Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition vs Shadowrun
Compare Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition and Shadowrun side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition | Shadowrun | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Cyberpunk, Fantasy |
| Tags | Tactical, Miniatures, Heroic, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Crunchy, Ascending AC | Crunchy, Tactical, Heist, Character Building, Faction Play, Lore-Heavy, Skill-Based, Mission-Based, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 plus relevant modifiers against a DC or target defense. A total equal to or higher than the target succeeds. Combat turns use standard, move, and minor actions, while powers specify their targets and effects. | Roll a pool of d6s equal to attribute + skill, counting 5s and 6s as hits. Meet or exceed a threshold to succeed. Situational advantages generate Edge points rather than modifying dice pools directly; Edge is spent on tactical effects like rerolling dice, adding successes, or imposing penalties on opponents. |
| Dice | d20 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | High | Very High |
| Accessibility | High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | Proprietary | No open license |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Cost | $$ | $$$ |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Year | 2008 | 2019 |
| Languages | English, French, Italian, German, Spanish | English, German, French, Italian |
| Best For | Groups who want role-defined heroes, grid-centered combat, and long campaigns with extensive tactical advancement. | Groups who want cyberpunk-fantasy heists with deep mechanical subsystems for hacking, magic, and combat. |
| Highlights | Class roles give defenders, strikers, leaders, and controllers distinct tactical jobs in a party. At-will, encounter, and daily powers make each class's available actions explicit at the table. Encounter-building rules pair monster roles with level and XP budgets, giving DMs a repeatable preparation procedure. | The setting fuses megacorporate intrigue with magic and metahuman races, so a single team mixes street samurai, mages, and deckers. Distinct subsystems model Matrix hacking, spellcasting, drone rigging, and astral space, each carrying its own rules depth. The Edge economy converts situational advantages into a spendable resource for rerolls, extra hits, or penalties on opponents. |
| Considerations | Grid position, forced movement, marks, and opportunity attacks require continuous spatial tracking. Each character's power list grows across 30 levels, increasing turn options and rules lookups. Rituals, skill challenges, treasure parcels, and combat use separate procedures that the group must learn. | Matrix hacking runs on its own timescale and can leave non-decker players idle during a run. Character creation spreads across attributes, skills, magic or resonance, gear, and lifestyle, making the first build long. Dice pools grow large at high skill, so counting hits on a fistful of d6s slows resolution. |