# Template

# DAGGERHEART CAMPAIGN FRAME TEMPLATE

This notion template walks you through the campaign frame creation process from the Daggerheart Homebrew Kit! Simply duplicate this template, read the italicized instructions, fill out the following bracketed fields, then delete the italicized sections, and you’ll have created a campaign frame! The only additions to the text of the Homebrew Kit I’ve included are estimates of how much content each field should have based on the official campaign frames to make sure your frame fits the same formatting as an official one. Any notes I’ve added will be in yellow italics, like this!

# TITLE

The name of the campaign frame should be short and punchy often highlighting an interesting or unique aspect of the campaign. [Title Here]

# CONCEPT

The concept is an evocative one sentence description of the big idea that defines the campaign frame and should quickly convey what the campaign frame is about. [One Sentence Description Here]

# COMPLEXITY RATING

The complexity rating gives a relative indication of how many unique mechanics the campaign frame involves how complex those mechanics are and how much homebrewing is expected of GMs running the campaign frame. The complexity scores in the core rulebook range from 1 to 4. You can decide on your complexity rating early in the process of creating your campaign frame to help guide your design or you can create the campaign frame as you envision it and then assess the complexity at the end. Complexity Score: _

# THE PITCH

The one-paragraph pitch describes what’s exciting and appealing about the campaign frame. This pitch should include information about the tone setting and emotional promise of the campaign. The GM should be able to read your paragraph to the players to pitch the campaign frame to them—don’t include any secrets you wouldn’t want players to know. Read this section to your players to introduce them to the campaign. [One Paragraph Pitch Here]

# TONE & FEEL

These tonal descriptions outline the emotional landscape of the campaign frame. Is it grim or bright? Comedic or dramatic? Romantic or misanthropic? Sometimes contrasting tones can be effective but it shouldn’t be hard to understand how a campaign frame’s tones fit together so the GM and their table can decide if a campaign frame is the right fit for them. Most campaign frames have at least 6 tone descriptors, but feel free to use more or fewer. [Tone Descriptor 1] [Tone Descriptor 2] [Tone Descriptor 3] [Tone Descriptor 4] [Tone Descriptor 5] [Tone Descriptor 6]

# THEMES

A campaign’s major themes represent what the campaign is about and what topics might show up during play. Themes can be broad or more specific depending on the campaign’s needs. You can also think about themes as prompts a GM can ask to their players and the answers they might uncover through play. For example a theme of “family vs independence” could generate a dramatic personal question for the characters: “Can you be both loyal to your family and true to yourself?” Most campaign frames have 4 or more themes. [Theme 1] [Theme 2] [Theme 3] [Theme 4]

# TOUCHSTONES

Touchstones are a list of your sources of inspiration when creating the campaign frame which the GM and players can refer to when pitching or playing it. Touchstones can include media such as fiction comics video games and other RPGs. If some of the touchstones are lesser-known works, it may be useful to supplement them with more broadly popular media to help potential players orient their expectations about what kind of story the campaign frame is going for. Include at least 3 touchstones, but not too many. The more you include, the less likely they are to be referred to. [Touchstone 1] [Touchstone 2] [Touchstone 3]

# OVERVIEW

The overview is a longer description of the campaign frame (typically no longer than a page or a page and a half) that covers the major elements of the campaign and what players can expect from it. This should be more comprehensive than the pitch paragraph but not exhaustive—it’s a high-level description that players will read to get a bit more information about the world and what the story is about. Because the overview is player-facing, it also shouldn’t include secrets that you don’t want players to know. The shortest overviews are around 500 words. An overview of 900 words will fill an entire page if using similar formatting to official campaign frames. Be sure to make any important names bold, so players using this frame can more easily refer back to the overview. If your group decides to play this campaign, give your players the following information before character creation. [500-900 Word Overview Here]

# HERITAGE & CLASSES

Campaign frames have sections on communities, ancestries, and classes, providing information about how elements of heritage or character classes might work differently in this campaign frame or in some cases which options are not available (and the reason why). These sections often provide additional background prompts for characters of those heritages or classes to help more firmly connect them to the setting. Below are some templates for communities, ancestries, and classes. Duplicate or delete them as needed for your frame:

# COMMUNITIES

All communities are available, but some have unique aspects within a [TITLE] campaign. As needed, provide the following information to your players and choose one or more of the questions to ask them during your session zero. OR Some communities are not available for a [TITLE] campaign. As needed, provide the following information to your players and choose one or more of the questions to ask them during your session zero. [COMMUNITY NAME] [One Paragraph Description of Community in this Frame] [Session Zero Question 1] [Session Zero Question 2] [Session Zero Question 3] [UNAVAILABLE COMMUNITY NAME] [One Paragraph Description of Why Community is Unavailable]

# ANCESTRIES

All ancestries are available, but some have unique aspects within a [TITLE] campaign. As needed, provide the following information to your players. OR Some ancestries are not available for a [TITLE] campaign. As needed, provide the following information to your players. [ANCESTRY NAME] [One Paragraph Description of Ancestry in this Frame] [UNAVAILABLE ANCESTRY NAME] [One Paragraph Description of Why Ancestry is Unavailable]

# CLASSES

All classes are available, but some have unique aspects within a [TITLE] campaign. As needed, provide the following information to your players. OR Some classes are not available for a [TITLE] campaign. As needed, provide the following information to your players. [CLASS NAME] [One Paragraph Description of Class in this Frame] [UNAVAILABLE CLASS NAME] [One Paragraph Description of Why Class is Unavailable]

# PLAYER PRINCIPLES

Just as Daggerheart has player principles each campaign frame has thematic guidelines for players to keep in mind during the campaign. Following these principles helps players stay in the ideal mindset to enjoy the campaign frame. When creating these ensure they are evocative specific and actionable by the players. Create at least 3 player principles. If your group decides to play this campaign, give your players the following information before character creation. [PRINCIPLE 1] [One Paragraph Description of Principle] [PRINCIPLE 2] [One Paragraph Description of Principle] [PRINCIPLE 3] [One Paragraph Description of Principle]

# GM PRINCIPLES

Each campaign frame additionally has corresponding GM principles which supplement the core game principles. These provide support and guidance for the GM to plan and facilitate a game in line with the design of the campaign frame. When creating these principles, guide the GM toward the campaign’s themes and encourage the kind of moves you want them to be making. Create at least 3 GM principles. Keep the following guidance in mind while you GM this campaign. [PRINCIPLE 1] [One Paragraph Description of Principle] [PRINCIPLE 2] [One Paragraph Description of Principle] [PRINCIPLE 3] [One Paragraph Description of Principle]

# DISTINCTIONS

Distinctions are what specifically set the world of the campaign frame apart from other settings. They are the tentpoles holding up the canvas of the campaign, the supports a GM will build their story on top of. They establish the pillars of the campaign including core truths about the setting major locations prominent groups or factions and narrative elements that contribute to the setting’s atmosphere or themes (such as culture important historical events recent catastrophes conflicts and cosmology) and more. Notably they do not include custom rules for the campaign frame— those come later in their own section. Distinctions also mark where the GM-facing information truly begins. While GMs can share some information from this section with their players, this is where you start layering in the secrets they’ll use to build compelling story arcs across their campaign. Include at least 3 distinctions, using the Building Distinctions section below to ensure you’re offering a wide variety of concepts. Use this information to prepare your campaign. You can also share it with your players as needed.

# BUILDING DISTINCTIONS

Distinctions may be one of the first things you develop when creating the campaign frame since they serve as the pillars or core truths of that setting. Consider the following ideas when writing out your campaign frame’s distinctions: How the World Works: Convey the way magic functions in this setting (such as taking the form of technology in Motherboard), a prominent threat like a disease (such as the Serpent’s Sickness in The Witherwild), or other major setting elements that will inform play (such as the Lure in Beast Feast). [HOW THE WORLD WORKS] [1-3 Paragraph Description of Distinction] Locations/Settlements: Detail major population centers (such as the Carrowcroft Walkaway and other walking cities in Motherboard or the outposts in Colossus of the Drylands), or prominent locations and landmarks (such as Brilliance in Beast Feast).
[LOCATIONS] [1 Paragraph Describing how these locations are Similar/Different] [1 Paragraph Description of Location 1] [1 Paragraph Description of Location 2] [1 Paragraph Description of Location 3] Core Philosophies and Ideologies: Highlight any cultural philosophical or ideological ideas that differentiate the setting, such as the way magic users are met with suspicion in The Age of Umbra. [PHILOSOPHY] [1 Paragraph Description of Philosophy] Major Figures: Establish the gods or other powerful beings key to the setting (such as the gods in The Witherwild or the Children of Godfell in Colossus of the Drylands) Ideally the distinctions provide the baseline for tables to build on the provided materials with their own ideas. The writeup doesn’t need to be encyclopedic especially if you’re sticking to the capsule format of the campaign frames from the core rulebook, which are designed to be inspirational and intentionally left incomplete to invite GM and player contributions. [MAJOR FIGURE] [1 Paragraph Description of Major Figure]

# INCITING INCIDENT

The inciting incident is a sample opening to a campaign using the frame. It’s designed to introduce the party to the core themes and some of the frame’s distinctions while illustrating one possible approach for a GM to begin the campaign.
BUILDING AN INCITING INCIDENT Inciting incidents are the intersection of three elements: adventure design, character hooks, and setting introduction. They usually take the form of a situation and an objective for the PCs to complete with an individual or faction asking the PCs to intervene. You could build the situation and objective first, then decide what character hooks help motivate a variety of PCs to get involved. Alternatively you could start with the hooks you think will be most motivating for PCs in this campaign frame, then decide what situation or objective can best support or create those character hooks.
Ideally an inciting incident provides a bite-size example of the kinds of stories the campaign frame is set up to tell, addresses some or all of the listed themes, incorporates some of the distinctions, and presents a chance to show off the frame’s custom mechanics. [300-400 Word Inciting Incident, Answering the Questions Below:] What problem needs to be solved? Who is asking the PCs for help? What motivates the PCs to get involved? How does this incident introduce the themes, distinctions, and mechanics of the frame? What are the potential outcomes of the incident, and how could the PCs impact the future of the setting?

# CUSTOM MECHANICS

Each campaign frame includes new game mechanics and tools that represent elements unique to the campaign frame that enhance the experience of playing in its setting. Sometimes these mechanics are born from the genre tropes the campaign frame employs, and other times they’re tools to support the frame’s unique lore. Your custom mechanics might aim to impact the campaign in any of the following ways (or another way entirely!): They add more detail to an aspect of the world (like the corruption mechanics in The Witherwild and the rules for dangerous rests in The Age of Umbra)
They introduce new items and adversary systems (like the guns and colossi in Colossus of the Drylands) They offer additional subsystems that help the GM keep track of moving parts while ensuring the story moves forward (like the faction projects system in Five Banners Burning)
This section clearly marks where you’re homebrewing Daggerheart’s rules to fulfill your creative goals in the campaign frame. Having a specific section also makes it easy for potential players to find and understand how the rules change for this specific game. Keep the design principles from the beginning of this homebrew kit in mind when creating custom mechanics—if you find yourself adding mechanics that diverge from those principles, consider adding new player or GM principles to your campaign frame to bridge the gap between your new mechanics and Daggerheart’s core design approach. When creating a custom mechanic, consider the following questions:
Does this mechanic follow Daggerheart’s design principles? How prominent will this mechanic be? How many players need to understand this mechanic in a given group? (Just the GM, only 1 player, multiple players, the entire group) How does this mechanic reinforce the themes of the frame? How does this mechanic effect the frame’s Complexity Rating? Answering these questions can tell you how much space and time the mechanic needs, or if its needed at all! If a mechanic sounds cool but it doesn’t follow Daggerheart’s design principles, would have to be SUPER prominent, all players need to understand it, it barely reinforces the themes of the frame, and greatly impacts the frame’s Complexity, consider removing the mechanic, streamlining it, or even creating it as a supplement for your frame: allowing interested groups to opt in to that mechanic without bogging down the experience for disinterested groups.

# SESSION ZERO QUESTIONS

These are new questions specific to the campaign frame that should be asked during a session zero. These questions should both help situate your PCs in the setting and prompt groups to articulate how they want to address or handle important thematic or content elements of the campaign (such as gore, the impact of war, or intraparty conflict). For inspiration, look to both the session zero questions for the campaign frames in the core rulebook and also the background and connection questions in each class’s character guide. Include at least 4 questions unique to your frame, each addressing a different distinction or aspect of your frame. [Session Zero Question 1] [Session Zero Question 2] [Session Zero Question 3] [Session Zero Question 4]