Starting Daggerheart campaign. Any pitfalls?

[Vael]

Beast Feast: multiple issues in S0 for this one.

there are implications of sapient eating, and grotesque foods.
This turned to being an Ick factor - so we're dropping the feast mechanic, and instead using a food countdown.

The names in Beast Feast are just too damned weird; they're as out there as Wendy's Feast of Legends has.

Honestly, I'd have dropped Beast Feast as a campaign frame if there isn't buy in on the food concept. I get it, it's why I wouldn't pitch that as a campaign in the first place, and this just feels like a bad fit for the group.

I do wish I'd backed that expanded Bestiary that was kickstarted ... as good as the core book is, getting more toys for the GM, Adversaries and Environments, is definitely now a priority, as one can only refluff and relevel so much. Building monsters has never been my strong suit. But I am working on that.

 

[aramis erak]

Honestly, I'd have dropped Beast Feast as a campaign frame if there isn't buy in on the food concept. I get it, it's why I wouldn't pitch that as a campaign in the first place, and this just feels like a bad fit for the group.

I do wish I'd backed that expanded Bestiary that was kickstarted ... as good as the core book is, getting more toys for the GM, Adversaries and Environments, is definitely now a priority, as one can only refluff and relevel so much. Building monsters has never been my strong suit. But I am working on that.

We like the map, we like the overarching metaplot - a famine caused by a great Evil not being stopped because the MacGuffin failed. And we didn't want to backtrack.

 

[Willie the Duck]

In case anyone is interested:
We had our session 0 this weekend (one person could not attend and will make a character before the first session).

The group includes:

• Wanderborne Faerie Druid: Warden of Elements
• Ridgeborne Faun(kick)/Giant(reach) Guardian: Stalwart
• Wildborne Fungril Ranger {was waffling on subclass}
• Underborne Ribit Rogue: Nightwalker
• {waffling on community} Clank(efficient)/Elf(celestial trance) Wizard: School of Knowledge {my character}
• One other PC who has not yet been made

The ranger is waffling on subclass because both themes speak to them (and pets are cool, but pets are added tracking).

I'm waffling on community because I am trying to decide if I want to play to type or against it. If I take Loreborne, I'll pick the experience of 'Survivor.' Otherwise I will pick Slyborne, and then an experience of 'Academy Wizard' or the like. The goal either way is to have one foot in being a mage's mage, and the other in being a cowardly little scoundrel. Either way the other experience will be something like 'I think I saw a lecture on this' which the GM and I agree isn't an applies-anywhere option, but instead kind of a 'if nothing else does' kind. The goal being to cut off the lowest lows of rolls instead of go for the highest highs (kind of like the Jack of all Trades ability in Traveller or D&D5). The character idea is something like Rincewind of Discworld, but more 'novice' than 'bad' at wizarding. Something of a perpetual undergrad who's learned to survive on scraps and student jobs and infinitely differed loans and shady living arrangements or whatnot to keep all the balls in the air (and thus has some survival or criminal elements knowledge or background).

Overall, the group looks (from my not-having-yet-played perspective) fine. Youtubers (whom I have no capacity to judge) seem to indicate that wizards underperform, druids are powerful (for reasons discussed in-thread), and Stalwart Guardians are so good at their job (of surviving and helping their party survive) that they can skew the balance perceptions of the GM. This might skew our (or the GM's) idea of normal, but otherwise nothing of concern. All in all, I'm looking forward to seeing how things go.

 

[Vael]

If anyone here is on Bluesky, Rob Donoghue is a great follow. He's done a few deep dives and is providing a lot of insight.