Rules reference
Advancement in Daggerheart
How progression works and how to track it. Daggerheart is a heroic fantasy tabletop RPG by Darrington Press that uses a unique 2d12 Hope and Fear dice system. Players create heroes defined by their ancestry, community, class, and subclass, then embark on adventures where narrative control shifts between players and the GM based on which die rolls higher.
Key points
Advancement is about tracking change over time and keeping it transparent to the table.
- 2d12 Hope & Fear system: Narrative control shifts based on which die rolls higher
- 9 classes with 2 subclasses each: Bard, Druid, Guardian, Ranger, Rogue, Seraph, Sorcerer, Warrior, Wizard
- 18 ancestries: Clank, Drakona, Dwarf, Elf, Faerie, Infernis, and more
- 6 traits: Agility, Strength, Finesse, Instinct, Knowledge, Presence
- Domain card system: Class abilities that grow with your character
- Critical success on doubles: Both dice showing the same number
Daggerheart progression: level up through milestones, gain new Domain cards, improve traits, and unlock subclass abilities.
- Milestone leveling: the GM decides when the party levels up (no XP tracking).
- At each level: gain a new Domain card, improve a trait score, and unlock the next subclass feature.
- HP and Evasion increase per your class table.
- New equipment is narrative: you find or buy it in the fiction.
- Short rest: choose 1 rest move (like Tend to Wounds or Clear Stress) to recover HP and Stress; no Hope is spent.
- Long rest: choose 2 rest moves instead of 1 (e.g. Tend to All Wounds, which clears all HP), and the GM gains a Fear; it is not an automatic full heal.
- Downtime activities: crafting, training, social, or exploration moves between adventures.
Record XP gains/spends right after sessions and keep a short history so the table can audit decisions later.
Spend to reinforce what you want to do in scenes, not to chase every niche option.
- Mistake: XP drift (nobody remembers what changed). Fix: Record gains/spends right after sessions and keep a short history.
- Mistake: Buying upgrades that don’t show up in play. Fix: Spend toward your concept and the scenes you actually get.