It is intended to allow players to take on traditional challenges at the same levels that their D&D[2] counterparts would be able to, without recourse to magic items or high spellcasting.

It was written by Mike Mearls, is currently owned and updated by Adam Windsor, and published by Fiery Dragon Productions.

Aside from the arcanist, no character is given supernatural abilities, in keeping with the low-magic and gritty feel designer Mike Mearls intended for the game.

[1] The Iron Heroes Player's Companion supplement added three more classes, including a second with supernatural abilities.

The Berserker is a strong melee fighter, generally the Iron Heroes equivalent of the D&D barbarian.

However, Berserkers take significant penalties when using armor, have a low defense score, and do not gain many skill points.

Unlike most Iron Heroes classes, the Harrier does not gain access to a token pool.

The Hunter's abilities are focused on tactical combat within a group, making use of the battlefield to confound enemies and aid the coordination of allies.

Hunters receive access to a number of tactically oriented feats, along with above-average progression in HP, skills, and defense.

The class gains good access to all feat types, allowing a character to advance in any direction that the player chooses.

The class does gain access to a handful of combat-related abilities revolving around stealth, along with a medium Sneak Attack progression (capping at 7d6).

Of relevance: Dungeon masters are encouraged to create their own settings to best fit the needs of their players.

[5] In March 2007 Sue Cook announced the sale of Iron Heroes to Adam Windsor.

The Iron Heroes community welcomed this change, especially after it was announced that it would mean that new rulebooks and an updated main book would be produced.