Supplemental Campaign Mechanics

Source

Daggerheart System Reference Document 2.0, PDF pages 190–205. 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. 190

Faction Tracking

You can use a campaign sheet to track multiple factions, the
relationships between them, and their distinguishing assets,
problems, or objectives, as well as their major assets and
problems.

Relationships

The relationship between two factions is designated by a
number between −3 and +3:
- −3: Nemeses
- −2: Opposed
- −1: Unfriendly
- 0: Neutral, Ambiguous, or Ambivalent
- +1: Friendly
- +2: Allied
- +3: Close Allies
The more intense their relationship, the more willing one
faction is to act on behalf of or against the other, even at risk
to itself. A Friendly (+1) faction might render help if it doesn't
require much effort or risk, whereas a faction will go to great
effort and expense to see its Nemeses (−3) suffer.

Faction Cards

Each Faction Card contains the following information:
- Name: What the faction is called
- Relationships: The faction's relationship rank with other
factions
- Assets: 1-3 advantages the faction has, such as a large
military or access to superior technology
- Problems: 1-3 disadvantages the faction has, such as a
small territory or negative reputation
- Major Objectives: 1-3 goals the faction would expend
significant resources to achieve, such as establishing a
new trade route
- Minor Objectives: 1-3 less critical goals the faction
would like to achieve, such as mounting a festival or
implementing a civic project

Supplemental

Campaign Mechanics

You can use following optional mechanics to supplement your campaigns.

Objective Countdowns

You can use long-term countdowns to track a faction's efforts
to exploit their assets, address their problems, and pursue
their major and minor objectives.
Each in-game week, pick one countdown for each faction
to advance (stepping down the countdown by one tick) as it
makes progress toward its goal. These countdowns can also
tick up (or down extra steps) according to the fiction.
When a countdown triggers, the relevant faction acquires
an asset, removes a problem, or achieves some other
objective. Pick a new goal based on the fiction and start a
new countdown. Each nation can have no more than one
major objective countdown and up to two minor objective
countdowns active at the same time.
Achieving a major objective requires the faction to complete
an Objective Countdown (10), whereas achieving a minor
objective requires the faction to complete an Objective
Countdown (4-6), depending on the scale of the endeavor.
Stagger the progression of your factions' objective
countdowns so that no more than one or two trigger each
in-game week. Triggering multiple objective countdowns at the
same time can cause weeks of inactivity afterward and lessen
the tension of the various lingering conflicts.
The party may often be dispatched or mobilized to complete
or block these objectives. Meanwhile, completed countdowns
generate major narrative shifts for the party to respond to.
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Everyday Hero Starting Equipment

PCs without access to standard weapons and armor can choose from the following tables.
Primary Physical Weapons
Name Trait Range Damage Burden Feature
Cleaver Agility Melee d8 phy One-Handed Reliable: +1 to attack rolls
Sharpened
Rake
Agility Melee d8+3 phy Two-Handed -
Butcher's Axe Strength Melee d12+3 phy Two-Handed Heavy: −1 to Evasion
Iron Skillet Strength Melee d8+1 phy One-Handed -
Pitchfork Strength Melee d10+3 phy Two-Handed -
Sledgehammer Strength Melee d10+3 phy Two-Handed Massive: −1 to Evasion; on a successful attack, roll an
additional damage die and discard the lowest result.
Cooking Knife Finesse Melee d8+1 phy One-Handed -
Walking Staff Instinct Melee d10+3 phy Two-Handed -
Rolling Pin Presence Melee d8+1 phy One-Handed -
Sickle Presence Melee d8 phy One-Handed Quick: When you make an attack, you can mark a
Stress to target another creature within range.
Forge Poker Strength Very Close d8+2 phy Two-Handed -
Crop Scythe Finesse Very Close d8+2 phy Two-Handed -
Fishing Rod Agility Far d6+3 phy Two-Handed -
Slingshot Finesse Far d6+3 phy Two-Handed -
Firework
Launcher
Agility Very Far d6+3 phy Two-Handed Cumbersome: −1 to Finesse
Primary Magic Weapons
All magic weapons require a Spellcast trait
Name Trait Range Damage Burden Feature
Enchanted
Hammer
Strength Melee d10+1 mag One-Handed -
Enchanted
Mop
Strength Melee d10+3 mag Two-Handed -
Enchanted
Scissors
Finesse Very Close d10 mag One-Handed -
Enchanted
Broomstick
Instinct Very Close d10+2 mag Two-Handed -
Exploding
Potions
Finesse Close d8 mag One-Handed
Enchanted
Forge Lighter
Instinct Close d8 mag One-Handed -
Enchanted
Boomerang
Instinct Far d6+3 mag Two-Handed -
Enchanted Kite Presence Far d6 mag Two-Handed Versatile: This weapon can also be used with these
statistics - Presence, Melee, d10.
Whisk Wand Knowledge Far d6+1 mag One-Handed -
Sparkling Staff Knowledge Very Far d6 mag Two-Handed Powerful: On a successful attack, roll an additional
damage die and discard the lowest result.
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Secondary Weapons
Name Trait Range Damage Burden Feature
Large Fork Agility Melee d8 phy One-Handed Paired: +2 to primary weapon damage to targets
within Melee range
Barrel Lid
Shield
Strength Melee d4 phy One-Handed Protective: +1 to Armor Score
Table Shield Strength Melee d6 phy One-Handed Barrier: +2 to Armor Score; −1 to Evasion
Paring Knife Finesse Melee d8 phy One-Handed Paired: +2 to primary weapon damage to targets
within Melee range
Festival Whip Presence Very Close d6 phy One-Handed Startling: Mark a Stress to crack the whip and force
all adversaries within Melee range back to Close
range.
Towline Hook Finesse Close d6 phy One-Handed Hooked: On a successful attack, you can pull the
target into Melee range with you.
Flare Launcher Finesse Far d6+1 phy One-Handed Bright: This weapon temporarily lights up the area
the flare lands in.
Armor
Name
Base
Thresholds
Base
Score Feature
Quilted Clothing 5 / 11 3 Flexible: +1 to Evasion
Leather Apron 6 / 13 3
Tree Bark Armor 7 / 15 4 Heavy: −1 to Evasion
Baking Tray Breastplate 8 / 17 4 Very Heavy: −2 to Evasion; −1 to Agility
Feasts
You can use the following mechanics for campaigns in which the
PCs harvest ingredients throughout play and use them to cook
meals during downtime.

Ingredients & Flavors

Every ingredient is denoted by a name and a flavor profile
comprising 1-3 flavors with their relative strengths. For
example, "Mushroom caps: Bitter (1), Savory (2)."
There are six flavors, each of which is represented by an
associated die size: Sweet (d4), Salty (d6), Bitter (d8), Sour
(d10), Savory (d12), and Weird (d20). Aflavor's strength is
represented by a value between 1 and 3. The following list
provides examples of ingredients and their flavor profiles:
- Mushroom caps: Bitter (1), Savory (2)
- Wyvern tongue: Sour (1), Savory (1), Weird (1)
- Ooze marrow: Sweet (1), Bitter (2)
- Direbear meat: Savory (3)
- Acid dragon saliva: Sour (2)
- Cave boar milk: Salty (1), Savory (1)
- Rileroot: Bitter (1)
- Ogre kidney stone: Sweet (1), Weird (1)
When a PC acquires an ingredient, they add it to their
inventory. The maximum number of ingredients a PC can hold
in their inventory is equal to their highest trait.
When the PCs cook with an ingredient, they roll a number of
dice (of the flavor's associated die size) equal to the strength
of the flavor.

Harvesting Ingredients

Ingredients can be acquired from defeated adversaries or the
party's surroundings.
When an edible animal is defeated, the PCs can harvest
ingredients from it. The number of ingredients that can be
harvested is determined by the defeated animal's maximum
Hit Points, according to the following table:
Hit Points to Ingredients Guide
maximum hit points number of ingredients
1-4 1
5-7 2
8-10 3
12+ 4
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The GM determines the ingredients gained based on the
details of the narrative. Usually, less powerful adversaries
have predominantly Sweet, Salty, and Bitter flavor profiles,
whereas more powerful adversaries tend to be more Sour,
Savory, and Weird.
The PCs can also obtain ingredients by harvesting edible
plants and fungi. Once per rest, each PC can spend a Hope
to gather ingredients from their environment. The GM
determines what ingredients they acquire based on the fiction
or by having them roll their Hope Die, then, based on the
result, gain an ingredient with the following flavor profile:
Environmental Ingredients Guide
hope die resul t fla vor profiles
1-2 Sweet (1)
3-4 Salty (1)
5-6 Bitter (1)
7-8 Sour (1)
9-10 Savory (1)
11-12 Weird (1)

Make a Feast

In a feast-based campaign, players can't choose downtime
moves to clear Stress, clear Hit Points, or gain Hope. Instead,
they have a new downtime move: Make a Feast. Each PC
who chooses this move can remove ingredients from their
inventory and contribute them to the party's collective meal to
gain the benefits of the resulting feast.

Preparing the Dish

T o begin cooking, the party designates one PC to be the chef.
The chef combines each contributed ingredient's flavor dice
into a flavor pool. For example, a party might decide to make
a steak dinner with the following recipe: 1 serving of direbear
meat (3d12), 1 serving of mushroom caps (2d12 and 1d8),
and 1 serving of ooze marrow (2d8 and 1d4). This gives the
party 5d12, 3d8, and 1d4 altogether.
The chef makes a Prep Roll by rolling all the dice in the flavor
pool and setting aside any matching values. If there are no
matching values, the chef instead discards a die of their
choice. The chef continues making Cooking Rolls until only one
die remains in the flavor pool or all dice have been discarded
or set aside.

Determining a Meal's Rating

Once preparation is complete, the chef calculates the resulting
Meal Rating. Each matching set of dice is worth a number of
points equal to its matched value. For example, a d6 and a d8
that rolled matching 3s would be worth 3 points, a d10 and a
d12 that rolled matching 4s would be worth 4 points, and a d8
and a d20 that rolled matching 4s on a different roll would also
be worth 4 points. The chef adds the point totals together to
determine the meal's Rating. In this example, the party's meal
would have a Rating of 11 (3 + 4 + 4 = 11).

Eating the Meal

Each PC who partakes in the meal can clear a number of Hit
Points, clear a number of Stress, and gain a number of Hope
such that the total of all three numbers is equal to or less than
the Meal Rating. For example, if the dish has a Meal Rating of
11, a PC could choose to clear 6 Hit Points, clear 3 Stress, and
gain 2 Hope, and a different PC could choose to clear 5 Hit
Points, clear 2 Stress, and gain 4 Hope.

Recording the Recipe

For a feast-based campaign, the players should choose a small
shared notebook, decorated however they like, to be their
cookbook and record the recipe for each dish they make in it. A
recipe includes the following details:
- The dish's name name, description, and preparation
method as invented by the players
- The ingredients used to make it
- The resulting Meal Rating
When the party cooks a dish with the same flavor profile as a
recipe in their cookbook, add a number of tokens equal to the
party's tier to the dish's flavor pool. When the chef would be
forced to discard a die from the Flavor Pool, they can choose
to remove a token instead.
As a result, the more practice the characters get making
meals with the same flavor profile, the easier that combination
is to prepare.

Quick Ingredient Generator

When the PCs harvest an ingredient, roll a d20 for each of the
following tables and use the combination to inspire what they
gather. If one of the options doesn't fit the scenario, choose
another that does.
What kind of ingredient is it?
resul t animal PLANT/FUNGI
1 Feet Flower
2 Powder Roots
3 Limb Stems
4 Belly Leaves
5 Fat Bulbs
6 Eggs Nuts
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resul t animal PLANT/FUNGI
7 Marrow Seeds
8 Tongue Bark
9 Brain Berries
10 Ribs Fruit
11 Organ Sap
12 Flesh Pollen
13 Stones Fungi
14 Eyes Nectar
15 Jelly Pods
16 Horn Herbs
17 Meat Algae
18 Scales Moss
19 Wings Grain
20 Secretion Rind
What's interesting about it?
resul t Detail
1 It's particularly tender.
2 It's still wriggling.
3 It looks like something it isn't
4 It has a pungent smell.
5 It's brightly colored.
6 It's completely translucent.
7 It's an odd size or shape.
8 It has unique markings.
9 It recoils from the light.
10 It withers in the dark.
11 It smells unbelievably good.
12 It has an unexpected texture.
13 It's encased in something.
14 It's filled with something.
15 It's emitting a colorful gas.
16 It comes apart in layers.
17 It must be prepared in a strange way.
18 It's leathery or cartilaginous.
19 It's brittle.
20 It's deadly when consumed raw.

Advanced Feasting

Once your table is comfortable with basic feasting mechanics,
you can give the PCs opportunities to locate and acquire
specific ingredients based on what they've learned about the
world. You might also create special ingredients that have
features. These are rarer than typical ingredients, and can only
harvested from Leader or Solo adversaries.
Example Special Ingredients

Name Fla Vor

Profile

Feature

Diregazelle Skull
Marrow
Sweet (1),
Salty (1),
Sour (1)
Built for Speed: +1 bonus to
Agility until your next rest
Holy Cow's Milk Weird (1) Last Drop: When you prepare
a dish with this ingredient and
there's only one remaining die
in the flavor pool, roll it and add
the result to the dish's Meal
Rating.
Ghost Scorpion
Venom
Sour (1),
Savory (1)
Spicy: If any matching sets
from a dish prepared with this
ingredient are worth 8 or more
points, you can't clear Stress
from consuming the resulting
dish.
Deathflower Bitter (2) Risky: If you finish preparing
a dish with this ingredient and
have no matching sets of flavor
dice, you clear all Hit Points
and Stress and gain 3 Hope.
Otherwise, the dish's Meal
Rating is 0 and you must make
a death move.

Restaurants

A PC can spend up to 2 handfuls of gold during downtime to
order food from a nearby restaurant and choose one of the
following downtime moves for each handful of gold spent:
clear Stress, clear Hit Points, or gain Hope.
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Grimdark
CampaignS
You can use the following mechanics when the party explores a
vast and grim world of magical corrupting Shadow punctuated
by scattered sanctuaries built around Sacred Bonfires that emit
a halo of safety-providing light.

Shadow-Touched

Adversaries in this campaign can have a feature called
Shadow-Touched:
Shadow-Touched - Passive. This Adversary critically
succeeds on attack rolls of 19-20.
When you introduce a Shadow-Touched adversary, describe
how magic has warped their essence and form.
PCs can also become Shadow-Touched when corrupted by
dark magic. A Shadow-Touched PC gains a damage bonus
equal to the number of scars they have marked. When a
Shadow-Touched PC marks their last Hope slot with a scar,
they succumb to corruption and charge into the darkness
instead of making a death move.

Sacred Bonfires & Torches

Sacred Bonfires are vibrant magical pyres lit by the flames
of rare and magical Sacred Torches, each of which carries a
fragment of divine power. Sacred Bonfires burn out unless
continuously provided with a bit of kindling, and can't be
reignited without a Sacred Torch. When a Sacred Bonfire is
relit, each PC present gains 3 Hope. A Sacred Bonfire's light
repels all but the most powerful monsters from its immediate
vicinity.

Tech-Based

Campaigns

You can use the following mechanics for a campaign in which
magic has been supplanted by technology.

Tech Damage

Tech damage is a replacement for magic damage in campaigns
where damage is caused by technomancy. You can reflavor
magic attacks as sonic blasts, blinding flashes of light,
swarming nanobots, plasma beams, or any other product of
advanced technology.

Iconic Weapons & Other

Tools

The following sections detail how weapons, armor, and other
items might work in a tech-based campaign.

Iconic Weapons

Characters don't have access to Daggerheart's normal
selection of primary and secondary weapons during a tech-
based campaign. Instead, each character receives an Iconic
Weapon that begins as a simple rod of metal but can be
incrementally modified to suit the wielder's needs.
Aplayer designs their character's Iconic Weapon using an
Iconic Weapon Sheet. For inspiration, see the Motherboard
Module sheet in Daggerheart Core or available online at
daggerheart.com/downloads. Each player should take a copy
of the module and complete the following steps:
1. Slide the Iconic Weapon Sheet under the right side of their
character sheet so only the fillable section is visible
2. Make selections about trait, range, and damage
3. Make up a name and description
4. Record the weapon's details in the Primary Weapon slot of
their character sheet
Iconic Weapons are considered two-handed weapons and start
with the Bonded feature:
Bonded: Gain a bonus to your damage rolls equal to your
level.

Upgrades

Acharacter's Iconic Weapon starts with two Upgrade slots at
Tier 1 to indicate that it has evolved from its most basic form.
An Iconic Weapon gains an additional Upgrade slot at each
subsequent tier. An Upgrade can be crafted as a downtime
move when a PC has the Parts to do so. See the upcoming
"Crafting & Trading" section for more information.
Each Iconic Weapon begins without any installed Upgrades.
Acharacter can build as many Upgrades as they wish but
can't install more Upgrades than the number of Upgrade slots
their Iconic Weapon has. An installed Upgrade is treated as
a weapon feature. During downtime, a PC can freely swap
Upgrades they've already crafted or otherwise acquired.
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The Iconic Weapon Sheet includes a selection of basic
Upgrades. GMs are encouraged to make more, using the
provided options as a template, and offer them to the players
as appropriate.

Tech Link

Each tech-based campaign setting includes a worldwide data
and energy network that a PC must connect to in order to
perform downtime moves. The primary way most PCs connect
to this network is via a Tech Link, which looks like a data
cable with a hook on one end, that each PC gains at character
creation.

Crafting & Trading

Gold is not used as a currency in tech-based campaign frames.
Instead, PCs gather Scrap to trade for a currency known as
Credits. The Iconic Weapon Sheet includes areas for tracking
both Scrap and Credits. All PCs start with 5 Credits.

Converting Gold to Credits

Use the following conversion for Daggerheart when pricing
other goods and services using quantum:
- 10 Credits = 1 handful of gold
- 100 Credits = 1 bag of gold
- 1000 Credits = 1 chest of gold

Gathering Scrap

PCs can collect Scrap from defeated tech-based adversaries
outside of combat. Each category of Scrap is represented by a
die size. When the PCs collect Scrap, the GM determines how
many of each category they find, which in turn determines the
total dice pool each player rolls. Compare the results of each
player's roll against your campaign's Scrap table to determine
the number of each type they acquire. PCs can also obtain
specific pieces of Scrap by completing NPC contracts, hunting
particular adversaries, exploring certain areas, or purchasing
them from special merchants.
Scrap Table
The table below lists generic outcomes you can replace as needed to suit your campaign.
resul t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Shards
(d6)
Gear Coil Wire Trigger Lens Crystal n/a n/a n/a n/a
Metals
(d8)
Aluminum Copper Cobalt Silver Platinum Gold n/a n/a
Components
(d10)
Fuse Circuit Disc Relay Capacitor Battery
Parts Reward Table
Use the following table as general guidance for Scrap rewards after encounters:
ADVERSARIES EASY FIGHT STANDARD FIGHT DIFFICUL T FIGHT VERY DIFFICUL T FIGHT
Mostly non-tech-based 2 Shards 2 Shards, 1 Metal 2 Shards, 1 Metal, 1
Component
2 Shard, 2 Metals, 1 Component
Mostly tech-based 2 Shards, 1 Metal 2 Shards, 2 Metals, 1
Component
3 Shards, 2 Metals, 1
Component
3 Shards, 3 Metals, 2
Components
All tech-based 2 Shards, 1 Metal,
1 Component
3 Shards, 2 Metals, 2
Components
3 Shards, 3 Metals, 2
Components
4 Shards, 3 Metals, 3
Components

Relics

Relics are unique pieces of Scrap only found on specific
tech-based adversaries. When the PCs defeat a particularly
important or powerful tech-based adversary, the GM can
grant them each a Relic in addition to Scrap from the table
above. Relics should be customized to reflect the adversary
from which they were obtained. Relics are worth 20 Credits
and can be used to craft powerful Upgrades.

Crafting with Scrap

PCs can use a downtime move and spend the appropriate
Scrap or Relics to craft Upgrades for their Iconic Weapons or
other items. A PC can't craft an Upgrade until they satisfy its
Prerequisites. An Upgrade can always be broken back into its
constituents to reacquire the Scrap used in its creation.

Buying and Selling Scrap

By default, a piece of Scrap is worth a number of Credits equal
to the value rolled to acquire it on the table above. This value is
unaffected by whether the party intends to buy or sell it.
Merchants have a limited amount and variety of Scrap for
sale, usually 1d10 of each Shard, 1d8 of each Metal, and
1d6 of each Component. When a PC wants to buy a specific
piece of Scrap from a particular merchant, the GM can roll
to determine how many are in stock, subject to the GM's
discretion.
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Western Campaigns

You can use the following mechanics in a western-themed campaign.

Weapons & Loot

Primary Weapons
Name Trait Range Damage Burden Feature
Revolver Finesse Far Tier 1: d8+1 phy
Tier 2: d8+4 phy
Tier 3: d8+7 phy
Tier 4: d8+10 phy
One-Handed Six Shot: Place 6 Ammo tokens on your character
sheet. Spend 1 Ammo token to make an attack. You
can mark a Stress to regain spent Ammo tokens.
Rifle Agility Very Far Tier 1: d8+2 phy
Tier 2: d8+5 phy
Tier 3: d8+8 phy
Tier 4: d8+11 phy
Two-Handed Sightline: Spend 2 Hope to gain advantage on an
attack roll.
Shotgun Strength Very Close Tier 1: d6+2 phy
Tier 2: d6+5 phy
Tier 3: d6+8 phy
Tier 4: d6+11 phy
Two-Handed Scattershot: When you make an attack, target all
creatures in front of you within range.
Secondary Weapons
Name Trait Range Damage Burden Feature
Lasso Agility Very Close Tier 1: d4 phy
Tier 2: d4+3 phy
Tier 3: d4+6 phy
Tier 4: d4+9 phy
One-Handed Roped: On a successful attack, you can temporarily
Rope the target instead of dealing damage. While
Roped, the target is Restrained and Vulnerable, but
you must remain within Very Close range of the
target. When the target would clear this condition,
you can make a Strength Reaction Roll. On a
success, they remain Roped.
Small Revolver Finesse Far Tier 1: d6 phy
Tier 2: d6+3 phy
Tier 3: d6+6 phy
Tier 4: d6+9 phy
One-Handed Quick Shot: Spend 2 Hope to gain a +4 bonus to
primary weapon damage.
You can also make the following consumable available in a western-themed campaign:
Dynamite: (Consumable) You can light this dynamite and toss it within Close range. All creatures within Very Close range
of where the dynamite lands must make a Reaction Roll (14). Targets who fail take 1d20+5 physical damage. Targets who
succeed must mark a Stress. Dynamite deals double damage to inanimate objects or structures.
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Colossal

Adversaries

"Colossus" is a special adversary type that uses multiple
adversary stat blocks called segments to represent the body
parts of an extremely large creature. Information and features
that apply to the colossus in its entirety are contained in a
separate stat block called the framework:
- Name
- Tier
- Description
- Motives & Tactics
- Size
- Segments
- Damage Thresholds
- Stress
- Experiences
- Features that apply to all segments
Each segment of a colossus has its own stat block, which lists
the following:
- Name of segment
- Adjacent segments
- Difficulty
- HP
- Standard attack
- Features
Some segments can be Broken. A Broken segment can't use
actions or reactions until the condition is cleared. When a
segment marks its last Hit Point, it's considered Destroyed.
A Destroyed segment can't use any of its features. Acolossus
is defeated when all its segments are Destroyed, however a
colossus's stat block often details alternative ways to defeat it.
By default, a Destroyed segment is not gone or detached, it's
simply non-working.
For example Colossus adversaries and Colossus features, see
the "Colossus of the Drylands" campaign frame.

Segment Vs. Colossus

Effects

When a feature refers to a segment's name, such as "the
Head," it refers only to that specific part of the colossus. For
example, the Head might be immune to physical attacks or
more difficult to climb. When a feature refers to the colossus's
name, it applies to the adversary as a whole. For example,
a reaction feature might trigger an attack after the colossus
marks 2 or more Hit Points from a single attack. This would
mean that when any segment marks 2 or more Hit Points from
a single attack, the reaction is triggered.

Adjacent Segments

Acolossus's stat blocks should indicate which segments are
adjacent to one another. By default, a PC can move from one
segment to another only if those segments are adjacent (see
the upcoming "Moving PCs Around a Colossus" section).

Running Colossus Fights

Battles against colossi have unique rules.

Scale

Unlike normal range in Daggerheart, we use a standard form
of measurement when talking about a colossus's scale. (In
our case, we use feet - but you should use whatever you find
easiest.) Normal range bands still apply when taking actions
and are at GM discretion as usual, but expressing the height or
width of a creature through recognizable sizes helps the table
to understand the scale of the colossus they're facing.

Moving PCs Around a Colossus

During an encounter with a colossus, use the following
movement mechanics:
- A PC can climb onto a colossus segment unless its stat
block indicates otherwise.
- Once on a segment, a PC can usually move around and
within it without making additional rolls.
- T o move to an adjacent segment, a PC must make an
appropriate action roll (usually Agility or Strength) to leap
onto it.

Teamwork

While fighting a colossus, a PC can initiate any number of Tag
Team Rolls in a single session.

Using a Colossus in Battle

Treat each segment of a colossus as a separate adversary
when moving the spotlight. You can spotlight a segment
as a GM move, then spend a Fear to spotlight an additional
segment as you would during a fight with regular adversaries.
Some colossi also have actions in their colossus framework;
you can spotlight the framework to use this action as you
would spotlight a segment, but you should highlight the
colossus as a whole in the narrative. You can still spotlight
additional segments on your turn.
While a PC is on a segment of the colossus:
- They have advantage on attacks targeting that segment.
- The segment's standard attack cannot be used on that PC.
Any features that would pull or push normal adversaries can't
move a colossus; instead, the feature pulls or pushes the PC
making the attack. For example, using a grappler against a
colossus can't pull it toward you, but instead pulls you toward
them.
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When an effect targets a specific segment, use the Difficulty
of that segment. If an effect targets a colossus as a whole,
use the highest Difficulty amongst all the segments. If a PC's
feature targets multiple adversaries, it can target multiple
segments.
If your table uses maps and minis for combat encounters, you
can use notecards to represent the basic shape of a colossus
and the layout of its segments. When a PC climbs onto a
segment of the colossus, place their miniature directly on the
notecard.

Leveling Up

By default, the PCs levels up when they defeat a colossus.
After defeating nine colossi, the party will be at level 10 and
ready to take on a Final Colossus. The power of the final
colossus is partially determined by the number of rests the
party takes throughout the campaign.
During the campaign, track the increasing power of the final
colossus with a d10 Siphoning Die that starts at 1 and a d100
Power Die that starts at 0. Tick the Power Die up by one when
the PCs take a short rest and by two when they take a long
rest. When the party defeats a colossus, roll a number of d12s
equal to the value of the Siphon Die, and tick up the Power Die
by the highest rolled result, then reset the Siphon Die to 1.
Once nine colossi have been defeated or the Power Die
reaches 100, the final colossus reveals itself. Build it as a
Colossus adversary with a Severe threshold equal to the value
of Power Die and a Major threshold equal to half that value
(rounded up).

Floating Magic

School Campaigns

You can use the following mechanics for a campaign set at a
floating magic school.

Flight

During character creation, each player creates a magic artifact
they can use to fly. Flying PCs use the normal movement
rules and can fly within Close range as part of an action roll,
but they must make an appropriate trait roll to move beyond
Close range or if movement is their primary action. At the
GM's discretion, some threats, such as gaining the Restrained
or Vulnerable conditions, losing their magic artifact, or taking
Severe damage, can temporarily interrupt a PC's ability to fly.

Using Traits for Flight

A PC can use any appropriate trait (not just Agility) to move
while flying. The following are some examples of how each
trait might be used:
Agility: Swift acrobatics, speed-boosting off an adversary's
wake, maintaining an aerodynamic posture, or angling past a
winged threat
Finesse: Focused, subtle, and well-timed adjustments,
threading the needle, precision flying, operating finely tuned
controls, or deftly weaving between obstacles
Strength: Blasting through floating debris, holding fast in
shifting weather, or slamming into a racing rival
Instinct: Navigating by sheer intuition, keenly spotting a
shortcut, following a migratory current, or sensing hidden
danger in the clouds.
Presence: Flying with natural grace and effortless style,
commanding attention, causing a distraction, creating a
spectacle
Knowledge: Charting efficient flight plans, plotting rotational
momentum, or deducing the exact timing of a foe's wingbeats

Less Lethal Campaigns

In a less lethal campaign, any death move that would normally
lead to a character's demise instead puts them in the infirmary
for a few weeks or sends them home for an extended period of
time. While they recover, the PC is unplayable but not dead.
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Fairy Tale

Campaigns

You can use the following mechanics in campaigns that center
on curses, queens, and oracles.

Curses

Acreature afflicted with a magical curse gains the Cursed
condition. The Cursed condition can only be cleared by
magic from a spell, ritual, magic item, location, supernatural
occurrence, higher power, or some combination of these
options. Discovering how to end a curse often requires
research, which might prompt the PCs to undergo a quest for
additional information or help from an NPC.

Transforming Adversaries

"Transform" is a special action that enables an adversary to
shift between multiple stat blocks. By default, the adversary
has a primary stat block that includes stats and features
available to the adversary regardless of their active form.
While in a particular form, the adversary has access to the
stats and features contained in that form's stat block and their
primary stat block. Unless noted otherwise, the adversary
tracks HP and Stress on their primary stat block regardless of
their active form.

Building Villains

Collaboratively

You can build a campaign villain collaboratively using the
following process.
Prior to your session zero, write approximately 40 prompts,
each in the form of a question about the villain. For example,
you might ask about the villain's background, demeanor,
motives, or reputation. Write each prompt on an index card or
slip of paper. For inspiration, see the Reign of the Weredragon
Villain Builder sheet in Hope & Fear or available online at
daggerheart.com/downloads.
During session zero (and prior to character creation) randomly
select about 15 of your prepared prompts and place them in
the center of the table so that everyone can reach them but no
one can read them.
Starting with the person to your left, each player draws one of
the pre-selected prompts and reads it aloud, then chooses one
of the following options:
- The active player can answer the prompt. Other players
can ask follow-up questions, though the active player can
choose not to answer them.
- The active player can remove the prompt from play and
draw a new prompt.
- The active player can pass the prompt to another player,
who likewise chooses to answer, remove, or pass it.
When there are no more follow-up questions to a prompt, play
passes to the left. Continue in this manner until all prompts at
the center of the table have been answered or removed. Then
proceed to character creation.
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Monster Hunting Campaigns

You can use the following mechanics for monster hunting campaigns.

Monster Hunting Equipment

You can make the following weapons and items available to your players.
Primary Weapons
Name Trait Range Damage Burden Feature
Blessed Brass
Knuckles
Strength Melee Tier 1: d8+1 mag
Tier 2: d8+4 mag
Tier 3: d8+7 mag
Tier 4: d8+10 mag
One-Handed -
Holy Shotgun Agility Very Close Tier 1: d6+2 mag
Tier 2: d6+5 mag
Tier 3: d6+8 mag
Tier 4: d6+11 mag
Two-Handed Scattershot: When you make an attack, target all
creatures in front of you within range.
Repeating
Crossbow
Finesse Far Tier 1: d6+2 phy
Tier 2: d6+5 phy
Tier 3: d6+8 phy
Tier 4: d6+11 phy
Two-Handed Quick: When you make an attack, you can mark a
Stress to target another creature within range.
Secondary Weapons
Name Trait Range Damage Burden Feature
Wooden Stake Strength Melee Tier 1: d8 phy
Tier 2: d8+2 phy
Tier 3: d8+4 phy
Tier 4: d8+6 phy
One-Handed Paired: Gain a bonus equal to 1 + your tier to
primary weapon damage to targets within Melee
range.
Hallowed
Shield
Instinct Melee Tier 1: d4 mag
Tier 2: d4+2 mag
Tier 3: d4+4 mag
Tier 4: d4+6 mag
One-Handed Resonant: When you critically succeed on a
primary weapon attack, you gain an additional
Hope.
Chain Whip Presence Very Close Tier 1: d6+1 phy
Tier 2: d6+3 phy
Tier 3: d6+5 phy
Tier 4: d6+7 phy
One-Handed Hooked: On a successful attack, you can pull the
target into Melee range.
Armor
Name
Base
Thresholds
Base
Score Feature
Coffinwood Armor Tier 1: 4/10
Tier 2: 6/15
Tier 3: 8/22
Tier 4: 10/31
Tier 1: 3
Tier 2: 4
Tier 3: 5
Tier 4: 6
Splintering: Gain a bonus to your damage thresholds equal to your
unmarked Armor Slots.
Leather Longcoat Tier 1: 5/12
Tier 2: 8/18
Tier 3: 10/25
Tier 4: 12/34
Tier 1: 3
Tier 2: 4
Tier 3: 5
Tier 4: 6
Quiet: Gain a +2 bonus to rolls you make to move silently.
Silverweave Armor Tier 1: 5/11
Tier 2: 7/16
Tier 3: 9/23
Tier 4: 11/32
Tier 1: 3
Tier 2: 4
Tier 3: 5
Tier 4: 6
Warded: You reduce incoming magic damage by your Armor Score before
applying it to your damage thresholds.
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Transformations

You can use the following mechanics for introducing the
Reanimated, Vampire, and Werewolf transformations to your
campaign.

Reanimated

When a character gains the Reanimated transformation, their
maximum loadout is reduced to one. During a rest, they can
use a downtime move to raise their maximum loadout by one
until they reach the normal maximum loadout of five.

Vampire

You can add the following feature to a prominent vampire
adversary's stat block:
Vampire's Curse - Action. Make an attack roll against a
target within Melee range. On a success, you can spend
a Fear to have this adversary sink their teeth into the
target's neck and try to turn them into a vampire. Roll a
number of d8s equal to this adversary's tier and deal that
much physical damage to the target. Then roll a d6. If
the rolled result matches any of the damage dice results,
the target marks all their Stress and gains the Vampire
transformation.
If the player wishes for their character to become a
vampire, the attack roll succeeds automatically. The PC
takes the damage, marks all their Stress, and gains the
transformation.

Werewolf

You can add the following feature to a prominent werewolf
adversary's stat block:
Wolf's Curse - Action. Make an attack roll against a target
within Melee range. On a success, you can spend a Fear to
have this adversary viciously bite the target. Roll a number
of d20s equal to this adversary's tier and deal that much
physical damage to the target. If the target takes Major
or greater damage from this attack, activate a long-term
Lycanthropy Countdown (6). It ticks down each time the PC
takes a rest without using a downtime move to halt their
lycanthropy's progression. When it triggers, the PC gains
the Werewolf transformation.
If the player wishes for their character to become a
werewolf, the attack roll succeeds automatically. The PC
takes the damage and activates a long-term Lycanthropy
Countdown (6) regardless of how many HP they marked as
a result of the attack. When the countdown triggers, the PC
gains the transformation.

The Hunt

The Hunt is a procedure for preparing and running monsters.
The basic structure of the Hunt comprises five beats (although
you can deviate from this basic structure as appropriate):
1. Arrival: The PCs are hooked into the adventure with a
strange event that implies monster activity.
2. Investigation: The PCs follow leads and gather clues to
discover the truth of the monster.
3. Escalation: The PCs bring together what they've
discovered about the monster and develop a plan of action
for finding and defeating it.
4. Confrontation: The PCs attempt to banish, bind, or destroy
the monster using what they've previously learned.
5. Epilogue: The PCs wrap up loose ends and move on to
their next mission.

Making a Monster

T o create a creature altered by evil energy and driven to
destroy, consume, or corrupt, answer four questions:
- What is it?
- What does it want?
- Where can you find it?
- How can you defeat it?
Optionally, you can ask: What else should you worry about?
The answer to this question might involve underlings that
serve the monster, important bystanders the monster might
endanger, or events and location that might highlight the
monster's strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.

Liminal Clues

A Liminal Clue is a piece of evidence or information that exists
in potential until it manifests through the party's discovery of
it. Before a session begins, the GM should devise 4-6 pieces
of information that each point the party toward answering at
least one of the questions asked in "Making a Monster."
Write each Liminal Clue on a notecard and keep them on
hand during the session. Whenever the PCs delve into danger
or explore the mystery in a way that could reveal the answer
to one of the questions, you can refer to your collection of
Liminal Clues. If a clue fits the tone and place, it manifests in
that moment, and you describe how the clue is revealed.
Liminal Clues indicate what manifests, not how or where; they
are not bound to a particular place method of discovery. Once
revealed, a Liminal Clue solidifies; record it as an undeniable
discovery that's become part of the world's reality.
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Hex Crawl

Campaigns

You can use the following mechanics for a hex crawl campaign.

The Hex Crawl

Your table can use a map divided into hexagons, or "hex
map," to track the party's movement across a large area,
such as a continent. The party moves one hex at a time in
a style of travel called a "hex crawl." Each hex on the map
represents roughly 24 miles of land from one side to another,
although narrative always supersedes literal representation in
Daggerheart.
By default, the party travels through the wilderness between
sanctuaries or settlements and resolves encounters along the
way. Aparty can take up to three short rests while traveling
through the wilderness but is restricted from taking long rests
outside a sanctuary.

Hex Maps

A Daggerheart hex crawl uses two copies of the same
campaign map: a GM's key map and a player-facing map.
The GM fills out the key map beforehand with important
information about each hex the party is likely to encounter
in the next few sessions. This information includes the hex's
habitat, terrain, and potential points of interest or encounters.
Meanwhile, the players fill out their map as the party enters
each hex and the GM reveals what it holds, using the key map
as a reference.

Preparing the Gm's Key Map

T o fill out the key map, the GM can choose the contents of
each hex, procedurally generate them, or use a combination of
both methods. What follows is one potential method, in which
the GM rolls a set of polyhedral dice to procedurally generate
one multi-hex region at a time.

Filling Wilderness Hexes

Start in any hex and fill out the key map one region at a time
by doing the following:
- Roll a d20 to determine the region's habitat:
- 1: Blighted by Dark Magic. Roll again to determine which
kind of habitat has been blighted. If you roll another 1,
the entire region is so corrupted that it's become nigh
impossible to traverse.
- 2: Underground
- 3-4: Aquatic
- 5-6: Wetland
- 7-8: Grassland
- 9-10: Tropical
- 11-12: Forest
- 13-14: Drylands
- 15-16: Rolling
- 17-18: Mountain
- 19: Frozen
- 20: Badlands
- Roll a d12 to determine the region's size (how many
contiguous hexes the region covers). The region's shape
can be whatever you want, as long as you don't encircle
empty hexes.
- Roll and add the results of a d8 and d6 to determine one
type of encounter the party might face while traveling
through the region:
- 2: Roll twice and combine the resulting entries.
- 3: Fellow travelers
- 4: Temporary setback
- 5: Powerful adversaries
- 6: Extreme weather
- 7: Potential adversaries
- 8: Territorial beast or pack of creatures
- 9: Environmental hazard or obstacle
- 10: Enemy NPCs
- 11: Wondrous or dangerous site
- 12: Lucky break
- 13: Settlement or outpost
- 14: Loot or treasure
- Roll a d4 to determine the terrain of the region, which
determines how many Travel Days it takes the party to
travel into the hex:
- 1: Optimal (1 full day of traveling)
- 2: Fair (2 full days of traveling)
- 3: Rough (3 full days of traveling)
- 4: Extreme (4 full days of traveling)
- Roll a d100 to determine a rumor that the party might hear
about this region referencing the result against the Rumors
table from the "Journey to Horizon" campaign frame or
a list of 100 rumors you create on your own.. You decide
how true the rumor is and whether the PCs learn it.
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Tracking the Party's Location

The party tracks its movement with the player-facing map
using the following procedure. This procedure assumes the
PCs are capable wayfinders and trailblazers, so they know the
contents of the hex they are in (their "current hex") and any
hex adjacent to it. If an adjacent hex contains a non-hidden
point of interest, such as a tower, the PCs are usually aware of
it as well. Together, this gives the players enough information
to decide which way to proceed. As always, the GM decides
how much information they convey to the players.

Travel Days

This system assumes that, on a full day of traveling, the PCs
complete the following tasks:
1. Break camp, eat breakfast, and pack up shortly before
sunrise
2. Travel overland for about 6-8 hours
3. Take a short break at midday to eat and get their bearings
4. Travel overland for another 6-8 hours until about sundown
5. Make camp, prepare and eat dinner, set a watch, and bed
down for the night
As needed, various party members scout ahead, forage and
hunt, refill waterskins, repair gear, and keep watch. If you like,
you can narrate or even roleplay these activities, but you don't
need to spend valuable table time describing or tracking these
events if your group doesn't find them interesting or engaging.

Resources & Resting

This procedure doesn't meticulously track rations or other
supplies. Travel moves at the pace of the story, and the party's
resources are tracked via rests. Outside a safe place, such as
a sanctuary or permanent settlement, the party can only take
short rests, each of which represents an entire day spent in
one location. Inside a safe place, the party can take a long rest,
which represents multiple days recovering from hard travel
and rough sleeping.
Remember that the term "rest" has a specific mechanical
meaning in Daggerheart. Within the fiction, the party still rests
(in the colloquial sense) most nights spent in the wilderness,
but they don't gain the mechanical benefits of a short rest
every time they go to sleep. When the party takes three short
rests in a row, their next rest must be a long rest (see XX).

Encounter Rolls

When the party enters a hex, roll a number of d6s equal to
the hex's terrain rating. If any of the dice show a result of 1,
activate an encounter you designed during region creation.
Otherwise, you can spend Fear to activate an encounter. You
can also change the size of the dice you roll to reflect more
dangerous (d4) or safer (d8) areas.
The party can trigger more than one encounter in a single
region. If this happens, either roll on the Encounter table to
generate a new encounter in the moment or shift an encounter
from a region that the party seems unlikely to pass through,
then modify or reflavor it to suit the current situation.

Endurance Countdowns (Optional)

You can heighten the tension of wilderness travel by giving
each PC an Endurance Countdown (6) at the end of a rest.
When the party enters a wilderness hex, each player rolls
their Hope Die. If the result is equal to or lower than the value
of their PC's Endurance Countdown, they mark a Stress.
Otherwise, they tick down their Endurance Countdown.
When a PC's Endurance Countdown triggers, they become
Vulnerable until their next rest. At the start of a rest, all PCs'
Endurance Countdowns end.

Traveling Over Water

For travel on rivers and oceans, use the standard travel
mechanics with the following changes and clarifications:
- Rivers. The party can travel across overland hexes with
navigable rivers if they acquire passage on an appropriate
vehicle (usually a boat). Moving downstream reduces
the terrain rating of the hex the party enters by 1. For
example, entering a hex with rough terrain would take two
days instead of three. Traveling upstream increases the
terrain rating of the next hex by 1.
- Ocean. The party can travel through ocean hexes if they
acquire passage on an appropriate vehicle (usually a ship).
When the party enters an ocean hex, roll a d4 to determine
the weather they encounter:
- On a result of 1, the party gets a tailwind, and entering
the hex takes a day.
- On a result of 2, the party enjoys fair weather, and
entering the hex takes two days.
- On a result of 3, the party encounters rough waters, and
entering the hex takes three days.
- On a result of 4, the party encounters extreme weather,
and entering the hex takes four days.

Doom Tracks

You can use a Doom Track to represent the growing disasters
that might befall your group's setting if the party acts too
slowly. You can make your own Doom Track using the example
track available in Hope & Fear or at daggerheart.com/
downloads for inspiration.
T o use a Doom Track, mark a box in the party's tier or below at
the end of each session. You can't mark a nested box until you
mark the box it's nested under. As your table's story develops,
you can adjust how many boxes you mark at the end of a
session.
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Habitat-Based Features

You can add the following habitat-based features to an
adversary:
- Blighted - Passive. This adversary is corrupted by magic.
When encountered within a similarly affected area, this
adversary critically succeeds on attacks with a die roll of
18-20.
- Enviromancer - Passive. This adversary can draw upon the
wild magic of their surroundings to fuel magical effects.
Mark a Stress to activate an effect based on the habitat
of their current location (if an effect's damage roll uses
the adversary's tier, roll the damage die a number of times
equal to their tier and total the results):
- Heat Spell (Desert, Salt Flats, Volcano). The adversary
exudes oppressive supernatural heat. Each target within
Very Close range must succeed on an Instinct Reaction
Roll. Targets who fail must mark a Stress and take d6
direct magic damage using this adversary's tier.
- Overgrowth Spell (Forest, Jungle). This adversary
unleashes a burst of branches, brambles, or vines in all
directions. Each target within Close range must make
an Agility Reaction Roll. Targets who fail take d8 physical
damage using this adversary's tier and are Restrained
until they break free with a successful Strength Roll.
- Wind Spell (Cliffs, Plains, Steppe). Atornado surrounds
this adversary. Each target within Close range must
make a Strength Reaction Roll. Targets who fail take d8
magic damage using this adversary's tier and are pushed
up to Far range. Until this adversary takes damage,
attack rolls against them have disadvantage.
- Ice Spell (Alpine, Glacier, Tundra). This adversary
unleashes daggers of ice. Make an attack against each
PC in front of this adversary within Close range. Targets
they succeed against take d10 magic damage using this
adversary's tier and are Frostbitten until they spend a
Hope to clear the condition. While Frostbitten, a PC
gains a −1 penalty to their Proficiency.
- Poison Spell (Moor, Swamp, Wetlands). Acloud of toxic
spores explodes from this adversary. Each PC within
Close range must succeed on a Strength Reaction Roll
or take d6 direct damage using this adversary's tier
and become Nauseated until they clear a HP. While
Nauseated, a PC can't gain Hope.
- Stone Spell (Canyon, Mountain, Badlands). This
adversary gains a bonus to their damage thresholds
equal to their tier until they take Severe damage or use
this feature again.
- Water Spell (Riverlands, Sea). This adversary unleashes
a geyser or tidal wave. Make an attack against all targets
within Very Close range. Targets they succeed against
are pushed to Close range of where they were and mark
a number of Stress equal to this adversary's tier.
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