Art of Wuxia vs Pathfinder
Compare Art of Wuxia and Pathfinder side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Art of Wuxia | Pathfinder | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy, Historical | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Martial Arts, Heroic, Cinematic, Skill-Based, Character-Driven, Hackable, Random Tables, GM-Friendly, Fast-Paced | Tactical, Crunchy, Combat-Heavy, Character Building, Dungeon Crawl, High-Fantasy, Grid-Based, Heroic, Ascending AC, Exploration, Classic Fantasy, Lore-Heavy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 equal to or under a skill or ability score. Skills are calculated from a base ability score plus 10 per skill level, with bonuses for primary and secondary skill designations. Doubles (11, 22, 33, etc.) are critical — a critical success if under the target, a critical failure if over. Rolls of 00–05 always succeed and 96–99 always fail. Characters can take multiple actions per turn at a cumulative −20% penalty each, creating a press-your-luck dynamic. Qi points fuel kung fu techniques and mystic abilities. | Roll d20 + modifier against a DC. Four degrees of success: critical success (beat DC by 10+), success, failure, and critical failure (miss by 10+). Each turn grants three actions to spend freely on strikes, movement, spellcasting, or other activities. Multi-attack penalty (-5/-10) discourages repeated strikes and encourages tactical variety. |
| Dice | d100 | d20 |
| Complexity | Low | High |
| Accessibility | Medium | Very High |
| Runnability | Low | Very High |
| License | CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 | ORC |
| Cost | $ | Free (ORC) |
| Publisher | DwD Studios | Paizo |
| Year | 2020 | 2023 |
| Best For | Groups who want cinematic wuxia adventures with fast percentile-based mechanics, 25 distinct kung fu styles, and adjustable sliders for how fantastical the martial arts become. | Groups who want deep character customization, tactical grid combat with meaningful turn-by-turn decisions, and a richly detailed fantasy setting with free rules. |
| Highlights | 25 kung fu styles each with unique techniques, weapon proficiencies, and internal/external classifications. Cinematic Sliders let the GM adjust how fantastical combat and movement are — from grounded martial arts to high-flying xianxia. Moral code system ties character virtues to cultivation point rewards, reinforcing wuxia genre conventions. Built-in adventure and random dungeon generators with extensive creature bestiary. | Complete rules available free on Archives of Nethys. Three-action economy gives every turn meaningful tactical decisions. Character customization through ancestry feats, class feats, skill feats, and general feats at every level. Four degrees of success on every roll add granularity to outcomes. |
| Considerations | Setting is tightly focused on wuxia — groups wanting other martial arts subgenres (samurai, muay thai) would need adaptation. No free quickstart or SRD despite the CC license. d00Lite system's skill score calculation (half ability + 10 per level + primary/secondary bonus) requires cross-referencing several values during character creation. | New players must learn the trait system, conditions, and four degrees of success before combat runs smoothly. Multi-attack penalty and numerous combat actions can slow turns for indecisive players. Character creation requires selecting feats from multiple categories at every level, which can overwhelm new players. |