Symbaroum vs Tales of Xadia

Compare Symbaroum and Tales of Xadia side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.

	Symbaroum	Tales of Xadia
Genre	Fantasy, Horror	Fantasy
Tags	Dark Fantasy, Player-Only Rolls, Corruption, Exploration, Roll to Cast, Classless, Character Building, Tactical, Gritty, Lore-Heavy	Narrative, Character-Driven, Character Building, Classless, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Corruption, Roll to Cast, Lore-Heavy, Strong GM Support, Licensed IP
Core Mechanic	Roll a d20 and try to land equal to or under one of eight Attributes: Accurate, Cunning, Discreet, Persuasive, Quick, Resolute, Strong, and Vigilant. Opposed tests adjust that Attribute by 10 minus the opponent's relevant value, so a weak foe grants a bonus and a strong one imposes a penalty. Only players roll dice, so an enemy attack becomes a player Defense test and NPC stats appear as fixed modifiers on the player's roll.	Build and roll a d4–d12 dice pool from an attribute, a value and a distinction, adding one applicable specialty and assets. Results of 1 are hitches and cannot contribute to the total or effect. Add two eligible results to beat the opposition's total. Choose an unused eligible die whose size determines the effect rather than its rolled number.
Dice	d20	d4–d12 dice pool
Complexity	Medium	High
Availability	Free quickstart	Free quickstart
Runnability	5 of 5 book tools	5 of 5 book tools
License	Symbaroum Third-Party Tabletop Module License (version 1.0)	All Rights Reserved
Third-Party Publishing	Commercial publishing allowed — Free League Free Tabletop License	No verified route found
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Publisher	Free League Publishing	Dire Wolf Digital
Year	2015	2022
Languages	English, Swedish, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese	English
Best For	Groups who want long-form dark fantasy expeditions into ancient ruins, where magic, cursed relics, and the darkest parts of the forest put each character's soul at risk of permanent taint.	Groups who want fantasy campaigns where changing convictions and relationships matter mechanically alongside magical adventures in The Dragon Prince's setting.
Highlights	Corruption turns casting and cursed relics into a gamble: temporary taint that pushes total Corruption to half a character's Resolute leaves permanent Corruption and a Stigma, a step toward becoming an abomination. Witchsight reads the colored Shadow of a creature, place, or object to expose corruption and deceit, at a temporary Corruption cost per attempt that rises with the ability's tier. Only players roll dice, turning every exchange into player attack, Defense, damage, and Armor rolls against fixed NPC values.	Questioning a value statement triples its die for a roll and feeds growth, making changes of conviction mechanically consequential. Contests can change major non-player characters' values, letting persuasion reshape their future behavior. Extended challenges resolve varied approaches against a shrinking dice pool, supporting obstacles beyond physical combat.
Considerations	Mystic play carries steady bookkeeping: Corruption costs for learning and casting vary by tradition and tier, and temporary and permanent totals must be tracked against the threshold. Each hit passes through several steps (Armor reduction, damage against Toughness, and a Pain Threshold effect when one hit exceeds it), which adds bookkeeping in busy fights. The core book deliberately limits its setting to the region around Davokar; the lands south of the Titans and the broader world receive only brief mention.	Stress strengthens opposing dice pools, making unresolved setbacks harder to overcome. Guided rune-mage creation links ancestry and upbringing to magical vocation, limiting characters' inherent access to different sources of primal magic. Trait advancement uses growth dice in tests that can fail, rather than guaranteeing an upgrade after every story arc.