Daggerheart, Critical Role’s system built to sit next to Dungeons & Dragons rather than under it, gets its first major update in three weeks. Groups that have been playing since the Void beta are about to get a real second-edition treatment, and everyone who tried Daggerheart at a con last year is going to boot up their first campaign in September. The problem is that most of the popular virtual tabletops still treat Daggerheart as a homebrew, so building a workable table takes stitching. This article is the stitching: the desktop apps we use to run Daggerheart online without duct-taping D&D 5e tools together.
We ran three Daggerheart campaigns across the last six months, one for each supported ruleset era (playtest, launch, and pre-update), on Windows, macOS, and Linux. These are the best apps for Daggerheart companion tools on desktop in 2026, judged by how quickly a GM can build a session, how well the card mechanics translate to the screen, and whether players can join without paying.
What to look for in a Daggerheart companion setup
Daggerheart is card-driven, narrative-forward, and lean on math compared to D&D. Any tool that helps needs to respect that:
- Card handling. Duality dice plus Fear/Hope tokens plus feature cards. Text-only VTTs miss half the game.
- Free for players. The GM pays for the tool; the party joins in a browser. Anything that charges players will lose you a table.
- Custom sheet support. Daggerheart character sheets look nothing like D&D sheets. VTTs with rigid form fields do not fit.
- Session prep speed. A tool that takes two hours to set up per session is not helping.
- Streaming friendliness. A lot of Daggerheart tables want to record. Overlays and OBS integration are a real requirement.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Platforms | Free tier | Starting price | Rules-aware |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daggerheart SRD (web) | Official reference and quickstart | Any browser | Fully free | None | Yes |
| Foundry VTT | The best community Daggerheart module | Win / Mac / Linux | None | ~$50 one-time | Yes (community) |
| Owlbear Rodeo | Free map + tokens, players join in a link | Web | Fully free | Pro ~$5/mo | No, but flexible |
| Alchemy RPG | Card-native VTT built for narrative systems | Win / Mac / web | Free with limits | ~$5-10/mo | Yes |
| Roll20 | Community sheet, big user base | Web | Fully free | Plus ~$5/mo | Yes (community) |
| Fantasy Grounds Unity | Rules-heavy VTT with community port | Win / Mac / Linux | 14-day trial | ~$4/mo | Yes (community) |
| Notion | Session prep, campaign wiki, handouts | Win / Mac / Linux / web | Fully free (personal) | ~$8/mo | No |
| OBS Studio | Streaming and recording | Win / Mac / Linux | Fully free | None | No |
The apps
1. Daggerheart SRD (web) — Best for the official reference
The Daggerheart System Reference Document is Darrington Press’s free web reference. Full rules, quickstart adventure, and all launch-era cards in one browseable site. It is the source of truth for the September update; if a fan tool disagrees with the SRD, the SRD wins.
Where it falls short: Not a VTT. A reference only.
Pricing:
- Free: Everything.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Any browser.
Download: darringtonpress.com/daggerheart-srd
Bottom line: Keep it open in a tab during every session.
2. Foundry VTT — Best community Daggerheart module
Foundry VTT is a self-hosted virtual tabletop with the most active Daggerheart community module. Character sheets render Daggerheart cards natively, duality dice roll with Fear/Hope indicators, and the module ships with the free quickstart pre-loaded. One-time license, no per-player fee, and the GM can host on a laptop or a $5 VPS.
Where it falls short: Foundry has a real learning curve if you have never run a self-hosted VTT.
Pricing:
- Free: None.
- Paid: ~$50 one-time for the GM. Players free.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, self-hosted web.
Download: foundryvtt.com
Bottom line: The most complete Daggerheart experience on desktop today. Buy once, use forever.
3. Owlbear Rodeo — Best free map and tokens
Owlbear Rodeo is the “just a map and some tokens” VTT. Free tier is generous, players join through a browser link, and there is a lightweight dice roller built in. Pair it with the SRD and a Discord voice channel, and you have a real Daggerheart table for zero dollars.
Where it falls short: No rules automation. You track Fear/Hope in your head or a spreadsheet.
Pricing:
- Free: Everything for the basics.
- Paid: Pro (~$5/mo) unlocks larger maps and extensions.
Platforms: Web (Windows, macOS, Linux browsers).
Download: owlbear.rodeo
Bottom line: The fastest way to start a table this weekend without paying.
4. Alchemy RPG — Best narrative-first VTT for card systems
Alchemy RPG was built for narrative RPGs like Blades in the Dark and City of Mist, and Daggerheart fits its model well. Cards render on the shared table, roll results include narrative descriptors, and there is a built-in streaming layout for tables that want to record.
Where it falls short: Free tier limits number of sessions per month; the useful tier is paid.
Pricing:
- Free: Basic play with limits.
- Paid: Muse (
$5/mo) and Author ($10/mo) unlock full features.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, web.
Download: alchemyrpg.com
Bottom line: The best paid pick for GMs who want a card-native narrative table.
5. Roll20 — Best big-community sheet with players who already have accounts
Roll20 is not Daggerheart-first, but its community character sheet is functional and it is the platform every player has already signed up for. Free tier plays fine; the Plus tier adds larger asset libraries and dynamic lighting.
Where it falls short: Sheet quality varies with community maintenance. The dice roller does not natively understand duality dice.
Pricing:
- Free: Everything for basic play.
- Paid: Plus (
$5/mo) and Pro ($10/mo) unlock more features.
Platforms: Web (all desktop browsers).
Download: roll20.net
Bottom line: Pick it if half your table already lives here.
6. Fantasy Grounds Unity — Best rules-heavy VTT with a community port
Fantasy Grounds Unity is the choice for GMs who want the VTT to enforce rules. A community-made Daggerheart ruleset covers duality dice, Fear/Hope tracking, and card cost automation. Setup is heavier than Foundry, but the rules automation is more thorough.
Where it falls short: Player licenses are cheap but not free; per-seat licensing feels dated in 2026.
Pricing:
- Free: 14-day trial.
- Paid: Standard (
$4/mo) or one-time ($40+).
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: fantasygrounds.com
Bottom line: For GMs who prefer the VTT to catch rules mistakes for them.
7. Notion — Best session prep and campaign wiki
Notion is where our Daggerheart prep lives. A session template with beats, encounter cards, and a Fear counter, plus a linked wiki of NPCs and locations, means the GM opens one page and has the whole night. Pages are shareable read-only with players for handouts.
Where it falls short: Not a VTT. Not a dice roller. It sits alongside the actual play tool.
Pricing:
- Free: Personal plan is enough for prep.
- Paid: Plus (~$8/mo) adds collaborators.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, web.
Download: notion.so
Bottom line: The prep companion every table can share.
8. OBS Studio — Best for streaming and recording sessions
OBS Studio is what you use if you want to record a Daggerheart campaign for the group’s archive or stream it publicly. Alchemy and Foundry both have OBS-friendly windowed layouts; OBS composes them with player camera feeds into a broadcast.
Where it falls short: Learning OBS itself takes a couple of evenings.
Pricing:
- Free: Everything.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: obsproject.com
Bottom line: The recording layer once you have a VTT.
How to pick the right one
- If you have never used a VTT and want to play this weekend: Owlbear Rodeo plus the SRD plus a Discord call. Zero dollars, thirty minutes of setup.
- If you plan to run Daggerheart for a year or more: Foundry VTT is the best long-term investment. One-time price, best community module.
- If your table is narrative-first and you want streaming polish: Alchemy RPG.
- If your players are already on Roll20: Roll20 with the community sheet. The migration cost is not worth it if everyone is fluent.
- If you record sessions: OBS Studio on top of whichever VTT you pick.
FAQ
Is there an official Daggerheart VTT? Darrington Press has partnered with Demiplane for an official companion, but as of the September update Foundry VTT still ships the most complete community module for actual play.
Do I need a physical rulebook to run Daggerheart online? No. The SRD is free and covers the launch rules and the September update. Physical rulebook and cards are collectors’ items, not requirements.
Can I import my Daggerheart character from one VTT to another? Not cleanly. Community sheets are not standardized. Rebuild the sheet if you change platforms; it takes about ten minutes per character.
What is a duality die and why do VTTs struggle with it? Daggerheart rolls two d12 (a Hope die and a Fear die) and combines them. The comparison matters, not just the sum. Generic dice rollers just add them; Daggerheart-aware ones show which die was higher, which is what drives narrative outcomes.
Will the September update break my current campaign? Darrington Press has said the update is additive, with clarifications and new cards, not a full rewrite. Foundry and Roll20 community sheets are already testing update-aware branches.
