Daggerheart to Release Spring 2025, Pre-Orders Available Now

Critical Role's Darrington Press has announced that Daggerheart will launch in Spring 2025, with two pre-order options available now. Today, Darrington Press announced that it would release their new high fantasy game Daggerheart in Spring 2025, with both a standard edition and a limited special edition now available for pre-order on Daggerheart's website. The standard Core Set edition of Daggerheart will include the 300-page core rulebook and 279 cards (used as part of the modular character building set). The limited edition will include an alternate art cover, cards and additional accessories like a GM screen, a dice set, and tokens. The Core Set will cost $59.99, while the limited edition will cost $149.99.

Daggerheart uses a 2D12 system, with each D12 designated as either the "Hope Die" or "Fear Die." In addition to the dice rolls determining the success or failure of a roll, the higher result on each dice determines whether a roll is made "with Hope" or "with Fear." In the playtest, rolling with Hope results in the generation of a Hope resource and a positive consequence to the check, even in the result of a failed check. Alternatively, the GM receives a Fear resource when a check result is made with Fear and results in an additional negative consequence, even on a successful check. The game combines D&D 5E-esque mechanics with more narrative storytelling and play, with many wondering whether Critical Role would adopt the game when it eventually transitions to a new edition. The game's lead designers include Matt Mercer and Spenser Starke.

Pre-orders are available now on Daggerheart's dedicated website.

A description of the Core Rulebook's contents can be found below:

The nearly 300 page lavishly illustrated hardcover rulebook contains:

• Rules for creating characters and a shared world, for playing adventures, and for crafting encounters and campaigns as a game master.
• Detailed advice on GM craft, player best practices, worldbuilding, campaign building, and full tutorial examples of play.
• Dynamic adversaries and environments to challenge your players, from the razor sharp wings of the Flickerfly to the noble intrigue of the Baronial Court.

The box of 279 beautifully-illustrated cards securely clasps with a magnet, including:

• 18 Ancestry Cards—Characters in Daggerheart may come in all shapes and sizes, from the turtle-like galapa to the pointed-eared elves.
• 2 sets of 9 Community Cards—The culture you came from has shaped your character, providing unique Features for them to use, like the silent step of the forest-dwelling Wildborne or the far-flung knowledge of the Loreborne.
• 54 Subclass Cards—Step into shadows as a Nightwalker Rogue, or find a friend in every high (and low) place with the Syndicate Rogue! Harness a legendary gods-given weapon as a Divine Wielder Seraph, or take to the skies as a Winged Sentinel Seraph. Each of the 18 Subclasses comes with a Foundation, Specialization, and Mastery card to grow alongside you as you grow in power.
• 189 Domain Cards—Each class combines two domains, evocative suites of abilities you’ll increase access to as your character grows in power. Bards wield Grace (the domain of charisma) and Codex (the domain of intensive magical study), while Wizards wield Codex and Splendor (the domain of life and power over death).

 

[hawkeyefan]

Can we please not let this semantic quibble about D&D take over yet another thread? There are dozens to pick from... please take it there.

 

[MacDhomnuill]

6E! Wow, you are forward looking. We aren't likely to see a 6th edition of D&D for another 10 years considering the revised 5th edition rules just released today!!

“2024” dnd is really 11th edition. Odnd, 1st ed, starter, BX, BECMI, adnd, adnd 2ed, 3rd, 3.5, 4, 5, and 2024.

 

[mamba]

Can we please not let this semantic quibble about D&D take over yet another thread? There are dozens to pick from... please take it there.

so you want this thread to die out?

Post something on topic then, much better way to accomplish that than telling people what (not) to post… if there were something to post on topic, you would not have to worry about the thread being derailed, that happens to slow moving threads

 

[hawkeyefan]

so you want this thread to die out?

Post something on topic then, much better way to accomplish that than telling people what (not) to post… if there were something to post on topic, you would not have to worry about the thread being derailed, that happens to slow moving threads

My post about D&D is that it's simply not needed in this thread. It's a months old argument at this point, spread across many threads, with the involved camps pretty much settled on their respective positions, and has little to nothing to do with Daggerheart. Also, it's a semantic quibble and it's a boring topic.

I posted about my actual play experience with the game, and then I also posted about my thoughts that the game will likely succeed due to the popularity of Critical Role and their dedicated fanbase.

What are your thoughts about Daggerheart? Have you played it? Read it? Any thoughts on it?

 

[mamba]

My post about D&D is that it's simply not needed in this thread.

I know what your post is about, it will not accomplish that however if any of the other similar posts are anything to go by

What are your thoughts about Daggerheart? Have you played it? Read it? Any thoughts on it?

no, not interested in CR or their game really… was browsing this for opinions on it, but I generally ignore games in playtest and wait for the full release before taking a closer look

 

[Queer Venger]

This game is dead, played at GenCon, didnt like it at all, and I wasnt alone. The whole table I was with walked away making negative comments. I even saw people at the Darrington Press booth giving negative feedback to the folks working the booth. So many things wrong with it.

yeah, same.
hard pass for me, 5e-5.5 may have its issues but they are issues I know how to manage. Ive zero interest in a new d&d clone at this point in my life. Im sure it will sell well to the CR fandom, but outside of that Im skeptical it will do well.

"Hello everyone and welcome to tonights episode of critical role, were a bunch of us nerdy voice actors sit around and play daggerheart..."

Dagger'what??

Hmmm, just doesn't have the same ring to it.

 

[DragonLancer]

I was really stoked for Daggerheart initially and I loved our first playtest but each subsequent rules alteration striped that really quickly. Now, I've lost interest and it looks like D&D 5.5 will do the job for what I want. Shame but there it is.

 

[SteveC]

My group ran a test campaign with it and did pretty extensive feedback about the game. I loved it, and a couple other members of my group did too. Sadly, we had enough members dislike it and even hate it that we won't be using it for our next campaign.

What did it was two things that are central to the system: the Initiative system for combat and the armor system. I liked both of these systems, so it is in no way a universal dislike in our group.

The basic initiative system is that whoever wants to go ... goes. Depending on whether you roll with Hope or Fear determines whether another PC or the GM gets to act. In our group, this really was an issue for people who wanted a more structured initiative system.

And the armor system ties into the damage system. When you take damage, you compare it to three different thresholds to determine how serious the injury actually is. You have a number of points you can spend to reduce this based on how tough your armor is. This system really stuck in the craw of one of the players, who is both experienced and mild mannered. He pretty much said that he wasn't going to play again. I liked the system myself and appreciated how you could consider when to use your armor to reduce damage.

I wanted to use Daggerheart for our next campaign, but it kind of crashed and burned. I liked it, and would be happy to discuss the game and my positive thoughts, along with the other players negative thoughts.

 

[zedturtle]

And the armor system ties into the damage system. When you take damage, you compare it to three different thresholds to determine how serious the injury actually is. You have a number of points you can spend to reduce this based on how tough your armor is. This system really stuck in the craw of one of the players, who is both experienced and mild mannered. He pretty much said that he wasn't going to play again. I liked the system myself and appreciated how you could consider when to use your armor to reduce damage.

If it was the math on the Armor rules that bugged them, it is now much simpler. Spend a point of Armor to reduce the actual Damage done (so from 2 HP damage to 1 HP, for example).

I'm hoping that the final release is robust enough to see some play when it arrives.

 

[SteveC]

If it was the math on the Armor rules that bugged them, it is now much simpler. Spend a point of Armor to reduce the actual Damage done (so from 2 HP damage to 1 HP, for example).

I saw that. We finished up with the game before that change. It might make a difference but this player was sooooo put off by it, I don't think there's any change that would be acceptable.

I do think that change was interesting. It seems like the final (?) rule was armor sets your damage thresholds, and you can spend armor slots to reduce damage directly by 1HP. Is that about right?