Daggerdark? Shadowheart? Daggers in the Shadow?
Some discussion was had on ENWorld about the idea of merging Daggerheart's narrative approach to design and moderate abstraction with Shadowdark's excellent motifs and streamlined take on d20 dungeon crawling. While I'm not a huge fan of dungeon crawling for the sake of it, I've been having some fun times recently running themed and purposeful "dungeons" in both Daggerheart and Stonetop. Plus you know, fiddling around with designs is a good creative experience on its own. Given what we've seen the Darrington Press team put out in their most recent Void 1.5 playtest stuff, they seem to also be thinking about "how can we insert mechanic collections from other games into Environments we can paste over Daggerheart play."
With that being said, here's my first two Environment drafts with some design notes. The first is how I might look at tackling Shadowdark's emphasis on light and danger, the second is taking many of the principles of Trophy: Gold's dungeon exploration mechanics and seeing how they'd translate to DH's core.
The Shadowed Dark Exploration, all tiers *Any place of velvet deep shadows that long to swallow you down. * Impulses: Conceal dangers and opportunities, smother the light, play on your fears Difficulty: Scaling, 12/14/17/20 Potential Adversaries: Per dungeon set
FEATURES:
Lightless Depths - Passive: This place does not want you, it crawls with shadow and hidden threats. Any PC who wishes to light the way may Spend a Hope to create a Light Source Countdown (4). The range of the light is equal to the die remaining on the countdown:
- 4 - Close, glimmers to Far.
- 3 - Close.
- 2 - Very Close.
- 1 - Melee.
When in the Shadowed Dark, a PC must mark a Stress before taking an action roll if there is no light source.
What does the light source look like? A wizardâs harsh white staff tip? A warm lantern clipped to a rogueâs belt? A firefly spirit hovering over a rangerâs shoulder?
Design Notes: I want light to tie into the core themes and mechanics of Hope and Fear, while not tracking the minutia of torches and the like. Hope is a renewable resource in the game, but also precious and useful for many things.
Hasty Relight - Passive: If time or danger threatens and a PC wishes to create a light source, they should say how they do it and make an appropriate Action Roll to see how long it takes in addition to spending a Hope. On any failure or Fear, show how the adversaries or environment take advantage of the brief lack of light. On a Critical, show how regaining the light gives the PCs an advantage.
Design Notes: This allows for directly attacking the light source during a combat without utterly punishing the players. It does give space to take advantage of a break in the light to build fear and tension.
Torches Gutter - Action: Spend a Fear to show how the Shadowed Dark attacks their light, or how time is passing. All Light Countdowns decrement by one.
Time Passing - Passive: On Short Rests in the Shadowed Dark, any Light Countdowns decrement by 2. One player should roll their Fear die, on a 1-3 the Rations Countdown also decrements. On a Long Rest, Light Countdowns expire and Rations Countdowns decrement by 1.
Design Notes: Gives Rests a cost. Considering bringing Fires or such into this, but keeping it fairly simple for now.
Delving Through the Depths
Traversal, all tiers
Ancient ruins, sunken temples, hidden tombs, places filled with danger and promise.
Impulses: Spring traps on the unwary, tantalize with glimpses of treasure, conceal the way forward
Difficulty: Scaling, 12/14/17/20
Potential Adversaries: Per dungeon set
FEATURES:
The Crawl - Passive: Navigating the depths takes courage and drive, and progressing a Countdown (4). When you forge the way towards your goal, work out with the GM how youâre exploring the environment and then make an appropriate Action roll.
⢠Critical Success: Tick down 1 and reveal a treasure.
⢠Success with Hope: Tick down 1.
⢠Success with Fear: Tick down 1, but encounter something.
⢠Failure with Hope: Encounter something.
⢠Failure with Fear: Encounter something and tick up 2 (or reset to 4?).
If the countdown is at 1 or 2, you may tick it up one to find a treasure.
Once the countdown reaches 0, you find your goal.
What here pertains to the theme of the dungeon? What signs of denizens do they see? What opportunities present themselves?
Design notes: this will pair in with guidance in the Frame on how to set up Dungeons very much in the vein of Trophy. That is, you figure out a theme and a set of linked zones/sets that each have their own goal (eg: "find the hidden door to the inner tomb" "obtain the trappings of Al-Zatoum" etc). The Countdown is to achieve the goal for that set, and move deeper towards the overarching goal of the delve.
Denizens of the Deep - Passive: When the PCs encounter residents of the Depths one player should make a Reaction Roll (no attribute). If the GM determines the creatures are not inherently hostile, a character may opt to try and influence their attitude by doing or saying something. That character then adds their Presence score to the Reaction Roll:
⢠0-12: Hostile.
⢠13-17: Suspicious.
⢠18-20: Neutral.
⢠21-23: Curious.
⢠24+: Friendly.
Design notes: Yeah, just a 2d12 version of Shadowdark's Reaction roll. I think that a Pres bonus should cap out around 5 or 6? So you still have a chance to roll Hostile at higher tiers.
Traps, Traps in the Deep - Action: On an âencounter somethingâ result, reveal a danger from the dungeon environment lurking in the shadowed depths. This can be a literal trap, a dangerous environmental feature, or denizens.
How do they know that danger is imminent? How do they react? What actions are evident, and what are less certain?
Snapping Jaws - Action: Spend a Fear to escalate the Trap. The denizens are Hostile and aware of the PCs, the ground gives way beneath their feet, whatever badness youâve established comes true.
Design notes: This is how you complicate their lives. The goal here is to telegraph first, per the Principles of DH + most other games. Depending on the actions taken, you can either spend that Fear to escalate; make a GM move that nudges forward; or make a move responsive to an Action roll.