Diving into the settings for your adventures.
Daggerheart is working hard to hit the ground running as an alternative system to D&D. It comes packed with its own worlds, realms and lore and we wanted to dig into exactly what you can expect when playing adventures in Daggerheart’s universe.
Worlds and Realms
Daggerheart is set in places known as world’s and realms. These are fairly loosely established for now, allowing DMs to adapt the lore and locales as they see fit.
Worlds operate much like Toril or Krynn (the world’s of the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance settings), they are planets inhabited by mortal people.
Realms are similar to the planes of D&D. They are separated not by geography, but by inter-planar travel. Much like D&D, there are planes inhabited with different types of creatures and with different environments. Some might be the realms of mortals, gods, demons or other creatures.
The Mortal Realm
The Mortal Realm is where mortals live. These worlds might be as diverse as the snowy mountains of Icewind Dale, the sweltering Jungles of Chult or the metropolis of Sharn, and many other kinds of places too. But what really defines the Mortal Realm is the fact that this is where mortals dwell.
Mention is made of the Forgotten Gods; the original creators of mortals and the Mortal Realm. Back then, during the Earliest Age, gods walked among mortals and travel between the Mortal Realm and the Hallows Above was common. Since then, the Forgotten Gods have been overthrown by the New Gods and are now trapped in the Mortal Realm.
Alongside the Forgotten Gods are the faint divinities; lesser gods sent to the Mortal Realm to watch over events there. Little is known specifically about the gods for now, but future releases might shed more light on these beings.
The Hallows Above
These are the realms of the gods. Similar to the outer planes, they are mostly closed to mortals (though once, travel here was more common).
In order to prevent the Forgotten Gods from regaining access to the Hallows Above, the New Gods ensured that travel to and from the Hallows Above would require a great sacrifice. However, this also creates an obstacle for the departure of the New Gods from their own realms.
The Circles Below
The Forgotten Gods that fought most aggressively against the New Gods were banished to the Circles Below, labelled as evil wielders of forbidden magic. This is a violent and evil realm and home to some of the most dangerous creatures in the realms.
This is where “demons” reside, though the term demon is possibly used loosely in this context and may not even refer to creatures that are necessarily evil, just banished.
The Realms Beyond
We’re told pretty much nothing about other realms that exist other than their names and that travelling between them is hard. The named realms include (though others do exist):
- The Elemental Lands
- The Astral Realm
- The Valley of Death
This likely feels fairly familiar if you have any knowledge of the planes of existence in D&D, and that’s because it is. But Daggerheart has borrowed from various places to build it’s system, and seems to have done the same with it’s lore.
At a time when we have very unique worlds arriving for brand new RPGs like Discworld and the Cosmere; at first glance, this may feel a little disappointing. However, I think the intent here is actually to open up a universe of opportunities for you to set your adventures in, making them whatever kind of place you want. D&D already accomplishes this really well so that model has been used here and I think that’s wise.
And it’s not all carbon copies of the D&D multiverse either. The Core Rulebook provides campaign frames (sort of like mini settings) to set your adventures in. This is where Daggerheart flexes its creative muscles and draws upon some of Matt Mercer’s impressive world building capabilities as well as the imaginations of other creators.
Known locations
Some areas of the worlds have been detailed in the campaign frames. These are specific enough to frame adventure hooks for you and your party, but vague enough that they might exist on whatever world or realm you create.
Here’s what we know about these places so far:
Fanewick (The Witherwild)
Fanewick is a large forest filled with winding dark paths and an abundance of overgrowth, as well as abnormally large creatures. It’s inhabited with some people that try to live harmoniously with the forest.
It is beset by neighbouring cities, the largest of which is Haven who have plundered the forest for a healing flower to cure a plague that infests the nation. This pillaging of the forest and a lack of care for its inhabitants has led to Fanewick becoming wild and deadly, instigating the Witherwild.
Now plant and civilisation encroach on one another’s territory, creating an uneasy hostility between the 2 lands.
Althas (Five Banners Burning)
During the Age of Gods, the people of the continent of Althas were united with their gods in fighting against the primordial powers of chaos. Upon victory, they formed a single nation known as Voldaen. At the time, the gods established their mortal throne in a place known as Hilltop.
However, over the next several centuries, 5 separate nations formed resulting in friction, conflict and the occasional uneasy alliance. These nations are:
- Armada: Founded by pirates that settled into becoming merchants, Armada is a group of city states united under one flag. They have a vast navy allowing them to control the seas. They hold an alliance with Jesthaen, but are disliked by Voldaen and Hilltop.
- Hilltop: When the gods left the lands to fight other threats, Hilltop’s rule was taken over by priests who now control access to the gods. It has become a rich Theocracy, holding an old alliance with Voldaen and rivalries with Armada and Jesthaen.
- Jesthaen: Following a short, but bloody war, Jesthaen became independent of Voldaen and has now formed itself into a separate republic. They seek to establish themselves through their military might. Jesthaen has a standing grudge with Voldaen and ideological differences with Hilltop, but is allied with Armada and allies of convenience with Polaris.
- Polaris: A magocracy that broke away from Voldaen to seek greater knowledge leading to a sort of industrial revolution. They have an allegiance of convenience with Jesthaen, but are ideologically opposed to Voldaen.
- Voldaen: A traditional monarchy and the original seat of power on Althas. While an old ally of Hilltop, they have a strong rivalry with the splinter nation of Jesthaen and ideological differences with Polaris.
At this time, tensions between the 5 nations have grown and there is an uneasy sense that war is inevitable.
Plover Caves (Beast Feast)
A deep network of caves stretches for hundreds of miles in a seemingly endless labyrinth. Far within this labyrinth, Hylaeus the forest mage cast a lure that attracts beasts and monsters of all kinds into the caves. This has kept the nearby surface village of Elmore safe for centuries.
However, the lure has begun to fade and creatures now threaten the peaceful village. Someone is needed to reignite the lure, deep within the monster-filled caverns of Plover.
Along the way, you’ll find small settlements and camps of those that have made their home in the caves, despite the dangers that lurk there. Fortunately, the beasts that reside there make for delicious meals, enabling survival within the cave system with regular food available; if you can kill it.
The Halcyon Domain (Age of Umbra)
A century ago, the god-king Othedias along with his grand orthidants and aetherlords dared to challenge the veiled gods and take celestial power for themselves. In vengeance, the veiled gods caused a cataclysm upon the land, abandoning it to its fate in an event now known as the apostasy.
To this day, the land remains cursed, and a soul blight transforms those that die into revenants that seek to kill those they loved in life. Now, those people that remain, huddle in the relative safety of communities. But dangers abound and corrupted beasts and other dangers persist throughout the cursed lands.
Survival requires training, and many mighty warriors and powerful aether-wielders have emerged to contend with the nightmarish creatures of the Halcyon Domain.
Despite the grim realities of this scarred land, hope persists. Tales of heroes are retold between towns, the library stronghold of Celsian Athenaeum strives to take back control of the city ruins of Amber Reach and zealot factions seek to re-establish a connection with the gods. There are even rumours of the remnants of divine power lingering in holy sites and shrines.
The Age of Umbra also happens to be the setting of Critical Role’s Daggerheart mini-series, having been created by Matt Mercer himself.
Echo Vale (Motherboard)
Echo Vale is a network of cities that form the remnants of ancient, technological civilisations. Though much of their knowledge has been lost, the people’s of the current world are able to harness this technology.
But with allusions to Horizon: Zero Dawn, the ancient technology represents dangers too. A virus affects the machines of the land (known as automatons) causing them to become wild and dangerous. Many take the form of animals, while others have specific functions, even allowing them to house entire settlements on their backs as they traverse the land.
The Drylands (Colossus of the Drylands)
The Drylands is a wild desert land where outlaws and mining towns struggle for survival. Crystals formed from the supposed remnants of old gods are mined as a precious commodity.
But even this uneasy state of existence is threatened by signs of prophecies long believed to be myths being fulfilled. Signs of the return of the colossal Kudamat, the first doom, have begun to emerge. It is said that Kudamat would seek vengeance for his imprisonment in the earth, both against the New Gods, and against the mortals that split and buried the parts of his body across the land. And Kudamat is only the first of the colossi to threaten the land.
Colossus of the Drylands allows players to wage combat on colossal creatures, even providing rules for running encounters like these.
Summary
The world’s and realms of Daggerheart may feel familiar in a broad sense, but its sandbox nature provides the building blocks for varied and unique adventures anywhere you can think of. But it’s in the campaign frames where Daggerheart shines.
Where D&D can feel focused on broader themes, by providing more bite-sized, mini settings, Daggerheart can hone in on some exciting concepts and take inspiration from a wider variety of inspirations.
Personally, I’d love to run an Age of Umbra campaign and am interested to see what Matt Mercer cooks up in the Critical Role mini-series.
