Ironsworn vs Pathfinder
Compare Ironsworn and Pathfinder side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Ironsworn | Pathfinder | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Narrative, Solo-Friendly, Rules-Light, Sandbox, Low-Fantasy, Exploration, Theater of the Mind, Open Source, Random Tables | Tactical, Crunchy, Combat-Heavy, Character Building, Dungeon Crawl, High-Fantasy, Grid-Based, Heroic, Ascending AC, Exploration, Classic Fantasy, Lore-Heavy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 1d6 + stat vs two d10 challenge dice. Beat both for a strong hit, beat one for a weak hit, beat neither for a miss. Momentum can cancel challenge dice. Progress tracks measure long-term objectives; iron vows drive the narrative forward. | Roll d20 + modifier against a DC. Four degrees of success: critical success (beat DC by 10+), success, failure, and critical failure (miss by 10+). Each turn grants three actions to spend freely on strikes, movement, spellcasting, or other activities. Multi-attack penalty (-5/-10) discourages repeated strikes and encourages tactical variety. |
| Dice | d6 + 2d10 | d20 |
| Complexity | Low | High |
| Accessibility | Very High | Very High |
| Community | High | Very High |
| License | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | ORC |
| Cost | Free | Free (ORC) |
| Publisher | Shawn Tomkin | Paizo |
| Year | 2018 | 2023 |
| Best For | Solo or small-group dark fantasy questing with fiction-first moves, oracle tables, and zero GM-prep play. | Groups who want deep character customization, tactical grid combat with meaningful turn-by-turn decisions, and a richly detailed fantasy setting with free rules. |
| Highlights | Fully free PDF, well-designed solo play, momentum system creates tension, oracle tables eliminate need for a GM | Complete rules available free on Archives of Nethys. Three-action economy gives every turn meaningful tactical decisions. Character customization through ancestry feats, class feats, skill feats, and general feats at every level. Four degrees of success on every roll add granularity to outcomes. |
| Considerations | Progress track math can feel opaque at first, oracle tables can produce contradictory results requiring interpretation, limited asset variety in the base game, momentum economy requires careful management | New players must learn the trait system, conditions, and four degrees of success before combat runs smoothly. Multi-attack penalty and numerous combat actions can slow turns for indecisive players. Character creation requires selecting feats from multiple categories at every level, which can overwhelm new players. |