Dungeons & Dragons vs Numenera
Compare Dungeons & Dragons and Numenera side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Dungeons & Dragons | Numenera | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Scifi, Fantasy |
| Tags | Tactical, Heroic, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Combat-Heavy, Exploration, Resource Management, Strong GM Support, CC-Licensed Rules | Exploration, Weird, Resource Management, Character Building, Narrative, Theater of the Mind, Low-Prep, Strong GM Support, Lore-Heavy, Atmospheric |
| Core Mechanic | 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. | Roll a d20 against a target number equal to three times the GM's task difficulty. Training, helpful assets and Effort reduce that difficulty before the roll. Effort spends points from Might, Speed or Intellect Pools, with Edge reducing the cost. Reducing difficulty to zero makes the task automatic. Players roll attacks and defenses against creature difficulty. |
| Dice | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | High | Medium |
| Accessibility | Very High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (SRD 5.2.1); proprietary core books | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Open license | Noncommercial only — Fan use policy |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | Free | $ |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast | Monte Cook Games |
| Year | 2024 | 2018 |
| Languages | English, French, Italian, German, Spanish | English, Italian, Portuguese |
| Best For | Groups who want heroic fantasy campaigns with tactical combat and extensive character customization. | Groups who want discovery-focused science fantasy and changing tools for solving unusual problems. It suits campaigns about exploring ancient ruins and deciding how to use their technology. |
| Highlights | 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. | Single-use cyphers give every character temporary powers that can change their approach to an obstacle. Discoveries earn experience points, giving characters a reason to explore beyond combat. Combining a character type with a descriptor and focus supports distinct mechanical specialties. |
| Considerations | 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. | Effort draws from the same stat Pools that absorb damage, so increasing the chance of success can reduce a character's resilience. GM intrusions let the GM add complications to successful actions, so players need to be comfortable with negotiated setbacks. The Ninth World's unexplained technology leaves many answers for the GM to invent. |