I agree that it would be helpful if it would be in the FAQ. I responded to a similar question some time ago, but now I can't find it, so I'll try my hand at it again.:
DDB offers digital versions of the official published resources for DnD 5e AND is a digital toolset using those sources as well as homebrew creations.
-A digital version of a book is called a compendium. It reproduces all the text and artwork of the book in question. It is extensively tool tipped, so you can look up information on things like magic missile, unconscious, orcs, longswords, or a bag of beans if it is mentioned in the text. It also is imbedded with links to references to other parts of the work.
-one aspect of the toolset is the listings for monsters, spells, and magic items (see the buttons near the top of the page) They make it easy to sort, filter, and search. You can, for example, see: all the level 2-5 sorcerer spells that deal cold damage; or all the CR 1/4-2 undead in the Monster Manual; all the Uncommon Rings;
-another aspect of the toolset is the character builder
-homebrew tools let you create homebrew races, subclasses, magic items, monsters, feats, spells, and backgrounds. You can share them with others in your campaign or publish them and share them with all the users here.
-you can browse homebrew creations published here by others; if you have a Hero Tier subscription, you can add them to your collection for your own use. (If you don't, you could recreate them yourself)
-You can create "campaigns" here that allow the DM to see every players character, and allow you to share homebrew creations in your campaign. If someone in the campaign has a Master Tier subscription, they can turn on content sharing, and everyone in the campaign can see any content that has been purchased by anyone in the campaign. DM's can use the private notes space of the campaign page to prep, putting in links to monsters, locations in published adventures, etc. There is also a spot for "public" notes. (The campaign tools are limited to these capabilities at the moment; more features are planned later.
I'm probably forgetting some things, but this should give you some idea. If it sounds interesting, I encourage you to play around with the content that is free (the Basic Rules, the SRD, and Elemental Evil Player's Companion) to get a feel for it.
While it doesn't exactly directly address you question, the first post in this thread (and the links at the bottom of it) may give you a sense of the various ways DDB can be used.
So I came to this site from a youtube vid and I'm asking myself "What is D&D BEyond?"
I go to the FAQ to see if there is a listing on that or even a 'about d&d beyond' section but I cannot find anything.
So my Question is two parts: What is D&D Beyond? and Why is that not the very first question in your Q&A?
I agree that it would be helpful if it would be in the FAQ. I responded to a similar question some time ago, but now I can't find it, so I'll try my hand at it again.:
DDB offers digital versions of the official published resources for DnD 5e AND is a digital toolset using those sources as well as homebrew creations.
-A digital version of a book is called a compendium. It reproduces all the text and artwork of the book in question. It is extensively tool tipped, so you can look up information on things like magic missile, unconscious, orcs, longswords, or a bag of beans if it is mentioned in the text. It also is imbedded with links to references to other parts of the work.
-one aspect of the toolset is the listings for monsters, spells, and magic items (see the buttons near the top of the page) They make it easy to sort, filter, and search. You can, for example, see: all the level 2-5 sorcerer spells that deal cold damage; or all the CR 1/4-2 undead in the Monster Manual; all the Uncommon Rings;
-another aspect of the toolset is the character builder
-homebrew tools let you create homebrew races, subclasses, magic items, monsters, feats, spells, and backgrounds. You can share them with others in your campaign or publish them and share them with all the users here.
-you can browse homebrew creations published here by others; if you have a Hero Tier subscription, you can add them to your collection for your own use. (If you don't, you could recreate them yourself)
-You can create "campaigns" here that allow the DM to see every players character, and allow you to share homebrew creations in your campaign. If someone in the campaign has a Master Tier subscription, they can turn on content sharing, and everyone in the campaign can see any content that has been purchased by anyone in the campaign. DM's can use the private notes space of the campaign page to prep, putting in links to monsters, locations in published adventures, etc. There is also a spot for "public" notes. (The campaign tools are limited to these capabilities at the moment; more features are planned later.
I'm probably forgetting some things, but this should give you some idea. If it sounds interesting, I encourage you to play around with the content that is free (the Basic Rules, the SRD, and Elemental Evil Player's Companion) to get a feel for it.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
While it doesn't exactly directly address you question, the first post in this thread (and the links at the bottom of it) may give you a sense of the various ways DDB can be used.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk