Threat Profile

Intuition
Empathy
Boldness

Short Description

Gauge an opponent’s general combat effectiveness, stance, and condition compared to your own.

Success Criteria

Effects

Modifiers and Restrictions

Action Examples

Just before engagement, you observe a lone swordsman. You roll Threat Profile to assess their level, detect visible injuries, and determine if they’re cautious, aggressive, or baiting you.

Roll d100 against DR 100 or opposed roll if target is actively using a skill, module or magic to change appearence.

+10 DR – Opponent uses a style different from yours (trained in a different school or environment)

+15 DR – You’ve never seen their fighting style before

+20 DR – Opponent is actively concealing their stance or injuries

+25 DR – Cultural or factional context is unknown

Long Description

Threat Profile gives you a fast snapshot of the enemy’s capacity—helping you adapt tactics accordingly. With a successful roll, you can estimate level, health status, preferred weapon or spell type, and basic fighting style. You’ll also sense if their style is reactive, aggressive, or deceptive.

It works best when the opponent shares your discipline (e.g., melee vs. melee), and becomes harder when analyzing unfamiliar combat archetypes. Still, in skilled hands, it can help identify overconfidence, injuries, or subtle bluffs before it's too late.

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.