Thoughts on Daggerheart

I haven't finished reading Daggerheart, nor do I particularly intend to, so by my own admission this is more of a vibes-based take than a factual review. I've slogged through a lot of really terrible media that gives me the willies to "earn" the right to hate on it, and most of the time all the effort only ends up confirming whatever core element gave me the ick. Forgive me if I lack the strength. 

 

Reading Daggerheart is like encountering the zombie of a loved one. Ironically, the outsider underdogs have managed to create something that is more polished, frictionless, and utterly inhuman than the bland corporate art that they contend against. At least WotC's incompetence gives their products a humanizing patina of jank; I didn't see any of that here. 

It's not really a surprise, though. WotC's job is to sell the materials needed to play D&D; the Critical Role group, and other commercial ventures orbiting around the high-production actual play scene, have to sell the actual moment-to-moment gameplay. Given the amount of experience they have at this point, it makes perfect sense that they've got a mastery over the perfectly smooth, perfectly homogenized Baldur's Gatecore style of neo-trad D&D that far exceeds that of the actual stewards of the franchise. 

If this fails, it will be because of the sheer brute economic force that Hasbro can exert, that and the apathy to anything-but-5e amongst their audience-base that they've, intentionally or not, had some part in inculcating. If it succeeds, I predict that D&D 6th Edition will be a Daggerheart 2e ripoff, rather than the other way around.

The HP system is pretty cool. 

A Really Obvious Solution to Player Consumable Hoarding

See the title. Putting the post out there with rapid turnaround and minimal polish because this is a very low-hanging fruit idea that I haven't really seen done before, and I suspect it might generate some productive discussion/elaboration.

 

Provenance unclear - seems to have been made either by "Artur Popkins," 

"Artur Mukhametov," or "Trevor Henderson."

 

Players hoarding consumables is a classic issue. There's some deep-seated component of our psyche that makes us desperately want to save things for the perfect moment, which results in them not getting used at the right moment. It struck me earlier that there is an obvious solution to this—give consumables both a short-term strong effect and a permanent weak effect. Now there's another consideration to balance the scales: the longer they hold onto the consumable, the longer they forgo the permanent benefit. 

You could introduce a gambling/randomness element here, if you'd like. 

Some obvious worked examples, to illustrate:

1. Elixir of Health - Upon use, restores the user to full HP, and gives a permanent +1 maximum HP.
2. Longevity Pill - Upon use, renders you immune to unnatural aging effects for a day and a night, and increases your maximum lifespan by +10 years.  
3. Tiger Balm - Rub on your hands to lengthen and harden your nails into wicked claws, dealing 1d8 damage. These last until filed off and are disruptive to tasks requiring manual dexterity, but can also be cut down to less obtrusive points that deal 1d4 against unarmored foes.
4.  Scroll of Magic Missiles - Read to cast Magic Missile at 2 MD. Upon use, you have an INT% chance of a flash of insight that permanently teaches you the spell, whether or not you can cast it - knowing the spell does not grant you the MD needed for it.
5. And So Forth - Et cetera...

Please enjoy this good idea that I just had.