Dungeons & Dragons vs Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition
Compare Dungeons & Dragons and Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Dungeons & Dragons | Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Tactical, Heroic, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Vancian Casting, Ascending AC | Tactical, Miniatures, Heroic, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Crunchy, Ascending AC |
| Core Mechanic | Make a D20 Test by rolling d20, adding relevant modifiers, and comparing the total to a target number. Ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls use this procedure. Advantage and disadvantage use two d20s and keep the higher or lower result. | 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. |
| Dice | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | Very High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | CC BY 4.0 (SRD); core books proprietary | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Open license | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | Free | $$ |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast | Wizards of the Coast |
| Year | 2024 | 2008 |
| Languages | English, French, Italian, German, Spanish | English, French, Italian, German, Spanish |
| Best For | Groups who want heroic fantasy with configurable tactical combat, broad character options, and campaigns that span multiple levels. | Groups who want role-defined heroes, grid-centered combat, and long campaigns with extensive tactical advancement. |
| Highlights | Advantage and disadvantage resolve common situational effects by selecting the higher or lower of two d20 rolls. Backgrounds, classes, subclasses, and feats distribute character choices across creation and advancement. Weapon Mastery gives qualifying weapon users distinct tactical effects without replacing the action economy. | 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. |
| Considerations | Spell preparation, spell slots, class features, and conditions create several interacting resources for players to track. High-level characters combine many spells and features, increasing adjudication work for the DM. Bastions add a separate downtime procedure for campaigns that use the stronghold rules. | 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. |