Daggerheart: choosing and using Hope & Fear at your table

Hope and Fear can mean two things in a Daggerheart conversation: the Duality Dice used in the core game, or the expansion that adds character and campaign options. You do not need the expansion to start using the mechanic that shares its name. For an introduction to the system itself, read our Daggerheart guide.

This article helps you choose a starting point and prepare a session that tries something new. Product information was checked on October 28, 2026. The session preparation advice below is an ERPG editorial suggestion.

The Brazilian Portuguese edition

The Brazilian Esperança e Medo product page lists preorders through November 8, 2026, with delivery expected in May 2027. One option includes early access to a digital preview. The publisher describes that preview as unfinished material and states that the expansion requires the core set.

Brazil's schedule differs from the English release: Darrington Press announced general distribution of Hope & Fear from August 25, 2026. Check the original announcement for the international edition and Jambô's store for current Brazilian purchase terms.

What the expansion adds

The official SRD 2.0 lists four Hope & Fear classes: Assassin, Brawler, Warlock, and Witch. It also records the Dread domain, transformations, and material for adversaries and environments. Use your group's chosen edition for complete rules and localized terminology.

These options invite new character questions. What price accompanies a transformation? How does a supernatural identity affect someone's relationships? Which threat tests their choices? Deciding whether to introduce an option can begin with those questions before comparing numbers on a sheet.

Core set or expansion: choose around the group's needs

| Your group's situation | Suggested approach | | --- | --- | | Nobody has played Daggerheart | Try the introductory adventure and learn the basics | | Your campaign has just started | Record what players feel is missing before expanding the options | | A character concept depends on an expansion option | Read that option in full and agree with the GM on how it enters play | | The group wants to try dark fantasy | Run a short session with an agreed theme and boundaries |

The official getting-started page offers The Sablewood Messengers, an introductory adventure with ready-made characters and material to guide a session. It provides a starting point for learning the game before planning a long campaign.

If your group is still choosing its format, our comparison of campaigns and one-shots can help you decide how much time to commit. A single evening with a clear objective gives everyone room to learn without requiring months of availability.

Try one new option at a time

A small preparation scope makes it easier to notice what changes at the table. Choose an option that interests the players, read its rules together, and prepare a situation where it might matter. Avoid making the session depend on one particular ability: the group should have other ways to solve the problem.

Use this preparation sequence:

1. Write a central question, such as “will the village accept help from someone it fears?”
2. Give every character a connection to the location or to a person in danger.
3. Prepare one social obstacle and another that requires action under pressure.
4. Select suitable statistics from the material your group is using.
5. Leave a few minutes at the end to discuss the option you tried.

During session zero, talk about bodily transformation, loss of control, and other imagery that might arise. Agree on what appears on screen, what stays implied, and how to interrupt a description that makes someone uncomfortable.

An original premise: the envoy with an unfamiliar face

The group escorts an envoy who must deliver a treaty before the city gates close. An arcane event changed her appearance during the journey. The guard captain has known the negotiator for years and believes this visitor is an impostor. The objective is to get the envoy a hearing before the rival delegation leaves.

Prepare three ways to verify her identity: a personal annotation in the treaty, a memory shared with the captain, and a witness from the journey. The witness fears revealing their part in the arcane event. The characters can negotiate an escorted audience, find that person, or persuade the envoy to reveal the secret she has been protecting. Each route should offer a real chance of progress.

This premise is original and does not come from an official adventure. It supplies no transformation rules, adversary statistics, or test difficulties. Use the group's chosen rulebook for those decisions. Agree beforehand on what the change means to the character; the scene asks how much she will reveal to regain the captain's trust.

Materials to accompany the session

A letter of introduction with a personal annotation can provide one piece of identity evidence. Our RPG letters and journals guide explains how to turn that text into an object players can consult during the negotiation. Choose an ERPG handout template and check its access conditions.

The name generator can help name witnesses and residents. For Daggerheart sheets and rules, use official materials or a tool that explicitly supports the system; the ERPG resources mentioned here support narrative preparation. After the session, record which choices created memorable scenes and which required frequent rules lookups. Those observations can guide what you introduce into the campaign.