Dragonslayers RPG (Second Edition)
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A Game of Perilous Adventure and Dragonslaying!
Dragonslayers RPG is a smart¸ lean¸ cinematic fantasy roleplaying game¸ inspired by action-packed films like The Lord of the Rings trilogy and series like Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is easy to learn¸ easy to play¸ and perfect for gamers of all experience levels.
This edition is an overhaul of the original game released in 2017¸ incorporating six additional years of playtesting and player feedback.
At a Glance: Light-to-medium crunch¸ step dice¸ grid-and-minis combat¸ level-based advancement¸ hybrid class and point-buy character customization¸ heroic power level¸ minimal bookkeeping. Mechanical inspirations include D&D (4e and 5e)¸ Savage Worlds¸ 13th Age¸ Fantasy AGE¸ and Shadow of the Demon Lord.
Design Goals:
Fast¸ fluid¸ nail-biting combat without sacrificing tactical depth.
Refined¸ streamlined mechanics that cut to the chase and don't burden play with guessing games¸ excessive rerolls¸ or superfluous arithmetic.
Balanced and playtested. Any combination of character options will produce a viable hero who has something to contribute.
No spell levels¸ no spell slots¸ and no spell preparation. Most spells can be cast at-will¸ so you don't need an accounting degree to play a mage.
Achieves a "medium fantasy” tone. The heroes are imperiled badasses who mow down minions and have fate on their side¸ but they are far from invincible.
Adjustable Crunch. Your character can be breezy and low-maintenance¸ concrete and mechanically sophisticated¸ or somewhere in between. For example¸ armor has only descriptive benefits by default¸ but if you buy the Armored feat you enjoy damage reduction while wearing armor.
For Players:
Choose your own level of complexity! You can make a complete character in five minutes (with half a dozen fate-bending spirit points at your disposal)¸ or you can take a little more time and spend those points on over 100 feats and spells to totally customize your hero.
No trap options¸ proficiency restrictions¸ or assumed party roles. Combat and utility skills advance separately¸ so you never have to choose between an interesting character and an effective one.
Fast¸ engaging battles thanks to pseudo-side initiative¸ one unified roll for accuracy and damage¸ exploding dice¸ one-hit minions¸ a suite of formidable martial options¸ and license to improvise.
Bounded¸ thematic magic gives spellcasters enhanced versatility without overshadowing mundane specialists. Potent ritual spells require unique components retrieved from dangerous places - ensuring the whole party gets involved.
For Gamemasters:
Five salient skills elegantly cover all attacks¸ tests¸ and contests.
Headache-free story pacing thanks to 10-minute rests and reasonable adventuring day assumptions.
Optional rules for costly successes¸ skill challenges¸ encumbrance¸ bargaining with death¸ and more help you customize the tone of your campaign.
Supports both "combat as sport” and "combat as war” playstyles; the rules for balancing encounters produce reliable results¸ while the power curve is flat enough that good stats rarely beat clever preparation and planning.
Polished rules and transparent monster math means you spend less time crunching numbers and more time planning awesome scenarios and memorable NPCs.
Files are bookmarked and heavily page-referenced for ease of use both in digital and analog forms.
Also¸ It's Free!
We are proud of this game. We've been playing some version of it for almost ten years. Most Dragonslayers RPG contributers have been avid roleplayers since the late 90's and early 00's. The game is 100% free¸ so you can judge for yourself if it's right for your table.
What This Game Is Not
Dragonslayers RPG is a free generic fantasy ruleset that aspires to model your campaign setting rather than impose its own. There is plenty of content here to get the die rolling¸ but if you are looking for a rich fantasy world full of NPCs and adventure hooks¸ a 90-page compendium of magic items¸ or purple prose expounding on the ecology of dragons¸ your search will not end here.
Includes: Core Rules (65 pages)¸ Monsters & Treasures (45 pages)¸ Character Sheet¸ Splash Page¸ Poster. A printer-friendly art-free version of each rulebook has been included as well.
Requires a standard set of polyhedral dice (d4¸ d6¸ d8¸ d10¸ d12¸ d20).