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Daggerheart Cheat Sheet

The Core Roll — Duality Dice

Roll 2d12 + Trait Modifier

Always roll both dice together — one Hope die and one Fear die. Add them together and apply your relevant trait modifier. Compare the total to the difficulty (set by GM). The higher individual die determines whether the result carries Hope or Fear.

Result	Outcome	Narrative Effect
17+	Full Success	You succeed — no cost, no complication.
12–16	Success with Cost	You succeed, but something goes wrong or costs you.
7–11	Failure with Opportunity	You fail, but gain a benefit or resource as consolation.
6 or less	Total Failure	You fail outright with no benefit.

Difficulty is set by the GM before you roll. The base difficulty for most standard actions is 12. Harder tasks use higher numbers.

Hope

When your Hope die is highest, the result carries Hope. The GM may spend Hope tokens from a shared pool to give the party advantages, reduce damage, or activate special abilities. Certain class features trigger on Hope results.

Fear

When your Fear die is highest, the result carries Fear. The GM adds a Fear token to their pool, which can be spent to introduce complications, trigger monster abilities, or worsen conditions — even on successes.

If both dice show the same number, the result carries both Hope and Fear simultaneously. The roll succeeds (if the total is high enough) but the GM gains a Fear token.

The Traits

Traits range from –2 to +5. Add the relevant trait to your duality dice roll. Your class determines which traits are your primary and which are secondary

Agility (AGI)

Speed, reflexes, stealth, acrobatics

Finesse (FIN)

Precision, dexterity, ranged attacks

Presence (PRS)

Charm, performance, social influence

Strength (STR)

Might, melee attacks, feats of power

Instinct (INS)

Perception, survival, reading situations

Knowledge (KNO)

Charm, performance, social influence

Combat & Actions

On your turn, you may take one Action and move. There are no strict action/bonus-action economy boxes — Daggerheart is more narrative. You can spend an action chip to React, Move, Sprint or Take Cover. Reactions are special abilities that trigger outside your turn. Only specific class features grant them.

Attack: Roll duality dice + Trait vs. enemy Difficulty. On success, roll your weapon's damage dice.
Use a Skill / Domain: Activate an ability from your Class or Background.
Help an Ally: Describe assistance — ally gets advantage (roll an extra die, keep highest).
Use an Item: Consume or activate a held item.
Improvise: Anything else! Describe it, GM sets difficulty.

Hit Points & Stress

Hit Points are related to Physical damage. Reduced by injuries.

Stress are related to Mental/emotional strain. Can be spent voluntarily.

Armor helps by absorbing damage before HP. Refreshes on a rest.

Mark Stress voluntarily to add +1d6 to a roll.
Drop to 0 HP: Mark a Scar (lasting consequence) and recover 1 HP.
Overflow Stress (past max): mark a Scar and clear all Stress.

Rest & Recovery

Short Rest: Clear Stress and recover Armor slots. Requires a brief pause — not combat.
Long Rest: Clear all HP damage, all Stress, all Armor, and refresh all abilities. Requires a safe camp or haven.
Downtime: Between sessions or adventures, characters may take downtime actions — crafting, researching, bonding, training.
Scars persist across rests and represent permanent change. Some can be healed through story or special abilities.

Golden Rules at the Table

Describe first, then roll. Tell the table what you're attempting before picking up dice.
Fear is part of the story. GM spending Fear isn't punishing you — it's the narrative responding.
Failure moves things forward. A failed roll never stops the story cold — something always changes.

Ask questions. The GM sets difficulty openly. You can ask "how hard is this?" before rolling.
Spend Stress for stakes. Marking Stress to boost a roll is always your choice — use it for moments that matter.
Scars shape your hero. Embrace them as character development, not just penalties.