You stand at the entrance of an ancient, labyrinthine dungeon. The flicker of your torchlight dances on moss-covered walls as you descend deeper into the unknown. With every step, anticipation thickens in the still, damp air. The faint sound of dripping water is your only company. Suddenly, you enter a vast chamber, the ceiling lost in shadow. At its center, a massive spider, the stuff of legends, waits. Its eight gleaming eyes watch your every move, intelligence and malice flickering in their depths. Venomous fangs glint in the dim light. This is it—your moment of truth. Will you rise to the challenge?
Why Cresthaven RPG?
Epic Adventures Await: Step into Cresthaven RPG, where every decision shapes your destiny. From heroic quests to thrilling encounters, the game promises to be a memorable experience for all players.
Easy to Learn, Exciting to Master: Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned veteran of role-playing games, Cresthaven is designed for you. Create your unique character in just 20 minutes, or jump straight into the action with pre-generated heroes.
Forge Unforgettable Stories: Set in the enchanting Village of Cresthaven, your journey will be filled with mystery, magic, and battles that will test your bravery. Every session opens the door to extraordinary tales that you’ll remember long after the dice are put away.
A Collaborative World
Shape the Future of Cresthaven: Cresthaven RPG is a living document that evolves with the community’s input. Your feedback and ideas are not just welcomed—they’re essential. Comment, suggest, and help us make Cresthaven an even more amazing world to explore.
Ready to Begin?
- New to Cresthaven? Start Here – Learn how to play.
- Ready to Create Your Character? Get Started – Begin your journey.
- Aspiring Dungeon Master? Learn More – Run your own adventures.
Special Thanks
A special shout-out to Steve Daskam for his incredible artwork that brings the world of Cresthaven to life. View His Art.
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I say definitely create 1 final pdf for folks to download and enjoy it all in a single place! I'd keep it for the beautiful artwork alone!
Thanks man! I’m thinking a mega book … adventures, encounter, dm guide, the whole thing.
I just wanted to drop a note (finally) to say thank you for this. I found this site during Covid lockdown, when my wife asked me to figure out how to GM for my kids and their friends who lost access to their D&D group. I hadn’t played any TTRPGs for over 30 years (and frankly wasn’t even interested). This site made it easy, and fun as hell. My kids left the group 2 years ago, but I still GM a party of 5 (4 of which are OG party members) every other Saturday.
May Cresthaven live forever!
Fun fact: Horace Sharpcheeks (if that’s even his real name…) is a primary protagonist in our long-running campaign. He’s basically Charlie from Charlie’s Angels.
So thanks again for putting this out there, for helping keep a handful of adventurers a little saner over the last few years, and mostly for reigniting my love and passion for TTRPGs.
Forever grateful,
chumplet
Thank you for the kind words, Greg! I’m glad you enjoy it!!!
Is there a PDF one can download that compiles all the rules and whatnot?
Thanks for asking about the possibility of getting a PDF version of our content instead of using our website. We want to explain why using our website has unique benefits:
We respect your preferences, and if you still prefer a PDF version of specific content, please let us know, and we’ll do our best to help.
Are you planning to add a bard like class or any new classes in the future?
I’ve always been a bit on the fence about adding a bard class. I like the idea, but I worry about how it might be played—I’m not really into the whole “seduction” angle at the table. If you’re looking for something bard-adjacent, I’d suggest checking out the Grifter class. It captures a lot of that vibe without the weird stuff.
I do think a nice PDF available on drivethru or printed on demand would be awesome.
Me too. Just as soon as I have some extra time to update the layout 😉
Let me know if I can help with anything!
In light of the OGL drama, I’m planning to create my own system. Just wanted to say that many of the ways I thought to make DnD easier, you implemented! Bravo, hope you are well.
That’s wonderful! Welcome Bryrich! Let me know if you have any suggestions.
The thing I see a lot with new players is they just don’t know what they can do. Perhaps a quick reference card or something on the char sheet that clearly lists actions in and out of combat?
I have the new player tips: /2014/12/16/new-role-player-tips/
Maybe something they fill out since the actions will be unique to the character?
Something like this but for both in and out of combat and something they fill out. https://dndcheatsheet.com/cheat-sheets
Thank you for the reference. I’ll check it out.
I looked through those cheat sheets, and IDK if we need them. I try to present this content in the form of a cheat sheet already.
From what I had read I’m loving the system is quite compatible with many systems like Ryuutama, the simple version of Burning Wheel which is Mouse Guard, pathfinder, every D&D editions and so on, and I’m tempted to translate it to Spanish. So my kids could play it on their own.
Let me know if you do, so I can share it!!!
Hello!
I played D&D (specially 3.5 + 5e) and now plan to DM for the family and was looking for a system that is lightweight but still involves skill roles, a mana-based magic and quick combat resolution so I think simplednd is probably the perfect choice, time to dive in!
Question: are D&D modules and content fully compatible? Can I pick up a D&D adventure and just run it with simplednd?
First off welcome! I often run both 5e and Pathfinder with little or no adjusting. There are also lots of monsters listed here, and there are even a few monster lists for some official adventures. Just search for bestiary. Come back and let us know how your game goes!!
After DMing some short but still fun campaigns with this with some of my friends on discord and in real life, Its really great and I personally enjoy it, its all the fun aspects of dnd without the super-complexity of it , and mana system also helps cause managing spell lots bogs down games , especially with some people who aren’t super used to playing rpg games!
Also is there a pdf containing all the rules/races? Cause I’d love to print them and staple together a little book for this, but if not thats fine,are you still working on this or are you doing other projects if any?
Thanks for the feedback, Mr Mama! This is still our family system, and we play it all the time. I often tweak things and update it based on feedback online or if I find something that works good for our table. For example, we just added Catfolk. I have thought about doing another PDF, but I am swamped with other projects, and honestly it locks the system, whereas I can always edit the website.
Any reason to play this ruleset instead of the basic rules?
Yes! The spirit of classic rules is definitely here—now with some thoughtful modernization: descending AC, mana-based magic, unified d20 checks, and more. You’re welcome to use monsters or adventures from other systems like Pathfinder or 5th Edition alongside these rules. Most importantly, Cresthaven RPG is free—free to play, free to mix and match, and free to contribute to. It’s all released under the Creative Commons Share-Alike license.
Excellent site and nice rules. They are simple and easy to learn but still seem to have a more modern flavour that some OSR games e.g. Basic Fantasy.
Have you (or anyone else) tried using/modifying these rules to run a 5e adventure?
My son (9 yo) is interested in playing with his friends. He really wants to try some of the D&D modules, such as Tyranny of Dragons, but I worry the character creation and other aspects would be too much for that age group.
Absolutely! I regularly run 5e adventures using these rules—Tales from the Yawning Portal is a favorite. That said, I recommend using 5e monsters and DCs as written. Some monsters might differ a bit in behavior or stats, but a good DM can always make adjustments on the fly.
I like these simplified rules, and intend to use them, but they have holes in them. They are unplayable unless complemented by standard DnD rules. The rulebook seems to assume the reader is familiar with standard DnD.
It never explains how base hit points are calculated, only how they increase on level up. Neither does it explain exactly how much constitution increases hit points. +1 per ability level? +(character level) per ability level?
Also, skills are unclear. It is explained what skills characters have and how they develop, but left unexplained what the skills do in the first place. It’s best to make it explicit.
Finally, I would like to thank you or this useful rulebook and hope that this helps you improve it further.
First off—thank you! Feedback like this is exactly what helps improve the rules for future new players. I’ll get a fix together ASAP.
@Tuomas check out the character sheet explanation, I think it’ll really help: /creating-characters/character-sheet-explanation/a
Thank for you work!
I’m planning to play Cresthaven RPG with my children and their friends, but they don’t know English language so I’m working to an Italian translation of the player book.
I’m not sure about how to handle measurements units. Using imperial system will make easier to find and adapt existing resources and feels somewhat “exotic” for us, that can be a good thing in a fantasy setting. But metrical is more familiar and easy to visualize.
Do you have any suggestion on this point?
Giacomo — I’d recommend converting it to a grid. Each square represents 5 feet, so if a player has 35 feet of movement, that’s 7 squares. Personally, I find this approach much easier for kids to grasp.
My siblings and I just attempted to play this game and were boggled. There is little and sporadic organization of information. It is really all over the place and not direct at all. There are several explanations of different concepts with no FULL explanations which is so frustrating. I truly wanted to understand the game and we took a whole day to get into it. Disappointing to say the least. All you need to do is condense the information into less pages, less explanations and ensure another person who is completely new can understand it without any previous knowledge of DnD. Very difficult to break down and connect all of the pieces.
Sydney, sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the rules! Getting started with any RPG can definitely be a challenge. To help, we’ve put together a Learning Dungeon that walks you through the core concepts step by step, plus a Full Rules Summary that organizes everything in one place. Definitely give them a look!
Learning Dungeon: /2018/03/08/learning-dungeon/
Full Rules Summary: /playing-the-game/full-rules-summary/
A shout out of gratitude for all your work on this site. I’m new to D&D and my 9-year-old got interested on account of a classmate. So i’ve given myself a crash course (watching a lot of Critical Role) and reading tons, of course. This site is perfect for the 9/10 year-old set. We ran our first session yesterday afternoon and my son and four of his mates had a blast. The only downside was that we had planned for two hours and could have used at least one more. Everybody was learning – including me – of course. All we had time for was character creation (simplified even more and the character sheets are outstanding) and the arachnid encounter. It all worked great and really gave me and my son and his mates the experience of success that left them all excited for more – ASAP.
Awesome! Check it the starter adventure to help learn the ropes
It’s called Goblin Raider in the episodes area
They are all done https://stevedaskam.deviantart.com/gallery/66049458/simple-DND-monsters
I finished them last week but it seems like my post did not go through, maybe because I was in chrome
Not sure. Can you let me know if you see this post
STEVE! These are so amazing. I’ve started to integrate them into the site.
almost done just 5 left
I think I’ve figured it out. Try the below link.
I’ve done about 20 or so; so far. I’ll keep adding them as I go.
Let me know is the link works.
https://sta.sh/21nexes8jqvz?edit=1
https://stevedaskam.deviantart.com/gallery/
try this one
These are great! I’ll start to add them to the text.
Ok I’ll get to work on figuring out this deviant art thing
Once I get it set up I’ll send the link
https://www.deviantart.com/21nexes8jqvz?edit=1
try this link and let me know if it works. I’ve done about 20 monsters so far.
I’ll continue to add as I go.
Bad link. Can you repost?
I am a big fan of what you’ve put together. I have two young bays and wanted something they could play that requires them to work as a team. I am new to dnd. This site has mad it easy for me to wrap my head around how to play. I think the monster codex would be great if it had some pictures of the monsters. I would be happy to donate artwork for all of your listed monsters. I’m no pro but I’m could do it justice. Let me know. I can send samples if you like them I’ll do all the monsters.
Hell yeah. Any one who wants contribute is welcome. Just post the art up on deviant art and send me the link. I’ll reference your page!
Hello:
I found your site a couple of years ago and was impressed on the simplicity. Unfortunately, I never got to use it then. I am now trying to use it and have stumbled over a couple of situations that I’d like to have clarified.
In the PB, you talk about the only limits on the spells being the amount of mana you have and that you cannot cast a spell of higher level than your caster level. Also, as long as they have mana
In the MC1, you have a goblin warlock with no mana pool and a limited number of spells, specifically 3-1st and 2-2nd. This would imply at the very least it be a 2nd level creature, so why not a higher HD from the normal goblins?
Monsters are generally designed for single-use encounters, with their stats serving as guidelines for the DM. For example, that Goblin Warlock might have a few spells, but they’re one-time use, and since it can’t wear armor, it’s easier to hit. That also means its spells can be interrupted more easily—don’t forget to take advantage of that!
Hi Simple D&D person. I have been at work on my own simplified D&D/RPG for some time now. Recently I stumbled on yours. Very much enjoy reading it and it gave me some ideas. I was wondering, the spells with the same names as in D&D 5th, how much and how do they differ in your system from D&D? Also, would it please be ok if I use those spells for my own system. I am just a person like yourself that wants something simpler and that works for me and friends. Not having to type out my own spell list would save me a ton of time. I would of course attribute. Thank you for this site and everything else! 🙂 Vincent
Use what you want. Just link back to us.
I will, link back that is! Highly appreciated! I (am beginning to) know how much time writing a system takes. I will send you a copy of my system once it is finished. Perhaps you can use some of my stuff if you ever want to make a new version. Thanks again. 🙂 Vincent
OH! Did you take this down because you’re selling it on RPG Now? If so, I would be happy to support the work you’ve done, but I cannot find it anywhere? Could you share a link?
No. The PDFs are down from there too. Just this private blog for now.
Ok. Well thanks for keeping the site up! If you sell the PDFs again, let me know. You don’t have any plans to take the site down altogether, do you?
I’m not planning on doing anything right now.
I found your site years ago and really loved it! I freaked out when I realized you had taken it down. I need to download everything you posted so I don’t lose it again. 😀 I’ve got 3 kids now and 2 are getting close to old enough that I can use your system/ideas! 😀
Not removed, just made private.
So, I bought the simple DnD bundle from RPGnow and I can’t print the simple DnD spell book… apparently, it has print protection on it. is there any way I could get a copy of a pdf that i can print?
Try contacting RPGNow.
Any chance for an updated book or PDF soon? I’d like to buy a hard copy but I don’t want to get one till it has been updated with the newest material.
The current version is the latest.
Do you guys have a 5e Conversion? Would like to use the simple D&D playstyle and Rules but use 5e Dungeons and monsters.
There are a few monster lists for 5e adventures.
Cresthaven RPG Bestiary: Lost Mine of Phandelver
SimpledDnD Bestiary: Isle of Dread
Also, you could use 5e monsters without conversion, although I recommend Pathfinder monsters before 5e
I just want to say that this is awesome. Me and some friends discussed playing for years and never got to do it cause it took so much time to set up characters and run a campaign. This is so simple and easy to set up and use that even the wives took notice and got in on the fun. Kudos to you guys for creating this system. Its a great way to get people who have never played before involved. Thank you so much 🙂
I removed it. It’s wildly outdated as of right now. I will post an updated version after I finish my current project. In the meantime use this site as your book!
I’m still getting started. Love the project so far. Was looking for of something more “special” for the Cavalier and I think I’ll try to use the following:
[Weapon Proficiency]: Any time a character is attempting to use a weapon type that they do not normally wield and that they do not have any training in, they will be under the Disadvantage roll. In order to remove this disadvantage, they must practice with the weapon for at least an hour one three different days.
*Cavaliers have had rudimentary training in basic weapon types and are not at a disadvantage when using any non-exotic weapon.
I didn’t see anything else about proficiency and it seems like a simple and intuitive enough addition for my purposes. Just thought I’d throw this out there.
Weapon proficiencies are outside of the scope of this project. I have no plan to add them.
Hey there! Love this system. I am creating a modified hybrid of DnD, ADnD 2nd Ed, and Cresthaven RPG. I am interested in your opinion on my basic combat system. Is there a way to contact you? You have mentioned people can email you, but I have not found any email for you on this website. Id prefer to correspond with you directly as it is still a work in progress and I do not wish to release it publicly.
Greetings! (Apologies but this is coming from a pure miniatures gamer trying to use D&D for simple combat games) I’d like to expand and use more monsters from the 5E monster manual. When I compare your simplified stats of say a skeleton they differ from those in the 5E manual and your monster conversion formula seems to be for older editions of D&D. Is there a formula for converting monsters from the 5E manual to use in this simplified system?
We recommend using monsters from newer systems like Pathfinder or 5th Edition D&D as-is. Any adjustments needed will be pretty minor and easy to handle on the fly.
Sure
Send over the typos so they can be fixed
Post the typos so they can be fixed
Post the link so I can review.
What is your email?
When you add all of your ability scores together the cannot exceed the max
It’s a ruleset, not a rulebook—you can run it however you like at your table. Want to use alignment? Go for it. Prefer to remove class restrictions? Totally your call.
Sounds good
Again. The system has limitations based on old D&D. It’s up to you how you want to mod it for your table.
Hello, I am a high school student and I am making a tabletop game similar to DnD for a Latin competition based on Greek Mythology.
I was wondering if you have any advice for me based upon your experience simplifying DnD
Keep it simple. Don’t create a lot of random rules if the basic challenge will work
I’d like to see some “toolbox” options for building races/classes/etc. Nowadays I think we are all spoilt for choice so I have to curb any gut reactions to aesthetics/fluff I don’t like. Along these lines of generic representation without coming off as only blocks of text, you might try using detailed silhouettes (as they did in the Mini-Six NPCs section).
Definitely a cool project. I’ll be watching the developments here and on DTRPG.
Post some example and I’ll add it to the text.
Art or text?
For race “toolbox” options I suggest something like Machinations of the Space Princess (there’s an SRD .doc easily found via Google from the publisher) or OmegaLite20 (also easily found via Google). You might want to tailor them quite a bit to fit a fantasy genre though.
For class “toolbox” options, um… not sure… I’ll get back to you. :^)
I’ll check out OmegaLite20 thanks
I found this site via the G+ Tabletop RPG Community and I’m quite intrigued and excited about the possibilities. I’m sure I’ll have more feedback as I travel through your website.
One Note now though: the link to the Player’s Starter Book PDF on this page is outdated and results in a Document Not Found error.
May I make a suggestion: Make the Player’s Start Book (and Monster Codex) options in the “Cresthaven RPG 101” menu option.
This website is always the most up-to-date source. There is an older PDF available, but it’s not recommended—it’s missing many spells, magic items, and monsters that are included here.
Is this much different from OSRIC or Labrynth Lord?
Cresthaven RPG offers a fresh take compared to systems like OSRIC or Labyrinth Lord—in a good way. One of the biggest strengths of Cresthaven is its consistent and streamlined rules, making gameplay smoother and more accessible. Best of all, adventures designed for those classic systems are fully compatible with Cresthaven RPG, often requiring only minimal adjustments by the DM.
I like the idea behind this. Are you putting together a PDF or print rulebook?
This web site will always be the most up to date version, there is an older PDF, but not recommended as it’s missing many of the spells, magic items and monsters that are listed here on the website.
I just found this site and it ROCKS! I’m enjoying the reading so far and I’m looking forward to seeing what develops!!
You can simply this more.
* Get rid of alignment. It adds nothing positive to the game.
* Get rid of the giant scrawling weapon list. Have weapon damage be a product of class with the class having some simple options (i.e. unarmed, single weapon, weapon & shield or two-handed weapon). Similarly, you can just make armor a product of class with similar options (unarmored, light, or heavy)
* Damage types are also unnecessary unless you are making a consistent point in your monster stats about which ones take more damage from what sort of weapon… but then… that wouldn’t be simple, would it?
* Your race options aren’t simple at all and are more unnecessarily complicated than the classes. Races don’t inherently HAVE to offer much in the way of mechanical options, particularly since humans literally offer nothing. Your other three races are far too powerful in comparison and– for what, really? Honestly, none of them are all that far removed from humans to justify a lot of the bonuses. Humans can be 3′ tall or 7′ tall, can weigh less than 50 pounds or exceed 300. You could quite easily have a human with a body identical to that of an elf, halfling or dwarf and they would still be labeled “human”. Saying that something not labeled “human” would be getting bonuses for having that same exact body structure but there is nothing positive about having the body structure of a more average human is just silly.
Take a look at 13th Age and see the kind of things they simplified the things I noted here.
So true! I’ve been thinking a lot about how to better balance ancestries—like narrowing bonuses and giving humans a more flexible point-buy approach. I hadn’t even considered dropping alignment entirely, though it still feels really useful for NPCs and monsters. Honestly, I’m blown away. Fantastic feedback!
I like alignment. It adds a lot to the game for player motivation and character development. It adds a potential conflict and tension in the game, even within a character itself. I think your weapon lists are fine and damage type really informs the story telling in combat. Damage as a product of class is interesting but not D&D. You could make those changes but I wouldn’t call it simplednd anymore if you did. And I don’t see them as particularly complex. I think you’re doing a great job. Don’t feel compelled to parrot other game designs. Do what feels right/D&D to you.
@medievalmike In our experience playing SimpleDnD, alignment hasn’t really been missed—heroes are good, monsters are bad, and that simplicity works. The classic feel comes more from how the game flows: structured combat, familiar character roles, and shared expectations. If we ever evolve past that, we’d be stepping into something entirely new. Really appreciate your feedback—keep it coming!
I agree, weapons could be as follows:
Type: blunt, pierce, slash, energy (type)
Damage: tiny (1d4), small (1d6), medium (1d8), large (1d10), very large (1d12)
Quality: concealable, reach, ignore shield bonus (like flails), diverse (hold in 2 hands for +1 damage), etc.
Here at Cresthaven RPG we have only a couple of types of weapons and restrict classes by weapon weight and type.
In a word: brilliant.