Resonance Abilities in the Cosmere RPG

[Jult]

Personally, the talents in this game that I was looking forward to the most were the resonance abilities associated with each Order since we didn't get to see many of them in the books. So, now that the rules are out, I'd like to see people's feelings on them.

Note: These aren't specifically referred to as "resonance abilities" in the game. But they are the unique talents for each Order, and they occupy the same slot in each talent tree as Reverse Lashings do for Windrunners. So, I am deducing (perhaps incorrectly) that they ARE the resonance abilities.

Here's how they shake out per the rules that were released today (paraphrased for succinctness and to avoid explaining too many game mechanics):

1. Bondsmith: There is no Bondsmith path in the game.
2. Windrunner: "Reverse Lashings" of course
3. Skybreaker: "Soaring Destruction" - After using a lashing, you can spend a focus point to gain an extra action that must be spent on using Division or a Division talent. So, nothing too crazy here. They're basically just good at using both Surges in rapid succession. 
4. Dustbringer: "Searing Dust Storm" - Create a cloud of obscuring dust when you move. Enemies in the cloud take extra damage. Pretty metal.
5. Edgedancer: "Edgedancer's Grace" - As long as you are invested, you get an extra Reaction on your turn that can be used to Dodge without spending focus. Pretty useful for avoiding damage, but nothing world shattering.
6. Truthwatcher: "Spiritual Healing" - When healing yourself or others, you can choose to use Investiture to restore half as much focus as you would have health instead. Sort of healing the mind instead of the body; which is nice.
7. Lightweaver: "Physical Illusion" - Create a physical illusion with its own health and defenses. You control it and it can perform actions and skill tests (4th ideal required). Very cool and useful.
8. Elsecaller: "Elsecaller Perspicacity" - Advantage on reactions, deduction tests, and tests to peer between realms. Seems they're just extra perceptive.
9. Willshaper: "Spiritual Cohesion" - This one has the most mechanics-heavy description.. But, basically, you can strengthen the determination of your allies which makes them less likely to fail at things they attempt and can potentially bolster their Cognitive and Spiritual defenses as well.
10. Stoneward: "Cohesive Teamwork" - Whenever you gain advantage, your next ally to attack also gets advantage. Additionally, you cannot be forcibly moved or knocked prone when this effect triggers. Great support/tank feature.

 

[VersatileThrenodite he/him]

On 7/23/2025 at 10:41 AM, Jult said:

Note: These aren't specifically referred to as "resonance abilities" in the game. But they are the unique talents for each Order, and they occupy the same slot in each talent tree as Reverse Lashings do for Windrunners. So, I am deducing (perhaps incorrectly) that they ARE the resonance abilities.

This seems like a mix of resonances or each Order getting to be better at a primary surge than others. Also I thought the windrunner resonance was Squires. 

Edited July 24, 2025 by VersatileThrenodite

[Jult]

4 hours ago, VersatileThrenodite said:

This seems like a mix of resonances or each Order getting to be better at a primary surge than others. Also I thought the windrunner resonance was Squires. 

A resonance should be a power that emerges by combining both Surges that the Radiant has access to. I would think a Reverse Lashing would count since it uses both Gravitation and Adhesion. But I guess you could argue that it's just using the two Surges at once and not necessarily combining them. As I said, I'm not certain these are all resonances. But they are all unique to their Order and some seem to fit the description.

And, yes. You're right. There are several WoBs that say that Windrunner squires (specifically the quantity of their squires) have something to do with resonance. This is actually also reflected in the game rules. Windrunners are allowed a number of Squires equal to twice their level, whereas the other 8 Orders are only allowed a number equal to their current Ideal. 

I'm starting to think that the Orders aren't limited to one resonance each. Not just because of the Windrunners. We know Lightweavers' enhanced memories come from Resonances, which is mentioned in the Path description but is not an ability on their talent tree. And there are suspected resonances for Skybreakers, Edgedancers, and Elsecallers on the Coppermind that also don't line up with the unique talents above.

[VersatileThrenodite he/him]

2 hours ago, Jult said:

I'm starting to think that the Orders aren't limited to one resonance each. Not just because of the Windrunners. We know Lightweavers' enhanced memories come from Resonances, which is mentioned in the Path description but is not an ability on their talent tree. And there are suspected resonances for Skybreakers, Edgedancers, and Elsecallers on the Coppermind that also don't line up with the unique talents above.

One of my IRL friends thinks that each order has an expression of one of their surges that's spiritual or cognitive in addition to the effects that manifest in the physical. Like windrunner squires are because they have a sort of spiritual gravitation effect. 

[Jult]

15 minutes ago, VersatileThrenodite said:

One of my IRL friends thinks that each order has an expression of one of their surges that's spiritual or cognitive in addition to the effects that manifest in the physical. Like windrunner squires are because they have a sort of spiritual gravitation effect. 

I like that idea a lot. So much that I mixed the talent list above with the known and "potential" resonances on the Coppermind page for Resonances to produce a table supporting it:

Order	Physical Resonance	Cognitive/Spiritual Resonance
Windrunners	Reverse Lashing	Extra Squires
Skybreakers	Soaring Destruction	"Detect guilt/innocence"
Dustbringers	Searing Dust Storm
Edgedancers	Edgedancer's Grace	"Superior communication"
Truthwatchers		Spiritual Healing
Lightweavers	Physical Illusion	Enhanced Memory
Elsecallers	Elsecaller Perpicacity	"Internal GPS"
Willshapers		Spiritual Cohesion
Stonewards	Cohesive Teamwork (Immovable)	Cohesive Teamwork (Buff Allies)
Bondsmiths	Radiant Synergy	Connection

Bondsmiths have so much going on that it's hard to pick just two. And the Elsecaller abilities kind of both lean towards Cognitive. But I feel like the rest fits decently.

[VersatileThrenodite he/him]

34 minutes ago, Jult said:

Bondsmiths have so much going on that it's hard to pick just two

The bondsmiths seem way to unique. Navani seems to have a different set of powers compared to Dalinar for example

[DSCrankshaw]

You also can't play Bondsmiths in the RPG, so their abilities are not mechanically defined. We do learn that Bondsmiths get squires, but the squires don't get the ability to make bonds*, only to use the adhesion and tension normally, and their squires retain their abilities for months away from their Bondsmiths, rather than a few hours. At least part of the purpose of these two items seems to be to make it possible to make PCs squires of the Bondsmiths, without handing out the whole bond making ability or requiring Navani or Dalinar to travel with them.

* I'd been wondering whether Adolin might have Bondsmith squire abilities, which is what allowed him to alter his bond with Maya and summon the deadeyes to help. That doesn't match this description, but again, this seems to be partly for game mechanics' sake, and may not entirely align with the books.

[Sythrin]

On 7/23/2025 at 5:41 PM, Jult said:

• Bondsmith: There is no Bondsmith path in the game.
• Windrunner: "Reverse Lashings" of course
• Skybreaker: "Soaring Destruction" - After using a lashing, you can spend a focus point to gain an extra action that must be spent on using Division or a Division talent. So, nothing too crazy here. They're basically just good at using both Surges in rapid succession. 
• Dustbringer: "Searing Dust Storm" - Create a cloud of obscuring dust when you move. Enemies in the cloud take extra damage. Pretty metal.
• Edgedancer: "Edgedancer's Grace" - As long as you are invested, you get an extra Reaction on your turn that can be used to Dodge without spending focus. Pretty useful for avoiding damage, but nothing world shattering.
• Truthwatcher: "Spiritual Healing" - When healing yourself or others, you can choose to use Investiture to restore half as much focus as you would have health instead. Sort of healing the mind instead of the body; which is nice.
• Lightweaver: "Physical Illusion" - Create a physical illusion with its own health and defenses. You control it and it can perform actions and skill tests (4th ideal required). Very cool and useful.
• Elsecaller: "Elsecaller Perspicacity" - Advantage on reactions, deduction tests, and tests to peer between realms. Seems they're just extra perceptive.
• Willshaper: "Spiritual Cohesion" - This one has the most mechanics-heavy description.. But, basically, you can strengthen the determination of your allies which makes them less likely to fail at things they attempt and can potentially bolster their Cognitive and Spiritual defenses as well.
• Stoneward: "Cohesive Teamwork" - Whenever you gain advantage, your next ally to attack also gets advantage. Additionally, you cannot be forcibly moved or knocked prone when this effect triggers. Great support/tank feature.

Gonna be honest. Kinda disappointing that there is no new hybrid surge in the rpg. Like only reverse lashing and physical illusion are the only ones and we already knew them.

(Maybe the truthwatchers too. Kinda reminds of emotional manipulation or soul manipulation. Which kinda fits to be honest)

All others are just game mechanics rather than real surges.

Gonna ask myself, do the other orders not have any hybrid surges or is it just not shown yet? If the former, a bit disappointing and screws a bit with the magic system, if the later speaks against the rpg as when the books come out in 10 years and we find out more, than the rpg-books need to be changed.

 

[RedBlue]

The ‘new’ ones I like from a narrative perspective:

• Dustbringers. Kicking up a massive dust cloud is on theme for them, and obscuring an area at will is a neat ability.
• Edgedancers. They’re supernaturally nimble. Very simple, but could make for fun scenes. Also, checks out with Lift’s whole deal.
• Truthwatchers. The ability to make another person feel refreshed and emotionally stable. Sounds OP in this setting, but I like the idea.

The ‘new’ one I’m not sold on:

• Skybreaker. The rules imply that they can essentially dual-wield surges really well, but I don’t recall that being an issue for any of the other Orders, so … not sure what the Skybreakers are doing, in story terms, that is different.

The talents are described in story terms in the pages following the talent tree diagrams. From those: Willshapers can ‘raise the spirits’ of those around them, and Stonewards ‘show allies where to intuitively hold the line.’ I take this to mean that:

• Willshapers are supernaturally good at making people feel uplifted.
• Stonewards are supernaturally good at coordinating a team.

I’m not sure if I like these. They are very straightforward, and maybe a bit woolly. But if the effects of these abilities are strong enough to have a meaningful impact, they could make really awesome scenes. In the books, I do want to see Venli turn into a person who can rally a crowd in a good way, and I do want to see Taln orchestrate a really awesome team fight.

[Elite01]

I think there is a difference between a resonance and a “surge combo” 

windrunner resonance - additional squire 

Windrunner surge combo - reverse lashing 

 

the rules seem to have an additional feature that could be a surge combo or a resonance 

 

personally I think it would be interesting to homebrew features that make willshapers and elsecallers better in the cognitive realm. Maybe willshapers are better at sculpting beads and elsecallers are better at manifesting.

or maybe edgedancers get good at handling animals? We see lift talk to that one urchin and that is theorized to be a resonance. It’s unclear so in game terms giving the most nature based order a nature buff seems appropriate 

another idea a friend of mine had was doing something similar to the dustbringer ability to kick up dust when using abrasion, so maybe edgedancers can cause plants to grow behind them, creating difficult terrain