"It's d20, but every round the fight literally speeds up."
13th Age is a d20 fantasy game by Rob Heinsoo (D&D 4E lead) and Jonathan Tweet (D&D 3E lead). It takes tactical d20 combat and enlivens it with the escalation die, which raises everyone's to-hit each round. Add story-first tools: the 13 Icons and the One Unique Thing. Crunch and narrative in one package, in the Dragon Empire setting.
The Dragon Empire — classic high fantasy, but living and its own. Thirteen Icons (the Emperor, the Lich King, the Three, and more) are the world's superpowers, and every hero is tied to some of them. No gray miles of lore: details emerge through your One Unique Thing and your Icon relationships, right at the table.
The escalation die
A d6 sits on the table, rising +1 from round 2 (up to +6) and added to everyone's to-hit. A reward for aggression: fights accelerate toward the finish instead of dragging.
The 13 Icons
Thirteen great powers of the world. A hero has 'relationship dice' with some — roll them at the start of a session and the result weaves the Icons into the story: aid, complication, intrigue.
One Unique Thing
Every character has a detail no one else in the world shares ('the only survivor of…'). It instantly gives a story hook and makes the hero genuinely one of a kind.
d20 with 3E & 4E DNA
Tactical but streamlined: backgrounds instead of long skill lists, flexible classes, fast combat. Familiar to D&D players, but lighter and more story-forward.
Open in Session Zero to let every player vote and see the results.