Sources

Playtest

The full open beta playtest for Daggerheart, with everything you need to begin your adventure.

Introduction

Welcome to Daggerheart

What is a Tabletop Roleplaying Game?

What Kind of Roleplaying Game is Daggerheart?

Touchstones

Heart of the Game

The Core Mechanics

Sessions & Campaigns

The Golden Rule

Rulings Over Rules

Player Principles

Be A Fan of Your Character and Their Journey

Spotlight Your Allies

Play to Find Out What Happens

Address the Characters and Address the Players

Hold On Gently

Build the World Together

World Overview

Core Realms

Magic and Spells

Flavoring Your Game

What Do You Need To Play?

2-5 Player Characters

A Game Master

Game Dice

Character Tokens

Game Cards

Character Sheets & Notes

Optional: Maps and Miniatures

A Table For All

Using This Book

Chapter One

Preparing for Adventure

Character Creation

Getting Started

Step 1: Choose Your Class

Step 2: Choose Your Heritage

Step 3: Assign Character Traits

Step 4: Record Additional Character Information

Step 5: Choose Your Starting Equipment

Step 6: Create Your Background

Step 7: Choose Your Experiences

Step 8: Choose Your Domain Cards

Step 9: Create Your Connections

Building Higher-Level Characters

Example Character

Domains

Class

Bard

Druid

Guardian

Ranger

Rogue

Seraph

Sorcerer

Warrior

Wizard

Ancestry

Clank

Drakona

Dwarf

Elf

Faerie

Faun

Firbolg

Fungril

Galapa

Giant

Goblin

Halfling

Human

Inferis

Katari

Orc

Ribbet

Simiah

Mixed Ancestry

Community

Highborne

Loreborne

Orderborne

Ridgeborne

Seaborne

Slyborne

Underborne

Wanderborne

Wildborne

Additional Player Tools

Adjusting Abilities and Spells

Playing Physically Disabled Characters

Playing Blind, Deaf, or Mute Characters

Chapter Two

Playing an Adventure

The Flow of the Game

Core Mechanics

On Your Turn

Duality Dice

Evasion Score

Hit Points and Damage Thresholds

Stress Points

Action Rolls

Damage Rolls

Reaction Rolls

Advantage and Disadvantage

Domain Cards

Conditions

Countdowns

Maps, Range, and Movement

Gold

Downtime

Death

Action Tracker

General Rules

Player Best Practices

Embrace The Danger

Use Your Resources

Tell The Story

Discover Your Character

Leveling Up

Tiers of Play

Level Achievements

Choosing Advancements

Raising Damage Thresholds

Taking Domain Cards

Multiclassing

Example of Leveling Up

Equipment

Equipping, Storing, and Switching Equipment

Using Weapons

Primary Weapon Tables

Secondary Weapon Tables

Armor Tables

Loot

Items

Consumables

Full Example of Play

Questions to Consider for GMs

Chapter Three

Running An Adventure

Core Guidance

GM Principles

GM Best Practices

Pitfalls to Avoid

Core GM Mechanics

The GM’s Die

Calling for Action Rolls

Making Moves

Fear

Using The Action Tracker

Setting Roll Difficulty

Giving Advantage and Disadvantage

Adversary Action Rolls

Adversary Attack Rolls

Adversary Reaction Rolls

Countdowns

Gold, Equipment, and Loot

Optional GM Mechanics

Session Zero and Safety Tools

Laying the Groundwork

X-Card

Open Door Policy

Asking Questions

Finding Campaign Inspiration

Running A Session

Thinking In Beats

Preparing Combat Encounters

Session Rewards

Crafting Scenes

Sharing The Spotlight

Using Conflict

Using Downtime

Character Death

Leveling Up Your Party

Running a One-Shot

Running a Campaign

Optional: Campaign Frame

Building A Map

Filling Space, Leaving Blanks

Incorporating Player Backstories

Planning a Story Arc

Chapter Four

Adversaries and Environments

Using Adversaries

Adversary Breakdown

Adversary Types

Adversary Experiences

Adversary Features

Choosing Adversaries

Defeated Adversaries

Improvising Adversaries

Adversary Statblocks

Using Environments

Environment Breakdown

Environment Types

Environment Features

Adapting Environments

Environment Stat Blocks

Environments by Tier

Chapter Five

Creating Your World

Campaign Frames

The Witherwild

Five Banners Burning

Locations

Sablewood

Rime of the Colossi

Gindalia, City of Obligation

Solsunk Sea

The Kinekozan Jags

Chapter Six

Adversary Balance

Scaling Attack Modifiers

Scaling Damage

Scaling Difficulty

Scaling Damage Thresholds

Example Adversary Scaling

List of Adversary Features

Environment Balance

Creating Environments

Homebrew Guide

Custom Classes & Subclasses

Custom Ancestries & Communities

Custom Domains

Custom Campaign Frames

Custom Adversaries & Environments

Custom Equipment & Loot

Card Templates

Appendix

Credits

The Sablewood Messengers

A complete starting adventure and gameplay reference for 3-6 players.

Introduction

Marlowe Fairwind

Barnacle

Garrick Reed

Khari Nix

Varian Soto

The Game Master Adventure Guide

The Sablewood Messengers

Credits

The Marauders of Windfall

A complete Tier 1 adventure for 3-6 players. The action takes place after The Sablewood Messengers.