A Precision Fantasy RPG Where Combat is Ruthless and Magic is Limitless

Deep character creation. Tactical combat. Player-built magic. And consequences that are never softened.

Join the Beta
Try the Free Quickstart Challenge

Your Story, Unleashed

“Steel rings out. Magic crackles. The goblin’s shield shatters under your blow—and the outcome isn’t decided by a coin toss or a DM’s mercy, but by your next move.
This is Spellsword: where every fight is a story you’ll actually remember, and every spell is one you invent yourself.”

What Makes Spellsword Different

Designed for Mechanical Integrity

Most modern Tabletop Role-Playing Games rely on narrative intervention to create tension. Spellsword builds tension mechanically. Risk, reward, survival, power. . . All emerge from the system itself

Not Just Another Reskinned Ruleset

Many games out there are little more than a game you already know and love that someone put a pirate, ninja, or Cyberpunk theme on top of, and likely added a gimmick or two.

Spellsword is built to actually DO something meaningfully different instead of acting like the latest shiney object.

Unprecedented Player-Created Magic

Other fantasy TTRPGs give you a spell list. Some go so far as to let you tweak some values to let you customize a spell to suit your needs.

Spellsword presents an innovative spell-creation system that doesn’t require the gamemaster to give you permission to make a spell to keep things balanced. The player gains unfettered access to creativity that matters, and the GM doesn’t have to permission gate their friend’s cool ideas.

HEMA Inspired Combat

Most games use an Armor Class system to set a target number attackers must roll to hit a target. In practice, characters just stand there like straw dummies waiting to be hit.

Spellsword’s combat features active combat clashes between opponents, inspired by Historical European Martial Arts.

No More Waiting on Initiative

The age-old solution of initiative order slows gameplay and leads to scrolling, disengagement, and boredom.

So we got rid of it and replaced it with an initiative free, action point based system that frees you to make decisions when they matter, not when you are allowed to.

The Pillars of Spellsword

D100 Skill Mastery System

  • Skills scale meaningfully.
  • Success has texture.
  • Every roll matters
  • Failure has consequences.

Rune-Based Spellcrafting

  • Construct your own spells.
  • Virtually unlimited possibilities.
  • Access a library of runes as building blocks
  • Construct your own spells 
  • Virtually unlimited possibilities.

Tactical Combat with Consequences

  • Penetrate armor.
  • Inflict wounds.
  • Accumulate fatigue.
  • Every choice matters.

Companion App Automation

  • Empower your tabletop experience.
  • Speed character creation.
  • Automate crunch.

What Early Testers are Saying:

"Dude, I don't want to play other games anymore. I want to play Spellsword, so stop making excuses and let's play!
Chris JAlpha Tester
"I need to convince my buddies to give Spellsword a shot... Maybe they will be down for alternating game nights between this and D&D or Star Wars. . ."
Andrew K
"I think the two things I like the most is the precision of the rules, so I don't feel like things are incomplete or that we are left hanging, and then the sheer amount of awesome possibilities for spells."
James P

Who is Spellsword For?

Spellsword is for you if. . .

  • You enjoy mechanical depth
  • You want real risks, real stakes
  • You want emergent story, not dictated railroads
  • You like mastering in-depth systems

Spellsword is NOT for you if. . .

  • You prefer rule-light narrative focused games
  • You dislike consequences
  • You dislike managing resources
  • You want the GM to adjust outcomes behind the screen

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Spellsword Beta?

Early access to the game, with the chance to explore unfinished rules, try unique mechanics, and help shape the final experience.

We’ll provide easy channels like Google Forms, Discord, or direct email. Your input helps us improve every week.

Your feedback will be used to fix bugs, identify problems, brainstorm solutions, and promote the game.

Everyone participating in the Spellsword Beta will have first priority input, even after Closed Beta ends. 

Beta Access includes full access to all published rules and the current Companion App version, hosted live on this website. 

At the time of writing, this includes:

  • 8 chapters

  • 8 classes with 24 levels and 3 subclasses each

  • 50+ skills

  • 93 runes for spell construction

  • Ongoing rules updates

  • Regular development updates

All future improvements and additions are included with an active membership. Those that choose to purchase the core rulebook instead will receive all patches, errata, and occasional free bonuses, as well as lifetime access to all elements included in the core rulebook, but not the expansions.

For the first 17 days, Beta testers will receive All Access Membership at no cost. 

Once this period is over, Beta Testers will be asked for further feedback and be given the opportunity to purchase either the core rulebook or continue with the All Access Membership at a discounted rate.

Everyone who joins the Beta test automatically locks in this discounted rate for life, even if they decide not to purchase ongoing access at the end of their free Beta period.

Yes. The Beta Access rate is temporary.

When Spellsword reaches full release, the monthly membership price will increase. Players who join during the Closed Beta Access period permanently retain their original rate.

No. Spellsword can be played fully with pen and paper. The Companion App exists to automate calculations, streamline character management, and reduce bookkeeping. It enhances play but is not required.

The Companion App automates character creation while preserving full manual control. You can build a character intentionally or generate one at random.

It also includes experimental features such as:

  • Game lobbies with text chat and dice rollers

  • Early versions of the spell creator

Additional automation tools are in active development.

Spellsword has depth, but you do not need to learn everything at once. Groups can begin with the core systems and gradually layer in additional mechanics over time.

The Companion App reduces overhead and helps new players focus on learning through play rather than bookkeeping.

Yes. Several Alpha Testers began their RPG experience with Spellsword.

The system rewards players who enjoy structure and long-term character development. While it is mechanically detailed, new players can grow into that depth over time.

Yes.

Spellsword is mechanically deep and precise. Character creation is detailed. Combat and spellcraft involve meaningful choices and layered systems. You will reference the rules while learning.

That complexity is intentional. It exists to create fairness, consistency, and genuine mastery.

As the Companion App grows, more of that complexity will be automated for those who prefer less bookkeeping.

Because tension creates payoff.

Combat only feels dramatic when the risks are real. In many modern RPGs, combat lacks meaningful consequences, which drains intensity from the table.

Spellsword is built to make decisions matter. Risk, preparation, positioning, and strategy all carry weight. The result is combat that feels dangerous, deliberate, and earned.

Spellsword emphasizes mechanical precision, lethal combat, deep character customization, and modular spellcraft.

Rather than relying on narrative adjustment to create drama, tension and story emerge directly from the rules. Risk is real. Magic is constructed rather than selected. Character growth is deliberate rather than abstracted.

The system is built to function as a sandbox where consequences are consistent and earned.

Spells in Spellsword are built from modular arcane runes rather than selected from a fixed list. Power runes define what a spell does, while sub-runes shape, modify, and extend its effects.

This system allows players to construct original spells within a structured mechanical framework, enabling immense creative freedom without sacrificing balance.

Spellsword currently includes:

  • Martial Artist

  • Paladin

  • Priest

  • Ranger

  • Spellsword

  • Thief

  • Warrior

  • Wizard

Each class includes 24 levels and three subclasses.

Spellsword currently includes:

  • Dwarves

  • Elves

  • Halflings

  • Orks

  • Gnomes

  • Stoneborn

Additional races may be introduced as the system expands.

Currently, Spellsword is designed for a traditional GM-led table.

However, solo play and GMless group options are planned future features, alongside expanded Companion App tools. These systems are being built to preserve mechanical integrity rather than rely on narrative improvisation.

Planned expansions include:

  • Offline rulebook caching

  • Expanded GM tools (maps, generators, NPC creation, encounters)

  • Increased play automation

  • Campaign management tools

  • Scheduling assistance

  • The ability to play directly through the app from any location

Development priorities evolve based on system stability and member feedback.

Ready to play the RPG you’ve always wanted?

Be a first-wave supporter and beta tester and carve your name into history
Join the Beta Now