Magic and Mages in Bright-Dark
Magic is not common or ordinary. It's rare and mysterious like a wonder, and dangerous too. It's also a mark of quiet prestige as the path of magic teaches you how small you are in the world, while potentially making you bigger in it. People do not casually wield magic openly or show it off. They respect it and fear it.
Magic is not a skill you improve at through study and practice. Skills are natural, technical. This is something supernatural. It's harnessed by knowledge, emotion, or will. You improve your knowledge, you grow in emotion, you build your will. Improving these qualities improves your use of magic.
Mages who misuse magic are hated. Mages are sought by those who want power.
MAGIC
Magic in Bright-Dark is shaped by will, theme, and story, not by lists of spells. It is flexible, creative, and narrative-first.
Themes
Each character’s magic is limited to a theme. A theme defines the style and limits of their magic. Most character have one theme. A rare few have two themes if it suits their story, and this typically describes characters who feel more mystical, trained, or unusual. No character should have more than two themes.
Example themes: Fire, illusion, movement, summoning, healing, shadow, memory, stone, wind, etc.
Themes are intentionally broad. They give players direction without restricting creativity.
Casting Magic
When a player wants to cast a spell, they:
- Describe the intended effect in the fiction.
- Roll vs the difficulty of the spell type: Minor Spell (TN 9) or Major Spell (TN 12).
- The player rolls 3d6 + Attribute + Talent bonus to see if the magic succeeds. Refer to the Combat Mechanics subsection in the Combat Section for more on magic mechanics.
There is no spell catalog. Magic is shaped by imagination, not by rules. This encourages players to stay engaged with the story rather than disengage to check mechanics.
Magic and the Setting
Magic is limited by the tone of the world. In Bright-Dark:
- Magic is rare, mysterious, and dangerous.
- Magic does not break physics.
- Magic has lower, middle, and upper limits defined by the setting.
- Magic may be powerful, but never superpowered.
- Magic is wondrous, but never effortless.
This helps players understand what is possible, what is risky, and what is forbidden.
Scale of Effects
Minor Spells
- Difficulty TN 9
- Small effects, immediate, personal, or subtle. One condition with a duration of the combat or 1d6 in damage or healing.
- Cost: 1 Ether
Major Spells
- Difficulty TN 12
- Large effects, dramatic, wide, lasting, or powerful. Either a powerful single spell or an AOE.
- Powerful Single Spell: either two conditions, 2d6 damage / healing, or one condition + 1d6 damage / healing, on a single character or object.
- AOE (area of effect): One condition or 1d6 in damage or healing affecting characters within a space (a diameter about 6" or one pencil length across);
- -Cost: 2 Ether for a single powerful attack, 2-3 Ether for an AOE.
World-changing effects are impossible.
Failure
- On a failure, the spell fizzles and the caster loses 1 Ether.
- On a critical failure, the spell also misfires and creates a complication determined either by the fiction or the GM. This keeps magic dangerous and interesting.
Signature Spell (Optional Rule)
A signature spell is a single, named magical effect tied to your theme. Whenever you cast that specific spell, you gain +1 to your spellcasting roll. Signature spells deepen your magical identity without expanding your theme.
Signature spells are unlocked through story, not mechanics.
A character may gain a signature spell during a moment of emotional clarity, through a ritual or sacrifice, by interacting with a wound, by learning from a spirit or mentor, through a magical misfire, or by reaching a personal milestone.
Signature spells should feel earned, personal, and tied to the character’s journey.
Magic Talents
If you are a magic-user, you may choose one of these talents as part of character improvement.
- Magic Speech: Magic words are their own language, and some creatures speak in this language. Any magic-user may have a broken understanding, but you are fluent as if a native speaker.
- Magic Sense: You faintly sense the presence of nearby magic.
- Ritual Magic: You may cast a spell as a ritual by sacrificing something meaningful (such as 1 Health or a precious item). The ritual takes about 10 minutes and automatically succeeds.
- Magic Journeyman: Add +1 to spellcasting rolls.
- Magic Master (Prerequisite: Magic Journeyman): Add +2 to spellcasting rolls. Replaces the +1 from Magic Journeyman.
- Magic Overcharge: Spend 1 additional Ether to add a bonus die to your spellcasting roll.
- Efficient Caster: Reduce Ether costs by 1 (minimum 1). Spend 0 Ether on a failure.
- Spellshield: Add +1 to resist spells or magical effects targeting you.
- Magic Reservoir: Your maximum Ether capacity increases by 1.
- Magic Recovery: You recover 1 Ether as part of a short rest.
- Magic Potency: Your spell deals +1 additional damage or healing, or its duration lasts an additional round.
- Magic Eater: You can absorb ether as an action by touching another creature. You recover +1 Ether, but you also feel your wound intensely. The creature must have at least 1 Ether to absorb which is lost. If the choice to take Ether from a friend comes from fear, despair, or temptation, gain 1 corruption.
Optional Magic Talents
- Spell Stability: You gain +1 to maintain ongoing magical effects.
- Theme Expansion: Your theme expands slightly (GM approval): fire → smoke; shadow → silence; memory → forgetting.
- Arcane Anchor: Once per day, you may stabilize a spell so it lasts longer than normal.
- Emotional Casting: When your spell aligns with your emotional state, gain +1 to the roll.
- Wound-Touched: Gain +1 when casting spells that interact with the world’s wounds.
Optional Rule: Wild Magic
Magic is unpredictable. Sometimes it surges. Sometimes it bites. There can be cursed areas that affect magic in ways that a magic-user can't anticipate. There can be personal curses that affect your control. Emotional instability or proximity to the world's wound can also cause wild magic.
When you cast a spell, designate one die of your 3d6 spellcasting roll to be your Wild Die.
After rolling:
If the Wild Die shows a 1 (backlash), subtract your highest die from the total result. This dramatically increases the chance of failure and complication.
If the Wild Die shows a 6 (surge), the Wild Die explodes! Roll an additional d6 and add it to your total. If that die is also a 6, it explodes again. This dramatically increases the chance of powerful, dramatic success.
Download: Character Sheet
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