Hiraeth Experimental Rules - Heroic Experiences

This playtest document presents a new rule: Heroic Experiences. This system is designed to give characters a distinct narrative identity beyond their class and background, allowing players to define unique facets of their hero’s story and bring them to bear in moments of need.

These rules are in draft form, and not yet refined by full game development and public feedback.

These rules are inspired and taken from Critical Roles Daggerheart.

A character is more than a collection of statistics and abilities. They are the sum of their triumphs, their failures, their training, and their deepest beliefs. The Heroic Experiences system provides a framework for defining these core truths and giving them a tangible, yet flexible, impact on the game.

This system is an addition, not a replacement. It sits alongside your character’s background, feats, and class features to add a unique layer of narrative depth and mechanical expression.

Creating Your Experiences

During character creation, you choose two Experiences for your character. An Experience is a short, descriptive phrase that embodies something specific about who your character is or what they can do.

Work with your Dungeon Master (DM) to ensure your Experiences fit the tone of the campaign. Once chosen, designate one as your Primary Experience and the other as your Secondary Experience. Your Primary Experience should represent the most defining aspect of your character’s story. These can be based off Background or based off your backstory to give your PC its own flavor.

Guidelines for Experiences

When creating your Experiences, follow these three principles:

Be Specific, Not Broad. An Experience like “Brave” or “Skilled” is too general. Instead, choose something that points to a specific area of expertise or a distinct personality trait. Consider “Battle-Hardened Veteran of the Great Wars” or “Unflinching Courage in the Face of Political Evil.”
Be Narrative, Not Mechanical. Your Experience should not grant a specific game ability. “Cast Fireball” or “Extra Attack” are not valid Experiences. Instead, focus on the narrative truth behind such an ability, like “Unleashed Evocation Prodigy” or “Master of the Whirling Blades.”
Add Flavor. Adding a specific detail, like a faction, location, or motto, makes an Experience more versatile and gives your DM story hooks to weave into the campaign. Instead of “Thief,” consider “Thief of the Ruby Hand.” Instead of “I’ve Got Your Back,” try “No One Gets Left Behind.”

Category	Experience	Example Uses
Background	Bodyguard to a Fallen King	Protect VIPs, recognize court protocols, spot assassins
Background	Con Artist of the Silk Markets	Forge identities, read marks, spot scams
Background	Noble Scion of a Ruined House	Leverage pedigree, navigate noble etiquette
Background	Pirate of the Thalassia	Seamanship, pirate codes, hidden coves
Background	Scholar of the Forbidden Vaults	Obscure lore, research shortcuts, restricted archives
Background	Assassin of the Crimson Wood	Silent takedowns, poisons, assassin hand-signs
Background	Sellsword of the Acrana Chain	Mercenary contacts, battlefield tactics, camp etiquette
Background	Blacksmith of Saltwards	Appraise metalwork, quick repairs, craftsmen’s guilds
Background	World Traveler of the The Trade Lines	Local customs, travel routes, border smuggling
Background	Bounty Hunter of the Argentum Compact	Track fugitives, legal warrants, bounty networks
Characteristic	Intimidating Presence	Coerce compliance, break morale, stare down threats
Characteristic	Stubborn to a Fault	Resist persuasion, persist in grueling tasks
Characteristic	Silver Tongue	Smooth talk, fast bargains, calm tempers
Characteristic	Battle Hardened	Keep cool under fire, read a melee, shrug off fear
Characteristic	Friend to the Downtrodden	Earn trust in slums, navigate underclass networks
Characteristic	Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing	Conceal intentions, blend as harmless
Characteristic	Observant to a Fault	Spot patterns, notice tells, catch inconsistencies
Characteristic	Loyal to the Last	Hold formation, refuse bribes, protect allies
Characteristic	Lone Wolf	Operate solo, avoid detection, minimize noise
Characteristic	Prankster with a Purpose	Disarm tension, create distractions, sleight-of-hand gags
Specialty	Magical Historian	Identify arcane traditions, decipher rituals
Specialty	Master of Disguise	Create personas, mimic mannerisms, stage makeup
Specialty	Navigator of the Sunless Sea	Chart subterranean routes, read echoes
Specialty	Survivalist of the Frozen Wastes	Shelter, forage, whiteout navigation
Specialty	Tactician of the Iron Legion	Battle plans, unit drills, flanking schemes
Specialty	Sharpshooter of the Ember Range	Long shots, wind calls, ambush prep
Specialty	Healer of the Field	Triage, stabilize under fire, improvised splints
Specialty	Inventor of Clockwork Oddities	Jury-rig devices, diagnose mechanisms
Specialty	Acrobat of the Sapphire Circus	Tumbling, tightropes, crowd movement
Specialty	Mapmaker of the Old Empire	Secret paths, landmarks, map forgeries
Skill/Knack	Barter Savant	Spot value, haggle hard, trade networks
Skill/Knack	Repair on the Fly	Field-fix weapons/armor, improvise parts
Skill/Knack	Tracker of Cold Trails	Read old signs, urban tracking, scent masking
Skill/Knack	Quick Hands	Palm items, fast draws, swift knots
Skill/Knack	Incredible Strength (Showman)	Feats of might, lift obstacles, bend bars
Skill/Knack	Deadly Aim (Patient)	Take time to line the perfect shot
Skill/Knack	Silvered Liar	Maintain lies under scrutiny, layered cover stories
Skill/Knack	Steel-Nerved Negotiator	High-stakes deals, hold firm on terms
Skill/Knack	Light Feet	Silent movement, balance, pressure plates
Skill/Knack	Animal Whisperer	Calm beasts, simple commands, read behavior
Phrase/Motto	I Won’t Let You Down	Rally allies, push through when someone’s counting on you
Phrase/Motto	This Is Not a Negotiation	Project finality, shut down haggling
Phrase/Motto	Knowledge Is Power	Recall key facts, leverage research, cite precedent
Phrase/Motto	The Show Must Go On	Perform under pressure, cover mistakes publicly
Phrase/Motto	Fake It Till You Make It	Bluff competence, operate unfamiliar tools
Phrase/Motto	No One Left Behind	Risk to extract allies, carry someone out
Phrase/Motto	Hold the Line	Defensive stands, anchor chokepoints, orderly retreats
Phrase/Motto	Pick on Someone Your Own Size	Draw aggro, protect the weak, duel challenges
Phrase/Motto	Catch Me If You Can	Escapes, chase scenes, misdirection routes
Phrase/Motto	First Time’s the Charm	Bold first attempts, cold reads, untested tactics

Using Your Experiences

Experiences are fiction-first tools. They reward players for describing methods that authentically leverage their character’s story. Invoking an Experience When you face a challenge where one of your Experiences is clearly relevant:

Describe your method. Explain how the Experience changes your approach. If the DM agrees it’s central and meaningful, you invoke it.
Choose an effect. Pick one of the following benefits. A DM can limit each benefit can be used no more than once per scene per Experience per Player - prolonged RP or other circumstances may change this.
1. Advantage on a Relevant Test: Gain advantage on one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that directly leverages your Experience.
2. Aid an Ally: Use your reaction to grant advantage to an ally’s d20 test within 30 feet when you describe how your Experience helps them.
3. Introduce a Story Detail: Establish a minor, fitting narrative fact related to your Experience (a contact, a procedural insight, a known signal, a hidden route). The DM has final say and may adjust the detail to fit established lore.
4. Adjust Fictional Positioning: The DM may ease a DC, waive a minor check, or shift an NPC’s initial attitude by one step when your Experience provides credible leverage (e.g., “Pirate of the Thalassia” among corsairs).

Frequency and Limits To minimize bookkeeping and keep play fast:

Per Scene Guideline: Each Experience can meaningfully affect play once per scene. If a scene is long and shifts context (e.g., from parley to chase), the DM may allow a second use if it’s justified in the new context.
Non-Stacking: If you already have advantage on a roll, invoking an Experience instead grants a +1 bonus to that roll, or allows you to reroll one die (DM’s choice).
Compatibility: You can’t combine an Experience’s advantage with Bardic Inspiration/Guidance on the same roll to create excessive stacking. Choose which benefit to apply after you roll but before outcomes are declared.
- This might be revoked depending on playtest.

Optional Design Note: Focus Points (Not Used by Default) Early drafts considered “Focus points” tied to each Experience to regulate frequency and scaling by proficiency bonus. While this provides clear pacing, many tables prefer fewer resources to track. For this HE, Experiences use the per-scene guideline above to stay lightweight. DMs who want stricter pacing can adopt Focus-style tracking as a variant.

Examples in Play

Battle-Hardened (Primary): In a chaotic melee, you describe locking shields and calling tempo. Gain advantage on a Wisdom (Perception) check to read the flow, or let an ally reroll a 1 on their next attack by steadying their strike - consumes reaction.
Master of Disguise (Primary): Entering a noble gala, you establish a minor detail: your persona once served the vintner. The DM adjusts initial attitude to Friendly after RP and waives the first Deception check to gain kitchen access.
No One Left Behind (Secondary): During a retreat, use your reaction to grant an ally advantage on an Athletics check to escape a grappling vine as you heave them free.
Navigator of the Dark Sea (Secondary): In the Underdark, you choose to introduce a story detail—a half-flooded lava tube that connects two caverns—cutting travel time and bypassing a posted guard.

Balance Notes

Keep Experiences narrow and evocative. They should open doors in certain situations, not grant blanket power.
Advantage is strong but self-limiting when tied to narrative fit and per-scene use.
The “non-stacking” rule preserves bounded accuracy and keeps Bardic Inspiration and Guidance meaningful.

Playtest Feedback Needed

Thanks for reading over Heroic Experiences. We’re looking for impressions that help us tune clarity, pacing, and balance.

Tell us how easy it was to create and use Experiences at the table. Did the “specific, narrative, flavored” guidance make sense? Did you and your DM agree quickly on when an Experience applied? Let us know if the “once per scene” guideline felt natural or if another pace (per encounter/rest/day) worked better.

Describe the flow of play. Did invoking Experiences speed decisions and inspire better roleplay, or add friction?

We’re also interested in narrative integration. Did Experiences reliably create hooks, relationships, and spotlight moments? Which formats (Background, Characteristic, Specialty, Phrase) produced the best scenes, and did adding qualifiers (faction, region, mentor, motto) help?

Comment on frequency. Did “once per scene per Experience” feel right, too frequent, or too rare—especially in long, multi-phase scenes?

Call out edge cases, unclear wording, or unintended combos, and how you resolved them. If you tested a resource-based variant (like Focus tied to proficiency bonus), tell us whether it improved pacing or just added bookkeeping.

Close with your overall verdict: keep as-is, tweak, or drop—and why. Your feedback will guide the next iteration toward a fiction-first tool that enhances identity and creativity without extra complexity.