I love D&D Beyond, but I really need some (fairly simple) DM tools. If these tools were available for those paying for the DM subscription, I bet you'd get a lot more DM subscriptions.
A treasure generator is probably my first request. There's a bunch out in the wild, but they basically all only have magic items from the basic rules. With all the books I've purchased from D&D beyond, I would have a much greater supply.
An encounter generator would be next. Again, basic rules vs. all the books I've owned.
An encounter tracker - let me track hp etc. This is honestly somewhat less important, a piece of paper works fairly well for this.
Oh, one last thing - a treasure tracker. If I generate a pile of treasure for my players, it would be nice to use D&D beyond to give that to the party so they don't have to write it down and remember everything.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants DM tools, but I figured adding one more voice to the chorus couldn't hurt.
I think they have said they are working on all of those.
I keep begging for them to release a public, authenticated API. Then, third party developers could create all of these tools people are clamoring for. It would allow the Curse team to focus on the compendium and homebrew systems.
An API would be amazing. I can understand how that might be scary to support with continual additions to the rules, plus ensuring no one's doing anything nefarious (like using one person's access to data for many people) But it would be really nice to be able to make my own tools that work the way I want them to work.
Oh, one more thing.... if you have an encounter tracker, let me just "push" all that XP to the players in a campaign. No more outdated spreadsheet of doom.
I think that one of the biggest issues with supporting an API is that Curse aren't in control of what is added to the game.
By that I mean, if Wizards of the Coast decide that the next book they release has a new core class that has 5 subclasses and allows the player to select 2 of those subclasses in combination, then despite that breaking a number of the conventions that D&D 5e is built upon, Curse have to find a way to make that work within their developed codeframe.
Adding a need to support API on top of that would be further work still.
I'm not saying it won't happen, but D&D Beyond needs to be in a much more mature state first - there are a lot of cool tools that are planned that will deliver functionality that people want and possibly didn't know they needed!
The team have said that they would like to get an API framework up and running, but I definitely consider it to be a more long term goal.
I'm honestly happy to have Curse do the work, and I totally get how D&D's continually changing ruleset must be a nightmare just to keep your own stuff from breaking, let alone making an externally facing API for it.
I honestly think that the tools that would be the most help could be fairly simple, just leveraging the fact that all the data lives in D&D Beyond.
After some fairly lengthy conversations with Adam (BadEye) while at Curse HQ, I can confidently tell you that there will be significantly more feature delivery in 2019 compared to 2018.
Sorry to tantalise and not reveal details, but it's not my place to reveal future plans.
Yup, no worries. Good to hear more is coming down the pipeline. At first I was thinking about how far away 2019 seems, but it's freakin' November already so... not really that far.
I think that one of the biggest issues with supporting an API is that Curse aren't in control of what is added to the game.
By that I mean, if Wizards of the Coast decide that the next book they release has a new core class that has 5 subclasses and allows the player to select 2 of those subclasses in combination, then despite that breaking a number of the conventions that D&D 5e is built upon, Curse have to find a way to make that work within their developed codeframe.
Adding a need to support API on top of that would be further work still.
I'm not saying it won't happen, but D&D Beyond needs to be in a much more mature state first - there are a lot of cool tools that are planned that will deliver functionality that people want and possibly didn't know they needed!
The team have said that they would like to get an API framework up and running, but I definitely consider it to be a more long term goal.
It seems to me that they are already going to have to do that for their own internal API. There are plenty of services for which the internal API is the public API; there's no sense in doing things twice.
But, anyway, they know their own code base, and they know their own corporate strategy, whereas I do not, so I am sure they are prioritizing as best they can. I just take any opportunity I can to repeat my desire for an API so that they remain aware that there is a demand for it. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" and all that.
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I love D&D Beyond, but I really need some (fairly simple) DM tools. If these tools were available for those paying for the DM subscription, I bet you'd get a lot more DM subscriptions.
A treasure generator is probably my first request. There's a bunch out in the wild, but they basically all only have magic items from the basic rules. With all the books I've purchased from D&D beyond, I would have a much greater supply.
An encounter generator would be next. Again, basic rules vs. all the books I've owned.
An encounter tracker - let me track hp etc. This is honestly somewhat less important, a piece of paper works fairly well for this.
Oh, one last thing - a treasure tracker. If I generate a pile of treasure for my players, it would be nice to use D&D beyond to give that to the party so they don't have to write it down and remember everything.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants DM tools, but I figured adding one more voice to the chorus couldn't hurt.
I think they have said they are working on all of those.
I keep begging for them to release a public, authenticated API. Then, third party developers could create all of these tools people are clamoring for. It would allow the Curse team to focus on the compendium and homebrew systems.
An API would be amazing. I can understand how that might be scary to support with continual additions to the rules, plus ensuring no one's doing anything nefarious (like using one person's access to data for many people) But it would be really nice to be able to make my own tools that work the way I want them to work.
Oh, one more thing.... if you have an encounter tracker, let me just "push" all that XP to the players in a campaign. No more outdated spreadsheet of doom.
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D&D Beyond FoundersI think that one of the biggest issues with supporting an API is that Curse aren't in control of what is added to the game.
By that I mean, if Wizards of the Coast decide that the next book they release has a new core class that has 5 subclasses and allows the player to select 2 of those subclasses in combination, then despite that breaking a number of the conventions that D&D 5e is built upon, Curse have to find a way to make that work within their developed codeframe.
Adding a need to support API on top of that would be further work still.
I'm not saying it won't happen, but D&D Beyond needs to be in a much more mature state first - there are a lot of cool tools that are planned that will deliver functionality that people want and possibly didn't know they needed!
The team have said that they would like to get an API framework up and running, but I definitely consider it to be a more long term goal.
Pun-loving nerd | Faith Elisabeth Lilley | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
I'm honestly happy to have Curse do the work, and I totally get how D&D's continually changing ruleset must be a nightmare just to keep your own stuff from breaking, let alone making an externally facing API for it.
I honestly think that the tools that would be the most help could be fairly simple, just leveraging the fact that all the data lives in D&D Beyond.
-
View User Profile
-
View Posts
-
Send Message
D&D Beyond FoundersAfter some fairly lengthy conversations with Adam (BadEye) while at Curse HQ, I can confidently tell you that there will be significantly more feature delivery in 2019 compared to 2018.
Sorry to tantalise and not reveal details, but it's not my place to reveal future plans.
Pun-loving nerd | Faith Elisabeth Lilley | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
Yup, no worries. Good to hear more is coming down the pipeline. At first I was thinking about how far away 2019 seems, but it's freakin' November already so... not really that far.
It seems to me that they are already going to have to do that for their own internal API. There are plenty of services for which the internal API is the public API; there's no sense in doing things twice.
But, anyway, they know their own code base, and they know their own corporate strategy, whereas I do not, so I am sure they are prioritizing as best they can. I just take any opportunity I can to repeat my desire for an API so that they remain aware that there is a demand for it. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" and all that.