Symbaroum vs Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Compare Symbaroum and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Symbaroum | Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy, Horror | Fantasy |
| Tags | Dark Fantasy, Player-Only Rolls, Corruption, Exploration, Roll to Cast, Classless, Character Building, Tactical, Gritty, Lore-Heavy | Career-Based, Corruption, Crunchy, Dark Fantasy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Gritty, Investigation, Licensed IP, Strong GM Support, Tactical |
| 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. | Roll d100 equal to or under a Skill or Characteristic. Success Levels are the target's tens digit minus the roll's tens digit. Difficulty modifies Success Levels and can change the outcome. Advantage lets you reverse the digits for a better result; Disadvantage requires the worse result. Opposed Tests compare Success Levels. |
| Dice | d20 | d100 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Paid |
| 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 | Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd. |
| Year | 2015 | 2026 |
| 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 a career-driven grim fantasy campaign where investigation and consequential combat put precarious Old World adventurers under pressure. |
| 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. | Success Levels express degree of outcome in ordinary and opposed Tests. Career status influences social Tests and income, giving a character's occupation consequences beyond advancement. Between-adventure procedures make long-term projects compete with earning a living. |
| 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. | Critical wounds can cause lasting injuries even when a character survives a fight. Career progression requires filling an advancement tracker before spending XP during downtime. Downtime limits characters to a few undertakings and normally consumes any money they have not secured. |