Best gameplay in Daggerheart

Daggerheart, the tabletop RPG from the minds of Critical Role, is a fun and fresh TTRPG. From open beta testing Obviously, there are a lot of familiar and brand new elements to be found within the system, and for long-time fans of Critical Role, it's exciting to see what new direction the game will take the brand.

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But if you're new to Daggerheart or Critical Role's open beta, you might be asking, is it worth the hype? Allow this list to put you at ease. Here are the top ten things to expect when trying out Daggerheart.

For this item We will refer to what is included in Daggerheart open beta version 1.5, which is subject to change!

10

Unique playable ancestors

Ribbets and Clanks and Simiahs, oh my god!

Characters Ribbet and Quarterstaff fight in water in Daggerheart.
Ribbet Warrior by Bear Frymire

Even longtime TTRPG players may find unique ancestors to play as in Daggerheart. Ancestors are Daggerheart's version of Dungeons & Dragons 'species' in addition to elves, dwarves, and other common creatures. Then Daggerheart has many humanitarian options to choose from. next spring You can choose from Ribbets, bipedal frogs, and Simiahs, which are humanoid monkeys. or even the sound of a clang or a robot that has feelings

But luckily that's not all. Daggerheart will also offer rules for mixed ancestry. This allows you to choose from two different ancestors. They also came up with a custom naming convention for this new ancestor.

9

Rules for combating wheelchair users

in the end!

A woman sits surrounded by magic and paper in the Daggerheart artwork.
Poetry Wordsmith by Nikki Dawes

Although it won't initially be available in open beta, Daggerheart promises to have specific combat rules for wheelchair users. For those familiar with other TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, these types of rules are usually limited to the homebrew you can find online. But this is far from Daggerheart's case.

Daggerheart also offers rules for players who wish to inhabit characters with other physical disabilities, such as blindness or deafness. These rules are likely a relief from the lack of representation in some other desk systems.

8

A unique class

Fresh finds and old favourites.

Woman harnesses fire and magic for Daggerheart art.
School of War Wizards by Nikki Dawes

Like its ancestor, Daggerheart also has a special class unique to its world! It's true that some classes are similar to others from other TTRPGs, but between their unique abilities and the potential for multi-class play, These new classes are easy to talk about.

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There's a new Seraph class. Daggerheart's main healing class, there's also the Guardian, which acts almost like a tank character in a heroic shooter. Finally, there's the Warrior, which almost acts like a hybrid between Dungeons & Dragons classes like a monk and a fighter. These three new classes can also be combined with more familiar classes such as Wizard or Druid. to create a special hybrid multiclass

7

Setting up a new campaign

It's a new world

Two adventurers in Daggerheart work together to secure a rope to the ship's mast.
The Sailor Adventurer by Eliot Baum

Daggerheart's open beta features a number of special locations created just for the game. These range from different locations such as the Solsunk Sea or Gidalia, the City of Obligations. These placements can be used in your campaigns as is. Or even customize it with the help of your table. In addition to the positions already provided Daggerheart's open beta also spawns two unique campaign frames.

Essentially, these are triggers for specific events and rules that you can apply to your table to create adventures within. For example, the 'Burning the Five Banners' campaign framework provides some inspiration for GMs. To conduct a campaign in a world on the brink of all-out war. With the potential to expand It's possible that the finished version of Daggerheart may have additional campaign frames or locations featured!

6

creating a world together

Share the world you live in

The character Clank looks upon a mysterious ghost shrouded in pure light in Daggerheart.
A Clank Specter by Anthony Jones

One unique aspect of Daggerheart is its invitation to co-create the world. Instead of leaving this up to the GM, Daggerheart encourages the table to create new worlds together. Even some of Daggerheart's campaign frames promise to offer fillable maps for your table to work with.

In addition to the interactive map, Daggerheart also offers Session Zero-specific questions for the table to consider together. These are useful when designing the world for your characters to inhabit. These might be things like 'Do we need conflict between the characters?' or 'What are the main points of this campaign?'

5

Special character death rules

It's the last breath

Five adventurers from the tabletop game Daggerheart stand side by side.
The Adventurer by Jeffrey Ernault

Character death is one of the most interesting parts of TTRPGs, and while many times it's best to avoid character death, Daggerheart has unique rules for this mechanic. Basically There are three options for death in the game.

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When you mark the final attack point You have to do what's called a death move. You can use 'Blaze of Glory' where you accept death and go out with a blast. To complete your final milestone, you can also 'avoid death' and face the consequences of subsequent rolls. Or, finally, you can 'risk it all' and let the roll of the dice decide whether or not you'll succeed. Will you live or die?

4

fear and hope

Which one will you choose?

Adventurers in Daggerheart stand against monsters with big horns and many hands.
Confrontation by Bear Frymire

In Daggerheart, hope and fear are the two main forms of currency. As you progress with the Duality Dice, one represents fear and the other represents hope. When you roll both dice to pass the difficulty check Whichever dice is higher, you can roll the dice with hope or fear.

In this unique style of play When you roll with Hope, you gain up to 6 units of Hope currency. You can use Hope to activate spells and other abilities, but if your Fear dice are higher, the GM can use that currency against you. This system will definitely create momentum between players and GMs.

3

Domain card system

Character artwork is plentiful.

A magical bard with horns and ears like a cow in the tabletop game Daggerheart is playing a magical instrument.
Poetry Firbolg by Bear Frymire

The domain card system is also quite unique to Daggerheart. These are cards with special artwork that contain rules for abilities, spells, and other properties. that is unique to each class There are a couple of benefits that this system offers.

First, it's easy to imagine a world where Daggerheart adds new domain cards. Continuously many These may not be unique to special adventure modules. or even a new class. Additionally, the additional artwork on these cards is sure to be stunning up close and personal.

2

Homebrew Manual

No more freedom!

Orc wields a halberd in Daggerheart artwork.
Daggerheart art by Mat Wilma

While this flavor won't be fully featured in the open beta, Daggerheart promises to include rules for homebrew! At the back of the open beta, players and GMs can view various homebrew rules headers. that is still in progress Seeing all this in the spring is enough to make even veteran TTRPG players' hearts tremble.

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Some of these headers in the open beta include rules for custom classes and subclasses. Like its ancestors, campaign frameworks, environments, and equipment, what's more, there appears to be a template for creating your own domain cards!

1

Unique weapons and items

Take possession of what is rightfully yours.

A man smiles as he sucks a stream of purple magic from him in the Daggerheart art.
Daggerheart art by Simon Pape

Daggerheart's beta also includes tips for unique items and weapons! In the future, though, it looks like there will be many more options for home brewing. But the default options are fun too. These include things like Phoenix Feathers, which can save you from certain death. Or consumables like Morphing Clay, which can disguise characters.

Daggerheart's item table also has rules for random magic items. You can roll a certain number of d12s. Depending on the rarity of the item you want to craft, the more d12s you roll, the more likely you are to get a rare or legendary item. There is also a high possibility that these will be added as Daggerheart progresses and updates!

Daggerheart tag cover

Dagerhart

Original release date

2025

Number of players

3-6 (2-5 plus GM)

Length per game

Depends on the campaign

Publishing Co., Ltd.

Darrington Publishing

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