I've been really loving the encounter builder, it is very useful for tracking initiative and keeping combat running as smoothly as possible. However, it really seems a bit half-baked/half finished. I really hope that there will be more development on it.
I have three main points that would make it an absolute asset for me:
1. It really needs an "End Encounter" button inside the encounter! Then maybe an "Archive Encounter" option on the My Encounters screen. Filtering by date gets pretty messy when I'm prepping multiple encounters for the future.
2. The Manual Entry button is good in theory, but since the only reason to use it is mid-combat, I don't want to be fiddling around with manual stat entries in order to add extra enemies- it would be way more useful if there was a clickable or drop-down option to add more of the same types of enemies. It would also be great if there was some sort of drag and drop side menu for enemies that you know are going to join the combat later (such as a boss or more minion-style enemies.).**Edit to add: there also doesn't seem to be any way to remove or edit the manual entries?**
3. At the moment I am trying my hardest to exclusively use the Encounter Builder, rolling all dice on screen etc. The problem I am running into is that if I want to give a homebrew monster an extra ability, I have no idea how to make that work on the screen. If I'm fiddling with the HP, CR etc that's pretty easy, but I can't see a way to add spell/attack code blocks with out literally finding another monster that has that ability and copy pasting. It would be excellent if, when you click on the "Insert Code Block" button in the Actions Description box, there was a data base of actions to insert. If I had unlimited hours, I could probably go through and make my own document of code blocks but... that's really unfeasible!! Maybe I'm missing something, but I've searched the whole website multiple times. If I haven't found a better way to do it by now, it's either not there or the website is not designed for me to find it.
The encounter builder is an absolutely perfect idea, especially when paired with the D&D Beyond App. I will continue using it, I just really want it to be amazing!
On your topic 1. Yes would be nice if there was a way to archive or put into "folders" old encounters I hate the though of having to delete them all only to do it again later if i want to run it for a new group.
I have a love-hate relationship with the encounter tool in Beyond. On the one hand I love that it integrates with all the content I've purchased and that I can track monster stats, track initiative, etc. But it is definitely half-baked and I really wish they'd focus more on making it a refined tool before jumping into adding the map tool. Would definitely like to see a way of organizing your encounters better and having them directly linked to your campaign pages instead of having to filter one big list. Would also like to see a way to add any characters you have created to the encounter list, whether they are associated with the campaign or not. That way you could easily create/add NPC adversaries. Would also be nice if the party that's associated with the encounter is the one that exists at the start of the encounter, not the one that existed when the encounter was created. Parties change over time and if you've pre-built the encounters in advance, it's a PITA to have to edit the encounter to reflect new party.
Encounters in the Encounter Builder are grouped into Campaigns... One thing I would like to see is when people in the group/campaign level up, it is reflected in the Encounter Builder automatically. It currently shows the characters old level and bases the difficulty level on that old level instead of updating it. People have to go in and manually change it for each and every encounter they created for that campaign. What a Camp-PAIN!
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The Art Wizard of Oaktown
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I've been really loving the encounter builder, it is very useful for tracking initiative and keeping combat running as smoothly as possible. However, it really seems a bit half-baked/half finished. I really hope that there will be more development on it.
I have three main points that would make it an absolute asset for me:
1. It really needs an "End Encounter" button inside the encounter! Then maybe an "Archive Encounter" option on the My Encounters screen. Filtering by date gets pretty messy when I'm prepping multiple encounters for the future.
2. The Manual Entry button is good in theory, but since the only reason to use it is mid-combat, I don't want to be fiddling around with manual stat entries in order to add extra enemies- it would be way more useful if there was a clickable or drop-down option to add more of the same types of enemies. It would also be great if there was some sort of drag and drop side menu for enemies that you know are going to join the combat later (such as a boss or more minion-style enemies.).**Edit to add: there also doesn't seem to be any way to remove or edit the manual entries?**
3. At the moment I am trying my hardest to exclusively use the Encounter Builder, rolling all dice on screen etc. The problem I am running into is that if I want to give a homebrew monster an extra ability, I have no idea how to make that work on the screen. If I'm fiddling with the HP, CR etc that's pretty easy, but I can't see a way to add spell/attack code blocks with out literally finding another monster that has that ability and copy pasting. It would be excellent if, when you click on the "Insert Code Block" button in the Actions Description box, there was a data base of actions to insert. If I had unlimited hours, I could probably go through and make my own document of code blocks but... that's really unfeasible!! Maybe I'm missing something, but I've searched the whole website multiple times. If I haven't found a better way to do it by now, it's either not there or the website is not designed for me to find it.
The encounter builder is an absolutely perfect idea, especially when paired with the D&D Beyond App. I will continue using it, I just really want it to be amazing!
On your topic 1. Yes would be nice if there was a way to archive or put into "folders" old encounters I hate the though of having to delete them all only to do it again later if i want to run it for a new group.
Jim
I have a love-hate relationship with the encounter tool in Beyond. On the one hand I love that it integrates with all the content I've purchased and that I can track monster stats, track initiative, etc. But it is definitely half-baked and I really wish they'd focus more on making it a refined tool before jumping into adding the map tool. Would definitely like to see a way of organizing your encounters better and having them directly linked to your campaign pages instead of having to filter one big list. Would also like to see a way to add any characters you have created to the encounter list, whether they are associated with the campaign or not. That way you could easily create/add NPC adversaries. Would also be nice if the party that's associated with the encounter is the one that exists at the start of the encounter, not the one that existed when the encounter was created. Parties change over time and if you've pre-built the encounters in advance, it's a PITA to have to edit the encounter to reflect new party.
Encounters in the Encounter Builder are grouped into Campaigns... One thing I would like to see is when people in the group/campaign level up, it is reflected in the Encounter Builder automatically.
It currently shows the characters old level and bases the difficulty level on that old level instead of updating it. People have to go in and manually change it for each and every encounter they created for that campaign. What a Camp-PAIN!
The Art Wizard of Oaktown