Dolmenwood vs Dungeons & Dragons
Compare Dolmenwood and Dungeons & Dragons side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Dolmenwood | Dungeons & Dragons | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Exploration, Hexcrawl, Dungeon Crawl, Dark Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Lore-Heavy, Atmospheric, Faction Play, Deadly, Resource Management, Inventory Management, Random Character Creation, Journey, Ascending AC, Vancian Casting | Tactical, Heroic, Combat-Heavy, Dungeon Crawl, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Grid-Based, Beginner-Friendly, Classic Fantasy, Lore-Heavy, Ascending AC |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + modifiers vs. ascending AC for attacks and vs. save targets for saving throws (five categories: Doom, Ray, Hold, Blast, Spell). Skill checks and ability checks use d6 + modifiers vs. a target number. Characters choose a kindred (breggle, elf, grimalkin, human, mossling, or woodgrue) and one of nine classes. Three distinct magic systems: arcane (memorized spells), holy (daily prayers), and fairy (glamours and runes). | Roll d20 + modifier against a target DC (for ability checks and saving throws) or AC (for attacks). Meeting or exceeding the target succeeds. Advantage rolls 2d20 and takes the higher; disadvantage takes the lower, replacing most situational modifiers. |
| Dice | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
| Accessibility | Medium | High |
| Community | Medium | Very High |
| License | All Rights Reserved | CC BY 4.0 (SRD); core books proprietary |
| Cost | $$$ | $$$ |
| Publisher | Necrotic Gnome | Wizards of the Coast |
| Year | 2024 | 2024 |
| Best For | Groups who want a deeply detailed fairytale-dark fantasy setting with OSR mechanics, hexcrawl exploration, and rich faction play in an enchanted wood full of fairies, monsters, and intrigue. | Groups who want heroic fantasy adventures with tactical grid combat, deep character customization, and access to more published adventures and supplements than any other RPG. |
| Highlights | Richly detailed fairytale-dark setting with competing factions and deep lore, hexcrawl travel system with Travel Points and terrain-based encounters, six unique kindreds including cat-folk grimalkins and fungal mosslings, three distinct magic systems each with their own spell lists | Advantage/disadvantage system simplifies most situational modifiers to a single mechanic. Extensive class and subclass options across 12 base classes with 48 subclasses in the 2024 PHB. The largest third-party content ecosystem in tabletop RPGs. Free basic rules and starter sets lower the barrier to entry. |
| Considerations | Full experience requires three core books (Player's Book, Campaign Book, Monster Book), setting-specific — not a generic OSR toolkit, GM needs the Campaign Book and Monster Book which are sold separately from the Player's Book | High-level play (tier 3-4) introduces significant spell interaction complexity and encounter balancing challenges for GMs. No official rules for non-fantasy genres. Three core books at $50 each represent a significant investment for the full rules. |