Daggerheart Character Creation
Pick a card. Roll the dice. Tell the story.
Daggerheart is fiction-first and card-driven. Every action rolls 2d12 — one Hope, one Fear — and your domain cards shape the moments you're remembered for.
Quick reference
Step 1: Choose an ancestry
Ancestry is your biological heritage. Daggerheart's roster is broad — Catfolk, Clank, Drakona, Dwarf, Elf, Faerie, Faun, Firbolg, Fungril, Galapa, Giant, Goblin, Halfling, Human, Infernis, Katari, Orc, Ribbet, Simiah and others. Each grants two ancestry features (one passive, one active).
You can also mix ancestries by taking one feature from each of two ancestries — useful for representing mixed heritage in the fiction.
Step 2: Choose a community
Community is the culture or environment that shaped your character before adventuring. It's separate from ancestry — a Human can be Highborne or Wildborne, and a Faun can be Slyborne or Loreborne.
Step 3: Choose a class
Your class defines your abilities, your two domains (which domain cards you can take), your HP slots, your Evasion base, and your subclass options. Most classes have 2–3 subclasses.
Primary: Presence
Inspiration, social magic, support
Primary: Instinct
Beastform, nature, healing
Primary: Strength
Frontline defender, protection
Primary: Agility
Ranged combat, tracking
Primary: Finesse
Stealth, precision strikes
Primary: Strength or Presence
Divine warrior, radiant magic
Primary: Instinct
Innate elemental magic
Primary: Strength or Agility
Versatile martial fighter
Primary: Knowledge
Studied arcane magic
Step 4: Set your traits
Six traits, each ranging from -1 to +3 at creation. You add the relevant trait to your 2d12 + any modifiers when you make an action roll. The GM decides which trait applies based on the fiction.
Speed, reflexes, ranged attacks, dodging, acrobatics.
Physical power, melee attacks, lifting, resisting harm.
Precision, stealth, lockpicking, sleight of hand.
Perception, survival, intuition, reading people.
Lore, arcana, history, medicine, analysis.
Charm, leadership, persuasion, performance.
A Wizard biases toward Knowledge; a Rogue toward Finesse; a Guardian toward Strength. Don't spread evenly — Daggerheart rewards committing to your class's primary trait at +3.
Step 5: Choose Experiences
Experiences are narrative tags, not skills. Examples: "Trained by the royal guard", "Survived a shipwreck", "Studied ancient texts", "Grew up on the streets", "Apprenticed to a blacksmith".
When one of your Experiences clearly applies to a roll, you can spend Hope to add it — usually as an extra die or a flat bonus that the GM adjudicates. Choose Experiences that paint a character, not stat-block bonuses.
Step 6: Domain cards
Each class has access to two domains. At creation you pick a small starting hand of cards from your domains; you gain more as you level. Domain cards represent class features, spells, signature moves, and reactions.
Derived stats and the roll loop
When the two d12s match, your action critically succeeds regardless of the total. The GM and player collaborate on what the extra benefit looks like — and you usually generate Hope.