Polymythdnd compatibility landscape*
a DM's reference. what to steal, what to skip, what to avoid.
33 mechanics
10 systems
4 table functions
25 synthesis edges
7 anti-synthesis
This is the polymyth filter applied to tabletop game design choices. Each chip below is a specific mechanic or design pattern from a real published game. S-tier are the polymyth-core: load-bearing for player agency, NPC depth, setting coherence, and pressure. A-tier are drop-in compatible: import as-is. C-tier is decorative or vestigial. F-tier actively undercuts the project. Click any chip for what it does at the table, what problem it solves, which D&D versions can host it, and what to pair it with. Click a category bar above the tier list to filter by table function.
Nine table functions click to filter
player agency
commitments, growth, character emergence
NPC depth
who the people in the world really are
setting coherence
factions disagreeing, world holding together
pressure & stakes
what's running out, what's at stake
advancement
how the character grows or decays across play
resolution
how an action's outcome gets determined
economy
resources, currencies, scarcity at the table
knowledge
information asymmetry, what is hidden vs revealed
time-scale
turn vs scene vs session vs campaign vs cross-campaign
Audit note. Original schema shipped May 12 2026 with four categories. Advancement was added May 13 after May 4 leveling-system work (chat 0f3705ce) was surfaced and the inventory was found to have no slot for "how a character grows." Resolution, economy, knowledge, and time-scale were added later that same day after audit-completion. The 9-category schema is now the working surface. Knowledge currently has zero mechanics filed under it, itself a finding: the 33-mechanic inventory lacks any first-class information-asymmetry mechanic, an open invitation for future inclusion (e.g., Blades-in-the-Dark flashbacks, GM mystery-clocks, player-facing dice). See ml* Schema-audit entries.
Tier list click any chip
belief shapes reality 2e
Planescape factions 2e
edicts/anathema PF2R
influence subsystem PF2R
hope/fear duality DH
experiences DH
connections DH
rulings over rules DH
cairn scars OSR
dolmenwood factions OSR
2d6 reactions OD&D
skill challenges 4e
unaligned 4e
background capability 2024
victory points PF2R
ancestry+community DH
BFRPG CC-BY-SA OSR
knave slots OSR
mörk borg misery OSR
DM-as-creator OD&D
great wheel OD&D
DM-as-tyrant 1e
world tree 3e
feat trees 3e
world axis 4e
alignment as flavor 5e
ideals/bonds/flaws 5e
faction renown 5e
real-time torch OSR
race-as-class B/X
9-alignment grid 1e
diplomancer 3.5
class-as-role lock 4e
click any chip
each mechanic answers four DM questions: what it does at the table, what problem it solves, which D&D versions can host it, what to pair it with. or click a category bar to see all mechanics serving that table function.
System tags
OD&DOriginal D&D 1974 · Gygax & Arneson
B/XBasic D&D 1981 · Moldvay/Cook
1eAD&D 1st ed 1977 · Gygax
2eAD&D 2nd ed 1989 · Planescape setting 1994
3e / 3.5D&D 3rd / 3.5 2000–2003 · WotC
4eD&D 4th ed 2008 · WotC
5eD&D 5th ed 2014 · WotC
2024D&D 2024 revision · WotC
PF2RPathfinder 2 Remaster 2024 · Paizo
DHDaggerheart 2024 · Critical Role / Darrington Press
OSROld School Renaissance · Cairn, Dolmenwood, Knave, Mörk Borg, Shadowdark, Basic Fantasy
