Daggerheart

**Daggerheart** is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) system "designed for long-term campaign play and rich character progression" published by Darrington Press LLC. The lead designer is Spenser Starke.

## **History**

The system was first announced in "State of the Press | Darrington Press 2023 Announcements" and on the Critical Role website on 20 April 2023. The website stated: "Daggerheart: Adventure, Hope, and Fear (4 hours): Heroes needed! Create characters and embark upon a fresh fantasy adventure as you get a taste for this new system featuring rich, accessible storytelling and a focus on long-term campaign play."

*Daggerheart* was playtested at GenCon in August 2023.

## **Gameplay**

The game utilizes two d12s of different colors, one called "Hope" and one called "Fear", the higher roll of which determines which attribute the total roll affects. For example, if the total required to succeed is a 12, rolling less than that on both dice combined is a failure. Rolling that total or above is a success, and if the higher number is on the "Hope" die it's a success with hope; if the higher number is on the "Fear" die it's a success with fear. "Advantage" is given by rolling an additional d6. Rolling a double on the d12s results in a critical success.

Succeeding with Hope gives the player a spendable Hope resource and can give positive narrative benefits while retaining initiative with the player characters in combat, whereas succeeding with Fear triggers some narrative consequence and in combat returns initiative to the enemy.

### **Character creation**

Bits of the character sheets were shown on ComicBook.com's coverage of GenCon 2023. Taken from that:

“

**1) Choose a Class**
Your class represents what kind of character you'll be playing and will give you access to certain abilities and spells during the game. Take the character sheet specific for this class.
**2) Choose a Foundation**
Each class has a number of foundation cards to choose from that help better define what kind of focus you'd like your character to have.
**3) Choose a Heritage**
Heritage is made up of both an Ancestry and a Community card. These two cards that establish your physical appearance and the kind of environment you grew up in. Place these cards directly on your character sheet.
**4) Assign Your Character Traits**
Distribute 4 points across your Character Traits, then subtract one point from any Trait. When rolling, you'll apply the value of the Character Trait to the roll.
**5) Set Your Hit Points and Hope**
Each class will start with its own Damage Thresholds detailed on the character sheet under the Hit Points section. Record these in their appropriate spaces. Then take 2 Hope to start the game.
**6) Choose Your Starting Weapon**
Decide what kind of weapon you want to start the game with, and record its details in the appropriate spaces.
**7) Choose Your Starting Armor**
Take one of the available starting armors, and record its details in the appropriate spaces. Also put your Armor Score in the Armor box at the top of the Character Sheet.
**8) Take Your Starting Inventory**
The available items for your class are listed on your character guide. Record everything in your inventory section.
**9) Choose Your Description**
Make choices from the available options of the character guide or create your own. This will help you start to build out your character's look and attitude.
**10) Take Domain Deck Cards**
Each class is made up of two different domains, listed below the class name on the character sheet. Choose 2 cards total from the Level 1 cards in those domains from the domain decks. You may share these decks with other classes. If you do, make sure to talk with them about what cards they're interested in as well.
**11) Answer Background Questions**
Use the background questions on your character guide as a jumping off point to build out your character's history.
**12) Generate Experience**
Use all of the choices and backstory you've made about your character so far to generate their Experience, a set of narrative words or phrases that represent the kinds of things they've learned or become on their journey so far. Assign both of these Experience a value of +1.
**13) Record Your Name and Pronouns**
Create a name for your character and choose what pronouns they use. Then share your character with the rest of the table when they're ready.
**14) Create Connections**
Connection questions on your character guide to [...] other characters at the table, or generate your [...] Use this as an opportunity to also discuss[...] all met, what brought you together, and [...] decided to travel as a party.
”

–
*We Learned DAGGERHEART With TRAVIS! Daggerheart Rules REVEAL!*
[edit]

### **Classes**

Known classes to date include Druid, Ranger, Rogue, Wizard, Sorcerer, Bard, Seraph, Warrior, and Guardian. Each class has two domains available to it, which overlap between classes.

### **Foundations**

Similar to subclasses, there are two foundations per class.

### **Ancestries**

Similar to races in D&D 5e. Still under development. Known to date:

* **Clank**: Mechanical humanoids
	+ Purposeful Design: Choose an Experience that reflects your purpose and add +1 to to.
* **Daemon**: Descendants of fallen gods from the Circle Below.
	+ Devils' Blessing: Use a Stress to have resistance against a magical attack.
	+ Dread Visage: Advantage on rolls to intimidate non-daemons.
* **Drakona**: Wingless dragon humanoids
	+ Elemental Breath: Use as a weapon
* **Dwarf**
	+ Dwarven Fortitude: Increase Armor Score by 1 and add 1 armor slot
* **Elf**
	+ Elven Trance: During a long rest, roll d8s equivalent to number of Stress you have. Clears all Stress. If any d8s match this number, also clear all Hit Points.
* **Faerie**
	+ Wings: Use Stress to fly number of minutes equal to level
	+ Luckbender: 1x/session, after an Action Roll by yourself or ally, can use a Stress to allow a reroll of Duality Dice
* **Fawn**: Deer humanoids with antlers
	+ Tuned Antlers: Advantage on Sense rolls
* **Galapa**: Turtle humanoids
	+ Shell of Protection: Roll an additional 1d6 when reducing incoming damage
* **Halfling**
	+ Little Lucky: Reroll 1s on Hope dice. 1x/session, everyone in party gets a Hope.
* **Half-Giant**
	+ Giants' Endurance: Extra hit points slot.
	+ Reach: All melee weapons' range increases to Very Close.
* **Human**
	+ Perseverance: If you fail a roll utilizing an Experience, you can use 2 Hope to reroll.
* **Katari**: Cat humanoid
	+ Feline Instincts: Can use 1 Stress to reroll Hope Die on any Agility roll.
* **Orc**
	+ Sterner Stuff: Increase all hit point thresholds by +2
* **Ribbet**: Frog humanoid
	+ Amphibious: Can breathe and move underwater as on land.
	+ Long Tongue: Use tongue to grab things and as a weapon.

### **Character Traits**

Players have four points to distribute among Strength, Agility, Precision, Presence, Intuition, and Knowledge, then subtract 1 from any score. These scores are added to ability checks or weapon attacks that utilize that Trait.

### **Abilities**

Each class may choose two ability cards from their two class-determined domains. When a player levels up, they may choose more abilities, and have up to five abilities active at any one time. Abilities may be swapped out during rests.

## **Hit points, stress, and death mechanics**

Characters start with 6 hit points. Damage is determined by rolling d6-d20 dice. The player's armor score is subtracted from this roll, but the armor is damaged (armor can be repaired during a short rest). If the total is below a pre-set threshold, the player takes a stress point instead of damage. If it exceeds the threshold, depending on by how much the player loses 1, 2, or three hit points.

If a player loses all their hit points, they can choose to either perma-die but achieve a critical success, permanently lose a hope point, or roll both hope and fear dice to potentially return without dying. There is a single use resurrection spell available per game.

## **External links**

* Daggerheart on the Darrington Press official website
* *We Learned DAGGERHEART With TRAVIS! Daggerheart Rules REVEAL!* on the Character Sheet on ComicBook.com  YouTube channel
* "Daggerheart First Impressions: Critical Role's New TTRPG Blends Crunch and Narrative Play in Unique Ways" by Christian Hoffer on ComicBook.com, 5 August 2023.
* *Daggerheart Designer Interview - Critical Role's New Game Exclusive Sneak Peek!* on the Legends of Avantris YouTube channel

## **References**

1. ↑  Daggerheart on the Darrington Press official website
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 See "Daggerheart First Impressions: Critical Role's New TTRPG Blends Crunch and Narrative Play in Unique Ways" by Christian Hoffer on ComicBook.com, 5 August 2023.
3. ↑ See "We Learned DAGGERHEART With TRAVIS! Daggerheart Rules REVEAL!" at 0:02:19.
4. ↑ The Wizard wasn't mentioned as a class in a YouTube video about progress developing the game, but that could potentially have been an oversight.  See "DAGGERHEART Character Options Revealed!" from 0:01:16 through 0:01:51.
5. ↑ See "Daggerheart Designer Interview - Critical Role's New Game Exclusive Sneak Peek!" from 0:05:49 through 0:17:37.
6. ↑ See "Daggerheart Designer Interview - Critical Role's New Game Exclusive Sneak Peek!" at 0:05:17.
7. ↑ See "DAGGERHEART Character Options Revealed!" from 0:02:21 through 0:13:51.
8. ↑ See "Daggerheart Designer Interview - Critical Role's New Game Exclusive Sneak Peek!" at 0:16:01.

**Art:**

1. ↑ Official art of a Daggerheart promotional piece, by Nikki Dawes (source). Used with permission.