *p.180* | **Progression Illumination** *Mistspren* | *Search for fundamental truth and share it.* The cosmere contains countless secrets and mysteries. Truthwatchers live to uncover and solve as many as possible, acting as the researchers and investigative reporters of the Knights Radiant. Their quest for knowledge can take them almost anywhere, and their surges of Progression and Illumination empower them with illusions and plant structures as they explore enemy strongholds or long-lost ruins. Meanwhile, the power of Regrowth helps them survive the experience, providing crucial healing for themselves and their allies. A Truthwatcher with an Enlightened mistspren partner can gain additional power from the Future Sight talent, granting them visions of possible futures and even more paths to discovery. | 2. *“I will seek truth wherever it is hidden.”* 3. *“I will reveal truth to all who seek it.”* 4. Individualized. Requires you to acknowledge the likely consequences of sharing well-kept secrets and knowledge forbidden by the powerful, and then to share those truths despite the risks — no matter who might try to ignore or silence you, and no matter what price you might pay. | | **Lightweavers** *p.156* | **Illumination Transformation** *Cryptic* | *Separate truth from lies.* The Order of Lightweavers includes many painters, musicians, sculptors, thespians, and practitioners of similar arts. These Radiants create works of beauty to boost the morale of their comrades and the common people — but they also serve as the spies of the Knights Radiant. Using the surge of Illumination to deceive the senses and the surge of Transformation to alter their surroundings, Lightweavers excel at clandestine operations to gather information and sow confusion in enemy ranks. | 2-4. You must speak an uncomfortable and difficult truth about yourself, one you must recognize and address to grow as a person. | | **Elsecallers** *p.148* | **Transformation Transportation** *Inkspren* | *Strive to reach your true potential.* Elsecallers have the strongest connection to the Cognitive Realm of all the Radiant Orders. They use the surges of Transformation and Transportation to outwit and outmaneuver their enemies while turning their surroundings into weapons. Transformation allows an Elsecaller to converse with the Cognitive aspect of objects, offering Stormlight and potentially convincing them to become a different material. Meanwhile, Transportation generates temporary personal perpendicularities — passageways between the Physical and Cognitive Realms — allowing the Elsecaller to peer into and travel strategically through Shadesmar. | 2-4. No strict patterns or themes. | | **Willshapers** *p.190* | **Transportation Cohesion** *Lightspren* | *Seek freedom and choice for all peoples.* Willshapers embody freedom. This can be the freedom of liberating the captive, but also the freedom of choice and self-expression. They’re the builders and crafts people of the Knights Radiant, laying the foundations of not only buildings, but of civilization. These Radiants use the surge of Transportation to bypass physical obstacles and travel using Shadesmar, and they use Cohesion to soften the walls and chains that prevent people from being free. | 2. *“I will seek freedom for those in bondage.”* 3. *“I will fight oppression…”* End your own way. 4. Individualized. Requires you to instead focus on the people you’re helping. | | **Stonewards** *p.172* | **Cohesion Tension** *Peakspren* | *Be the support on which others can depend.* The Order of Stonewards are the heavy infantry of the Knights Radiant, standing side by side with their allies as an unflinching vanguard. With their two surges, Cohesion and Tension, the entire environment is theirs to wield. They can use Cohesion to sculpt stone and earth, strategically blocking and slowing their enemies while creating vantage points and cover for their allies. With Tension, they can turn even the softest materials into powerful weapons and armor. And their focus on teamwork makes them an invaluable part of any unit. | 2. *“I will step forward when others fall back.”* 3. *“I will be the foundation on which others can build.”* 4. Individualized. Recognizes that it’s impossible to consistently help others if you don’t care for yourself. | | **Bondsmiths** *p.206* | **Tension Adhesion** *Stormfather Sibling Nightwatcher* | *Unite before you divide, and strive for peace before engaging in war.* There are never more than three full Bondsmiths at a time, each bonded with one of three unique spren. These rarest of Radiants are the heart, soul, and commanders of the Knights Radiant, and they’re typically the most highly protected and regarded of the orders. **Not available to PCs.** | 2. *“I will unite instead of divide. I will bring people together.”* 3. *“I will take responsibility for what I’ve done. If I must fall, I will rise each time a better person.”* 4. Requires recognition that all life is precious. | ## Stormlight Actions | Cost | Action | Effect | | :--: | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ▶▶ | Breathe Stormlight | spheres wi/5'; can use even if Unconscious or prevented from using actions | | ▶ | Enhance | 1 IP → become Enhanced( Strength/Speed +1 ) until EoNT; 1 IP as ▷ → renew | | ▷ | Regenerate | 1 IP → recover 1d6 + tier HP; can use even if Unconscious or prevented from using actions | ## Spren Bond Talents #### Trees All spren bond talent trees are identical except for one talent. | Name | Prerequisites | Action | Effect | | ------------------------- | :-----------: | :----: | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **First Ideal (_Order_)** | Level 2+ | ★ | Unlock Investiture and Stormlight actions. Gain goal "Speak the First Ideal" w/reward: gain your two surges as skills w/1 rank | | — Second Ideal | Level 4+ | ★ | While Invested: Enhance as ▷ wo/spending IP. | | —— Third Ideal | Level 8+ | ★ | Manifest Radiant Shardblade. | | ——— Fourth Ideal | Level 13+ | ★ | Manifest Radiant Shardplate. | | ——— Deepened Bond | - | ∞ | Bond range to 100'. Tasking costs 1 fewer FP (min: 1). | | ——— Take Squire | - | ★ | After long rest: Choose willing, sapient companion or PC known for 1+ game sessions. Grant none, one, or both of your surges. *(Max: ideal)* | | — \<Unique Talent\> | - | - | *see below* | | —— Invested | - | ∞ | IP += tier | | ——— Wound Regeneration | - | ★ | 2 IP: heal temp injury 3 IP: heal perm injury | The exception is cryptic: ``` First Ideal (Lightweavers) ┌─▶ Take Squire │ ├─▶ Deepened Bond ├─▶ Second Ideal ───▶ Third Ideal ─┴─▶ Fourth Ideal ──┐ (requires both preqs) └─▶ Invested ───▶ Wound Regeneration ───────────────┴─▶ Physical Illusion ``` #### Unique Talents | Order/Spren/Talent | Prerequisites | Action | Effect | | --------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------: | :----: | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Dustbringers** *Ashspren* Searing Dust Storm | - | ★ | When Move along solid surface: Spend 1+ IP to kick up dust cloud in spaces of your choice for rds = IP. First time enemy in cloud takes dmg in a rd, dmg += Discipline. | | **Lightweavers** *Cryptic* Physical Illusion | Fourth Ideal Wound Regeneration | ▶▶ | 1+ IP: Simple or complex illusion, but occupies space as if real. Half weight to max of 25lbs/rank. | | **Edgedancers** *Cultivationspren* Edgedancer's Grace | Abrasion 2+ Progression 2+ | ∞ | While Invested: Gain additional ↻ to Avoid Danger \| Dodge wo/spending FP. | | **Skybreakers** *Highspren* Soaring Destruction | - | ▷ | After you Move while maintaining a Basic Lashing on yourself with your Gravitation surge, spend 1 FP to gain ▶, which can be used only for Division or one of its talents. | | **Windrunners** *Honorspren* Reverse Lashing | - | ★ | Instead of Basic Lashing w/Gravitation: Reverse Lashing w/Adhesion. (Choose type of object to attract to yourself or object.) When those objects come within a number of feet equal to your gravitation rate, they fly straight toward and stick to the infused target; this can divert ranged attacks from their intended targets. An attracted object remains on the infused target until the infusion ends or until the object is removed. | | **Elsecallers** *Inkspren* Elsecaller’s Perspicacity | Transformation 2+ Transportation 2+ | ∞ | While Invested: Adv on Deduction, reactions, and "tests to gather Information while peering between the Physical and Cognitive Realms". | | **Willshapers** *Lightspren* Spiritual Cohesion | - | ▶▶ | 1/sc: Choose 1+ allies (max: Ideal). Targets become Determined until EoS. If target uses that to add Opportunity, Cognitive & Spiritual defense += 2 until EoS. | | **Truthwatchers** *Mistspren* Spiritual Healing | Illumination 2+ Progression 2+ | ★ | 2 IP: Convert HP healing to FP recovery (half rounded up). | | **Stonewards** *Peakspren* Cohesive Teamwork | Cohesion 2+ Tension 2+ | ∞ | While Invested & after Gain Advantage: Next ally's test vs target gains adv. Until EoYNT, while standing on stone, can't be moved or knocked Prone. | ###### The Enlightened Tree For Truthwatchers who bond an Enlightened mistspren. *(Gain Future Sight for free.)* | Talent | Action | Effect | | --------------------- | :----: | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Future Sight | ★ | ask GM for vision of the future after rest or at SoS | | — Glimpse the Future | ★ | 1/rd: 1+ IP → reroll IP dice | | —— Alter Fortune | ↻ | after long rest: roll 1 + tier d20s and replace anyone's rolls with them (before determining result) | | —— Vision Void | ∞ | • you + allies wi/spren bond range are immune to enemy reroll/replace die effects • if you’re present in or strongly influencing an event, no enemy can ever see visions of that event | | — Search the Past | ★ | after long rest: Lore DCx → experience vision of 10m of past event (DC -= 10 if experienced event before) DC 10 / 13 / 16 → 1 day / 10 days / 50 days DC 19 / 22 / 25 / 30 / 35 → 1 / 10 / 100 / 1k / 10k years | | —— Vision Void | ∞ | *see above* |