Worldbuilding:

Campaign Primer

A light primer written at the start of a campaign with shallow details on the world that the players would be adventuring in. Some details have changed as time has passed and character decisions have been made. This primer was intended for use with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.

Telling Time

A short guide on telling time within the campaign world.

Daggerheart Homebrew Designs:

Ancestry: Vesta

The Vesta is a homebrewed ancestry designed for play in collaboration with Anthony Duquette. They appear as humanoid bird-like beings and are known for their weaker and frailer constitutions due to the divine fire that they host within their bodies. This "Eternal Flame" slowly consumes their bodies while also serving as a font of incredibly potent magic. And although being a host to this divine flame spells an untimely and eventual end for the Vesta, the fire also brings new life for these individuals, as they are born anew from the ashes that remain after their deaths. Due to their physical vulnerabilities, Vesta are often flanked by their assigned Telum, draconic warriors who have sworn their lives to defending them and the Empire from any harm that may befall them.

This design seeks to mechanically express the weaker bodies of this playable ancestry through its lower hit point total, while also demonstrating the Vesta's ability to magically avoid death by delaying Daggerheart's death moves mechanic.

Class: Feather

The Feather class is one designed for Daggerheart in collaboration with Anthony Duquette. The Feathers belong to the Radiant Troupe, a Vestan organization that serves under the Eternal Empress of the Empire. Their work involves the preservation and proliferation of Favillan culture and arts within the Empire, and their day-to-day involves regaling the rank and file members of the Legion with heroic tales or cautionary tragedies.

Lavish and eye-catching, Feathers are often mistaken as simple and vapid performers. However, unbeknownst to the average person, the Troupe employs them to great effect, collecting information from all across the Empire while raising the morale of a peoples familiar with unending war. Often flanked by their Telum bodyguards, Feathers in combat utilize their magic and performing talents to distract their enemies and support their allies. Within Daggerheart, they possess the unique ability to prevent the Spotlight from leaving the players, buying a bit more time for their allies to overcome their adversaries.

Domain: Enkindled

The Enkindled serves as the domain of the Eternal Flame. It brings warmth and succor to its allies and burns away those who would challenge the divine rule of the Vesta. The design of this domain follows three distinct tracks, each belonging to one of the main Vestan factions of the Empire: the Flame Augury, the Radiant Troupe, and the Ashen Flight.

Vesta of the Flame Augury are scholars of the past and augurs who peer into the obscure future. Their throughline focuses on obtaining knowledge, leveraging Experiences, and being most effective at their areas of expertise.

The Radiant Troupe's domain cards distract adversaries with colorful displays of color, boost their allies with merriment and joy, and generate Hope to keep the show going.

And lastly, the Ashen Flight's veiled members serve as the Empire's religious leaders and healers. This is reflected not only in their domain cards' abilities to heal and cleanse their allies, but also their ability to suppress and immobilize radical agents who pose a threat to the stable order of the Empire.

Recorded Samples

The Fall of Vandeshet - Audio Only

An innocent gift of a magical healing substance, known as "Nectar", by a player leads to the conquering of a peoples.

"For this moment, the world building and lore reveal was incredibly captivating. As a player, it personally compelled an intense feeling of guilt, regret, and devastation upon the slow realization that an old action out of kindness was the accidental catalyzing agent for what unfolded. I love a world that explores unintentional consequences of actions." -- Wendy

Lady Fortuna and the First Cataclysm - Audio Only

The party experiences one of their first encounters with Lady Fortuna, a reoccurring antagonist of their stories. This encounter also serves as a tipping point, triggering a Cataclysm and hinting at the more macro conflict brewing on the horizon.

"This moment felt most characterized by the swift tonal shift and intensity of the story. It felt so captivating because 1. it was a direct consequence of action by players, but most importantly 2. experiencing the lore reveal and world building rather than being told it was really enjoyable. I think personally this applies for this moment and one above that it felt like a multi-year/long term pay off as a player. As one character, you can live not understanding the "how/why" of the life draining and cataclysm, but experience the "what". And as another unrelated character, you can finally understand the "how/why". As a player, these kind of lore and world building moments are incredibly compelling to want to strive to experience different aspects of the same world. It's so rewarding as a player and equally devastating as the resident gnome advocate." -- Wendy

Second Trial of Fire - Audio Only

A player makes a bold decision to further her own character's personal agenda at the expense of the larger goal, serving as a perfect example of the complex characters that have been born from our shared adventures.

"This moment was a very compelling character decision moment for Wendy to make the morally gray (and horrific) decision to stab a divine creature/god selfishly to further her own personal means. I personally think the world's characters and pressures, especially with the encounter w/ Eve at the end of the prior episode, compelled her to make such a terrible decision that as a player I wasn't initially considering going into the Arramente. Wendy as a character has a track record for displaying sociopathic behaviors, but even this was a stretch influenced by the above mentioned pressures. It's very compelling as a player to make morally gray decisions/actions and be given the room in the world to explore them. I think it really supports players building complex characters and overall engaging with a diverse range of character exploration." -- Wendy