Dragonbane

Overview

Dragonbane is a classic fantasy tabletop roleplaying game published by Free League Publishing in 2023. It is a modern English translation and reimagining of Drakar och Demoner, Scandinavia's first and longest-running TTRPG, originally released in 1982. The game carries over four decades of Swedish gaming heritage into a sleek, accessible package designed around the philosophy of "mirth and mayhem": fast-paced adventures with minimal prep, where danger is real, luck matters, and even a humble merchant can become a legend. Unlike many modern fantasy RPGs, Dragonbane deliberately avoids the power-escalation treadmill of level-based systems. Characters are capable but mortal from session one, and the game works equally well for a single one-shot evening or a sprawling long-term campaign. It was a strong contender for TTRPG of the year on release, praised widely as one of the most accessible entry points into tabletop fantasy roleplaying.

Description

In Dragonbane, players take on the role of adventurers in the Misty Vale, a hidden mountain valley, ancient and full of ruins from fallen kingdoms, only recently cleared of orc and goblin occupation. The world is shaped by the eternal cosmic struggle between two great powers: the Dragons and the Demons, rival godlike forces whose conflict bleeds into mortal life. Players choose from six playable Kins: Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, the duck-like Mallards, and the feral Wolfkin and one of ten Professions (Fighter, Mage, Hunter, Thief, Artisan, Merchant, Mariner, Scholar, and others), each providing a distinct set of skills and heroic abilities. One player takes the role of the Game Master (GM), who builds the world, voices NPCs, and runs the dangers the adventurers face. The tone balances genuine peril and dark fantasy with moments of levity and absurdity.

System Overview & Key Features

Roll-Under D20 Skill System Dragonbane uses a clean roll-under mechanic. Every skill has a rating from 1 to 18, and to succeed, the player must roll equal to or below that number on a D20. There is no adding up bonuses or consulting modifiers, a skill of 14 means you need a 14 or lower. This keeps the math fast and intuitive while still creating meaningful differences between a trained and an untrained character.
Rolling a Dragon & Rolling a Demon Natural 1s and 20s are not just successes and failures, they're narrative events. Rolling a 1 is "Rolling a Dragon": a critical success that triggers powerful, flavourful special effects. Rolling a 20 is "Rolling a Demon": a critical failure with immediate consequences. This naming convention ties the dice directly into the world's mythology and gives every roll dramatic weight.
Push Your Luck If a skill roll fails, the player can choose to Push it, picking up the dice and rolling again. But every die that fails a second time inflicts a Condition. Characters can become Exhausted, Sickly, Dazed, Angry, Scared, or Disheartened, each imposing a specific mechanical penalty. Pushing is rarely free, and the decision of whether to push adds meaningful tension to every uncertain roll..
Willpower Points & Heroic Abilities Each character has a pool of Willpower Points (WP), a resource spent to activate their Profession's Heroic Abilities. A Fighter might spend WP to make a devastating counterattack; a Mage burns it to cast spells. Willpower represents the spark of exceptionalism that separates adventurers from ordinary folk, and managing it carefully is central to play.
Card-Based Initiative Combat initiative is determined by drawing from a shuffled deck of initiative tokens. One per character and one per monster group. This creates a genuinely unpredictable turn order every round, keeping both players and GM on their toes and preventing the predictability of fixed initiative lists.
Kin & Profession, Not Class & Level Character creation is fast: pick a Kin, pick a Profession, assign starting skills. After play begins, advancement is open: characters grow by spending experience on skills of their choice, unconstrained by class restrictions. This avoids the feeling of "wrong builds" and keeps development tied to what the characters actually do in play.

Links

freeleaguepublishing.com https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane - Official website freeleaguepublishing.com https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/?downloads - Free character sheets and campaign materials forum.frialigan.se https://forum.frialigan.se/ - Free League forum

Active games and players

DB
Dragonbane
Online
Campaign
Dragonbane: Secret of the Dragon Emperor
Players
2/5
Paid game
Paid game
GM
1/1
Dragonbane
en English

Dragonbane: Secret of the Dragon Emperor

Paid game Paid game
Newbie friendly Newbie friendly
Saturday, 7PM +2 GMT, biweekly, 20$ per session  Foundry + Discord Sign up on Startplaying HERE --- Misty Vale was covered by mist for a long time. Within those mists only ruins remained of empire long forgotten. Now the mist is no more and you heard that the treasures hidden within it are to be found and claimed! In this Dragonbane campaign, you will explore dangerous wilderness, ancient tombs, monster-infested dungeons, abandoned villages, and mysterious strongholds. Every expedition carries risk. Supplies run low, monsters hunt the roads, and greed often proves deadlier than steel. The campaign combines classic fantasy adventure with open exploration, deadly combat, strange magic, and opportunities for both heroism and disaster. My games focus on atmosphere, player-driven choices, immersive roleplay, and fast-paced cinematic action. Dragonbane rewards creativity, clever plans, and bold decisions over perfect character builds. Expect dangerous journeys, memorable NPCs, dark humor, tense combat, and a living world that reacts to your successes and failures. This game is ideal for players who enjoy old-school fantasy adventures, exploration-heavy campaigns, and stories shaped by risk and discovery. Dragonbane is enjoyable by both grognards wishing to try something new but with a familiar taste and new players alike. No prior experience with Dragonbane is needed — new players are welcome, but survival is never guaranteed.

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et Estonian
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
DND5.5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)
...
Austin
Holger
See on lihtsalt test. Ärge pange tähele. Katsetan uut viisi kuidas süsteemid ja mängud kuvatakse.
en English
Homebrew
Homebrew
BitD
Blades in the Dark
...
Online
Michelle
Let’s go on an adventure together! I'm looking for a free, cooperative, consent-based, story-focused TTRPG table. I enjoy character-driven games with party relationships, meaningful combat, exploration, mystery, downtime, and earned emotional moments. Ideal balance: about 50% roleplay, 30% combat, 20% exploration. I like sincere games with humor, but not constant bits, edgelord behavior, or main character syndrome. I fit best with players who share spotlight, cooperate, respect boundaries, and care about everyone’s character mattering. Consent and safety are important to me. Heavy themes, PvP, romance/flirting, sexual content, intense character conflict, or major effects on another PC should be discussed first. Lines and veils should be respected. I’m in Hawaiʻi Time / UTC-10. Weekends are best, and I prefer 2–3 hour sessions. I’m open to voice, PBP, or hybrid formats. Not a good fit for bigotry, disruptive rules-lawyering, non-cooperative play, unconsented PvP/romance/sexual content, trauma dumping, or using RPGs as therapy. Message me on Discord; I’m more responsive there. Please say you saw my Groupfinder post and send a short game pitch. Discord: goldaline
en English
ICRPG
Index Card RPG
...
Broomfield
Online
Mark
I'm Mark, a 50-something tabletop enthusiast. Been playing and GMing for many years. As I've gotten older, I have moved to lighter, faster systems. My current favorite is ICRPG (think of super-streamlined D&D). I'm looking for players interested in games with a balance between action and roleplay. I prefer in-person (Denver/Broomfield area) but am open to virtual sessions. I am in the US in the Mountain Time Zone. My day job can be demanding, so best times are Friday evenings and Saturdays. Please drop me a message if you would be interested in attending a session!

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