In the world of Daggerheart, players have a wide variety of ancestries to choose from, along with numerous customization options. Ancestry not only defines your character’s looks but also brings two unique features that influence gameplay. Some ancestries even have special abilities related to their physical traits, like elemental breath or flight.
Selecting the right ancestry can enhance your chosen class, helping you get the most out of your character. If you’re uncertain about which ancestry aligns best with your class or how to optimize your options, there are multiple strategies to explore your choices effectively.
Overview of Ancestry Features
Katari Warrior via Darrington Press
The first step in choosing an ancestry is to evaluate which features will benefit your character the most. Since Daggerheart requires you to select your class prior to your ancestry, your class will provide you with Foundation, Specialization, and Mastery features. These features outline your class’s mechanics and offer various advantages. While not perfectly aligned, certain ancestry features may complement your class abilities.
Below is a list of all the ancestry features in Daggerheart, which can help you decide which ancestry suits you best.
Ancestry
Features
Clank
Purposeful Design: Gain a +1 bonus to an Experience of your choice.
Efficient: Recover a long rest action during a short rest.
Drakona
Scales: When taking Severe damage, you can opt to mark Stress instead of Hit Points.
Elemental Breath: Use a breath attack that deals d8 magic damage based on your chosen element.
Dwarf
Thick Skin: Mark two Stress for Minor damage instead of Hit Points.
Increased Fortitude: Halve incoming physical damage for the cost of three Hope.
When picking an ancestry, be aware that some provide static benefits at character creation, while others introduce gameplay elements involving Hope and Fear. While static benefits can be advantageous in the long run, it’s essential to select an ancestry that resonates with your playstyle.
Which Ancestry Should You Choose?
Faerie via Darrington Press
Ancestries can be categorized based on their features, making it easier to find one that fits your desired playstyle. Here’s a simplified breakdown:
Play Style
Ancestry
Description
Fighting/Action Style
Orc
Galapa
Firbolg
Faun
Dwarf
Drakona
Ribbet
Giant
These ancestries are ideal for players who want to focus on delivering damage or controlling the battlefield. They excel in dealing extra damage and offer high survivability, making them perfect for action-oriented players.
Buffing Yourself/Party and Playing Support
Katari
Infernis
Human
Halfling
Goblin
Faerie
For those who enjoy supporting their team, these ancestries have features that aid the party or enhance personal survival, such as giving Hope to others or rerolling dice.
Roleplay
If you’re focused on roleplaying rather than combat, these ancestries shine by leveraging their unique physical traits creatively within the campaign.
Creating a Mixed Ancestry
Half-Clank, Half-Drakona via Darrington Press
If none of the available ancestries quite fit your vision, you have the option to create a mixed ancestry character. This allows you to combine features from two different ancestries found in the Core Rulebook.
However, you can only choose one feature from each ancestry. For instance, an Elf Faerie cannot take both Quick Reactions and Luckbender, since they are both first features from their respective ancestries. Instead, they can select Luckbender and Celestial Trance or Quick Reactions and Wings.
You are welcome to adjust ancestry features as necessary, but it’s important to work with your GM to ensure balance in character creation.
Additionally, you can create a character that combines more than two ancestries, but you’ll still be limited to two features from two of those ancestries. You can showcase the remaining ancestries through your character’s appearance, background, and Experiences in the game.
Like many tabletop role-playing games, Daggerheart features a distinct combat system designed to enhance the storytelling of your adventuring group. If you’re familiar with systems like Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, you might notice both similarities and differences in their approaches to combat.
Whether you’re a player or a GM, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about Daggerheart’s combat system—covering attack rolls, damage calculations, spells, and more.
When Does Combat Start?
Daggerheart Ranger via Darrington Press/Daggerheart
Combat in Daggerheart begins whenever a player character (PC) or an opponent makes an attack.
Unlike certain other tabletop RPGs, like Dungeons & Dragons, there’s no initiative roll or established turn order.
Combat in Daggerheart also lacks restrictions on actions or movements; instead, it employs a system called “the spotlight.”
During combat, players and the GM take turns in “the spotlight,” emphasizing what a PC or an adversary is doing at any given time.
If your group prefers a more structured approach, consider using a “spotlight tracker” that limits players to three actions each.
As combat unfolds, the spotlight shifts between players and the GM. Additionally, the GM can spend Fear to highlight extra enemies.
Combat resolves as it typically does in other tabletop RPGs, with either the PCs or the enemies achieving their goals.
How Combat Works
Fungril Attack via Darrington Press
When engaged in combat in Daggerheart, you should familiarize yourself with key aspects that will enhance your success:
How to Attack
How to Calculate Damage
How to Take Damage
How to Move
During combat, you’ll alternate in the spotlight and make regular Trait Rolls, Attack Rolls, Spellcast Rolls, and calculate damage afterwards.
How To Attack
Goblin Warrior via Darrington Press
When attacking an opponent in Daggerheart, you can choose one of the following methods:
Attack with a Physical Weapon
Attack with a Magical Weapon
Make an Unarmed Attack
Make a Spellcast Roll
Every time you attack with a physical or magical weapon, perform an Attack Roll by rolling your Duality Dice.
Keep in mind, on Attack Rolls, you still receive Hope or grant the GM Fear depending on the outcomes of your Hope and Fear dice.
During this process, you add modifiers based on the following criteria:
If your roll meets or surpasses your opponent’s Evasion score, your attack lands, allowing you to proceed with damage calculation.
When opponents strike you, they aim to meet or exceed your Evasion score, which you should consider when engaging in battle.
You can also execute an Unarmed Attack, during which you utilize your Strength or Finesse Trait for the roll.
Additionally, you can perform a Spellcast Roll, which works similarly to a standard Attack Roll. Simply roll your Hope and Fear dice and apply relevant modifiers, using your Spellcast Trait as the main modifier instead of a weapon trait.
Keep in mind, when casting a spell, any rules on the Spell Card take precedence over regular Action Roll rules, so pay attention to your Domain Cards.
How To Calculate Damage
Half-Clank, Half-Drakona via Darrington Press
After successfully hitting an opponent, you will need to calculate the damage inflicted.
To do this, roll various dice; the type and number of dice depend on two factors:
Weapon/Spell Damage Die
Player Proficiency
If your attack was successful with a magical or physical weapon, refer to the weapon’s stats to see what kind of damage die to use.
Physical and magical weapons deal physical and magical damage, respectively, which various foes may resist or be immune to.
Once you know the type of die to use, follow this formula to determine how many dice to roll:
Number of Damage Dice Rolled = Player Proficiency
For instance, if your player proficiency is two and your damage die is a d8, you’ll roll 2d8 on a successful attack.
If a weapon or ability includes a damage modifier in its stats, you should only add that modifier once to the total of the dice rolled. Proficiency does not affect this.
For Spellcast Attacks, simply refer to the rules on the Spell Card to find out the damage you inflict.
If a Spell Card indicates you roll damage with your Proficiency, it means you will apply the same Proficiency Dice formula described above for your damage calculation.
If your character lands an Unarmed Strike, the damage for that attack is a d4 using your Proficiency.
If your attack is a critical success, you will deal additional damage. Follow this formula for critical damage:
Crit Damage = Highest Possible Damage Dice Value + Normal Damage Roll
For example, if your weapon does a d8 + 3 physical damage, and you roll a critical success, your total damage would be 16, plus the value of an additional 2d8 rolled, plus three.
How To Take Damage
Wounded via Darrington Press
If adversaries attack you in Daggerheart, they strive to meet or exceed your evasion score. If they succeed, they’ll roll damage against you, based on their abilities, weapons, and features.
Your GM will inform you of the damage roll outcome. After that, refer to your Base Damage Thresholds for your armor, determined during character creation.
Numerous factors like conditions, visibility issues, and other environmental effects can influence damage outcomes and Attack Rolls.
Based on the damage roll result, you will mark HP as follows:
Damage Roll
HP Marked
Lower than Minor Damage Threshold
1
Meets Or Exceeds Major Damage Threshold
2
Meets or Exceeds Severe Damage Threshold
3
When taking damage, you may also mark an available Armor Slot (assuming you have Armor Score Slots available) to reduce damage by one threshold.
You can only utilize this damage reduction once per attack.
If you exhaust all your Armor Slots
(based on your armor’s stat block), you must spend downtime to repair your armor before reusing this feature.
If you deplete all your HP, you must perform what’s called a Death Move, potentially forcing your character to face the brink between life and death.
How To Move
Katari Warrior via Darrington Press
In Daggerheart, while a traditional grid-based combat system is an option, the game encourages players to use “theater of the mind” along with the ranges listed below:
Range
Feet
Melee
Touching
Very Close
5-10 ft.
Close
10-30 ft.
Far
30-100 ft.
Very Far
100-300 ft.
Out of Range
300+ ft.
During combat, you can move to any location within Close Range in addition to taking an Action or Attack Roll.
Occasionally, an effect, attack, or spell will require you to make a Reaction Roll. These function similarly to Action Rolls but do not generate Hope or Fear.
Typically, you’ll use these rolls to evade damage from Area of Effect spells or environmental hazards.
If you wish to move beyond Close Range, you must forfeit an Action or Attack Roll and make an Agility Roll to execute the movement safely.
Players can also initiate Tag Team rolls or Group Actions during combat.
For a Group Action, one player takes charge, gaining modifiers from their allies’ rolls. In a Tag Team Roll, if both players succeed at an attack, you combine your damage rolls.
How Combat Works For GMs
Fungril Druid via Darrington Press
As the GM overseeing combat in Daggerheart, many of the same principles apply to you regarding Attack Rolls, damage calculations, and movement.
However, keep in mind some GM-specific aspects for conducting combat in Daggerheart:
GM Combat Feature
Details
Adversaries
Adversaries operate similarly to PCs during combat, but with a few important exceptions:
First, they possess unique attacks and characteristics distinct from Domain Cards and other class features.
Second, they aren’t required to make Agility Rolls to move beyond Close Range.
Many adversaries come with features that allow GMs to spend Fear to enhance their attacks, defenses, and more.
The d20
When adversaries attack, they utilize the d20 instead of two d12s.
Multiple Sources of Damage
Whenever multiple PCs strike a single adversary (and vice versa), total damage is calculated before applying it to the adversary’s damage thresholds.
Direct Damage
Direct damage refers to physical or magical damage that Armor Slots cannot mitigate, like poison or fire.
Resistances & Immunities
Numerous adversaries, class features, spells, etc., can grant resistance to certain types of damage or entirely immunity, similar to D&D.
Conditions
Daggerheart includes three main conditions that can impact combat for both adversaries and players:
Hidden, Restrained, and Vulnerable impose benefits and disadvantages on both sides.
Advantage & Disadvantage
If a situation grants advantage or disadvantage on a roll, players can either add a d6 or subtract a d6 from their total roll, respectively.
For critical hits, a roll of 20 on the d20 signifies a critical success for the GM, just like in Dungeons & Dragons.
Leveling up is a crucial aspect of any tabletop roleplaying game, and Daggerheart is no different. While some games like Dungeons & Dragons stretch all the way from levels one to 20, Daggerheart only goes from levels one to ten. The progression is divided into several tiers, allowing players to advance through the game.
If you’re exploring Daggerheart for the first time—whether you’re a player or a Game Master—you might be curious about how the leveling system functions and if it fits your gaming group. To help with that, we’ve put together this guide. Here’s what you need to know about leveling up in Daggerheart.
When Do You Level Up?
Level Up via Darrington Press
What sets Daggerheart apart from other tabletop RPGs is its milestone-based leveling system. You won’t gain XP for defeating foes or completing quests. Instead, your Game Master will let you know when you’ve reached a significant milestone in the campaign, at which point the entire party levels up together—no one levels up alone.
While milestones are the preferred method for leveling up, the Daggerheart sourcebook suggests leveling up approximately every three sessions to maintain the game’s rhythm.
How Do Level-Ups Work?
Goblin Magic via Darrington Press
When your party levels up in Daggerheart, you’ll enhance various character traits depending on your level and tier.
There are four level tiers in Daggerheart:
Level Tier
Character Level(s)
Tier 1
Level 1 Only
Tier 2
Levels 2-4
Tier 3
Levels 5-7
Tier 4
Levels 8-10
Understanding level tiers is crucial because you gain different advantages depending on your level and tier. Moving into a new tier unlocks unique improvements that are independent of your character level.
When you level up, you’ll enhance your character in one of four ways:
Level Achievements
Advancements
Damage Thresholds
Domain Cards
If you’re considering multiclassing, remember that you can only start multiclassing at level five and can do so only once.
What Are Level Achievements?
Katari Warrior via Darrington Press
The first thing to do when leveling up is to check which level achievements you receive. These achievements are awarded only at specific levels:
Level Achievement
Details
Level 2
At level two, you gain an additional Experience point and a +1 to your Proficiency.
Level 5
At level five, you gain another Experience point and an additional +1 to your Proficiency. You can also clear any previously marked character traits, allowing you to increase them again.
Level 8
Similar to level five, you gain another Experience point, a +1 bonus to your Proficiency, and can clear any marked character traits.
Each of the levels mentioned above represents the first new level within a specific tier. This means that once you improve a character trait, you can’t do so again until you enter a new tier.
How To Choose Advancements
Sorcerer via Darrington Press
Whenever you level up, you’ll have the chance to select advancements, which allow you to further develop your character. At each level, you can choose two advancements.
Your character sheet will show an unmarked square next to each advancement option, indicating how many times you can select that advancement within each tier.
Advancements are minor enhancements that can enhance any of the following:
Advancements
Details
Character Traits
You can improve two character traits by +1.
HP
Add one HP slot.
Stress
Add one Stress slot.
Experiences
+1 to two Experiences.
Domain Cards
Select one additional domain card of your level or lower.
Evasion
+1 to Evasion.
Additionally, starting at level five, you gain access to three extra advancement options:
Upgraded Subclass Card – Select an upgraded subclass card; this option prevents you from multiclassing within your current tier.
Proficiency Increase – +1 to Proficiency.
Multiclass – Choose an additional class for your character; taking this option means you can’t select an upgraded subclass card.
Keep in mind that when you opt for multiclassing or increasing your Proficiency, you must use both of your advancement points—this means you won’t be able to select any other advancements at that level.
How To Raise Damage Thresholds
Fungril Fighter via Darrington Press
In Daggerheart, armor, evasion, and damage thresholds operate quite differently compared to other RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons. However, when it comes to leveling up, raising your damage thresholds is straightforward: simply add +1 to all of your damage thresholds. Your damage threshold is calculated as follows:
Damage Threshold = Armor-Specific Base Threshold + Character Level
How To Take Domain Cards
Astral Fungril via Darrington Press
When you level up, you can take one domain card from your deck that corresponds to your current level or a lower level. You also have the opportunity to choose an additional domain card as part of your advancement.
For instance, if you’ve advanced to level three, you can take a new domain card from your available options at level three or below.
Additionally, each time you level up, you can swap out any domain cards you already hold for a card of equal level.
Remember, you can only have five active domain cards at any one time. If you accumulate more than five cards, you’ll need to choose which ones to keep and vault the rest.
This is your guide to leveling up in Daggerheart! If you ever find yourself uncertain, consult the level-up section in your character guide for a comprehensive list of your available options.
In Daggerheart, when you create a character, you’ll need to define something called Experiences. These are essential elements of character development that significantly influence your character’s identity and provide bonuses to vital gameplay actions like Action Rolls.
If you’re new to Daggerheart and come from a traditional tabletop gaming background, such as Dungeons & Dragons, you might find yourself unsure of how to begin. This guide aims to clarify everything you need to know about Experiences and creating them in Daggerheart.
What Are Experiences?
Goblin Warrior via Darrington Press
As noted, Experiences are a crucial part of shaping your character, enriching both their backstory and gameplay mechanics.
Some Ancestries and Classes come with unique advantages that complement Experiences, so keep an eye on these during character creation.
When selecting an Experience, you’ll pick a word or phrase that describes a skill set your character has developed over time.
Here are a few examples of potential Experiences:
Exiled Royal
I Make My Own Luck
Poker Face
Rebellious
Class Clown
Each of these terms represents an Experience, as they are specific and provide insight into your character’s identity.
In Daggerheart, there is no fixed list of Experiences to choose from; you can either create your own or draw inspiration from the main rulebook.
How Do Experiences Work?
Druid via Darrington Press
During character creation, you’ll choose two Experiences. As you level up, you’ll acquire more Experiences as shown below:
Character Level
Experiences
Character Creation
2
Level 2
3
Level 5
4
Level 8
5
As you gain Experiences, they should represent significant events from your adventures.
For example, if your character spent time on a pirate ship, you might add the Experience ‘Seafaring Rogue’ at level two.
Next, you’ll list your Experiences on your character sheet, each one providing a +2 modifier.
Whenever you make an Action or Reaction Roll that corresponds with your selected Experience, you can add this modifier to your outcome.
However, you must first spend a Hope. If you run out of Hope, you can’t apply your Experience to the roll, so use it wisely.
If it fits the situation, you may add more than one Experience modifier to your roll, although your GM has the final say.
How To Create Experiences
Adventuring Party via Darrington Press
While the Daggerheart main rulebook suggests many Experiences, it’s highly recommended that you come up with your own, during both character creation and as you progress.
Consider these factors when crafting custom Experiences:
Character Concept – Define your character concept first. Your Experience choices should be shaped by your character’s identity and class.
Specificity – Experiences should be specific. Terms like ‘Strong’ or ‘Brave’ are too general. Instead, try something like ‘Reckless Warrior.’
Worldbuilding – Use Experiences to add depth to your Daggerheart world by being detailed.
With this in mind, let’s create an example character with two unique Experiences.
This character is a clank Troubadour bard from a slyborne community who grew up playing music in casinos, underground gambling spots, and on the street.
With this background, we can create the following Experiences:
Experience
Details
Street Smart
You had to learn to fend for yourself and are exceptionally resourceful.
In big cities, you navigate easily and know who to approach for help and how to make quick money.
Lie Detector
As a result of your time in gambling environments, you are skilled at spotting deception.
You excel at discerning lies and figuring out who is trustworthy.
These Experiences are tailored to the character concept. As the character develops, they will acquire new Experiences based on their journeys with the group.
As you progress, you can also adjust Experiences that no longer fit your character.
For instance, if your character becomes more trusting, you may decide that they are not such a good Lie Detector any longer and replace that Experience with another.
One of the most distinctive ancestries you can choose in Daggerheart is the fungril. Fungril look like humanoid mushrooms and come in a diverse array of shapes, sizes, and colors, giving you plenty of options for character personalization. When you pick this ancestry, you can craft a character that resembles various fungi, mushrooms, or even spores.
If you’re new to Daggerheart and unsure which ancestry to select, consider the fungril. They’re not just unique, but also pack a powerful punch. Here’s how fungril function in Daggerheart.
Fungril Ancestry Overview
Fungril Druid via Darrington Press
As mentioned earlier, fungril can vary greatly in height, ranging from two to seven feet. They also possess the ability to communicate telepathically and boast an impressively long lifespan.
Each fungril has a unique cap that can resemble any type of mushroom and continues to grow throughout their lives, often becoming quite large.
Here’s a quick look at the fungril ancestry in Daggerheart.
Fungril Features
Details
Fungril Network
As a fungril, you can make an Instinct Roll (12) to utilize your fungi-like abilities to speak telepathically to any other creature of your ancestry.
This ability has no range limit, so you can communicate with other fungril even if they’re hundreds of miles away.
Death Connection
As a fungril, you can touch the body of any recently deceased creature to mark a Stress on your character sheet and extract one memory from the corpse.
These memories must relate to some emotion, so be sure to focus on the type of memory you want to uncover.
Because fungril can extract memories from the deceased, they are ideal for roleplay-heavy Daggerheart campaigns and can help uncover mysteries set by your GM.
What Classes Work Best For Fungril?
Fungril Attack via Darrington Press
While any class can use the fungril’s Death Connection feature, the Fungril Network ability relies on the Instinct skill, making it beneficial to choose classes that pair well with Instinct skills. Here are a few classes that complement fungril well.
Class
Details
Warden of Renewal Druid
Since a druid’s spellcasting trait is Instinct, you’ll likely want to boost this attribute.
The higher your Instinct modifier, the greater your chance of using the Fungril Network feature effectively.
Additionally, Warden of Renewal druids have a feature called Clarity of Nature, which allows them to remove Stress equal to their Instinct once per long rest, dividing it among themselves and their allies.
This means a higher Instinct benefits both your druid abilities and your fungril traits, leading to a strong synergy.
Sorcerer (Elemental or Primal)
Fungril make excellent sorcerers since both subclasses use Instinct as their main spellcasting trait.
While your ancestry might not heavily influence your class choices, selecting classes and ancestries that are boosted by the same attributes can optimize your character for your adventure.
What Communities Work Best For Fungril?
Astral Fungril via Darrington Press
You have the freedom to tailor most communities in Daggerheart to your liking, but for the best roleplaying opportunities, you might want to consider one of the communities listed below.
Community
Details
Ridgeborne
Ridgeborne thrive in rugged terrains and mountain landscapes. They are deeply connected to the natural world and are known for their loyalty.
This community features an ability called Steady, which gives advantages on rolls for climbing cliffs or navigating difficult environments.
Given that fungril excel as druids, a background tied to nature makes sense for character development.
Wildborne
This community consists of individuals who have spent significant time in the wilderness. They are even described as living in mushroom-like homes.
Additionally, Wildborne enjoy advantages on rolls to move stealthily.
Since fungril can communicate telepathically, their natural stealth allows them to relay information to allies without speaking, making them superb scouts.
Keep in mind that in Daggerheart, your character concept matters more than optimization.
Focus on choosing a background that resonates with your character idea rather than searching for optimization. The options above merely serve to inform you of potential ability synergies.
Galapas resemble large turtles or tortoises and are one of the playable ancestries in Daggerheart. Aesthetically, these beings stand between four to six feet tall and feature various cool earth tones. Similar to real turtles, they can retreat into their shells, making them particularly resilient.
If you’re new to Daggerheart, you might wonder about the advantages of choosing a galapa for your character. This guide aims to provide all the necessary information for playing as a galapa in Daggerheart.
Galapa Ancestry Overview
Galapa and Ally via Darrington Press
As highlighted, galapas are strong and resourceful, making them ideal for melee or close-range combat. They can even equip armor or engrave designs on their shells.
Here’s an overview of a galapa’s ancestry features.
Galapa Feature
Details
Shell
By choosing this ancestry, you receive a bonus to your damage threshold equal to your Proficiency, which increases as you gain levels.
Retract
Much like real turtles, galapas can retract into their shell by marking a Stress.
While in your shell, you have resistance to physical damage, but you also face a disadvantage on action rolls and cannot move.
Galapa Life Span
Galapas can live for up to 150 years and age very slowly.
While creating your galapa character, discuss potential armor enhancements for your shell or decorative designs with your DM.
What Are The Best Classes For Galapa?
Motherboard Campaign Frame via Darrington Press
For galapa, their ancestry traits primarily offer damage resistance in combat, making them ideal candidates for martial-based classes.
Consider these class options that complement galapas well.
Class
Details
Stalwart Guardian
Stalwart Guardians are heavy fighters accustomed to enduring damage in close-range skirmishes.
Many features of the Stalwart subclass include permanent enhancements to damage thresholds, which pairs nicely with the foundational galapa damage boost.
Vengeance Guardian
Your specialization feature in this subclass grants you a +1 to your Proficiency for your next successful attack.
Since the galapa’s damage threshold rises with Proficiency, this ability increases in power as you level up.
Warden of the Elements Druid
Your base ability in this subclass allows you to receive an additional boost to your damage thresholds equal to your Proficiency.
This means the galapa’s damage threshold improvements stack, potentially becoming quite powerful early on.
For galapas, abilities, Domain Cards, or features that enhance your Proficiency will be beneficial due to the benefits of your Shell feature.
What Are The Best Communities For Galapa?
Seaborne Community by Sam Key via Darrington Press
While the ancestry features of galapa don’t significantly affect your community choices, there are two communities that synergize well with them from a character-building and roleplay perspective.
Community
Details
Wildborne
Selecting this community grants you the Lightfoot feature, allowing you to move stealthily with advantage on your rolls.
As galapa can be somewhat awkward and slow, being stealthy is a significant advantage.
Seaborne
The Seaborne community is fitting for galapa in terms of roleplay.
In addition, their community feature grants bonuses to action rolls, which can be useful, even if it doesn’t fully align with the galapa’s ancestry traits.
When selecting starting equipment and armor for your galapa, aim for something with a high base damage threshold to optimize your natural shell armor.
Chainmail and Full Plate Armor are excellent options, but keep in mind that both Tier One armor types come with disadvantages to Evasion and Agility.
Daggerheart is a tabletop roleplaying game created by the team at Critical Role. It features new roleplay elements, gameplay mechanics, and several playable classes. A standout aspect of this game is the inclusion of ancestry, similar to races in Dungeons & Dragons.
Even well-known ancestries from other games, like Dungeons & Dragons, have fresh and unexpected interpretations in Daggerheart. This is particularly true for giants and goblins, which are detailed in the core rulebook. Here’s what you should know about playing as either a giant or a goblin in Daggerheart.
Daggerheart will be released on May 20, 2025.
Understanding Giants in Daggerheart
Giants via Darrington Press
In Daggerheart, giants are massive humanoid beings, characterized by their large frames and having one to three eyes. They can appear similar to oversized humans or have features resembling a cyclops.
Giants develop their eyes differently compared to other ancestries. In their first year, they are born without eyes. Additionally, their eye formations can change until they turn ten, allowing them the possibility of gaining more eyes over several years.
Along with these traits, giants have specific Ancestry Features:
Ancestry Feature
Details
Endurance
When you create a giant, you receive an extra Hit Point slot during character creation.
Reach
Any melee weapons, abilities, spells, or features can be treated by giants as if they have a very close range.
As highlighted, giants are robust beings and can attack from a distance without needing to be in close range.
Given their two ancestry features, giants excel in melee combat. Consider this ancestry if you enjoy close-quarters play.
Understanding Goblins in Daggerheart
Goblins via Darrington Press
In contrast to giants, goblins are small humanoid creatures, easily recognized by their large eyes and ears.
These features grant them acute senses, allowing them to observe details and distances that surpass the capabilities of other ancestries.
Goblins showcase a variety of skin tones and eye colors and can utilize their ears to communicate silently with each other.
In addition to these traits, goblins have their own Ancestry Features:
Ancestry Feature
Details
Surefooted
You disregard disadvantage on Agility Rolls.
Danger Sense
Once per rest, you can mark a Stress to compel an enemy to reroll an attack targeting you or an ally nearby.
As shown, goblins are agile and clever, greatly benefiting from ignoring disadvantages on Agility Rolls.
While it’s wise to monitor Stress levels, goblins can influence enemy attacks, helping to shield themselves or their allies from harm.
Be cautious with marked Stress; too much can leave your character exposed in several ways, so use this skill judiciously.
