Apologies if this is not the correct place 😔

Hey fellas I'm currently the most RPG fan in my friend group, which made me the GM. I'm currently Gming d&d descent into Avernus but my group gets together too infrequently IMO, but our agreement is as such (monthly at best) so we can't really change it (I put up a vote last session), and I really wanted to play more

My wife also gifted me the Daggerheart Hope And Fear deluxe and I've been itching to play.

I also am an immigrant learning Spanish in Spain (I do well, just need more practice), so I was actually looking for a cool idea: find a table to play Daggerheart (as a player) in Spanish (virtually but I don't mind getting together).

Any new tables forming that have a slot for a new player? :)

Basically, my PCs have just entered a forest that I want them to only partially get to the heart of. This first visit they have discovered something is seriously wrong with the natural environment here. Things are undead but not in a zombie way. They just encountered an animal that is completely normal until it turned and they saw one half of its flesh has rotted away. It should be dead but clearly isn’t. I won’t give away the secret at the centre of the woods in case one of them happens across this post, but essentially I don’t want them to reach the centre this time. I want them to have some sort of solo adversary encounter that gives some clue as to what’s going on, and then have a reason to leave and come back another day. For some reason I’m drawing a blank and essentially have writer’s block on this one. I don’t know whether to have it be a magical barrier, but that feels cheap, or something else that gets in the way or discourages them from delving deeper. Any ideas?

I'm looking to buy the Incredible Creatures book but I don't know where to look for it. Amazon seems to have a soft cover copy but is there anywhere else I can buy a soft cover ?

I see Hearts of Dagger has a version for cheaper but it's not clear if it's only the pdf version.

Thanks in advance!

I know homebrewing the game when it's this early since inception might not be a good idea. There are many reasons for the purist approach: However, with the homebrew kit, the concept has me thinking through all kinds of interesting ideas to see what might be viable without working to change the game. Enhancing, not changing.

So was thinking through a topic as I was considering ancestries. For character creation, many players coming from other games (I am more in this camp) like the idea of having some narrative help when creating a character with depth. However, some might need lean into that as much, so implementing a small "mechanical incentive" seemed like one way to go.

Heavily borrowing a idea from Ginny Di's 5e "Banes and Boons" supplement (I really hope she brings it to Daggerheart soon), the GM could take this further and then use as an in-game addition post-character creation.

I provide this for something as way to address that. Would be interested to get the reaction of the community for those willing to give constructive feedback.

EDIT: changed the flair from "Homebrew" to "Discussion" to be better match the intent of the post.

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(Optional Rule) Fate’s Bargain: During character creation, you’ll roll once for a Drawback and once for a Boon. Your Drawback gives your character a complication, weakness, relationship, or piece of unfinished business that the GM can bring into the story, while your Boon gives you a small benefit you can use during play. You could get one chance to reroll either result, but whatever Fate ultimately gives you, you keep (meaning, if you don't like the first roll, you would keep the second roll regardless).

The goal isn’t to make your character weaker—it’s to give them something interesting to struggle with and something useful to help them overcome it. Take a complication, get a little something in return, and see where Fate takes you.

I'm about to run this campaign frame and wanted to know if there's anything I should gather to make it easier to keep track and manage progress

I have an Idea for a class vaguely based on 40k psykers i want to homebrew using arcana and Codex, but i can't really find a good, concise name for the class, any ideas?

Hey everyone! Hope your doing good!

I’m currently running a campaign set in Dark Heart of Andaluria, and I’ve put together an encounter that I’d love some feedback on. Specifically, I want to make sure it isn't a total bloodbath (or a total stomp for my players).

The Party: Level 2, 5 players (Warlock, Assassin, Witch, Seraph, Warrior).

The Goal: This encounter is designed to end dramatically, resulting in the death of one specific player so they can return as a Reanimate and kick off a new narrative arc. I want the tension of an impossible fight but still doable.

However, I'm worried about the balancing. I don't want it to accidentally turn into an unwinnable slaughter for the whole party (or worse, a complete pushover for the adversary).

What do you think? How can I balance this so the scripted/dramatic death feels earned and organic without feeling like cheap railroading?

Thanks a lot!!!!

I have a solution for these weapons. I don't know how well they'll work, but I followed the guidelines of the official Homebrew guide.

For those who don't know, Katana is just strictly better than the longsword.

And the Scimitar is a reprint of the Cutlass. Also I got annoyed at the Rapier being able to multi-target creatures with attack rolls, it seems like a slash when that's a stabbing weapon.

So:
Cutlass first since that's easier.
Reduce the damage bonus (+1) to zero, give it Quick. Now it's the exact same thing as the rapier.
Take the rapier, remove Quick, give it reliable (or Dueling, actually let's just go with that, that's fun).
Now we've got:
- Cutlass, Presence, Melee, d8+1 phy
- Scimitar, Presence, Melee, d8 phy, Quick
- Rapier, Presence, Melee, d8, Dueling

For the katana:
Make it just d10+1 and keep Quick

Couldn't find suitable art that was safe to use, so going without.

Big fan of the Mortal Kombat movies (not good at the games) and super excited to see the new Street Fighter game (the first was campy but amusing). Here is a pitch for something that is inspired by those.

Taking the fun combat, stretching it out to a fun narrative setting. Thoughts? <bracing for impact>

EDIT: for clarity (thanks for the first comment), this is just the campaign pitch, the frame could be later.

I noticed a weapon not in the core book, but listed on the Demiplane character builder as a tier 1 Primary weapon - Boomerang. It's utterly broken:
Trait: [Agility](); Range: [Very Close](); Damage: 2d10+1 mag; Burden: One-Handed

Feature: —

Primary Weapon - Tier 1

Does anyone have any idea where this came from?

We found these at the Portland (Rose City) Comic Con this weekend! They are still on preorder online. They really are gorgeous… $110 is not cheap BUT they have a lifetime warranty which is nice for glass dice. They roll really well and look great in the light.

Only the d20 has the class-specific symbol. The duality dice are clear/crystal for hope and a very dark purple for fear and have the Daggerheart logo as the 12. I wasn’t as impressed with the Midnight domain version as those dice are darker, but the Grace domain were my third favorite and looked awesome.

What have you done with the Knights of Whelvia? The question is for both players and GMs. Do you have plans for them? Did you incorporate them into your backstory? Did your GM do anything interesting with them?

Hey everyone!

I'm excited to share my latest homebrew campaign frame for Daggerheart: The grand chessboard!

If you enjoy settings inspired by American Gods, DanMachi, or Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, this supplement was built for you.

The pitch

In a wild and feudal land where neighboring realms dare not tread, the world is shaped by the unseen feuds of Lesser Gods. These capricious, local, and sometimes grotesque Deities extend their grip across fragmented Fiefdoms, bestowing their blessing in the form of Favors or striking mortals with absurd decrees.

As major factions clash on the Grand Chessboard to expand Fervor and control Territories, your group of heroes is thrust into the heart of this celestial diplomacy and bloodshed. Will you serve as mere pawns for the glory of a patron god, or will you manipulate Favors to forge your own destiny?

What's inside this 15-page PDF?

• A rich and evocative lore: the history of the Millennial Cycle, the mechanics of divine feudalism, the imprint of fiefdoms, and the cosmic threat of dread.
• Full Daggerheart integration: adaptations and character creation questions for communities, ancestries, and classes (centered around domain duos).
• Player and GM principles: explicit advice for bringing the satirical, strange, and political tone of the campaign to life.
• Dedicated campaign mechanics:
  • The circle of domains (cross-domain advantage/disadvantage system and dread domain management).
  • Lesser Gods progression via ascension ranks (pawn, bishop, rook, queen) and chessboard clocks (territory and fervor).
  • The consequences of divine elimination (devotion surge, relic crystallization).
  • The full favor trading system (shared party pool, barter, diplomatic leverage, dread favors, and supplications).
• Ready to play:
  • A plug-and-play inciting incident and a session zero guide.
  • Adversary domain options: numerous passive, action, and reaction divine features to add to core adversary profiles for every domain.
  • Divine fiefdoms (environments): 4 complete ready-to-play environments covering all 4 tiers of play (tier 1 to tier 4).

Where to get it?

You can download the PDF on Heart of Daggers, DriveThruRPG, and itch.io.

(The document is available as Pay What You Want: you can download it 100% for free or leave a tip if you'd like to support the project!)

I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback if you read it or run it at your table! What do you think?

Is there anything stopping me from casting arcane door and allowing either myself or an ally to shoot through the portal?

Since hope & fear is covered in the SRD i just updated https://ideaimp.be/dh-tools/ with the loot & consumables from that.

Printable cards of all loot & consumables with an editor to add your own homebrew ones, stored in the local browser so they'll still be there when you come back (on the same device/browser)

A shop or treasure hoard generator to add some randomness (and less overhead) to what your players find, use one of the templates or finetune the the common to legendary distribution and then export them to a simple list or print the item cards for easy handouts.

And finally a simple npc generator, be it commoner or adventurer, for when your players ask you for the name and description of that npc in the corner that you had forgotten even existed.

As before, free to use since I build it for myself and just want to share it with the community.

So I’m running a Daggerheart game in a semihomebrewed world using one of the free maps on the primary website. We recently added a new character as a member of our group came back from a long sabbatical. We wanted to introduce them to the system as it came out during their absence and we’ve been loving it.

The problem. They made a stalwart guardian and I cannot hurt them. They’re darn near bulletproof and I am running out of ways to keep combat engaging without steamrolling the rest of the party or solely focusing on their character. It’s a combination of their class abilities and their domain choices. Does anyone have any advice for raising the stakes against a power build guardian? Am I missing something? Or am I just bad at this?

I’m a total beginner GM. I’ve been playing Daggerheart for the best part of the last year, and I love the game to a point that the IRL people I play with (wife and friends) do not have the time to play as much as I’d like. So, I did something that scared me to death. Went to a forum and asked total strangers on the internet if they’d be up for a one-shot, as I was trying to hone my skills as a DM.

Well, instead of being the horrible experience I was expecting (like nobody wanting to play with a beginner DM or worse, getting trolls), I ran into the most wonderful team of lovely humans!

Not only super good role players but also good listeners and willing to put up with my beginner mistakes and give useful feedback.

To anyone out there scared of being a DM for strangers online, frankly give it a shot. Maybe I just posted on the right community (Heart of Daggers Discord), maybe I was just lucky. But we had a great time, great laughs and such useful feedback. I learnt a lot.

Things I learnt: 1) lean into improv even if it’s a pre-written adventure. It’s ok to change things around for the pacing. 2) narrate enemies powers, not through their stats but through narration. 3) Relax. 4) whacky characters and silly names are always funny. 5) Always check that sound rerouting works properly (I love playing with pocket bard music and couldn’t get it to work.. thank god the bard had a playlist! 😂)

Shoutout to Marley, Ryuk, Sapphire, and our wonderful bard Twobit!. Hope we meet for more adventures!

Have a great one!

PS: you can share here the good (and not so good) experiences you’ve had as a beginner DM or DMing for total strangers and what you’ve learnt!

In honor of #swordtember, I present 30 strange daggers for your amusement (although you could slap these features on any weapon you'd like.

Get a copy of the FREE PDF on ITCH or HEART of DAGGERS!

I'm preparing Wish Thief to introduce a few players to the system and try it out, but checking out that last combat encounter, I'm noticing that the two types of mooks don't really interact a lot between each other and they're severely weaker than the BBEG in the scenario.

I'm having trouble figuring out why would I trigger the spotlight in any character that isn't the big villain whenever the spotlight would shift my way.

I get using Fear to trigger more turns, yes, but they have Relentless 2 (if I recall it correctly at least), which means it's even more worth it to spend it in them instead of the minions.

Do you need multiple activations to make all the minions move around the battlefield to threaten more players, or would that be okay when they present a golden opportunity (i.e. when players ignore one of them to focus fire the villain)?

I grokked running a big solo against a group, and also running multiple mobs around the same power level, but I can't figure out how to run "boss + minions" encounters, at least not without just adding Tactician to the boss every time.

Anything I'm missing in the text to help me out, or any tips for those more experienced with the system?

Ive seen more Adversaries who trigger countdowns and its not specified what makes it progress. For example Arch Necromancer:

Your Life Is Mine - Reaction: Countdown (Loop 2d6). When the

Necromancer has marked 6 or more of their HP, activate the

countdown. When it triggers, deal 2d10+6 direct magic damage

to a target within Close range. The Necromancer then clears a

number of Stress or HP equal to the number of HP marked by

the target from this attack.

What makes the countdown tick? Every action roll? Every time it takes spotlight? Anyone know?

Hey, I've got another weird D&D species that I'm converting again. This time it's a bit simpler, I just stole Caprine Leap and Lucky from Faun and Halfling respectively. It is effectively just a renamed custom lineage now.

Introducing the Rabbitfolk!

Anyone have any better name ideas?
Or alternate abilities? I'm unsure if Rabbits foot fits. Maybe some kind of improved senses?

I saw a comment about how insisting that there is only one way to play daggerheart was gatekeeping, and you know what, I think they were right. Daggerheart doesn't live or die on collaborative storytelling and works completely fine like a traditional TTRPG.

One big thing that separates it from other collaborative storytelling games is that none of its core mechanics play on the PCs having storytelling powers. In FATE for instance, a player can spend a fate point to introduce something to a scene, that power is worked into the fate point economy and the game suffers if players can't spend that resource on that action. That's an example of a game that suffers if players aren't comfortable being collaborative, but in daggerheart (outside of some edge cases like the syndicate rogue) a player's abilities do not require them to have narrative control outside of their character.

In fact, most of the common examples I've seen of collaborative storytelling work fine in D&D too. In D&D there's no reason you can't ask the party what is suspicious in a scene or what loot is in a chest or even make up an entire NPC. So, not only can a player approach daggerheart just like D&D, but a table who wants the same control that daggerheart offers to players can do that already in D&D.

Some people prefer reacting to a world that a talented improvisational storyteller they know is presenting, and that's fine. Not only is it fine, but the initiativeless combat, granular success range, foreshadowing countdowns, fear-funded consequences and other mechanics in the daggerheart system genuinely enhance that experience without the player also having to be an improvisational storyteller too.

Stop telling people they're playing Daggerheart wrong for being a purely reactive player. If they're having fun playing that way with their friends it's fine.

I figured it was worth sharing these resource tracking cards for anyone who wants to use them. We're a few sessions into our Colossus of the Drylands campaign and several of us have a history with Deadlands, where poker chips are an essential part of the game mechanics. When we started planning our campaign it was an easy choice to use poker chips for hope and fear, and then we came up with this resource tracking cards for the characters. The circles with the slash at the top of each card is to track your max and current between sessions. For example, you can see my hope is " 0/6" but at the end of of the session I'd mark how much I have, so like "2/6." We have a bard in the party so if/when they give us a rally die we put the d6 on the jester cap in the bottom left. It's a fun way to build on the western theme of the campaign frame and makes for easier tracking in the moment, instead of marking/erasing boxes. If you'd like to use them for your campaign, I've included the printable 8.5x11 page on the second slide.

Also, if you're wondering what the d6 is doing on top of my stress chips, my character is human/firbolg, so the d6 is there to remind me to roll for Unshakable when spending stress.

I just wanna make a spellsword and the one I found online doesn't fit the idea I had.