Bright-Dark 3d6 Role-Playing Game - Rest & Recovery

Healing in Bright‑Dark is physical and emotional. This section explains how characters rest, recover, and regain strength after danger or hardship.

REST & RECOVERY

Rest is the moment where hope returns. There are short rests and full rests. There are also rules for when either of these rests are unsafe or magical.

Short Rest (about 10 minutes)

Conscious characters who take a breather after a scene of exertion, such as combat or a chase, may recover 1 Stamina. They may only recover Stamina spent in the most recent scene of exertion, not from earlier scenes.

A short rest may allow any character to recover 1 Ether only if the moment is peaceful, meaningful, or emotionally resonant.

Full Rest (Night’s Sleep)

A full rest is a night of sleep in a safe place. During a full rest, characters recover all Stamina, all Ether, and 1 Health. They remove dizzy, shaken, fatigue, and most minor conditions. Severe conditions (poison, curse, corruption) remain untreated. If you choose a full day of bedrest, recover 2 health instead of 1.

Any Unsafe Rest

If characters attempt to rest in a wounded place, cursed site, or dangerous environment, they recover Stamina but not Ether or Health. Conditions may linger. 

The GM may call for an Endurance roll if the environment’s wound presses on them during an unsafe rest.

Magical or Ritual Rest

Some sacred or meaningful places such as shrines, lanterns, sacred groves, forgotten altars, may offer special rest that provides its own benefits in addition to any other rest taken.

As narratively suitable and at the GM’s discretion, these places may restore Ether, restore Health, remove conditions, grant clarity or visions, or soothe wounds.

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Bright-Dark 3d6 Role-Playing Game - Equipment

 EQUIPMENT

No Catalog

There is no catalog of weapons, armor, or other items. In this game, rely on your creativity when picking out starting equipment or shopping for new items. What do you need to solve the next problem? Is it available within the fiction?

Starting Equipment

At character creation, your character begins with all equipment that suits their concept, background, and story. Equipment should support the character’s identity and the tone of the game, not restrict it.

GMs should restrict starting characters from having armor that grants a Defense TN of 13 or higher, as it makes them too hard to hit and spoils the tone of Bright-Dark.

Weapons

Most weapons deal 1d6 + modifier damage. Strength is added to melee weapons; Agility is added to ranged weapons. For variety, the GM may use the following guidelines:

• Improvised weapons: 1d3 damage
• Light or small weapons: 1d6-1 damage (minimum 1)
• Average weapons: 1d6 damage
• Large, heavy, or two-handed weapons: 1d6+1 damage

Armor

Armor provides some protection. These Defense TNs are guidelines; the fiction determines what armor looks like.

• Unarmored: TN 8
• Light Armor (Quilted or Leather Armor): TN 9
• Medium Armor (Banded Armor, Mail Armor): TN 10
• Heavy Armor (Plate), (rare): TN 11
• Shield, Wooden: (TN +1)

Defense TN

Defense TN describes how exposed you are rather how protected, well defended, or skilled at defense you are. Defense TN reflects the moment, not the character. Armor changes your Defense TN, not attributes like Agility. Situational Modifiers (see Core Mechanics) in play due to exposure may apply to rolls to hit you:

• Partial Cover or darkness: -1
• Flanked or Being Surrounded: +1
• Grappled, Knocked Down, or Prone: +1
• 0 (zero) Stamina or conditions like sickness: +1

Item Management and Encumbrance

There are no slots and no encumbrance rules. Bright-Dark is not about simulation or bookkeeping, it's about the fiction and the tone. If a player wants equipment that feels excessive or out of tone, the GM may ask how the character carries it or how it fits their concept.

Players and GMs should consider what is appropriate, grounded, and fitting for the character. Small or common items (rope, chalk, flint, quiver of arrows, etc.) are assumed to be included if they make sense.

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Bright-Dark 3d6 Role-Playing Game - Character Improvement

Bright‑Dark characters grow slowly and meaningfully. Improvement reflects healing, learning, and quiet perseverance, not power fantasy. This section explains how characters advance over time.

CHARACTER IMPROVEMENT

Character improvement should expand depth, not breadth.

Improvement is milestone-based. A milestone is achieved when players complete an adventure and either redeem a shadow, restore a light, or fail and bring ruination. Milestones typically occur every one to three sessions, depending on the pace of the story. 

At each milestone, a character may choose one of the following:

• Improve one attribute by 1 (up to +3)
• Add a talent (Recommended cap of 3 Talents)
• Add +2 to maximum Health (cap 20 + Strength modifier)
• Add +1 to one resource (Stamina or Ether, up to their caps which are defined in the Resources section)

Some improvements may require training or guidance from an NPC if they do not fit the character’s established experience. For example, learning to swim or cast magic without prior exposure may require a tutor.

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