Dungeons & Dragons vs Shadowdark RPG
Compare Dungeons & Dragons and Shadowdark RPG side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Dungeons & Dragons | Shadowdark RPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Tactical, Heroic, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Vancian Casting, Ascending AC | Deadly, Dungeon Crawl, Rules-Light, Low-Prep, Theater of the Mind, Ascending AC, Roll to Cast, Random Tables |
| 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 + ability modifier vs. DC/AC. Real-time torch tracking (1 real-world hour per torch), risky spellcasting (fail a check and lose the spell until you rest), and randomized character generation (3d6 down the line). |
| Dice | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | Very High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | CC BY 4.0 (SRD); core books proprietary | Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License |
| 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 | The Arcane Library |
| Year | 2024 | 2023 |
| Best For | Groups who want heroic fantasy with configurable tactical combat, broad character options, and campaigns that span multiple levels. | Tense, fast-paced dungeon crawling where resource management and player ingenuity matter more than character builds. Ideal for groups wanting old-school lethality with a modern, 5e-familiar ruleset. |
| 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. | Light burns in real time (one torch lasts one real-world hour), turning the dungeon into a ticking clock that pressures every decision. Built-in random tables for dungeons, NPCs, and treasure let the GM generate content at the table with almost no prep. Casting requires a spellcasting check, and failure ends the spell and locks it until you rest, making every spell a gamble rather than a guaranteed resource. |
| 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. | Character creation offers limited customization: ancestry, class, and rolled stats, with little room for build optimization. Talents are gained by random roll at level up, so advancement is partly out of the player's control. Real-time light tracking only works if someone reliably tracks elapsed time, which can be disruptive or forgotten at the table. |