Cosmic Legends of the Universe

In the great Hall of Heroes are assembled the world's greatest superheroes -- the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!

A tabletop roleplaying game. (Markdown source on github.)

Current Status: Nearing Completion (shooting for 1 March, 2022)

The System

Cosmic Legends of the Universe uses a modified version of the Harmony Drive system created by Peach Garden Games.

Read about Cosmic Legends of the Universe in the [Learn to Play CLotU Wiki](https://github.com/caderaspindrift/cosmiclegends/wiki)

Issues, Story Arcs, Series, and Volumes

Each individual game session is known as an Issue. Most stories will resolve over one Issue, but some can take longer.

When you create a new hero, you define a Story Arc that describes a specific lesson you'd like them to learn or a specific experience you'd like them to have.  Once your hero finishes your Story Arc, both your hero and your fellow players' heroes advance in skill or power.

A ongoing campaign is known as a Series, and the Series begins with Volume 1. 

Once all of the heroes have had a chance to play out their Story Arcs, the Editor and heroes play out a final Issue that brings together the previous Story Arcs, and the Volume ends.  

At the end of a Volume, your hero develops new powers or finds new ways to use their existing powers.

The Classes

• The Divine - Empowered by the gods, a child born of god and mortal, or a god in their own right.
• The Dynamo- Living generator of superhuman energies.
  
• The Expatriate - Using good ol' fashioned human ingenuity in an exotic environment.
• The Expert - Master of their profession or combat style.
• The Haunt - An undead spirit cursed to walk the Earth.
• The Hellspawn - Wields infernal powers in the cause of justice.
• The Inventor - A genius using a wide range of advanced technologies.
  
• The Kid - A newcomer on the hero scene, full of youthful exuberance.
• The Knight - A skilled warrior waging a battle against crime and injustice.
• The Mage - Wielder of mystical power, but always at a cost.
  
• The Monarch - Ruler of a hidden kingdom, armed with control of their domain and unfamiliar technology and/or magic.
• The Monstrosity - A walking engine of mass destruction.
  
• The Paragon - A beacon of hope whose superhuman might is used to protect others.
• The Psychic - Walks the mental pathways to find those who are lost.
  
• The Revenant - A corpse animated by a spirit that has transcended death.
• The Shaper - Able to control matter or force of nature.
• The Speedster - A blur of velocity and savior of those in danger.
• The Totem - A hero infused with the powers of the natural world.
• The Twins - A pair of heroes who combine their abilities to fight as one.
• The Wheelman - Master pilot or driver of a one-of-a-kind vehicle.

The Approaches

Each hero's nature is defined by their scores in 5 different Approaches, which represent their preferred ways to solve problems.

• Action - a direct, straight-forward approach
• Adventure - a reactive approach, adapting to changing situations
• Detective - a logical approach, based on gathering information
• Mystery - a subtle approach, incorporating hidden motives and actions
• Suspense - an approach based on using the senses to become aware of the environment

Your hero's Approaches start at 1 for each, and you have 5 additional points to distribute to them.

Fighting Style

Your hero specializes in one style of fighting, whether they attack with their fists or their powers. Those styles are:

• Acrobat
• Ace
• Brawler
• Controller
• Demolisher
• Find Weakness
• Frenzy
• Interceptor
• Inspiration
• Harrier
• Jester
• Martial Artist
• Makeshift Weapons
• Meteor
• Mediator
• Medic
• Rescuer
• Sniper
• Tactician
• Warlord
• Weapon Master

Skills

Outside of a fight, your hero has one or more skills from their civilian life -- from their secret identity, their profession before their secret origin, or their advanced heroic training. The skills are:

• Academic
• Artist
• Criminal
• Engineer
• Explorer
• Hacker
• Historian
• Investigator
• Journalist
• Lawyer
• Mystic
• Officer
• Performer
• Physician
• Pilot
• Politician
• Scientist
• Socialite
• Spy

Motivations

Each hero has five motivations that drive them to feats of superhuman courage. These are single words that can be chosen freely by the players; there's no set list.

For example, one hero could have these five Motivations:

• Truth
• Justice
• Responsibility
• Restraint
• Hope

When your hero uses all five of their motivations in a Story Arc, they unlock their Nova Power and can use that until the end of the current Arc.

Crises

Any encounter requiring your hero's unique superheroic talents and powers is known as a Crisis. Each Crisis is rated in four Goals that describe how the heroes tackle the crisis:

• Smash - defeating the Crisis through brute force
• Outwit - trick, persuade, or control the Crisis
• Allay - understand and address the source of the Crisis
• Rescue - save people or property from the Crisis

When the Crisis's Goals have been met five times, in any combination, it is resolved.