Conan: The Hyborian Age vs Dungeons & Dragons
Compare Conan: The Hyborian Age and Dungeons & Dragons side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Conan: The Hyborian Age | Dungeons & Dragons | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Classless, Combat-Heavy, Cinematic, Licensed IP, Low-Prep, Resource Management, Skill-Based, Strong GM Support, Sword & Sorcery, Tactical | Tactical, Heroic, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Combat-Heavy, Exploration, Resource Management, Strong GM Support, CC-Licensed Rules |
| Core Mechanic | Roll the relevant Stat die (d6 initially for heroes) and add its Stat value and modifiers. A total that meets or exceeds the difficulty succeeds. A Stat die result of 1 fails unless Stamina or a Flex result rescues it. Player characters also roll a separate Flex die on most rolls. Its maximum result grants a choice of boons such as rescuing a failed roll. | Roll a d20 and add applicable modifiers to meet or beat a target number. Checks and saving throws use a Difficulty Class; attacks use Armor Class. Advantage or disadvantage means rolling two d20s and keeping the higher or lower result. |
| Dice | d4–d12 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | All Rights Reserved | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (SRD 5.2.1); proprietary core books |
| Third-Party Publishing | No verified route found | Commercial publishing allowed — Open license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | Free |
| Publisher | Monolith Board Games SARL | Wizards of the Coast |
| Year | 2025 | 2024 |
| Languages | English, French | English, French, Italian, German, Spanish |
| Best For | Groups who want heroic Conan adventures built around tactical battles and treasure hunting in ancient ruins. | Groups who want heroic fantasy campaigns with tactical combat and extensive character customization. |
| Highlights | A maximum Flex result gives players a choice of immediate benefits. Stamina lets heroes boost a roll after seeing its result. Minions die after a decisive blow or two damaging hits, reducing enemy bookkeeping. | Weapon Mastery adds effects such as pushing or slowing enemies to qualifying weapon attacks. Class and feat choices let characters develop different roles over twenty levels. Optional Bastions give characters home bases with facilities that produce benefits between adventures. |
| Considerations | Sorcery disciplines are restricted by character Origin. Casting spells can consume the same Life Points that keep a character alive. Wealth is abstract rather than governed by equipment prices. | Spells and class abilities have separate resource limits and timing rules. Higher-level magic can change travel and encounter assumptions that the DM must prepare for. Social encounters rely on ability checks and DM judgments about NPC attitudes. |