13th Age vs Scarlet Heroes
Compare 13th Age and Scarlet Heroes side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| 13th Age | Scarlet Heroes | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Tactical, Strong GM Support, Heroic, Ascending AC | Solo-Friendly, Sandbox, Dungeon Crawl, Low-Prep, Random Tables, Heroic, Ascending AC |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + modifier vs. defense. The escalation die (a d6 that increases each combat round, adding to player attacks) builds momentum. One Unique Things and Icon Relationships tie characters to the setting and drive story. | Checks: roll 2d8 + attribute modifier + highest relevant trait vs. difficulty number. Attacks: roll d20 + attack bonus vs. AC 20. Unique damage conversion: each damage die reads individually (1 = 0, 2–5 = 1 point, 6–9 = 2 points, 10+ = 4 points), making a single hero viable against hordes. Heroes roll a Fray die each round to auto-damage lesser enemies. |
| Dice | d20 | 2d8 / d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Availability | Paid | Free quickstart |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | ORC License | OGL 1.0a |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Pelgrane Press | Sine Nomine Publishing |
| Year | 2025 | 2014 |
| Languages | English, French, Italian | English |
| Best For | Groups who love d20 fantasy combat but want more narrative freedom, improvisational play, and story-driven character connections baked into the mechanics. | Solo players, duet groups (1 player + 1 GM), or anyone wanting to run classic old-school adventures without a full party: one hero can tackle any module. |
| Highlights | The escalation die keeps combat moving. One Unique Things and Icon Relationships create narrative hooks. Streamlined monster design makes GM prep fast. | Solo and duet scaling makes any old-school module playable with one hero, Fray die and damage conversion solve the action economy, solo oracle and adventure generators included, compatible with B/X and OSR modules, Red Tide setting included |
| Considerations | Tightly coupled to its default setting through the Icon system, some classes have complex trigger systems | Solo adventure tools require creative self-GMing, Red Tide setting is baked in (though easily reskinned), limited character options compared to full OSR games, older layout |