Introduction and Character Creation

Source

Daggerheart System Reference Document 2.0, PDF pages 3–6. Public Game Content under the Darrington Press Community Gaming License; see Daggerheart SRD for the notice and how to cite. Text is machine-extracted; tables lost their columns. When it matters, the PDF wins.

SRD p. 3

Introduction

Welcome to DAGGERHEART, a collaborative fantasy tabletop roleplaying game of incredible
magic and heroic, heartfelt adventure.
WHAT IS THIS?
This is the Daggerheart SRD (System Reference Document). It
is a repository of the mechanical elements of the Daggerheart
system, edited and organized for clarity, conciseness, and
quick reference.
You can use this SRD in several ways:
- T o quickly look up Daggerheart's rules-as-written during
gameplay sessions.
- T o ensure any homebrew content you create or publish
conforms with Daggerheart's core ruleset.
- T o provide copy text made available by Darrington Press
for your own publications under their Community Gaming
License (www.darringtonpress.com/license).
- T o better understand the mechanics of Daggerheart,
absent the flavor and setting information, so you can bend
or break them in the process of making your own content.
The Daggerheart SRD is not a replacement for the core
rulebook, which contains setting information, additional
examples of various gameplay elements, and tons of great
advice for playing Daggerheart - not to mention gorgeous
artwork and layout.
In short, it is Daggerheart, the system, boiled down to the
bones - a lean and clean offering without all the flavor, style,
and supporting material that makes the core rulebook such an
evocative and enjoyable read. We hope this document proves
useful to your table. Happy adventuring!

The Basics

WHAT IS DAGGERHEART?
Daggerheart is a tabletop roleplaying game for one Game
Master ("GM") and 2-5 players. Each game session lasts
about 2-4 hours, and Daggerheart can be played as a one-
shot or a multi-session campaign of any length.
During a session of Daggerheart the GM describes situations,
narrates events, and controls any adversaries or obstacles
that the Player Characters ("PCs") encounter. The players, in
turn, roleplay their PCs' reactions to the scenario presented by
the GM. If the outcome of a player's action depends on fate or
fortune, the GM calls for an action roll.
When a player makes an action roll, they utilize Duality
Dice - two differently colored 12-sided dice ("d12s")
representing Hope and Fear. The Duality Dice are rolled,
relevant modifiers are added to the results, and the total is
compared to a Difficulty set by the GM. If the total meets or
beats the Difficulty, the player succeeds. If it's lower, they fail.
In addition, the situation changes based on which Duality Die
rolls higher, either giving the player helpful Hope tokens or
generating terrifying Fear tokens for the GM.

The Golden Rule

The most important rule of Daggerheart is to make the game
your own. The rules included in this SRD are designed to
help you enjoy the experience at the table, but everyone has
a different approach to interpreting rules and telling stories.
The rules should never get in the way of the story you want
to tell, the characters you want to play, or the adventures you
want to have. As long as your group agrees, everything can
be adjusted to fit your play style. If there's a rule you'd rather
ignore or modify, feel free to implement any change with your
table's consent.

Rulings Over Rules

While playing Daggerheart, the GM and players should always
prioritize rulings over rules. This SRD offers answers for many
questions your table may have about the game, but it won't
answer all of them. When you're in doubt about how a rule
applies, the GM should make a ruling that aligns with the
narrative.
For example, Daggerheart has a weapon called a grappler that
lets you pull a target close to you. If you try to use it to pull an
entire castle, the weapon text doesn't forbid you from doing
that - but it doesn't make sense within the narrative. Instead,
the GM might rule that you pull a few bricks out, or pull
yourself toward the wall instead.
Similarly, if your character does something that would logically
result in immediate death - such as diving into an active
volcano without protection - you might not get to make
one of Daggerheart's death moves, which normally give you
control of your character's fate in their final moments. This
kind of consequence should be made clear before the action is
completed, and it should always follow the logic of the world.
As a narrative-focused game, Daggerheart is not a place
where technical, out-of-context interpretations of the rules are
encouraged. Everything should flow back to the fiction, and
the GM has the authority and responsibility to make rulings
about how rules are applied to underscore that fiction.
3
Daggerheart SRD

SRD p. 4

Character Creation

Unless their table chooses to use pre-generated characters,
each player creates their own PC by making a series of guided
choices. Some of these decisions are purely narrative, meaning
they only appear in or affect the game through roleplaying, but
others are mechanical choices that affect the things their PC
is able to do and which actions they're more (or less) likely to
succeed at when making moves and taking action.
Note: You can fill in your character's name, pronouns, and
Character Description details at any point of the character
creation process.

Step 1

Choose a Class and Subclass.
Classes are role-based archetypes that determine which class
features and domain cards a PC gains access to throughout
the campaign. There are 13 classes in this SRD: Assassin,
Bard, Brawler, Druid, Guardian, Ranger, Rogue, Seraph,
Sorcerer, Warlock, Warrior, Witch, and Wizard.
- Select a class and take its corresponding character sheet
and character guide printouts. These sheets are for
recording your PC's details; you'll update and reference
them throughout the campaign.
- Every class begins with one or more unique class
feature(s), described at the bottom left of each class's
character sheet. If your class feature prompts you to make
a selection, do so now.
- Choose a Subclass
Subclasses further refine a class archetype and reinforce
its expression by granting access to unique subclass
features. Each class comprises two subclasses. Select one
of your class's subclasses and take its Foundation card.

Step 2

Choose Your Heritage.
Your character's heritage combines two elements: ancestry
and community.
- Acharacter's ancestry reflects their lineage, impacting
their physicality and granting them two unique ancestry
features. Take the card for one of the following ancestries,
then write its name in the Heritage field of your character
sheet: Aetheris, Clank, Drakona, Dwarf, Earthkin, Elf,
Emberkin, Faerie, Faun, Firbolg, Fungril, Galapa, Giant,
Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Human, Infernis, Katari, Orc,
Ribbet, Simiah, Skykin, Tidekin. T o create a Mixed
Ancestry, take the top (first-listed) ancestry feature from
one ancestry and the bottom (second-listed) ancestry
feature from another.
- Your character's community represents their culture
or environment of origin and grants them a community
feature. Take the card for one of the following
communities, then write its name in the Heritage field of
your character sheet: Duneborne, Freeborne, Frostborne,
Hearthborne, Highborne, Loreborne, Orderborne,
Reborne, Ridgeborne, Seaborne, Slyborne, Underborne,
Warborne, Wanderborne, Wildborne.

Step 3

Assign Character Traits.
Your character has six traits that represent their physical,
mental, and social aptitude:
- Agility (Use it to Sprint, Leap, Maneuver,etc.)
Ahigh Agility means you're fast on your feet, nimble on
difficult terrain, and quick to react to danger. You'll make
an Agility Roll to scurry up a rope, sprint to cover, or
bound from rooftop to rooftop.
- Strength (Use it to Lift, Smash, Grapple, etc.)
Ahigh Strength means you're better at feats that test your
physical prowess and stamina. You'll make a Strength Roll
to break through a door, lift heavy objects, or hold your
ground against a charging foe.
- Finesse (Use it to Control, Hide, Tinker, etc.)
Ahigh Finesse means you're skilled at tasks that require
accuracy, stealth, or the utmost control. You'll make a
Finesse Roll to use fine tools, escape notice, or strike with
precision.
- Instinct (Use it to Perceive, Sense, Navigate, etc.)
Ahigh Instinct means you have a keen sense of your
surroundings and a natural intuition. You'll make an
Instinct Roll to sense danger, notice details in the world
around you, or track an elusive foe.
- Presence (Use it to Charm, Perform, Deceive, etc.)
Ahigh Presence means you have a strong force of
personality and a facility for social situations. You'll make
a Presence Roll to plead your case, intimidate a foe, or
capture the attention of a crowd.
- Knowledge (Use it to Recall, Analyze, Comprehend, etc.)
Ahigh Knowledge means you know information others
don't and understand how to apply your mind through
deduction and inference. You'll make a Knowledge Roll
to interpret facts, see the patterns clearly, or remember
important information.
When you "roll with a trait," that trait's modifier is added to
the roll's total. Assign the modifiers +2, +1, +1, +0, +0, −1 to
your character's traits in any order you wish.

Step 4

Record Additional Character Information.
- Characters start a new campaign at level 1. Record your
level in the designated space at the top of your character
sheet.
- Evasion represents your character's ability to avoid
damage. Your character's starting Evasion is determined
by their class and appears directly beneath the Evasion
field on your character sheet; copy this number into the
Evasion field.
- Hit Points (HP) are an abstract measure of your physical
health. Your starting HP is determined by your class and is
recorded on your character sheet.
4
Daggerheart SRD

SRD p. 5

• Stress reflects your ability to withstand the mental and
  emotional strain of dangerous situations and physical
  exertion. Every PC starts with 6 Stress slots.
• Hope is a metacurrency that fuels special moves and
  certain abilities or features. Each PC starts with 2 Hope;
  mark these in the Hope field of your character sheet.

Step 5

Choose Your Starting Equipment.
Choose your weapon(s):
- Select from the Tier 1 Weapon Tables either a two-handed
primary weapon or a one-handed primary weapon and a
one-handed secondary weapon.Then equip your selection
by recording it in the Active Weapon field of your character
sheet.
- At level 1, your Proficiency is 1; write this number in the
Proficiency field on your character sheet, then calculate
and record your damage roll by combining your Proficiency
value with your equipped weapon(s) damage dice.
Example: If your Proficiency is 1 and your weapon's damage
dice is d6+1, your damage roll is 1d6+1. Proficiency only
determines how many damage dice you roll, and does not
affect any flat damage modifiers.
Choose and equip one set of armor from the Tier 1 Armor
Table, then record its details in the Active Armor field of your
character sheet.
- Add your character's level to your equipped armor's Base
Thresholds and record the total for both numbers in the
corresponding fields. At character creation, your level is 1.
- Record your Armor Score in the field at the top left of
your character sheet. Your Armor Score is equal to your
equipped armor's Base Score plus any permanent bonuses
your character has to their Armor Score from other
abilities, features, or effects.
Add the following items to the Inventory fields on your
character sheet:
- Atorch, 50 feet of rope, basic supplies, and a handful
of gold (mark one box in the left-hand column of your
character sheet titled "Gold > Handfuls")
- EITHER a Minor Health Potion (clear 1d4 Hit Points) OR a
Minor Stamina Potion (clear 1d4 Stress)
- One of the class-specific items listed on your character
guide
- If applicable, whichever class-specific item you selected to
carry your spells
- Any other GM-approved items you'd like to have at the
start of the game

Step 6

Create Your Background.
Develop your character's background by answering the
background questions in your character guide, modifying or
replacing them if they don't fit the character you want to play.
Note: Your background has no explicit mechanical effect,
but it greatly affects the character you'll play and the prep
the GM will do. Throughout character creation, you can
adjust choices you made in earlier steps to better reflect this
background as your character takes shape. If you wish, you
can leave your character's past more ambiguous for the time
being and discover their backstory through play.

Step 7

Create Your Experiences.
An Experience is a word or phrase used to encapsulate a
specific set of skills, personality traits, or aptitudes your
character has acquired over the course of their life. When your
PC makes a move, they can spend a Hope to add a relevant
Experience's modifier to an action or reaction roll.
- Your PC gets two Experiences at character creation, each
with a +2 modifier.
- There's no set list of Experiences to choose from, but an
Experience can't be too broadly applicable and it can't
grant your character specific mechanical benefits, such as
magic spells or special abilities. For example, "Lucky" and
"Highly Skilled" are too broad, because they could be applied
to virtually any roll. Likewise, "Supersonic Flight" and
"Invulnerable" imply game-breaking special abilities.

Example Experiences

Backgrounds: Assassin, Blacksmith, Bodyguard, Bounty
Hunter, Chef to the Royal Family, Circus Performer,
Con Artist, Fallen Monarch, Field Medic, High Priestess,
Merchant, Noble, Pirate, Politician, Runaway, Scholar,
Sellsword, Soldier, Storyteller, Thief, World Traveler
Characteristics: Affable, Battle-Hardened, Bookworm,
Charming, Cowardly, Friend to All, Helpful, Intimidating
Presence, Leader, Lone Wolf, Loyal, Observant, Prankster,
Silver Tongue, Sticky Fingers, Stubborn to a Fault, Survivor,
Young and Naive
Specialties: Acrobat, Gambler, Healer, Inventor, Magical
Historian, Mapmaker, Master of Disguise, Navigator,
Sharpshooter, Survivalist, Swashbuckler, Tactician
Skills: Animal Whisperer, Barter, Deadly Aim, Fast
Learner, Incredible Strength, Liar, Light Feet, Negotiator,
Photographic Memory, Quick Hands, Repair, Scavenger,
Tracker
Phrases: Catch Me If You Can, Fake It Till You Make It, First
Time's the Charm, Hold the Line, I Won't Let You Down,
I'll Catch You, I've Got Your Back, Knowledge Is Power,
Nature's Friend, Never Again, No One Left Behind, Pick on
Someone Your Own Size, The Show Must Go On, This Is Not
a Negotiation, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
5
Daggerheart SRD

SRD p. 6

Step 8

Choose Domain Cards.
Your class has access to two of the ten domains. Choose two
level one cards from your class's domains, which are listed in
the upper left of your character sheet. You can take one card
from each domain or two from a single domain, whichever you
prefer.

Step 9

Create Your Connections.
Connections are the relationships between the PCs. T o create
connections, follow these steps:
- Go around the table and have each player describe their
characters to one another - at a minimum, their name,
pronouns, character description, experiences, and the
answers to their background questions.
- Discuss potential connections between the PCs using the
questions included in the "Connections" section of your
character guide as inspiration.
- Suggest at least one connection between your character
and each other player's PC. Accept any suggested
connections you want to explore, reject any you don't.
Note: Aplayer can reject a suggested connection for any
reason, and it's okay if there isn't an established connection
between every pair of PCs - you can always discover and
develop those relationships through play.
6
Daggerheart SRD