Mörk Borg vs Pathfinder
Compare Mörk Borg and Pathfinder side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Mörk Borg | Pathfinder | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy, Horror | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Rules-Light, Deadly, One-Shot Friendly, Gritty, Fast-Paced, Dungeon Crawl, Atmospheric, Theater of the Mind | Tactical, Crunchy, Combat-Heavy, Character Building, Dungeon Crawl, High-Fantasy, Grid-Based, Heroic, Ascending AC, Exploration, Classic Fantasy, Lore-Heavy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + ability modifier vs. DR. Player-facing rolls. Minimal stats. | 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 | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | Very Low | High |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Community | High | Very High |
| License | Mörk Borg Third Party License | ORC |
| Cost | $ | Free (ORC) |
| Publisher | Free League Publishing | Paizo |
| Year | 2020 | 2023 |
| Best For | Short, brutal sessions in an apocalyptic setting where characters are disposable, the rules are minimal, and lethality is the point. | 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 | Ultra-light rules, distinctive art direction, large third-party scene | 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 | Class balance varies significantly, core book layout prioritizes style over reference usability, random character generation limits player investment | 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. |