Draw Steel vs Dungeons & Dragons
Compare Draw Steel and Dungeons & Dragons side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Draw Steel | Dungeons & Dragons | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Tactical, Grid-Based, Combat-Heavy, Character Building, Crunchy, Resource Management, Attacks Always Hit, Cinematic, High-Power, Strong GM Support | Tactical, Heroic, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Combat-Heavy, Exploration, Resource Management, Strong GM Support, CC-Licensed Rules |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d10 plus a characteristic modifier for a power roll: 11 or less gives tier 1, 12–16 gives tier 2, and 17 or more gives tier 3. Edges and banes modify the roll or its tier. Tests and abilities specify results for each tier. | 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 | 2d10 | d20 |
| Complexity | High | High |
| Availability | Free core rules | Free core rules |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | Draw Steel Creator License | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (SRD 5.2.1); proprietary core books |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Creator license | Commercial publishing allowed — Open license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | MCDM Productions | Wizards of the Coast |
| Year | 2025 | 2024 |
| Languages | English | English, French, Italian, German, Spanish |
| Best For | Groups who want heroic fantasy campaigns with coordinated grid combat and extensive character customization. | Groups who want heroic fantasy campaigns with tactical combat and extensive character customization. |
| Highlights | Each class builds and spends its own heroic resource during combat, opening stronger abilities as the battle develops. Negotiations track an NPC’s interest and patience, giving arguments and motivations mechanical consequences. Encounter budgets and objectives help Directors build battles with goals beyond defeating every enemy. | 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 | Combat requires a grid and careful positioning. Each class has its own resource rules to learn and track during battle. Exploration uses tests and cinematic sequences rather than detailed travel supplies or encumbrance. | 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. |