Darrington Press, the publishing arm of Critical Role, is set to release the first major expansion for its fantasy tabletop role-playing game, Daggerheart. Titled Hope & Fear, the expansion is scheduled for launch on August 25. Players and Game Masters can anticipate a wealth of new content, including four new character classes: witch, warlock, brawler, and assassin, each featuring two distinct subclasses. The expansion also introduces a transformation mechanic, allowing characters to begin the game as a vampire, werewolf, or ghost, or to develop these traits during gameplay.
Daggerheart, which utilizes cards to manage character abilities, will include all necessary cards for these new options within Hope & Fear. The expansion also expands the game's lore with additional species and a new Dread domain, which serves as the source of power for witches and warlocks. New equipment is also a significant addition, with over 100 items such as brass knuckles, caltrops, mage robes, and invisibility potions.
Game Masters will find over 130 new adversaries to challenge players across four tiers of play, ranging from mountain trolls to Lovecraftian horrors. Hope & Fear also presents an evolution feature designed for multi-phase boss encounters, where defeated enemies can reveal a more powerful final form. To aid GMs in campaign creation, the book includes four distinct campaign frames. These offer varied fantasy settings, including a magical school in Castle High, a fairy tale-inspired world in Reign of the Weredragon, a political and monster-slaying adventure in Dark Heart of Andaluria reminiscent of The Witcher, and a post-apocalyptic epic fantasy titled Journey to Horizon, drawing inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Preorders for Hope & Fear will grant immediate access to a PDF version two weeks before the physical release. A deluxe edition of the expansion will be available, featuring a GM screen equipped with tokens for tracking the 'fear' resource, dice, and character and adversary sheets. For those seeking alternative accessory options, Roll & Play Press will release One Shot Wonders: Daggerheart in the fall. This book will contain 100 quick-prep adventures compatible with all Daggerheart campaign frames, including those introduced in Hope & Fear. Additionally, Darrington Press is collaborating with Foundry VTT to integrate premium content for online play.
