This skill should be used when the GM needs to handle Daggerheart combat, including action roll resolution, Hope/Fear token economy, spotlight flow, damage tracking, reaction rolls, and managing combat encounters. Provides action outcome tables, encounter tracking templates, and condition references.
This skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
references/action-outcomes.mdreferences/conditions.mdreferences/encounter-template.mdUse this skill to guide Daggerheart combat encounters. Unlike d20-style initiative, Daggerheart uses spotlight flow where the GM takes action when player rolls result in Fear or failure. The Hope/Fear token economy creates narrative tension between player momentum and GM opportunity.
Authoritative Source: For exact rule wording, use the dh-rules skill to reference srd/contents/Combat.md, srd/contents/Making Moves and Taking Action.md, and srd/contents/Death.md.
When combat begins:
At combat start:
Use the encounter template from references/encounter-template.md to track state.
Daggerheart doesn't use initiative. Instead, the spotlight flows based on action outcomes:
Player Action
|
v
Roll Duality Dice
|
+---> Success + Hope higher ---> Party keeps spotlight
| (choose who acts next)
|
+---> Success + Fear higher ---> GM takes spotlight
| (rolled with Fear)
|
+---> Failure (any) -----------> GM takes spotlight
| (GM makes a move)
|
+---> Critical ------------------> Auto success + bonus
(gain Hope, clear Stress)
When a player attempts an action with uncertain outcome:
DdD + Trait + Experience (if applicable)| Difficulty | Target Number |
|---|---|
| Easy | 10 |
| Moderate | 15 |
| Hard | 20 |
| Formidable | 25 |
| Legendary | 30 |
See references/action-outcomes.md for detailed resolution tables.
| Outcome | Condition | Token Effect | Spotlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Success | Both dice match | Gain Hope, clear Stress | Auto success with bonus |
| Success with Hope | Total >= difficulty, hope > fear | Player gains Hope | Party keeps |
| Success with Fear | Total >= difficulty, fear > hope | GM gains Fear | GM takes |
| Failure with Hope | Total < difficulty, hope > fear | Player gains Hope | GM takes |
| Failure with Fear | Total < difficulty, fear > hope | GM gains Fear | GM takes |
Note: A Critical Success counts as a roll "with Hope."
Tie between dice values (non-critical): Player chooses Hope or Fear.
bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/../corvran/skills/dice-roller/scripts/roll.sh" "DdD+3"
Output:
{
"expression": "DdD+3",
"rolls": [7, 4],
"modifier": 3,
"total": 14,
"hope": 7,
"fear": 4,
"higher": "hope"
}
Daggerheart uses additional d6 dice for advantage/disadvantage:
Roll an additional d6 and add it to your total.
Common sources:
Roll a d6 and subtract it from your total.
Common sources:
Example: 2 advantages and 1 disadvantage = 1 advantage = +1d6
Some abilities allow reactions outside normal spotlight flow. Reaction rolls do NOT generate Hope or Fear tokens.
| Damage vs Thresholds | HP Marked |
|---|---|
| Below Major threshold | 1 HP |
| At or above Major, below Severe | 2 HP |
| At or above Severe | 3 HP |
If damage is reduced to 0 or less, no HP is marked.
Optional Rule - Massive Damage: If damage equals twice the Severe threshold, mark 4 HP instead of 3.
Your Armor Score determines how many Armor Slots you have. When you take damage:
Use visual notation for quick scanning:
## Current Status
- **HP Marked**: ●●○○○○ (2/6)
- **Stress Marked**: ●○○○○○ (1/6)
- **Armor Slots Used**: ●○○
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Maximum | 6 per character |
| Gained | When hope die is higher on action rolls |
| Not gained | On reaction rolls or critical success |
| Overflow | Excess tokens are lost |
Spending Hope:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Maximum | 12 total |
| Gained | When fear die is higher on player action rolls |
| Not gained | On reaction rolls or critical success |
| Overflow | Excess tokens are lost |
Spending Fear:
Use visual notation (per TD-4):
## Hope/Fear Economy
### Player Hope
| Player | Hope (max 6) |
|--------|--------------|
| Kira | ●●●○○○ |
| Thorn | ●●○○○○ |
### GM Fear
Fear: ●●●●●○○○○○○○ (5/12)
Characters gain Stress from:
When all Stress slots are marked, the character gains the Vulnerable condition.
See references/conditions.md for full condition effects. Daggerheart has three standard conditions:
| Condition | Effect |
|---|---|
| Hidden | All rolls against you have disadvantage. Ends when seen, you move into line of sight, or you attack. |
| Restrained | You can't move, but can still take actions from your current position. |
| Vulnerable | All rolls targeting you have advantage. |
Note: Some features apply special or unique conditions that work as described in the feature text.
When a PC marks their last Hit Point, they must make a death move by choosing one of three options:
Your character embraces death and goes out in a blaze of glory. Take one final action—it automatically critically succeeds (with GM approval)—then your character dies.
Your character avoids death and faces consequences. They drop unconscious and can't move, act, or be targeted by attacks. Work with the GM to describe how the situation worsens.
They return to consciousness when an ally clears 1+ HP or after a long rest. After falling unconscious, roll your Hope Die—if the result ≤ your level, gain a scar: permanently cross out a Hope slot and determine its narrative impact with the GM. If you ever cross out your last Hope slot, your character's journey ends.
Roll your Duality Dice:
When an adversary marks their last HP, they typically die or are defeated (GM discretion based on narrative).
Use the encounter template from references/encounter-template.md to track:
## GM Fear
Fear: ●●●●●○○○○○○○ (5/12)
## Spotlight
Currently: GM (after Kira's Fear roll)
## Combatants
### Party
| PC | HP | Stress | Hope | Conditions |
|-------|----------|----------|----------|------------|
| Kira | ●●○○○○ | ●○○○○○ | ●●●○○○ | - |
| Thorn | ○○○○○○ | ●●○○○○ | ●●○○○○ | Frightened |
### Adversaries
| Adversary | HP | Stress | Conditions |
|----------------|----------|--------|------------|
| Bone Wraith | ●●●○○○ | ●○○ | - |
| Skeleton (x2) | ●●○○ | - | - |
Each roll outcome should advance the fiction:
Fear tokens are narrative fuel. Spend them to:
Don't hoard Fear—a pile of unspent tokens means missed opportunities.
The spotlight system naturally creates dramatic pacing:
If the corvran dice-roller skill is unavailable, describe the required roll:
"Roll 2d12 for your action roll, adding your Presence modifier (+2). Tell me both dice values and the total. The higher die determines whether you gain Hope or I gain Fear."
Combat rules derived from the Daggerheart SRD by Darrington Press, used under the DPCGL.