Daggerheart
Core RulebookBest For
Groups who want fantasy campaigns built around character relationships and changing ability loadouts. Battles suit tables that share the spotlight without a fixed initiative order.
Core Mechanic
Players roll two d12s, add a trait and modifiers, and meet or beat a Difficulty to succeed. The higher die grants the player Hope or gives the GM Fear, even when the action succeeds. Matching dice produce a critical success. Adversary attacks use d20 plus a modifier against Evasion.
Action rolls use the same pair of dice across fights and other challenges. Character options combine a changing card loadout with limited resources such as Stress and Armor Slots. Managing those interactions becomes more involved as characters advance.
- Free to tryFull core rulesLegally free as an SRD, PDF, or official web rules
- Get it nowAvailable nowFree to download or read online
- ✓IndexFind any rule by page number
- ✓GM guidanceA chapter on how to run the game
- ✓Examples of playRules shown in action at the table
- ✓Quick referenceCheat sheet or summary tables
- ✓Cross-referencesRules point to each other by page
5 of 5 book tools found in the core book
Highlights
Hope can activate character abilities or add a backstory-based Experience to a roll. Players share the spotlight freely until a failure, a Fear result, or GM intervention shifts it. Each class combines two domains into a loadout of up to five active ability cards.
Considerations
The spotlight has no fixed turns or action allotment, requiring the group to share opportunities to act. Recalling inactive domain cards outside a rest can cost Stress. Resting restores resources but also gives the GM Fear to spend on further threats.
Third-Party Publishing
Rules license Darrington Press Community Gaming License (DPCGL 2.0)
Daggerheart SRD 2.0 Public Game Content; exact core-rulebook text, artwork, and maps are excluded.
Commercial supplements require attribution and the community logo; permitted-format rules apply, and licensed VTT sharing is noncommercial.
Similar systems
- Pathfinder — A deeply tactical fantasy RPG with unmatched character buildingCompare Daggerheart vs Pathfinder
- Dungeons & Dragons — Heroic fantasy adventures of magic, monsters, and dungeon explorationCompare Daggerheart vs Dungeons & Dragons
- Fabula Ultima — A JRPG-inspired TTRPG of bonds, heroism, and collaborative worldbuildingCompare Daggerheart vs Fabula Ultima
- Smallville Roleplaying Game — Superhero drama in Smallville, driven by convictions and complicated relationshipsCompare Daggerheart vs Smallville Roleplaying Game
- Dogs in the Vineyard — Frontier religious judges confront sin, demons, and the consequences of their own moral authorityCompare Daggerheart vs Dogs in the Vineyard
- Apocalypse World — Survivors fight for a future amid scarcity and a psychic maelstromCompare Daggerheart vs Apocalypse World
- Chronicles of Darkness — Modern horror where ordinary people confront the supernaturalCompare Daggerheart vs Chronicles of Darkness
- DIE — Flawed adults dragged into a cursed fantasy roleplaying game are transformed into warped takes on its classic archetypesCompare Daggerheart vs DIE
- Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine — Diceless storytelling in a Ghibli-inspired world of wishes, friendship, and gentle wonderCompare Daggerheart vs Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine