History

Intuition

Memory

Reasoning

Short Description

Knowledge of past events, civilizations, and cultures, allowing a character to understand historical context, identify important artifacts, and apply lessons from history to present situations.

Success Criteria

Effects

Modifiers and Restrictions

Action Examples

Situation: You discover a statue of a cloaked warrior holding a cracked blade. Action: Use History to recognize the figure’s identity and significance in galactic lore.Roll vs DR 90+ depending on the obscurity: Success reveals the figure’s role in past conflicts or myths, unlocking narrative clues, faction bonuses, or coded messages.'

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Situation: You've just encountered a powerful organization with unknown motives. Action: Use History to recall past records, political movements, key figures, or notable events involving this group. Roll vs DR 100+ depending the situation: On success, you uncover the faction’s historical alliances, rivalries, leadership style, and past scandals, potentially giving you a bonus to strategic or diplomatic skill checks involving them - or insight into how to exploit internal weaknesses.

Long Description

History is the study of past events, major figures, political shifts, and cultural developments across different time periods and civilizations. It allows characters to recall significant dates, trace the origins of traditions, identify historical parallels, or recognize legendary figures and their impact.

This skill is useful when exploring ruins, evaluating ancient texts, or engaging with factions that value legacy and tradition. It pairs well with skills like Archeology (to interpret physical remains), Alien Lore (to place non-human histories in context), or Humanistic Sciences (to connect cultural practices with their historical roots). Skilled historians often uncover hidden truths or predict future conflicts by understanding the patterns of the past.

Sequencing

Potential Counters

How to use this page

All the information above is intended as a guide to help you navigate the many situations that can arise during your game. Since it's both impossible—and frankly uninspiring—to plan for every possible outcome, players are encouraged to think creatively when using their skills. Game Masters, in turn, are encouraged to embrace and support that creativity.

Whenever possible, aim to resolve situations through narrative choices, logical thinking and role playing. If that’s not feasible, agree on a Difficulty Rating (DR) using the provided Success Criteria and Modifiers. These are not rigid rules, but suggestions - starting points to help you find the right level of challenge. The player describes their intended action, and the Game Master proposes a DR. This should be open to brief discussion at the table, ideally resulting in consensus. If not, the Game Master has the final say.

It’s important to emphasize that all suggested effects, modifiers, and action examples are exactly that: suggestions. If you’re unsure how to resolve something, they offer a reliable fallback—but wherever possible, we encourage you to push boundaries. That’s where some of the most memorable and exciting moments in play are born.

Sequencing and Potential Counters are far from exhaustive. With hundreds of skills, spells, and tech modules in the game, the possibilities are too vast to list. You’re encouraged to explore combinations that make sense in your story and setting and in the situations that arise in your game. Sequencing and countering are core to Cosmic Odyssey - they’re where strategic depth meets dramatic flair, and where legendary moments often take shape. Even if no sequencing and counters are mentioned, some certainly exists and can be smartly utilized.

So explore boldly, improvise wisely, and enjoy the game as it unfolds around your choices.