Get to know the Classes and Subclasses of Daggerheart
Daggerheart launched in 2025 with nine classes, each split into two subclasses that are built around a pair of domains.
In August 2026, the Hope & Fear expansion added four more classes, Assassin, Brawler, Warlock and Witch, along with a new Dread domain and eight more subclasses to choose from, bringing the total roster up to 13 classes and 26 subclasses.
I’ve been going through all of them, working out what each one actually offers at the table, and compiling them into the guide below. Read on for a breakdown of every class and subclass available in Daggerheart and how to choose which one to play.
Choosing your class and subclass
With 13 classes and 26 subclasses available across the Core Set and the Hope & Fear expansion, there’s a lot to choose from now. Each class gives access to two domains, and choosing a subclass narrows that further, shaping your character’s features as you level up.
If you’re not sure where to start, it can help to think less about stats and more about what kind of experience you want at the table, the fantasy that appeals to you, and how much complexity you want to manage. The table below is a quick summary of that.
| Class | Domains | Feel at the table | Good for players who like… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin | Blade & Midnight | High risk, high reward killer | Planning one big decisive hit rather than grinding down a target |
| Bard | Bard | Charismatic party face | Talking their way through problems and keeping the group’s morale up |
| Brawler | Valor & Bone | Scrappy, hands-on fighter | Punching things without needing to manage a weapon or spell list |
| Druid | Sage & Arcana | Shape-shifting nature caster | Flexibility, and the option to turn into something with more combat prowess when needed |
| Guardian | Valor & Blade | Solid frontline protector | Standing between danger and the rest of the party |
| Ranger | Bone & Sage | Focused hunter with a companion | Picking a target and sticking to it, often alongside an animal partner |
| Rogue | Midnight & Grace | Slippery, resourceful infiltrator | Stealth, misdirection and having an answer for most problems |
| Seraph | Splendor & Valor | Devoted, durable healer | Playing a support role that can still hold the frontline |
| Sorcerer | Arcana & Midnight | Instinctive, volatile spellcaster | Magic that feels personal and a little unpredictable |
| Warlock | Grace & Dread | Patron-bound magician | Leaning into a darker, bargain with something scary |
| Warrior | Blade & Bone | Straightforward weapon master | A simple, reliable damage dealer that’s easy to pick up |
Every class and subclass in Daggerheart
Assassin
Book: Hope & Fear
About Assassins
Assassins treat killing as a profession rather than a means to an end, and many join a guild to hone the craft, set their code and take contracts. Where a Rogue uses stealth to get in and out unnoticed, an assassin uses it to line up a single lethal strike, marking one target and making sure it goes down.
Strengths
- Tied for the highest starting Evasion in the game (12), making them very hard to hit
- Can mark a single adversary for death, stacking extra damage dice against it that grow as you rise in tier
- Good at finding a quiet way into and out of places it should not be, which gives it a use outside combat too
Weaknesses
- One of the lowest starting Hit Point totals in the game (5), so a hit that does land can hurt badly
- Can only hold one target marked at a time, and the GM can spend Fear to strip that mark away, so its damage advantage is never guaranteed
- Less suited to fighting multiple enemies at once compared to a single priority target
Assassin Subclasses
- Executioner’s Guild (Hope & Fear) – Focused on landing one decisive strike, dealing double damage on the first successful attack in a scene.
- Poisoner’s Guild (Hope & Fear) – Specialises in a range of poisons applied through attacks, debilitating targets over time.
Bard
Book: Core
About Bards
Bards are likely the most charismatic member of your party, specialising in performance like singing, playing instruments and recanting stories. They thrive in social situations and supporting allies through buffs on the battlefield.
Strengths
- Strongest social and support toolkit of any class, with songs that heal, inspire hope or debuff enemies
- Experience based skills give a lot of flexibility both in and out of combat
- Good at holding a party together and keeping morale up over a long session
Weaknesses
- One of the lowest starting Hit Point totals in the game (5), leaving them fragile if singled out
- Middling starting Evasion (10) means they aren’t especially hard to hit either
- Leans heavily on the rest of the party to make the most of their buffs, so less effective solo
Bard Subclasses
- Troubadour (Core) – Uses music to support the party, performing different songs to heal, inspire hope or make an enemy more vulnerable.
- Wordsmith (Core) – Uses inspiring speech and clever wordplay to support the party, clearing an allies stress and adding bonuses to social rolls.
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Brawler
Book: Hope & Fear
About Brawlers
Experts in unarmed combat, brawlers train their body and mind to work as one, turning themselves into the weapon. That training might come from a formal school, a single mentor or living in the rough streets.. Unassuming next to a party armed to the teeth, a brawler will often get more done with bare hands than an average soldier does with a sword.
Strengths
- Barehanded attacks hit as hard as any blade, and fighting with nothing else equipped adds a bonus to Evasion on top of a solid starting Hit Point total (6)
- Its Hope feature can intimidate a nearby enemy into being temporarily Vulnerable, which helps the whole party land hits
- Can chain extra damage onto a successful melee hit with an escalating run of dice, and that die gets bigger as the class levels
Weaknesses
- Built around unarmed fighting at close quarters, so it has very little to offer at range
- Some of its best defensive tools rely on spending Stress, which can pile up over a long fight
- Middling starting Evasion (10) for a class that has to stand in melee to do its job, even with the bonus for fighting barehanded
Brawler Subclasses
- Juggernaut (Hope & Fear) – A heavy-hitting unarmed fighter with high damage thresholds, able to throw or stagger opponents.
- Martial Artist (Hope & Fear) – Fights through martial stances, spending Focus to shift between them for different bonuses, and unlocks more stances to pick from at every level.
Druid
Book: Core
About Druids
A Druid is one with the wilds, at home around animals and embraces the natural world over the man made one. Whether as part of a druidic circle or a lone wanderer, Druid’s harness the magic inherent in nature to their will for the benefit of animals, plants and the environment. However this can take them on adventures far from their wilderness homes, if the party’s goals match their own. Druids can even use their magic to transform into beasts and shape nature itself to fight for their cause.
Strengths
- Beastform gives access to extra combat options, and the Evolution hope feature can boost a trait further without costing in Stress
- Offer the party strong healing and stress clearing for the party
- Decent all round stats (Evasion 10, Hit Points 6) make it a flexible and dependable class that will fit in most parties
Weaknesses
- Often has to choose between staying in a support role or transforming into Beastform for combat, rather than doing both
- No dedicated tanking feature outside of Beastform, so less durable than a Guardian or Seraph when not transformed
Druid Subclasses
- Warden of the Elements (Core) – Channels one of four elements (fire, earth, water or air) for combat bonuses while active and work towards eventually transforming into an elemental in battle.
- Warden of Renewal (Core) – Focused on healing, clearing stress and hit points for allies during rest or with a touch. More of a supporting focus.
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Guardian
Book: Core
About Guardians
Guardians are capable fighters that focus on defence over offence. They certainly still pack a punch but are even better at taking one. Play if you are looking to protect a squishier party from damage.
Strengths
- Tied for the highest starting Hit Points in the game (7), built to absorb a lot of punishment
- Built to stand between danger and the party, with features that let it absorb hits meant for allies
- Punishes enemies that attack allies, discouraging enemies from focusing on the squishier party members
Weaknesses
- Tied for the lowest starting Evasion in the game (9), so gets hit more often than most other classes, even if it is built to survive that
- Limited magical or ranged utility, being built almost entirely around melee defence
- Less useful outside of combat compared to classes with strong social or stealth toolkits
Guardian Subclasses
- Stalwart (Core) – Built to absorb punishment, gaining bonuses to damage thresholds and eventually able to take a killing blow meant for someone else.
- Vengeance (Core) – Punishes anyone who attacks it or its allies, and can focus its vengeance on a single priority target.
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Ranger
Book: Core
About Rangers
Rangers live on the fringes of society, gaining deep understanding of the wilderness and honing their skills as warriors. Many live and fight alongside a trusted animal companion.
Strengths
- Tied for the highest starting Evasion in the game (12), making it hard for enemies to land a hit
- Can focus a single target to hit it more reliably, rewarding a focused hunter themed playstyle
- Has the option of an animal companion, adding an extra body to the fight that grows more capable over time
Weaknesses
- Middling starting Hit Points (6) compared to its very high Evasion, so a hit that does land can still be significant
- An animal companion can become a liability if left exposed or unprotected
- Its single target focus is less useful when facing large groups of weaker enemies
Ranger Subclasses
- Beastbound (Core) – Built around a deep bond with an animal companion who fights alongside the Ranger, that grows more capable over time.
- Wayfinder (Core) – Doggedly pursues a single marked target, gaining bonus accuracy and evasion in battle with that foe.
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Rogue
Book: Core
About Rogues
Rogues are talented thieves and sly fighters, dealing underhanded blows for extra damage. They are useful in and out of combat for their stealthy abilities and will generally find a way to help the party in almost any session.
Strengths
- Tied for the highest starting Evasion in the game (12), and its Hope feature can push that even higher for a short time
- Able to slip out of sight almost at will, making it excellent at avoiding a fight, or picking the moment to start one
- Strong utility outside combat, whether that is gathering information, getting through a locked door or knowing someone who owes it a favour
Weaknesses
- Middling starting Hit Points (6), so it isn’t built to trade blows if caught out
- Damage output leans on stealth and setup, so it can be less consistent when forced into a straight fight
- Relies on positioning and the GM’s willingness to let it operate in the shadows to shine
Rogue Subclasses
- Nightwalker (Core) – Moves through the shadows, teleporting short distances while staying hidden, and can even conjure a cloud of darkness for cover.
- Syndicate (Core) – Relies on a web of criminal contacts in every town, calling in favors for useful items, information and even help in battle
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Seraph
Book: Core
About Seraphs
Seraphs are a mixture of a Paladin and a Cleric in D&D, appointed by one of the many deities of the realms. Their ethos aligns with their god’s domain goals, such as defending the weak or even exacting vengeance.
Strengths
- Tied for the highest starting Hit Points in the game (7), so it can take a beating in combat
- Prayer Dice and its Hope feature give it reliable and repeatable healing for the whole party
- Draws on both healing and protective magic, so it can look out for the party without compromising its role as a frontliner
Weaknesses
- Tied for the lowest starting Evasion in the game (9), so it gets hit often and despite its strong durability should not be overestimated
- Its healing and combat features are somewhat split across its two subclasses, so a single Seraph can’t fully lean into both at once
Seraph Subclasses
- Divine Wielder (Core) – Fights with a weapon that flies back and forth from their hands to strike a foe and can heal allies.
- Winged Sentinel (Core) – Takes to the air, able to carry allies and even use their striking heavenly looks to inspire dread or amazement in others.
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Sorcerer
Book: Core
About Sorcerers
Sorcerers are born with a kind of innate magical ability, rather than learning spells from a book or being granted power through godly worship. Where a wizard studies for their power, a sorcerer has to live with it, which suits players who are looking for a story about unwanted power or feeling different from those around them.
Strengths
- Can reroll damage dice on magic attacks, giving more consistent magical damage output
- Arcana and Midnight domains combine to give the class a wide range of damage dealing and battlefield control spells
Weaknesses
- Fairly average stats across the board (Evasion 10, Hit Points 6), with no standout defensive strength
- Less naturally tanky or evasive than classes purpose built for the frontline or for dodging attacks
- Effectiveness depends heavily on which Origin and domain cards are chosen, so the player needs to know the game as they build.
Sorcerer Subclasses
- Elemental Origin (Core) – Channels a chosen element into spells for extra accuracy or damage, and can eventually transform into an elemental themselves later on.
- Primal Origin (Core) – Reshapes the properties of their own spells through customisation, extending their range, improving damage, or hitting an extra target.
Warlock
Book: Hope & Fear
About Warlocks
Warlocks have traded something, their life or perhaps their soul, to an otherworldly patron in exchange for power, usually after reaching a point of desperation. That patron might be a god, a fae, a demon or something nobody has a name for, and each has its own sphere of influence that shapes what its warlock can do. The relationship defines the character, and for all their terrifying magic, a warlock is rarely the one holding the leash. They draw on the new Dread domain that arrived alongside them.
Strengths
- Access to the Dread domain gives it fear and enfeeblement effects that other classes don’t have
- Comfortable starting Evasion (11) for a spellcaster, and a Hope feature that can reroll a failed roll with advantage to rescue an important moment
- Builds up a pool of Favor that can be spent to add a bonus die to rolls falling within its patron’s remit, and that die gets bigger as you level
Weaknesses
- Tied for the lowest starting Hit Points in the game (5), so it cannot afford to draw much attention in a fight
- Its strongest features run on Favor, which mostly comes from downtime or from taking Favor instead of Hope, so it ends up competing with itself for resources
- Its patron bonus only applies to rolls tied to that patron’s sphere of influence, so how often it actually comes up depends on your campaign and your GM
Warlock Subclasses
- Pact of the Endless (Hope & Fear) – Built to stay standing, spending Favor to take on a terrifying aspect of its patron that raises its damage thresholds and makes it better at intimidating, along with ways to heal itself and blunt attacks aimed at it or a nearby ally.
- Pact of the Wrathful (Hope & Fear) – Turns a patron’s fury into damage, spending Favor to add extra dice to its attacks and to strike back at anyone who wounds it.
Warrior
Book: Core
About Warriors
Warriors are a straightforward class, specialising in frontline combat. They dedicate their lives to martial discipline training so they become adept with a variety of weapons and comfortable in armour. This means they are well suited to taking and dishing out damage.
Strengths
- Comfortable, balanced stats (Evasion 11, Hit Points 6) that make it a forgiving class to learn as a new starter to the game
- Good at keeping enemies in arms reach and punishing anyone who tries to break away, without spending resources
- Reliable high weapon damage, with ways to improve its odds to hit on the attacks that matter most
Weaknesses
- Few defensive or magical options outside straightforward melee combat
- Less useful in social or investigative scenes compared to classes built around charisma or knowledge
- A fairly simple toolkit compared to some other classes, which can feel limiting for players who want more variety
Warrior Subclasses
- Call of the Brave (Core) – Gains hope from failed rolls and gains in courage even as hit points run low.
- Call of the Slayer (Core) – Builds up a reserve of extra dice from successful attack rolls, then spends them to boost damage.
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Witch
Book: Hope & Fear
About Witches
Witches work their magic through craft, blending incantations, talismans and illusions with power borrowed from ancestors, deities and aspects of nature. That knowledge tends to be handed down, either by the entities themselves or through covens and a witch can communicate with those forces for answers, though what comes back is often no more than a hint like a sound or a vision. Feared and misunderstood, they walk the border between light and shadow and draw on the new Dread domain.
Strengths
- Access to the Dread domain gives it fear and enfeeblement effects that other classes don’t have
- Can hex enemies from a distance to weaken their damage and make them easier to hit, and can hold more hexes at once as the class grows
- Its Hope feature can turn a failed roll into a success, for itself or for an ally at range, which is one of the strongest safety nets in the game
Weaknesses
- Built around utility and defence rather than direct damage, so it isn’t the class to reach for if you want to hit hardest in the party
- Hexing costs Stress every time, so its main way of shaping a fight draws on the same pool it needs for a lot of other functions
- Average stats across the board (Evasion 10, Hit Points 6) with no defensive trick built into the class, so it depends on staying at range for survivability
Witch Subclasses
- Hedge (Hope & Fear) – A support-focused witch that improves the value of healing and consumable items, and can charge a protective talisman for a party member to wear.
- Moon (Hope & Fear) – Draws on celestial magic, using a mystical glamour to disguise itself or unnerve nearby foes, and calls down moonlight that boosts the party’s spellcasting.
Wizard
Book: Core
About Wizards
Wizards hone immense magical power over years of study using tools like books, stones, potions and herbs. A strong generalist magic user that can use offensive and defensive magic and has a broad range of spells at its disposal.
Strengths
- Comfortable starting Evasion (11) for a spellcaster, helping to avoid attacks
- Codex and Splendor domains cover offence, defence and utility, so it has an answer for many situations
- Can shield itself with magic while still contributing in damage, useful for a naturally squishy class
Weaknesses
- Tied for the lowest starting Hit Points in the game (5), so it can’t afford to get caught in melee
- Relies on positioning and support from the rest of the party to stay out of harm’s way
Wizard Subclasses
- School of Knowledge (Core) – Built around study and preparation, gaining extra domain cards over time and getting more value from experiences and knowledge.
- School of War (Core) – Shapes magic into a weapon of war, dealing bonus damage when a spell succeeds with fear and maintaining a protective magical barrier.
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