Questions tagged [tools]
For questions about using an online or offline tool in preparing or running an RPG. (This tag is not to be used for questions about the use of in-game tools, such as carpenter's tools or a forgery kit; the [equipment] tag might be more appropriate.) Note that questions asking for a tool recommendation are no longer allowed here; see the full tag wiki for details.
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Can a vinyl mat be folded without damaging it?
I am going to be traveling by plane and was considering taking my vinyl mat along to run a short session of 5e on it. My problem is that it doesn't matter which way I roll it up, it's too long to fit ...
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Is there an AI that is capable of DMing using the 1983 Mentzer Basic DnD rules? [closed]
I'd like to solo play using the 1983 Mentzer Basic DnD rules (red box). Is there an AI that can deploy the rule set if I provide dice rolls and do the record keeping? Either published modules or ...
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2
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How can I give my players edit access only for Session Reports in World Anvil?
My players are aspiring to take better notes, and I'd like to let them edit them as session reports in World Anvil, without exposing all of my plot to them.
I've already set them up as writers, but I ...
- 24.1k
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How can I add an existing character article to my GM's Screen in World Anvil?
I have a large number of characters described in character articles in World Anvil. I'd like to put them on my StoryTeller's screen for easy access during games. I see an option to create a new NPC, ...
- 24.1k
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1
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How do I remove windows and doors on Roll20?
Roll20 recently released the "windows" and "doors" features for plus/pro subscribers, so that is great, and they are fun, but how do I remove them? They look and move like tokens, ...
- 19.4k
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634
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Is there a Vampire: The Masquerade character builder? [closed]
I've been considering DMing some Masquerade. In my DnD group, we're big fans of the dnd4 builder. I'm wondering if there's such a tool going around and/or online. At this particular point, I'm not ...
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Is there a good way to track the changes in the spell repertoire?
Spontaneous casters have strict repertoires. A 6th level Sorcerer knows 4 spells from levels 1, 2 and 3 each. You can replace one of them freely on a level-up, or you can spend 7 days of downtime if ...
- 62.5k
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Are there any challenges during an in-person game that aren’t a factor online?
I have been asked to run a one-shot D&D game by a friend for a certain event. The game will be an in-person session, with everyone physically present, whereas I only have experience running online....
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2
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Create the most broken race that is 'balanced' according to Detect Balance
Any discussion for a homebrew race will always have Detect Balance used to calculate how balanced the race is. I'm curious to see how much the tool can be abused.
Thus my challenge is to create a ...
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2
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2
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What is the shape of fireball in 5-foot squares?
The DMG provides this rule for areas of effect on a grid (p. 251):
AREAS OF EFFECT
The area of effect of a spell, monster ability, or other
feature must be translated onto squares or hexes to
...
- 97.8k
17
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1
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On D&D Beyond, as a DM, how can I make custom weapons available to all of my players in a specific Campaign?
From what I've found online, it looks like it may not be possible to add homebrew nonmagical weapons. I could not, however, find information that was more recent that 2020, nor do I know the homebrew ...
- 2,614
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What is Detect Balance?
In a lot of homebrew reviews and discussions, I keep seeing something called Detect Balance employed. Often with little to no context despite it and its points being the core of the response. So I'd ...
- 48k
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What's the typical dice size? Or how big should the channel of a dice dispenser be?
I need some help. I'm trying to design a dice dispenser / tower where dice will slide or roll thorough a channel with a square cross-section. Many sources show that a typical d20 has a "diameter&...
- 23.6k
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Is there a work-around solution to restrict a search to a specific sourcebook?
I know that the D&D Beyond search engine lacks a filter for specific sourcebooks, but is there are work-around that lets you restrict the search to a selected sourcebook?
- 19.4k
11
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4
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Using handouts in non-latin fonts
Many games have their secret languages, usually used by having players use phrases like "I say in <fantasy language>: ". For text on handouts, I have often seen GMs tack the note "...
- 40.1k
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3
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How do I hide my NPC rolls from players?
I'm planning on running a one-shot mission for my RPG group, and due to the geographic distance of the group (among other things), this will happen virtually. I chose Foundry VTT as my platform since ...
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How do you optimise a session-summary workflow for roleplay sessions on Discord?
To create session summaries, I prefer using congregated individual session data. The data I focus on is the number of events, their corresponding dice-rolls, and chat messages to the next event. This ...
- 19.4k
17
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2
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How to rescale a grid in Foundry VTT and keep the doors/walls?
I've discovered an issue when importing maps from D&D Beyond into Foundry VTT via the VTTAssets: D&D Beyond extension.
The map imports 100% correctly in that it brings in walls and doors, as ...
- 124k
7
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0
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207
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Looking For Historically Accurate Ordinary Items Database For Dungeon-Stocking [closed]
I swear I had found in the comments of one of Matthew Colville's videos a link to an enormous database of accurate lists of ordinary items that list REAL items that could be found in any room, no ...
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How can I show the effects of illusions in Roll20?
My players are approaching a battle with Fraz-Urb'luu, who will have prepared the battlefield in some manner using an effect like Mirage Arcane and several other illusions and deceptions.
Given that ...
- 33.5k
1
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0
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Where can I find an alternative to dxcontent monster db [closed]
So I often find it a serious pain to find monsters and spells with very specific properties via the srd and low and behold the tool I usually use (the advanced monster search on dxcontent.com) is down....
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1
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Can players move tokens in Mipui without being an admin of the map that those tokens are placed on?
Hello I was wondering if there is a way for players to interact with a map, without being considered a creator/admin of a map, so that they can move their tokens without being able to see through the ...
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1
answer
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What are 2 pros and 2 cons of using Roll20? [closed]
Considering the current health concerns we all face these days, I'm looking into virtual tabletop solutions. I've created a Roll20 account and am familiarizing myself with it. However, I'd like to get ...
- 10.1k
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0
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Is there an option to circumvent creating an entry in the character advancement log in Genesis 6.1.2 when creating a hero rank >1 character?
When creating Splittermond player characters with Genesis 6.1.2, how do I create characters with a higher hero rank than 1? Currently, it looks like I have to create an event after regular hero rank 1 ...
- 19.4k
3
votes
2
answers
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Audio and video solution with “whisper” support
For our online gaming sessions we use Fantasy Grounds as our virtual table top. We’ve also tried a number of other solutions that work to a certain extent but without fully support all our needs which ...
- 3,325
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0
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78
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Useful information for a self made DnD gamemaster screen [duplicate]
I am currently working on a hand-crafted gamemaster screen made out of wood for a good friend of mine. I am planning on not using the DnD 5e "orignal" GM Screen as inlay, but creating a unique layout. ...
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8
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2
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Do consent forms genuinely contribute to safer playing environments in practice?
The new hype this year seems to be consent forms for RPG Sessions, especially in the contexts of horror games. There are many kinds of consent forms, but their function is in letting people provide a ...
- 1,392
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1
answer
203
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Using Causal Influence Diagrams for Plots and Quests [closed]
I'm analysing the possible outcomes of certain plots in my campaign. At some point I realised that keeping the possible causes and effects in purely text form was inconvenient. Luckily, thanks to an ...
6
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3
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261
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How can I set up interactive spoilers for a PBP?
I am setting up a Play by Post forum to manage a large mystery/exploration based campaign. But I want to set up a way to give the players a direct response when they perform a suggested action that ...
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1
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How can I add cleric domains for 5e in PCGen?
I'm trying to figure out how to alter the code in PCGen to allow me to add more cleric domains and deities.
At the moment the only available domain is the Life Domain. Does anyone out there have any ...
- 71
29
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5
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How can I effectively map a multi-level dungeon?
My players are getting awfully close to entering a multi-story pagoda dungeon that exists in my game. I think it'll be a fun adventure, but I find that I am worried about trying to map it all out for ...
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How much would you pay? [closed]
I am looking at starting a business offering private rooms for Groups to play there RPG games. I am looking to price a private room that can seat 5-6 at $50 for 4 hours of game time. How much would ...
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1
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What is the name of the online dice roller that makes it less likely to roll the same number sequentially?
I'm searching for an online tool a friend used in an RPG once, no more than two years ago. The tool is a dice roller that adjusted the probabilities of an otherwise fair dice roll to make it less ...
user8248
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2
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How long is it safe to leave marker on a Chessex battle map?
I have a Chessex battlemap and it's been working great. Sometimes, though, I want to prepare maps in advance to save time during the session. However, I know that marker left on the mat for too long ...
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How hard is it to navigate D&D 5e copyright and licensing? [closed]
I'm developing the concept of a website to help DMs run campaigns. Imagine a beefed up D&DBeyond site. I'd like to be able to have spells and classes on said site for a few games, but does anyone ...
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1
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What corrections (e.g. errata updates) have been made to the official 5e Spellbook Cards, and what errors have not yet been fixed?
The official 5e Spellbook Cards by Gale Force 9 did not include errata rules updates in their original printings, and I'm told they contained some errors as well. Has the most recent printing of these ...
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3
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How can we allow remote players to effectively interact with a physical tabletop battle-map?
Part of our in-person tabletop group moved six hours away mid-campaign. We've been dealing with the distance by having multiple laptops set up, one with the players on the screen and the camera ...
- 22.3k
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votes
1
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What customizable name generator am I remembering?
About 15 years ago, I came across a small program that allowed you to put in rules for name generation. I believe the program would have been no more than a couple years old at that point.
It ...
- 1,594
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1
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I would like to simulate a die from Anima: Beyond Fantasy in the Rolisteam dice roller on Discord. Can I do that, and if so, how?
As I'm sure anyone who has played it knows, Anima has interesting dice behaviors.
Manually keeping track of them is kind of a pain in the neck, so I was wondering if there was a way to implement them ...
- 2,771
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2
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Where did the writing-focused roleplaying forums go?
Asking on behalf of a friend. She writes:
One of my first experiences with text-based roleplaying was on an anime AU (alternate universe) forum. While they accepted people with all levels of literacy,...
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Is there a way to add a house rule that bypasses all restrictions in PCGEN?
I have some house rules that I want to implement, like allowing more than 1 drawback and giving free evolution points to summoners. However, there doesn't seem to be a way to just bypass the built in ...
7
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0
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"Pokerole RPG tools" companion software missing [closed]
I have been using a companion app for the pokerole rule system (A fanmade rule system for running games in the pokemon universe) called "pokerole RPG tools" that has been incredibly helpful, but it ...
40
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10
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How can I enjoy being a DM when I have an explorer personality?
I live in a small Finnish town with my wife and we want to play. But we cannot find any GMs there. So I decided to try to be GM myself. The problem is - I love to explore the worlds, story, monsters, ...
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1
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How can I use AnyDice to get the odds of a specific number sequence from rolling 3d10 and dropping the lowest die?
I'm not very experienced with the program, or programming in general, and so I'm stuck. I managed to figure out how to get the probability of different sums of highest 2 of 3d10:
...
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1
answer
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How do I make a creature with a +0 Saving Throw bonus in Genius Inc.'s DND Monster Maker?
I'm using Genius Inc.'s DND Monster Maker, and I can't seem to make the tool show a Saving Throw bonus of +0 in its generated stat block. I'm trying to make a monster that has a -2 to Wisdom but has ...
- 28.5k
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1
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How can I roll damage via chat?
I'm DMing a Pathfinder game on Fantasy Grounds where one of the players rolls a lot of damage via the text box using /die (For example, /die 1d4).
I'd like to be able to drag the result of the rolls ...
- 911
12
votes
1
answer
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Is there a way to reference between printed 5e page numbers and equivalent D&D Beyond content that doesn't suck?
I'm currently playing in a 5e campaign hosted on D& Beyond by a DM who owns nearly all of the material published so far for the game. This is great! The material is accessible, well-organized, ...
- 12.5k
4
votes
1
answer
333
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How do I create a bladed bow in Hero Lab?
I am trying to create a bladed bow (a long bow with blades along the length) in Hero Lab for D&D 5E.
I need it to do a lot of things simultaneously. It needs to deal slashing damage when used as ...
- 555
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votes
0
answers
98
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Plans or Blueprints for a game table [closed]
I have been gaming for many years, and now that I have a dedicated room to keep all my gaming stuff, I would like to build a table. So far we have been using a plain dining room table.
Has anyone ...
- 165
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votes
4
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Is the FastCharacter website incorrectly calculating HP for my Sorcerer?
Based on my current knowledge, a Sorcerer with 14 Constitution (assuming you did HP averages) would start with:
Level 1: 6+2 = 8 hp
Level 6: 8+5x(4+2) = 38 hp
But on fastcharacter.com ...
- 121