u/Acceptable_Ferret384

As the characters reach tier 3, they finally find the vampire they've been hunting in a secret tomb in the frozen wastes. The vampire has a dragon under his command.

I built the battle using the BP system (4 characters, so 14 BP). I used it to buy 1 Solo (Young Ice Dragon), 1 Leader (Head Vampire), 1 Skulk (Dire Bat), and 2 Standards (Vampires).

Since they have too many features, I combined all the stat blocks onto a single page where I can track everything. I divided the sheet into sections for what I need to see when the players are acting and when I’m acting.

What do you think of the battle sheet’s format? Any feedback on how to improve it?

Also, I’m getting the feeling that this battle might be too much for four level 5 characters. Do you guys agree? I don’t want to tone it down too much. It’s supposed to be really hard, but not impossible.

https://preview.redd.it/l0cuvg2xftzg1.jpg?width=2481&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d04cf7b2777eb4b55eb995999a3b329cb6d04863

Hi! I’ve been studying how to design adversaries for Daggerheart. The homebrew kit has been helpful, but it’s still a bit vague about the numbers the designers were aiming for.

I’d like to better understand a few things:

1. What are the “typical” thresholds for characters at each tier that should be considered when designing adversary damage?
2. Why does adversary difficulty typically increase by 3 at each tier, while character attack bonuses increase by only 1? Is this meant to account for the potential impact of domain cards and other features, or does the game simply expect characters to hit less frequently at higher tiers?
3. When designing adversaries of each type, how much damage should we be aiming for? My assumption is that the game targets an average of 1–3 HP, varying by type—but that depends on those “typical” character thresholds, which I still don’t fully understand.

I haven’t been able to find much commentary or insight from the designers, even on Reddit. The homebrew kit was a great step forward, but I wish RPG authors were more transparent about the math behind their systems—sharing spreadsheets and design notes, for example.

Note: I'm familiar with RightKnighttoFight’s Guide. It's a great document. But it shows the final values, not the intent behind them.