D&D-inspired game
 

i don't remember the title but i played it a bunch in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a shareware demo.

it starts out with filling out your character sheet like a tabletop rpg. then there's a top-down view of a fantasy map your adventurer traverses which changes when there's a battle/fight.

this is probably too vague to pinpoint to a specific game, so good luck!

It is a bit too vague.
What was the resolution / colors like, was it standard VGA 320x200 256 colors, or higher resolution? Or even less colors, like 16 colors EGA?
What did the game perspective change to when a combat started, was it isometric, 3D view or something else?
Did you play a single character, or a group of characters?

Blindshot: Castle of the Winds.

https://www.mobygames.com/images/sho...-crowd-but.png