Similar to the random treasure generator in the DMG, but using all of my items on DnDB, from all of the material I subscribe to. It generates a table dynamically for me, based upon the books available, plus my homebrew items, and lets me edit/maintain the tables. Sometimes I just want to roll a hoard without hand-picking everything and, since I'm a full subscriber and own all books, I'd like the tool to use all that I've bought and paid for.
Honestly this should be part of the encounter builder tool.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
D&D Beyond reproduces the rules as presented by Wizards of the Coast, which includes the loot tables found in the Dungeon Master's Guide. DDB cannot create tables and it would require WotC to make a new, comprehensive table with weightings as they deem appropriate.
DDB wouldn’t have to invent a table that WotC didn’t create, or at least “shouldn’t” anyway. Youse have a random PC generator, we would just need some additional functionality in the “Magic Items” page that would allow us to set some parameters and hit [RANDOM]. I mean, that’s not really a table at all. Is it? I mean, na mean?
Loot tables are something that exist in the rules with expliciting weightings based on the item. The random character generator isn't something that exists in the rules and just produces a character based on all options being equally weighted. There's a difference between the two, and the former is something that WotC has established in the rules that DDB cannot replicate, while the latter isn't something that exists in the rules and therefore by DDB providing it as an option, isn't actually creating any rules. That's the fundamental difference.
WOTC doesn't provide an encounter tracker or dice roller either, yet here they are. I was (mistakenly?) under the impression that DnDB was here to provide added value to its customers. When I search for magic items, I don't find just the ones in the DMG, I find all of them that I own. All I'm asking for is for DnDB to provide an ability to manipulate the available data for any given customer. WOTC can't release the tables you suggest because they have no way of knowing which books I own, only you know that because I bought them here, through this site. Only DnDB knows which products I own, plus which homebrew I've created/subscribed to, which means only DnDB could either create the tables for me or give me an API that allows me to access that data externally and I can write my own.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
Loot tables are something that exist in the rules with expliciting weightings based on the item. The random character generator isn't something that exists in the rules and just produces a character based on all options being equally weighted. There's a difference between the two, and the former is something that WotC has established in the rules that DDB cannot replicate, while the latter isn't something that exists in the rules and therefore by DDB providing it as an option, isn't actually creating any rules. That's the fundamental difference.
That’s exactly my point. WotC doesn’t have a truly random generator, it’s weighted. If DDB had something that just presented a random magic item from a list upon user request, that wouldn’t be anywhere near the same thing. It doesn’t have to be for the purposes of loot generation or anything. Some users might just want the system to show us a random potion just to perhaps discover something we didn’t know about before. (Like driving around just to get lost and see what exists in a place one has never been before.)
If it generated a list of random items that might be a little too close to loot generation. But I single item? I could imagine non-DMs using that all day long just for kicks. Just selecting a type of item and hitting a “random” button to see what it spits out is not the same. Not too long ago I joined a campaign as a player and was allowed to take a single Uncommon item for my PC because we were starting in Tier 2 play. I ended up taking one of the items I usually look for because it was familiar and it was quick. If I could have had the system suggest a single uncommon, non-consumeable magic item completely at random I might be using something I have never really considered before.
For a DM to make use of a system like that for treasure hoards would be possible, sure. But it wouldn’t be ideal to have to generate an entire hoard’s worth of stuff one item at a time. WotC does not have a “here’s a random thing that exists you might not know about” table/system/mechanic as a tool for players, so it shouldn’t really be such a conflict of interests. As a DM, I would have used something like that when one of my players rolled waaayy low on their sanity check, picked up a long term madness and rolled 41-45:
The character experiences a powerful delusion. Choose a potion. The character imagines that he or she is under its effects.
If I “choose,” I might be biased. I wanted to select it randomly so it would know I hadn’t inadvertently skewed the results. But I just couldn’t bring myself to throw a dart at my iPad.
So, hopefully you can see that there would be legitimate reasons to use a random item generator, but WotC doesn’t have one of those. So why couldn’t DDB?
Provide us the tools to generate it, let us assign weights, let us build our own loot tables from the data we have available. Or give us an API and let us query the data we've purchased.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
Provide us the tools to generate it, let us assign weights, let us build our own loot tables from the data we have available. Or give us an API and let us query the data we've purchased.
That’s precisely what they’re not supposed to do. That’s why I am requesting a different tool that doesn’t work that way and doesn’t do that.
Fair enough. I just want to have a way to generate a hoard using the tools provided and the items I've purchased. Right now it's tedious, arduous, and manual.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
They might theoretically be able to implement the existing tables published by WotC for treasure hoards, but none of those include all the applicable items from all of the various sourcebooks or adventures. The tables in the DMG only include the stuff published when that book was published. It would be nice if WotC would publish updated tables, but they would have to basically publish an entire set of new treasure tables every year, and dollars to doughnuts that ain’t never gonna happen.
Similar to the random treasure generator in the DMG, but using all of my items on DnDB, from all of the material I subscribe to. It generates a table dynamically for me, based upon the books available, plus my homebrew items, and lets me edit/maintain the tables. Sometimes I just want to roll a hoard without hand-picking everything and, since I'm a full subscriber and own all books, I'd like the tool to use all that I've bought and paid for.
Honestly this should be part of the encounter builder tool.
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
D&D Beyond reproduces the rules as presented by Wizards of the Coast, which includes the loot tables found in the Dungeon Master's Guide. DDB cannot create tables and it would require WotC to make a new, comprehensive table with weightings as they deem appropriate.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
DDB wouldn’t have to invent a table that WotC didn’t create, or at least “shouldn’t” anyway. Youse have a random PC generator, we would just need some additional functionality in the “Magic Items” page that would allow us to set some parameters and hit [RANDOM]. I mean, that’s not really a table at all. Is it? I mean, na mean?
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Loot tables are something that exist in the rules with expliciting weightings based on the item. The random character generator isn't something that exists in the rules and just produces a character based on all options being equally weighted. There's a difference between the two, and the former is something that WotC has established in the rules that DDB cannot replicate, while the latter isn't something that exists in the rules and therefore by DDB providing it as an option, isn't actually creating any rules. That's the fundamental difference.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
WOTC doesn't provide an encounter tracker or dice roller either, yet here they are. I was (mistakenly?) under the impression that DnDB was here to provide added value to its customers. When I search for magic items, I don't find just the ones in the DMG, I find all of them that I own. All I'm asking for is for DnDB to provide an ability to manipulate the available data for any given customer. WOTC can't release the tables you suggest because they have no way of knowing which books I own, only you know that because I bought them here, through this site. Only DnDB knows which products I own, plus which homebrew I've created/subscribed to, which means only DnDB could either create the tables for me or give me an API that allows me to access that data externally and I can write my own.
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
That’s exactly my point. WotC doesn’t have a truly random generator, it’s weighted. If DDB had something that just presented a random magic item from a list upon user request, that wouldn’t be anywhere near the same thing. It doesn’t have to be for the purposes of loot generation or anything. Some users might just want the system to show us a random potion just to perhaps discover something we didn’t know about before. (Like driving around just to get lost and see what exists in a place one has never been before.)
If it generated a list of random items that might be a little too close to loot generation. But I single item? I could imagine non-DMs using that all day long just for kicks. Just selecting a type of item and hitting a “random” button to see what it spits out is not the same. Not too long ago I joined a campaign as a player and was allowed to take a single Uncommon item for my PC because we were starting in Tier 2 play. I ended up taking one of the items I usually look for because it was familiar and it was quick. If I could have had the system suggest a single uncommon, non-consumeable magic item completely at random I might be using something I have never really considered before.
For a DM to make use of a system like that for treasure hoards would be possible, sure. But it wouldn’t be ideal to have to generate an entire hoard’s worth of stuff one item at a time. WotC does not have a “here’s a random thing that exists you might not know about” table/system/mechanic as a tool for players, so it shouldn’t really be such a conflict of interests. As a DM, I would have used something like that when one of my players rolled waaayy low on their sanity check, picked up a long term madness and rolled 41-45:
If I “choose,” I might be biased. I wanted to select it randomly so it would know I hadn’t inadvertently skewed the results. But I just couldn’t bring myself to throw a dart at my iPad.
So, hopefully you can see that there would be legitimate reasons to use a random item generator, but WotC doesn’t have one of those. So why couldn’t DDB?
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Provide us the tools to generate it, let us assign weights, let us build our own loot tables from the data we have available. Or give us an API and let us query the data we've purchased.
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
That’s precisely what they’re not supposed to do. That’s why I am requesting a different tool that doesn’t work that way and doesn’t do that.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Fair enough. I just want to have a way to generate a hoard using the tools provided and the items I've purchased. Right now it's tedious, arduous, and manual.
Ancient GM, started in '76, have played almost everything at some point or another.
I run/play Mercer-style games, heavy on the RP and interaction, light on the combat-monster and rule-lawyering. The goal is to tell an epic story with the players and the players are as involved in the world building as the GM is. I run and play a very Brechtian style, am huge into RP theory and love discussing improv and offers.
They might theoretically be able to implement the existing tables published by WotC for treasure hoards, but none of those include all the applicable items from all of the various sourcebooks or adventures. The tables in the DMG only include the stuff published when that book was published. It would be nice if WotC would publish updated tables, but they would have to basically publish an entire set of new treasure tables every year, and dollars to doughnuts that ain’t never gonna happen.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
There's a pretty decent one on DNDNames: https://dndnames.com/gm-tools/hoard-generator.php. They have one for the individual creature tables, too: https://dndnames.com/gm-tools/single-creature-treasure-generator.php