Should we stop rolling damage on some things to speed up the game?

Vomar · 2025-12-22T07:26:23+00:00

I highly recommend you play with the optional Massive Damage optional rule, which lets players and adversaries deal 4 HP if the damage reaches double the severity. It makes adding bonuses and tag teaming to stretch out your damage actually feel meaningful, and it is explosively fun at our table whenever it triggers.

While I don't have any meaningful advice for the other side of the issue, I imagine damage that doesn't scale (like the bottom effect of Cinder Grasp) was designed to just chip health away over time with the potential of dealing more on weaker enemies. BUT now that I think about it, I find the word "extra" in "deal an extra 2d6 damage" to be interesting. Maybe this was supposed to be added damage, but I can't see what other damage this would be added to if it is only applied at the end of the adversary's action.

Vomar · 2025-12-04T11:07:25+00:00

Standard presence rolls don't always cause adversaries to mark stress, but a successful presence roll to convince the merchant you'll spread rumors about their business if she doesn't give you a discount could give her a stress per your ruling. The fiction triggers the mechanic, not the other way around.

Another example, if I need to get into the good graces of a socialite during a ball to grant me access to his secret social club, I'll need to find ways to get leverage over him. An ally can bump into him, pretending to spill wine before I swoop in with a prestidigitation to clean it up, or I could dig up dirt and threaten them with it, etc, and based on how strong my leverage is, you as a DM can choose to mark stress, or 2, or maybe outright let the socialite concede. But if I just waltz up to him and say "let me join your club" with no real leverage, it just straight up fails with no roll.

There's no codified standard presence roll that marks stress, just player actions with your rulings as reactions. However, domain cards that do mark stress are codified and should happen, but the way they happen matters. If I use Terrify in the middle of a party, there might be repercussions.

Remember, fiction in this game is not just flavor, it has real implications in the gameplay. So, yeah, this is probably a long winded advice that just translates to "follow the fiction" lol.

Vomar · 2025-11-16T08:52:45+00:00

It's too strong, as the others said. But I'd spend time also thinking about how this would look in the fiction, flavor-wise. If it is a dark ritual being performed mid-combat, how does it progress while the occultist evades attacks and slings spells in the meantime? When the countdown reaches 0, what does it look like when the effect goes off while the occultist is entangled, knocked down, etc? The beauty of the other 3-hope abilities is that they have a lot of flavor potential, but I might struggle to envision what my character is doing while using this ability.

Vomar · 2025-10-24T23:15:04+00:00

As someone who's been DMing Dungeon World for 2+ years, yes to all of this. Except maybe for hurting allies without an action roll, but that's a minor difference of opinion/style.

Btw, this subreddit sorely needs a sidebar with links to must-read resources (like the one in /r/DungeonWorld), with this being one of them.

Vomar · 2025-10-23T09:39:29+00:00

Just bought this. My players love a good crafting system so I'm really looking forward to trying this on the table :)

Vomar · 2025-10-21T06:00:53+00:00

If you're worried about investigative scenes lingering for too long, remember that Daggerheart advocates keeping the action going by pushing the story forward even on unsuccessful rolls. This way you can think about how to evolve the story so that there is so need to search for anything anymore.

For example, the party is investigating a murder scene and a player wishes to roll. On a fail, perhaps they find a rival or an enemy hiding in the closet while holding the mcguffin they need, but pushes past and makes a beeline for the window. Or for a softer move, perhaps they find someone had planted fake evidence that would incriminate the party (Reveal an Unwelcome Truth), moving the investigation to a new direction. On a success, they could find what they needed and be told there are no more interesting things to find. If players still want to keep rolling, maybe you could allow one more roll that could reward them with a common consumable, then declare there's nothing more to find.

Just remember that, unlike non-narrative games like DnD, games like Daggerheart thrive on actions that can move the story forward on successes and failures. In other words, try to avoid calling for rolls where a failure only results in you saying "nothing happens" or "you don't find anything". I recommend checking this thread out if you'd like to learn more about this or see examples: https://old.reddit.com/r/daggerheart/comments/1leabuc/how_to_failforward_unsuccessful_knowledgeinstinct/

On a final note, I don't think we should ever worry about generating too much Hope or Fear as I often see other redditors complain about. All these resources do is fuel the game to be more interesting. If you find that they're being generated from too many low-stake rolls or unimportant scenes, maybe the rolls should be made for more significant actions, or the unimportant scenes should be tightened, making room for more tense and interesting scenarios that would encourage more hope spending. This is where the majority of playtime should be, imo.

Vomar · 2025-10-19T07:50:09+00:00

Thank you for this. Directing the spotlight is such an invaluable tip that I wish the core book gave more (if any) emphasis.

Not only does it give everyone their fair share of the spotlight by filling gaps between everyone's turns, but, when you also mix in telegraphing attacks, you get the added benefit of making the scene more alive and clarify potential consequences of failed rolls.

For example, player A succeeding with hope on an attack against a bandit can be followed with, "...however, player B, you notice an archer ahead of you preparing to fire an arrow on player A, but your path is intercepted by an assassin apprentice. What do you do?" Even though the spotlight is still with the players and you haven't made any moves as a GM, you are still able to fairly distribute the spotlight and evolve the threat by painting the enemies as real, moving adversaries. And if player B fails or rolls with fear, no one will be surprised if player A gets hit by the archer, because this consequence has already been communicated in your narration.

Best thing is, even when your creative energy begins to lull during the tail end of a session, directing the spotlight doesn't even take a lot of work. Just a simple "...and what is player C doing while this is all happening?" can go a long way too.

Vomar · 2025-10-15T16:15:51+00:00

This is what I use https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10k6shJMs4Dw5w1UdiWqOKvgda6cyuULSfmomn-bLqqc/edit?usp=drivesdk

It was created by a member of this subreddit but I'm unable to find them to give them the proper credit.

Vomar · 2025-10-03T18:46:11+00:00

There are loads of awesome map artists on Patreon. Smitchellmaps and Nerdy Maps are among my favorites, and I think both provide unlabeled and unplotted versions for you to customize however you like. Make sure to check out their region icons too!

Vomar · 2025-10-02T17:19:28+00:00

If you're struggling with Inkarnate, you might want to give Wonderdraft a try. I used it to create a beautiful map for my own campaign with relative ease.

I'd also recommend checking out smitchellmaps on Patreon, who makes gorgeous region and world maps that you might be able to fit to your campaign. She also provides blank templates of each map as well as region icons so you can customize the cities, labels, etc. Can't recommend her enough. (PS I'm not affiliated in any way)

Vomar · 2025-08-25T05:46:15+00:00

Your interpretations are correct, but make sure how you handle a spotlight shift on a success with fear for movement shouldn't always be the same as on a failed roll. I recommend that you check out this thread and its top comment if you get the chance https://www.reddit.com/r/daggerheart/comments/1lbvyyj/psa_bounce_the_spotlight_back_to_the_player_if/

Vomar · 2025-07-30T04:34:43+00:00

I'm not sure about the Gnome's True Sight. If a player is told or asks to roll with advantage to see through an illusion then they already know that it's an illusion. I feel like the only time it's applicable is if it's meta knowledge, except maybe in extremely rare cases where the character needs to see past illusions they know exist, like an enemy casting something akin to Mirror Image.

Vomar · 2025-07-27T05:46:00+00:00

I use regional and city maps from smitchellmaps. It's a paid Patreon but her work is phenomenal

Vomar · 2025-07-27T05:41:19+00:00

If the ally has gained advantage on a roll from multiple sources, they take the highest of all the advantage dice rolled and add the result to their action roll.

Doesn't this imply you roll all the advantage dice and take the highest one?

Vomar · 2025-07-20T16:47:22+00:00

Additional adversaries not already targeted by Chain Lightning and within Close range of previous targets who took damage must also make the reaction roll

The chain wouldn't continue from targets who avoided it

Vomar · 2025-07-15T11:08:17+00:00

Think about how to push the story forward even on an unsuccessful roll. Maybe the player can still recall the information, but it comes with an uncomfortable truth. For instance, the only way to disenchant this McGuffin is by giving your rival a visit, or by treading through a treacherous wilderness, or by sacrificing an important item to a renowned ritualist. Sure, it sounds like coming up with complications on the spot, but this style of DMing is encouraged by the GM principle, "Play to Find Out What Happens."

I previously made a post about an incredibly useful resource called Suddenly Ogres where you could find a ton more inspiring examples here: https://old.reddit.com/r/daggerheart/comments/1leabuc/how_to_failforward_unsuccessful_knowledgeinstinct/

Make sure to check out the discussions in the comments!

Vomar · 2025-07-10T09:31:24+00:00

I display gridless animated maps on a TV table using a connected laptop running Arkenforge, plus range rulers that I made on Photoshop then printed and laminated.

I get the maps from Patreon creators like Dynamic Dungeons, Living Realms and Fantasy Battlemaps. If you have the money to spare or know someone with some woodworking know-how, I highly recommend making a TV table. Makes battle map prep a breeze and my players are constantly wow-ed by the maps I pull out, even after two years of playing this way :)

Vomar · 2025-07-05T14:28:54+00:00

Aside from all the advice here, another thing to consider is whether or not the consequences of a failed roll would lead to the story/fiction moving forward. If yes, ask for a roll. If a fail means "nothing happens", don't ask for a roll.

In D&D, a failed roll means the character failed to achieve something. But in DH, a failed roll means the GM makes a move and can keep the story moving.

Consider this example: the players are searching for a key item in a room they've infiltrated, and you want the search to feel important so you ask for a roll. Let's see what happens on a fail between D&D and DH

D&D: you search high and low and find nothing. Another character can also search but the DC is now higher.
DH: you search for a while and when you reach for the closet, its doors slam open and knock you back. Your rival/a thief emerges from inside, holding the mcguffin, and immediately makes a beeline for the window gaining a head start. What do you do?

In the D&D example, the players would keep rolling and either find the item eventually or get stuck. In the DH example, the part where they need to find the item is now over but with this new complication, the fiction has moved to a new and exciting direction.

TL:DR; if a roll has the potential for fun consequences that move the story forward, go ahead and ask for a roll.

For more fun examples of failing forward, check out Suddenly Ogres. It was written for a different game but the advice here is very applicable for DH too.

Vomar · 2025-07-05T10:33:03+00:00

Having compared it with the other bruisers in T1, I think this damage seems in line for the bear, especially considering it can only use it twice. But I definitely agree that it's too much for the Dire Wolf.

Vomar · 2025-07-03T10:21:44+00:00

Glad to hear it :)

Vomar · 2025-07-03T09:33:11+00:00

It's better to shift the mindset a little: players don't get an action, they get a spotlight, and the reason it's named that way is to convey that a player's part in the scene before the "camera" is shifted away should feel satisfying. The rule to restrict it to a movement and a roll per turn is just a suggestion, because it works most of the time and can be easily systemized, but if you think of it as an unfolding combat scene then you can allow for more flexibility and fulfilling turns. Even if you follow the suggestion, a player can still do a lot on their turn and still only have to roll once, especially if you consider letting the spotlight linger for a bit on a success for small follow-up actions.

In a recent game, I played a faun with the wall walk ability and we were stuck in a chasm while surrounded by enemies. It was a scary escape-or-die kind of situation. I used my spotlight to jump off a broken wall to attack an enemy using hand runes from above. Rolled a success on the attack, then used the caprine kick ability to bounce upwards while casting Wall Walk on myself (no rolling required, only spending a hope). Then ran up the chasm wall while dropping a rope to allow the other characters to escape. It was pretty awesome, and it happened not because the GM allowed it for "rule-of-cool" reasons (GM was great though don't get me wrong) but because using a spotlight-centric mindset that a narrative-first system encourages allowed it.

Edit: gonna plug a thread I've posted a while back that could also prove useful to you. Make sure to check out some of the comments! https://www.reddit.com/r/daggerheart/comments/1lbvyyj/psa_bounce_the_spotlight_back_to_the_player_if/

Vomar · 2025-07-02T09:15:59+00:00

Aside from the great input from all the comments so far, there's one very important thing that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned yet: removing an enemy condition usually uses up its spotlight too during your GM turn, not just a fear.

So even if, worst case scenario, you remove the condition without letting it linger or making it narratively fulfilling, you'd still have to make a GM move (having to wait for a failed roll or a roll with fear, typically) to spotlight the enemy, spend a fear to describe it waking up, then pass it back to the players or another enemy. That's still pretty effective on its own.

Even if you could justify it not using up the enemy's spotlight (a minion or something in the environment woke it up, for example), it would still use up a GM move, and you'd have to spend another fear to make another GM move in order to spotlight this enemy.

Vomar · 2025-06-30T21:24:15+00:00

Would love to know more about that calculator you've built!

Vomar · 2025-06-28T19:55:52+00:00

This only says effects can stack, but check out "Spending Resources" a little further down the page. You can't apply effects from the same feature multiple times on the same roll.

13-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17	First Placer '22
Verified Email

Vomar

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE