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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?
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?
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
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.
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