A problem is that all public homebrew items can be viewed by the community and there is no account distinction between DM and player. Everyone would be able to see everything.
As for private homebrew items, you wouldn't need to hide anything - you could simply modify the item when you saw fit.
There is a DM's notes section for a Campaign, so something somewhere knows who is looking. If DNDBeyond sees itself become a 'one stop shop' for the DMs and their campaigns, it ought to provide this sort of thing.
My proposal would be when a DM incorporates an item, monster, whatever into her campaign, it adds a Campaign specific DM's notes field, that only the DM can see, unless unlocked.
Your private homebrew idea works assuming you either make two copies (updated and original) or keep those records elsewhere. I do that, but my life would be easier if I didn't need to.
I like to use the Campaign Character view to give my PCs items, new spells, and notes. That is easier for me than keeping a big notebook of info about each character that I need to update and refer to constantly. This is also useful when a player is out for a game.
Adding one or more fields to the Notes category that was private doesn't sound like the most challenging thing from a programming standpoint, but I don't know the architecture.
Late, but still - completely agree with Malzerious. There are "special effects" that I'd like to keep hidden until the conditions are met, and those notes should exist with the item. The may point is to avoid forgetting what were the item's "special effects" or even have to remember where I put the details in my own personal notes.
Agreeing to this feature as well. Make it possible to add DM notes to any and all items where those can be toggled to public notes if/when the DM sees fit. That way, if a character picks up an item that is cursed but is unaware that it is cursed and/or what features that the curse has, it allows me as a DM to keep track of what effects might occur when that character uses said item. What a great idea!
I understand what the earlier comment was saying about all homebrew being public (essentially you can just look up the homebrew available and find out all the details), but I agree that items and characters should have a "dm's notes" field. maybe in future development of the homebrew builder they can try to work in a hidden field's category where the item may appear like another item but you can toggle a field to reveal its hidden traits.
This would also be an excellent tool for attunement. Have the dm be the one able to toggle attunement so the player gets surprised by the sudden new abilities that pop up after they are attuned.
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I’d like a section in all characters in my campaigns, and all homebrew items, spells, monsters for notes that only the DM can see.
for example I give the PCs a cursed magic item that Wand of Magic Missiles.
or a +1 Axe that is really a minor artifact, once properly attuned.
or a character contracts Lycanthrope, but doesn’t know it yet.
ideally, these would be on a toggle that I could select to make them public.
A problem is that all public homebrew items can be viewed by the community and there is no account distinction between DM and player. Everyone would be able to see everything.
As for private homebrew items, you wouldn't need to hide anything - you could simply modify the item when you saw fit.
There is a DM's notes section for a Campaign, so something somewhere knows who is looking.
If DNDBeyond sees itself become a 'one stop shop' for the DMs and their campaigns, it ought to provide this sort of thing.
My proposal would be when a DM incorporates an item, monster, whatever into her campaign, it adds a Campaign specific DM's notes field, that only the DM can see, unless unlocked.
Your private homebrew idea works assuming you either make two copies (updated and original) or keep those records elsewhere. I do that, but my life would be easier if I didn't need to.
I like to use the Campaign Character view to give my PCs items, new spells, and notes. That is easier for me than keeping a big notebook of info about each character that I need to update and refer to constantly. This is also useful when a player is out for a game.
Adding one or more fields to the Notes category that was private doesn't sound like the most challenging thing from a programming standpoint, but I don't know the architecture.
Late, but still - completely agree with Malzerious. There are "special effects" that I'd like to keep hidden until the conditions are met, and those notes should exist with the item. The may point is to avoid forgetting what were the item's "special effects" or even have to remember where I put the details in my own personal notes.
Agreeing to this feature as well. Make it possible to add DM notes to any and all items where those can be toggled to public notes if/when the DM sees fit. That way, if a character picks up an item that is cursed but is unaware that it is cursed and/or what features that the curse has, it allows me as a DM to keep track of what effects might occur when that character uses said item. What a great idea!
I understand what the earlier comment was saying about all homebrew being public (essentially you can just look up the homebrew available and find out all the details), but I agree that items and characters should have a "dm's notes" field. maybe in future development of the homebrew builder they can try to work in a hidden field's category where the item may appear like another item but you can toggle a field to reveal its hidden traits.
This would also be an excellent tool for attunement. Have the dm be the one able to toggle attunement so the player gets surprised by the sudden new abilities that pop up after they are attuned.