Your guide to the Mistborn Worldguide

In this article, we are going to breakdown what's included in the book, going chapter by chapter so you know what you're getting into before you buy.

Note that this will not be a lore reveal for the contents of the book itself - if you want all the juicy details of the secrets of Scadrial, consider joining the Ghostbloods or buying a copy for yourself.

An important note to those who are still reading the Mistborn book series, this video will contain some degree of spoilers as I discuss the contents of the book.

The Mistborn Worldguide is a broad lore overview of the Mistborn setting the Cosmere RPG, and includes everything a gamemaster would need to know about running a campaign on Scadrial. There are bound to be some spoilers for the books, so if you are still working your way through the series, give this video and Mistborn Worldguide a pass for now.

Before we dive in, I want to address the context of the Mistborn Worldguide outside of the Cosmere RPG. If you are aren't interested in playing the Cosmere RPG, but are wondering if this book worth a purchase, I would say that generally it is.

The book casts a wide net across Era 1 and Era 2 Mistborn Lore, and is pack with plain descriptions of the complicated events from the books.

If you enjoy the simplicity of reading through an article on the Coppermind, which explains events as they happened in the books with some of the connections and context included, the Mistborn Worldguide will be a great resource.

There's also a lot of new details and lore on offer, but it is important to know that the book is set up as a Cosmere RPG resource.

This means that there are game mechanic references strewn throughout the book, so if you're looking for a pure lore-based reference guide, this will have a lot more than what you might expect.

As we discuss each chapter, I'll be sure to point out what lore topics are discussed, as well as identify what a Cosmere RPG player or gamemaster will be able to dive in to.

If not for the lore, consider picking it up for the art alone.

All of the books in the Mistborn sitting include gorgeous canon depictions of the characters and locations of Scadrial, including some that were never officially depicted before. Whether you are a diehard Mistborn lore buff, or a Cosmere RPG fan, the Worldguide is a great addition to your collection.

One last note before we dive in, most of the chapters in the Mistborn Worldguide have breakouts for Era 1 and Era 2 information separately. To mark the differences, the book uses the same Eras of Play identification system as the Mistborn Handbook.

If you haven't checked out my videos on the Mistborn Handbook and Mistborn Legacy campaign, be sure to check out those videos after you've read this article.

With that out of the way, let's go chapter by chapter breaking down the Mistborn Worldguide.

Introduction

The introduction is a quick summary of what's contained in the books, and some high level notes on the Cosmere.

The Cosmere overview is great for new players and game masters who want a quick hit of lore on the Magic system. I think this helps those who aren't deep lore buffs get a grounded perspective on things like Investiture and the Shards.

You'll definitely be thinking about both when playing in the Mistborn setting, so this creates a great foundation.

Chapter 1: The World

Chapter 1 is all about Scadrial as a setting for the Cosmere RPG.

The chapter opens with the broad themes of roleplaying on Scadrial, things the revolution and intrigue. We then get a very straight forward explanation for the important topics for the Mistborn settings.

Things like the Mists, Allomancy, Feruchemy and Hemalurgy.

This is a great resource for gamemasters who need an overview of the magic system on Scadrial beyond on the mechanics and talents of each individual metal.

The next section is an overview of the story of the Mistborn books.

We start with very basic information about the Lord Rulers ascension, and go all the way through Era 2. The topics discussed here are broad setting information, like key peoples, locations, flora and fauna. Era 2 in particular talks about how new technologies have changed the people and world of Scadrial.

Again, gamemasters for the Cosmere RPG will find a lot to like in this section.

It's a great overview of the world you're going to be trying to sell to your players.

Even if you are a long time fan of the books, this is a great chapter to review to get a sense of the meta narrative of Scadrial and all the small differences between the Eras you might encounter in gameplay.

Chapter 2: Regions and Cultures

The chapters on the Regions and Cultures of Scadrial is huge.

We'll start by learning about the three major races living on Scadrial during Era 1 and 2 of Mistborn: Humans, Kandra, and Kholos. We then dive deep in to the lands and cultures of Era 1. Each Dominance on the map of Scadrial gets a detailed background.

What makes the dominance unique, what are people living there like, and how are their cities and towns structured.

It feels like there are a lot of fresh details in this chapter.

Many of the places explored in the Worldguide are only referenced in passing in the books, yet here we have detailed descriptions of what it's like living in the Terrace Dominance.

Did you know that there are a lot cattle ranches by the Morag ashmount? You do now.

In Era 2, we get a similar breakdown of the map, learning how Scadrial has changed in the Post-Casesndre world. There is a big focus on culture here. We also get some details of something strictly, and most importantly, canonically, new: The Conrad Delta.

The Conrad Delta is a brand new location in Era 2 specifically created for the Cosmere RPG. We'll talk more about it in Chapter 7.

To me, this chapter is homebrew dream come true. With all of the canon details of Scadrial laid bare, there is so many interesting places and little details to pull at for to create campaigns, adventures, and encounters.

Chapter 3: Cosmology and Religion

In this chapter we zoom way out beyond Scadrial and take a look at the Cosmere as a whole. If you only ever read the Mistborn books or aren't completely sure how Scadrial fits in the grand scheme of the Cosmere, this is the chapter for you.

Similar to what was approached in the Stormlight Wordguide, we get a quick primer on Adonalsium and the Shattering, along with some info on the Shards. We get details of the other planets and moons in the Scadrial system. I knew there was other stuff out there, just not to this level of detail. There's even quick descriptions of the other planets in the Cosmere.

It doesn't bear too much on what's going on within the Mistborn setting for the RPG, but it's great for lore-lite folks who want a better understanding of the scope of the Cosmere.

Next, we get a ton of detail on the Preservation, Ruin, Harmony and Autonomy - the Shards that have influence over Scadrial during this point in the books. We then get a bit further down and learn alot more about the Lord Ruler, Steel Inquisitors, and a few choice religions for both Era 1 and 2.

For those here for the Cosmere RPG, there's not a ton of direct game mechanic implications in this section, its just more information.

I think Gamemasters should dive deep to understand the story being told over on Mistborn Legacy, but it's not strictly required.

Chapter 4: History of Scadrial

A secret no more, the History of Scadrial chapter is exactly what it says on the tin.

Simply put, this chapter is a walkthrough of the story of the 7 books released to date in Mistborn, covering the major events through to The Lost Metal.

It's a great recap to make sure you didn't miss anything important, and if you're playing through Mistborn Legacy and look to see the specific timeline in which that happens (no spoilers), it's handy to use this chapter as a reference.

Chapter 5: Allies and Organizations

If you already watched my Mistborn Handbook video, you'll know that the Patron system has been expanded for organizations and hideouts.

You also heard that I am gearing up to take it a step further, but that's another video all together.

In this chapter, you get an overview of many of the major characters from the Mistborn books.

For those who are strictly here for the lore, know that this section is set up as a Cosmere RPG resource.

In addition to the character's lore, we get suggestions for using these famous characters in the RPG.

What benefit would come from allying with Straff Venture?

What resources could be called in when working with the Kandra?

Most exciting in this section are notes on the Ghostbloods and the Malwish - two groups that benefit from having plain language descriptions about who they are and what they are about.

You'll get details for characters and organizations across both Eras of Scadrial's history, so there are quiet a lot to go through.

Gamemasters in particular should pour through this section for inspiration on how to work some of the biggest characters in the Mistborn books in to their own campaigns.

Chapter 6 & 7: Points of Interest

These next two chapters focus on areas on Scadrial that will make for interesting settings for homebrew campaigns.

For each location, we'll learn about their people and culture, important locations, and get inspired with some adventure prompts themed to the setting.

They're also a great source of some new lore.

In the Era 1 focused chapter, we get details familiar places like Luthadel and the Pits of Hathsin.

We also get new details on the Crescent Wastelands and the Terris Dominance.

In the Era 2 focused chapter, known locations are Bilming, Elendel, New Seran, and the Northern Roughs, and new details on a location specifically crafted for the Cosmere RPG, the Conrad Delta.

The goal in this section was to expand in to areas of Scadrial that we didn't get to experience through the world building in the original books.

These areas are the perfect place for Gamemasters to build unique adventures without the burden of canon events hanging around each corner.

I can't wait to dive in, and I love that we get the opportunity to expand the world of Scadrial.

Chapter 8: Adversaries

This is another a deeply Cosmere RPG focused chapter. Adversaries are the people and creatures our adventuring party will be fighting in combat encounters.

A warning to players: reading through this section will spoil a bit of the learning curve when it comes to combat. As a player character, you shouldn't know the details of a stat block,

Learn how to take down a new enemy the old fashion way.

The Worldguide expands the adversary count for the Cosmere RPG. If you are buying the books piecemeal, know that the Mistborn Handbook does not contain any adversary stat blocks, so if you want to populate your campaigns with something to fight you'll need the Worldguide or Mistborn Legacy to get them.

Forgive me if I misquote these numbers, but I believe that there are 60 new stat blocks in the Mistborn setting, and 25 are unique to Mistborn Legacy.

Some of that number comes from named NPC adversary stat blocks, so your milage may vary. Something for returning Stormlight setting gamemasters to know, is that the Stormlight and Mistborn settings are 100% cross compatible. Feel free to bring your Stormlight setting adversaries on to Scadrial, or send some Allomancers to Roshar.

One fun addition in Mistborn is the new mechanic of Adversary Modules.

This ruleset allows you to change the ancestry of or add Metalborn abilities to an existing adversary, and covers topics like changing their tier, adding new abilities and stats, and adjusting their overall threat level. For example, you could take the Tier 1 Rival adversary the "Rebel" and make them a Kandra or even a Tin Misting.

There are Adversary Modules for Ancestries, Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy. This might be my favorite part of the Mistborn setting, since it addresses one of the bigger challenges with a brand new RPG: not enough monsters to fight. With this system, we can build and customize a whole host of new adversaries, building on to the lists provided by each new setting.

I for one can't wait to send my party in to fight a Whitespine with a Iron Spike.

Beyond

We end the Mistborn Worldguide with three reference resources

A Pronunciation Guide to help the audiobook listeners get off our soap box, a stat block index to help you find your adversary of choice, and a glossary to help you locate a specific topic in the books.

The next step

And that's the Worldguide: A hybrid lore and RPG reference book that is, I believe essential for both the lore buff and the Gamemaster who wants to break down the secrets of Scadrial.

I'll reiterate that for players, this book is a bit of a mixed bag.

There's definitely some info you're fine to dive in to, and if you're the type of player who really likes to build out a dynamic backstory, there's a here to inspire.

At the same time, you don't want to ruin your gamemasters brilliant combat encounter by fully understanding the statblocks ahead of time.

Be sure to check out my other videos on the Mistborn Handbook and the Mistborn Legacy Campaign.

And a huge shout out to Brotherwise Games for helping me make those videos happen.

Thanks for watching, and I'll catch you on the next one.