Ritual Mastery

Memory
Empathy
Creativity

Short Description

Prepare empowering rituals that raise the stamina of your allies. Once battle begins, you can channel the ritual’s lingering energy to keep the effect active.

Success Criteria

Roll d100 versus DR 100

You only roll when you perform the ritual and use that bonus as basis for the battle. When you invoke the Ritual in combat, your allies must be within visual range or earshot to get the bonus.

Effects

First time you invoke it, those that participated get -5 + -5 bonus per 15 success rate to their fatigue threshold roll.

Second time, it is half of the original bonus.

Third (and last) time, also half of the orignal bonus.

Modifiers and Restrictions

+20 DR - Ritual is rushed or done under sub-optimal circumstances. You must have 10 minutes of calm to avoid this penalty.

+10 DR - if not all participants follow your belief etc. that is the foundation for the ritual.

-20 DR - you sacrifce an item that is important to you. Must be deleted and cannot be retrieved (GM decision).

This skill can only be used once per long rest.

Action Examples

Before battle, you gather your allies in a circle citing old combat scriptures. You have the time and calm needed, but not all participants agree with the strict scriptures that you follow. Thus, the DR will be 110. You roll a total of 125 on your skill check. This means that you can provide the following bonuses:

First time: The bonus is -10 to their rolls (you want to roll below the threshold, so negative is good).

Second and third time: The bonus is -5

Long Description

Ritual Mastery allows casters to fortify their allies against exhaustion. These rituals, performed before battle, bind energy threads around each participant. The ritualist then “plucks” these threads in combat, spending 1 AP to momentarily infuse the group with fresh stamina and resilience.

While passive in appearance, the real power lies in the ritualist’s in-battle focus. When sustained, it can help maintain spellcasting, long action chains, or defensive stances for much longer than usual. It’s particularly favored among heavy casters, long-haul fighters, or support units expecting attrition warfare.

Sequencing

Cannot be sequenced.

Potential Counters

Cannot be countered - except by breaking up the ritual.

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.