BrightSword is a fantasy role-playing game. Players of BrightSword take on the role of one of the many people of Faelon. These roles are called Adventurers. An Adventurer is an in-game persona or avatar of the player. The Gamemaster (GM) places the Adventurers in a setting and describes it to them and the Adventurers interact with the people and creatures the GM describes. Depending on the setting, the back story, the tasks the Adventurers are to accomplish and, most importantly the players’ and GM’s desires and imaginations, an Adventurer can be chosen from a nearly limitless set of possibilities: a Falkaaran Wizard, a Haradelan Knight, a Thormenalan Mercenary, a Kandoran Necromancer, a Koronnan Spy, a Traazorite Legionnaire – the realms of Faelon provide a fascinating and dangerous world in which to live and find one’s fortune.
Some of the key aspects of BrightSword are:
The D30 System. The ability of someone in a given skill is represented by the die they roll to take actions using that skill: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d14, d16, d20, d24 or d30. The higher the die, the more likely success becomes. The dice "spike" (rolls are open-ended). Critical hits or successes are scored when a player rolls 10 more than he needs to succeed. Players may “split” their rolls into groups of smaller dice to make success more likely or to attack multiple opponents.
The Magic System. At the birth of the world, the forces that brought it about formed a unified whole. Organic and inorganic substances and the energies that combined and linked them were simply all faces of the same singular totality. When some of these aspects of the creator rebelled against the others, the remaining aspects sundered magic in twain to keep any of the Children, inhabitants of Faelon, from assisting the rebels. A balance was struck that kept any mortal from assimilating the whole of magic back into him or herself. Casters in Faelon choose one of the forms of Energy or Spirit Magic and are often found battling those who try to seek ultimate power through the combination of both. When large amounts of both types of magic are used in the same area, the Gaalbohr (well of the Gods) fills and it releases strange effects.
The Paths. Adventurers choose to follow one of the six paths laid out for them by the aspects of the creator: The Paths of the Blade, Coin, Horn, Mask, Scroll or Wheel.
