Iron Halberd

Iron Halberd is an old-school fantasy RPG, designed for ease of use and classless, equipment-oriented progression. Its features include:

• Semi-random but equally competent characters, defined by their equipment loadout. Character creation involves a lot of random die rolls mixed with player input, and all resulting characters can contribute effectively.
• All attributes viable for all characters, regardless of playstyle. A heavy-armored weapon-user is just as viable focusing on Stamina and Power as they are focusing on Speed and Spirit; the same goes for book-toting spellcasters, well-prepared dungeoneers or anything in between.
• Classless customization with support for different types of warriors, light-armored swashbucklers, heavily armored knights, rangers, thieves, scholars and alchemists; wizards, witches and bards with distinct spellcasting styles; ritualists and priests of any sort of god.
• Streamlined design while keeping robust subsystems. The core moment-to-moment rules are quick and lightweight, but the system's loaded up with rules for forging equipment and artefacts, brewing potions, hiring and managing followers, foraging for food, tracking time and torchlight during dungeon crawls and downtime, and stealth and reaction rolls during random encounters.
• Slow leveling with an emphasis on in-world progression. Gaining experience and levels is made a smaller portion of a character's power budget, instead focusing more on discovering treasure and artefacts, forming alliances, raising armies, and building strongholds as your primary form of character progression.
• Simple, lethal and open-ended combat that goes by quickly and allows for creativity in critical moments. Uses abstract positioning instead of specific measurements, characters constantly doing exciting maneuvers, and slow healing which ensures all damage taken isn't just a today problem.

Iron halberd is now done playtesting and fully released! Major additions since the playtest include a bestiary, rules for building strongholds and waging warfare, cleric miracles based on how well your character impresses their god, tons of small and large improvements to wording & playability, a quick reference sheet for easy rules-checking at the table, robust GM and player guidance, and loads of shiny new treasure.

Full changelog can be found at the back of the new version.

Looking to run, play or discuss Iron Halberd with others? Try joining Level2janitor's discord server!

Character sheet by scribbles & dice