Spellsword RPG Development Update #7 — June 2nd, 2026
Hello Reader, here are the latest Spellsword updates!
Snapshot / TL;DR
- Challenge Part 1 drafted — concept and scenario setup complete.
- Full Bandit faction overhauled: new attributes, spells, and rune loadouts
- EDR rule corrected for Successes and Mixed Successes
- Monster Creation Assistant tool built and in use
- Accepted into the Apple Developer Program — Companion App coming to Apple devices
- World Map generator in early deployment within the Companion App
Major Work Completed
Bandit Overhaul
All three Bandit variants — Common, Mage, and Captain — have been updated. We recalculated their attributes to match the recently updated rules (specifically the changes to Arcane Mod and Might Mod calculation and the changes to class structure) and reformatted their stat blocks for clarity.
The bigger change is how we’re treating them. Bandits are no longer generic sword fodder. They’re written as washed-out adventurers who know how the game works: varied spell loadouts, multi-speed casting options, and ability sets that punish unprepared opponents. Expect them to be a real threat.
EDR Rule Correction
We identified a few gaps between the intended rule and the system's actual calculation, as listed in the rules. EDR for Successes and Mixed Successes no longer applies a default minimum damage. The Mixed EDR formula is now: EDR = Skill Value − ½ DR.
There were some places where this was correct and others where we had not changed it yet. Now that should be fixed.
Monster Creation Assistant
We built an internal tool powered by Claude to speed up monster stat generation and revision. It handles the calculation overhead, so design time can focus on what matters: how an enemy behaves and what decisions it forces players to make. It doesn’t do the creative work, only the dumb work.
We used it throughout the Bandit overhaul. It’s saving real time, and is already proving well worth the time spent building this tool.
Challenge Part 1: Drafted
The first part of the Quickstart Challenge has a complete concept and scenario setup. The map isn’t finalized, but the structure is locked in: what players are walking into, what the threat is, what decisions they’ll face.
We also settled on the starting character lineup: 14 pre-mades, one of each sex per race, with classes chosen to fit each race’s natural strengths while staying varied enough to cover several playstyles. We still need to make these characters.
Companion App: Apple Development Begins
We were accepted into the Apple Developer Program. Work on the Apple device version of the Companion App has started, much to Tech’s chagrin. (Apple’s environment is giving him a lot of trouble.)
The World Map generator — built on the Azgaar framework — is in early deployment in the dev environment and on select devices. It’s one of the harder features to ship, but it is moving forward.
Character Record Sheet v2.4
The character sheet has been updated. Some file-saving quirks may display the version as 2.3b—if that happens, just rename it. The content is current either way, and the sheet is form-fillable for easy use on your computer or favorite PDF reader. You can download version 2.4 on the Early Access Homepage. [Insert Link]
Systems Under Active Refinement
What We’re Iterating On
The Challenge is the active priority. Part 1’s structure is solid. The final map and encounter details still need work, and Part 2 planning is underway.
We’re also scoping starting spell packages for every class. Players who don’t want to build spells from scratch should be able to pick up a pre-made and have a full loadout ready, even if that loadout isn’t custom for them or updated for higher power.
Problems We’re Solving
Starting spells need to be practical without making spellcrafting feel skippable. Our target is a working default set that still leaves room to tinker and grow.
We also started looking into remote play options while the Companion App’s remote feature is still being built. Whatever the interim solution is, it has to be simple enough that it doesn’t add friction for new players. The tricky part here is that we really want more than moving a token around on a map, but that itself requires some development effort.
What’s Still Uncertain
The Challenge map is the main open piece before Part 1 is done. We haven’t defined the scope of Part 2 yet, but we're considering using the most common outcomes from Part 1 to inform Part 2, so it may need to wait.
Design Insight
The Bandits weren't broken.
They came up first on my list of monsters to revise after the changes made to the classes and the Arcane Modifier and Might Modifier. Everything tied to those systems needed a full pass to stay up to date. Routine work.
What we found when we got in there was more interesting than I expected.
When players were ambushing, Bandit encounters felt flat. They had decent stats, numbers that looked threatening on paper, but no fast spells. Players had access to reactive magic. Bandits didn't. If you caught them off guard, the fight was already over. Unless there were more of them than the party could knock out in the first moments.
That bothered me. Not because every encounter needs to be a close call. But because the imbalance wasn't earned. It wasn't players outmaneuvering a real threat. It was a stat gap that rewarded whoever moved first far too much.
The fix was simple: give them fast spells. Let them contest a fight regardless of who initiates. The slow, heavy spells are still there for when they have the advantage. But now the encounter has texture on both sides. Other encounter options will get the same treatment soon.
The other change is systemic and applies to everyone, players included. We nerfed the minimum damage condition and AoE maximum damage. Too many fights were ending in a single exchange, with a cheap spell, no setup, and no thoughtful decisions made. Spellsword isn't built for that. The nerf creates space for fights to actually develop, for tactics to matter, and for the game to feel exciting.
Together, these changes produce a Bandit faction that earns its place in the encounter roster as a significant problem.
Some adventuring parties are going to lose to them. Especially early ones. That's intentional. Lethality is a design value. It's what makes the stakes real. Bandits are washed-up adventurers who turned to something worse, and that history should carry weight in a fight. A fresh party walking through them without consequence would undercut the whole premise.
My goal wasn’t to make things lethal or hard just to be lethal or hard. Things should be dangerous for reasons that hold up in the world’s context, and in a way, reward smart play and punish carelessness.
Eventually, a certain meta about how these encounters play out will develop as players grow more accustomed to how things work. I don’t want to leap to that immediately, because it will prove more punishing than necessary. At least, until the Spellsword’s players really start to grasp the system.
The truth is, I am always learning more about every step of the process. Maybe someday I will truly master this process, too.
—Christian
What Members Should Test
- Run an encounter with the updated Bandits and report how dangerous they felt relative to your party’s skill level.
- Play through a few Mixed Success outcomes in combat — does the corrected EDR formula feel right?
- Share feedback in our Discord.
What’s Next (2-Week Objective)
- Draft the Challenge map and complete Part 1
- Define and build starting spell packages for all classes.
- Launch the revised marketing plan.
- Continue Apple Companion App development.
- Identify and test an interim remote-play solution.
