Basic Fantasy RPG vs Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition

Compare Basic Fantasy RPG and Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.

	Basic Fantasy RPG	Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition
Genre	Fantasy	Fantasy
Tags	Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Rules-Light, Ascending AC, Vancian Casting, Deadly, Exploration, Resource Management, Random Tables, CC-Licensed Rules	Ascending AC, Character Building, Classic Fantasy, Crunchy, Dungeon Crawl, Tactical, Vancian Casting
Core Mechanic	Roll d20 plus attack and ability modifiers to meet or beat ascending Armor Class. Saving throws use d20 against targets determined by class and level.	Roll a d20, add relevant modifiers, and compare the total to a target number. An equal or higher total succeeds. Ability checks, skill checks, attack rolls, and saving throws use this framework. Combat uses initiative and defined action types, while damage dice are rolled after a hit.
Dice	d20	d20
Complexity	Low	Very High
Availability	Free core rules	Paid
Runnability	5 of 5 book tools	5 of 5 book tools
License	Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International	OGL v1.0a (SRD); core books proprietary
Third-Party Publishing	Commercial publishing allowed — Creative Commons license	Not yet researched
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Publisher	The Basic Fantasy Project	Wizards of the Coast
Year	2023	2003
Languages	English, Portuguese	English
Best For	Groups who want straightforward fantasy dungeon expeditions with lethal combat and careful management of supplies.	Groups running fantasy campaigns that want class-based character advancement, prepared-spell resource planning, and position-sensitive combat. It also supports GMs who want encounter construction, monsters, treasure, and campaign procedures in the core set.
Highlights	Separate race and class choices allow elves to combine spellcasting with fighting or thieving. Encounter reactions and morale let negotiation or retreat resolve threats without fighting to the death. Dungeon stocking and wilderness encounter tables help the GM prepare expeditions.	Class levels, skills, and feats create distinct mechanical advancement paths for characters. Grid combat combines initiative, movement, action types, attacks of opportunity, and special attacks into positional decisions. The Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual supply encounter, campaign, and creature-construction procedures alongside player rules.
Considerations	Characters normally die at zero hit points unless the GM adopts an optional survival rule. Racial ability requirements and class restrictions limit character combinations. Casting can be interrupted by an attack on the same initiative count even if it misses.	Character creation requires choices across race, class, ability scores, skills, feats, equipment, and spells. Spellcasting uses separate class lists, spell levels, daily spell counts, and preparation rules. Encounter design requires the GM to reconcile challenge ratings, creature statistics, treasure, and adventure procedures.