I am very frustrated as have spent the better part of two weeks trying to build my characters here to use, ultimately to purchase my own subscription and digital books, as I have all as physical copies.
All my characters are in a heavy magic homebrew world with lots of homebrew items which I cannot reproduce here, this is the frustrating part and the reason for this feedback.
D&D is for the imagination of all and what ever we can dream up is playable, as long as DM running the game approves.
So the limitation on making anything useable is appalling, as simple tweaks to current magic items are impossible. (eg applying a max DEX bonus of 1 to Chain Mail armour impossible)
So it is with regret that I will NOT be using this platform and spending my monies here until you remove all the limitations on homebrewing.
There's a lot you can do if you're just trying to make adjustments on your sheet for custom items and such. You can do far more than the "makers" tools on here by just customising your sheet directly.
Mayhaps this video will video will help.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond. Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ thisFAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
but nowhere on the character sheet, is there an option to customise the armour my character is wearing except for name?
I have a char with a DEX score of 18 and DM as given me a Mithril Chain Mail which has all the properties of the standard mithril chain mail armor with the bonus of a max DEX modifier of 1 (as it is light and flexible mithril, not quite a good as medium armour max DEX bonus as is heavy armour.)
Also have a pair of Shooters Gloves which are a reskin of Bracers of Archery except for firearms, there are multiply characters with firearms and possibly multiply instances of these gloves, and characters have multiply firearms, should not have to customise each firearm list on each character sheet for this item to work, this is very cumbersome and frustrating way of doing things.
Another thing given to one of my characters is a minor from the groups patron "Boon of Weapon Mastery" - effectively makes any weapon wielded by character a +1 magical weapon, again to implement this, I will need to customise every weapon the character is carrying. [tried to make a feat up could not give +1 to ranged damage.]
Don't customize your armor, customize your AC. You can add 2 damage to weapons on character sheet too. You can probably make that boon as a feat, or worst case scenario, just add +1 magic items to the character sheet.
The homebrew tools do everything that has been officially released. They are planned to be able to support more creative homebrew, but that is low priority.
The character sheet is pretty flexible and is getting updated more frequently, so just making the changes on the character sheet is easier.
Literally all the things you complained about can be done on DDB.
Sorry my understand of the platform was to stream line the process not get bogged down in customising every weapon on all of my character sheets, and then when I pass item to another player/character they have to spend hours customising every weapon on their character sheet. This is spending more time on customising the sheet then actual playing.
As the nature of D&D is not to limit the imagination, when actually this platform is limited. That being said they market this place as a one stop shop for all D&D games and what to attract more users here. clearly it is not.
Sorry my understand of the platform was to stream line the process not get bogged down in customising every weapon on all of my character sheets, and then when I pass item to another player/character they have to spend hours customising every weapon on their character sheet. This is spending more time on customising the sheet then actual playing.
As the nature of D&D is not to limit the imagination, when actually this platform is limited. That being said they market this place as a one stop shop for all D&D games and what to attract more users here. clearly it is not.
It is still less work than pencil and paper, and still has all the benefits of automatically adding these bonuses together, being rollable, etc. and just being a digital toolset.
Also, if it "takes hours" to change 2-3 numbers on your character sheet, I think you have a different issue. Building a brand new character from scratch takes ~10 minutes (or less). Applying some homebrew takes a few seconds per thing that needs changed (the changes you mentioned so far would take about 10 seconds to make). You could change every number on the sheet to a custom value in no more time than it took to build in the first place.
you say two or three numbers - I have six firearms on one character so with the shooter gloves the 6 numbers that need changing then add the boon that is another minimum 12 numbers as he also carries daggers and a sword. now I swap out the shooters gloves to another characters need top go and amend 6 numbers again, this is a lot of house keeping for a digital platform, should be able to remove item and then add and attune it from one character to another.
P.S. I work in the ICT field in platform/database development and network infrastructure. - This adds to my frustration knowing how half made this platform is.
You know the bracers of archery thing isn't specific to archery and just adds +2 damage to all ranged weapons - including Firearms - right? I don't get why you just don't use that - it does exactly what you want.
+1 to weapons things, just add the +1 version of the weapon or just make a single Custom Action, set to display as attack, named "+1 atk/dmg all weapons magical" or something. Now you have the reminder to add 1 to attacks and damage of all weapons and they're now magical. This is literally what you'd do with a paper sheet.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond. Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ thisFAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
You know the bracers of archery thing isn't specific to archery and just adds +2 damage to all ranged weapons - including Firearms - right? I don't get why you just don't use that - it does exactly what you want.
It doesn't though. I checked. It only adds 2 damage to bows, there is a special modifier subtype specifically for it and everything.
+1 to weapons things, just add the +1 version of the weapon or just make a single Custom Action, set to display as attack, named "+1 atk/dmg all weapons magical" or something. Now you have the reminder to add 1 to attacks and damage of all weapons and they're now magical. This is literally what you'd do with a paper sheet.
I already suggested that. Seems to have been forgotten/ignored/overlooked.
you say two or three numbers - I have six firearms on one character so with the shooter gloves the 6 numbers that need changing then add the boon that is another minimum 12 numbers as he also carries daggers and a sword. now I swap out the shooters gloves to another characters need top go and amend 6 numbers again, this is a lot of house keeping for a digital platform, should be able to remove item and then add and attune it from one character to another.
P.S. I work in the ICT field in platform/database development and network infrastructure. - This adds to my frustration knowing how half made this platform is.
Ignoring the "12" since there is a 0 effort workaround already. Why do you 1) have so many different weapons? And 2) swap your attuned magic items specific to your build between party members?
Rhetorical questions, as it doesn't matter. Your problem with the digital character sheet is one that exists on paper as well, but paper takes longer to fix and has no additional benefits.
Yeah, their code is almost certainly a suboptimal mess. They realized that and have been trying to fix it without breaking any existing characters for a long time now. Did I mention homebrew was a low priority compared to stuff used to actually play the game?
And voila, +2 to all ranged weapons, including firearms.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond. Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ thisFAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Currently I use a custom spreadsheet that does all the auto calcs for me but is a pain to set up,
So thought I would move over to this platform as stated be being sold/marketed as the one stop shop for everything DnD you could imagine, as the game is meant to be played. Nope can't do that or that or that........
What do you mean ignoring the 12??? Character is a dual wielding gunslinger 2x pepperboxes each doing a different additional damage types, 2x pistol backup weapons again with different additional damage types, then there are his two hidden single shot holdouts with different additional damage types that's making 6 pistols,.
Just saying with the misfiring of the firearms easier to just draw a different ones.
Also we have 2 gunslinger in party, and it is a magic heavy homebrew world so we have excess attainable items and we plan and build as a party for major known encounters. So yes items get swap about a bit.
Also to let you the platform is great as a resource. Also the DM and myself have been playing D&D for over 30 years, amongst other RPGs.
You can create a custom attack that just does 2 damage named "bracer of firearms" to remind you to add the damage. Then you just have to remove/add 1 customization instead of making 6 customizations. 5 seconds instead of 12.
Hey people... its a bit useless to argue with this person... i think the platform he wants is called pen and paper and or PDF character sheet. he basically wants his own multi leveled platform with all the availlable options of whats called limitless imagination.
for all my research on such platform, i can finally say... that platform do not exists... those platforms he wants that allow it, are all way way way more convoluted then this.
but i wish him good luck in finding his dream platform. for now, this platform for playing characters as written in official books is more then capable for me. but who knows, maybe another company can make the platform he so desires. truly wish him best in that regard.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM of two gaming groups. Likes to create stuff. Check out my homebrew --> Monsters --> Magical Items --> Races --> Subclasses If you like --> Upvote, If you wanna comment --> Comment
Play by Post Games --> One Shot Adventure - House of Artwood (DM) (Completed)
Thanks for the feed back, insight, sorry for the rant but needed to vent my frustration at a something which is in my eyes is a small tweak, to some database tags.
@DnDPaladin, yes I agree with you that this platform is great if just using item, rules, and content that is in official books, but they should not markets it as anything beyond that if they are not going to supply.
both @DxJxC and @Cyb3rM1nd I thank you for your input and apologise if any of my replies offended.
I have done the work arounds you have suggested so I can continue to game.
Thanks for the feed back, insight, sorry for the rant but needed to vent my frustration at a something which is in my eyes is a small tweak, to some database tags.
@DnDPaladin, yes I agree with you that this platform is great if just using item, rules, and content that is in official books, but they should not markets it as anything beyond that if they are not going to supply.
both @DxJxC and @Cyb3rM1nd I thank you for your input and apologise if any of my replies offended.
I have done the work arounds you have suggested so I can continue to game.
The full story is, the DDB devs don't like the homebrew tools and want to make a completely different toolset. But that will take time and they want the character sheet to be better first so the priority is low. And spending time improving a system that they plan to completely gut is wasting time that could be spent fixing the character sheet and getting to the new tools faster.
Just curious what issue are there with the sheet as I cannot find any resent/active issues in the bug forum.
It is less about bugs and more about unsupported features. Currently they are working to support non-class/race features (calling it general features) like epic boons, supernatural gift, curses, piety, guild/clan/organization rank, etc.
Supporting temporary effects from features and spells like mage armor, bless, rage, bladesong, etc. is also on the to do list.
Not to mention a bunch of optional rules like spell points, gritty realism, etc.
They are also working on DM tools for running a session like checking player stats or looking up frequent rules quickly.
Just curious what issue are there with the sheet as I cannot find any resent/active issues in the bug forum.
It is less about bugs and more about unsupported features. Currently they are working to support non-class/race features (calling it general features) like epic boons, supernatural gift, curses, piety, guild/clan/organization rank, etc.
Supporting temporary effects from features and spells like mage armor, bless, rage, bladesong, etc. is also on the to do list.
Not to mention a bunch of optional rules like spell points, gritty realism, etc.
They are also working on DM tools for running a session like checking player stats or looking up frequent rules quickly.
And, to add to DxJxC's excellent list:
-allowing Divine Soul/Clockwork Soul/Aberrant Mind to swap out their special spells as the rules state they can
-finding a way/better way to display fully calculated stat blocks for the various "pets"/summoned creatures that allows for tracking HP, etc. (e.g. Steel Defender, the Tasha's Ranger Best Companion, etc.)
-Making additional damage types rollable on the sheet (for effects/weapons that do more than one type of damage): although this one I haven't heard them really talk about tackling any time soon
-making Martial Adept and some other similar feats/features work properly (see the OP of the various pinned support posts for the different "books")
-Making additional damage types rollable on the sheet (for effects/weapons that do more than one type of damage): although this one I haven't heard them really talk about tackling any time soon
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond. Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ thisFAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
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Hi All,
I am very frustrated as have spent the better part of two weeks trying to build my characters here to use, ultimately to purchase my own subscription and digital books, as I have all as physical copies.
All my characters are in a heavy magic homebrew world with lots of homebrew items which I cannot reproduce here, this is the frustrating part and the reason for this feedback.
D&D is for the imagination of all and what ever we can dream up is playable, as long as DM running the game approves.
So the limitation on making anything useable is appalling, as simple tweaks to current magic items are impossible. (eg applying a max DEX bonus of 1 to Chain Mail armour impossible)
So it is with regret that I will NOT be using this platform and spending my monies here until you remove all the limitations on homebrewing.
Yours Frustratingly
There's a lot you can do if you're just trying to make adjustments on your sheet for custom items and such. You can do far more than the "makers" tools on here by just customising your sheet directly.
Mayhaps this video will video will help.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Thank you for your reply,
but nowhere on the character sheet, is there an option to customise the armour my character is wearing except for name?
I have a char with a DEX score of 18 and DM as given me a Mithril Chain Mail which has all the properties of the standard mithril chain mail armor with the bonus of a max DEX modifier of 1 (as it is light and flexible mithril, not quite a good as medium armour max DEX bonus as is heavy armour.)
Also have a pair of Shooters Gloves which are a reskin of Bracers of Archery except for firearms, there are multiply characters with firearms and possibly multiply instances of these gloves, and characters have multiply firearms, should not have to customise each firearm list on each character sheet for this item to work, this is very cumbersome and frustrating way of doing things.
Another thing given to one of my characters is a minor from the groups patron "Boon of Weapon Mastery" - effectively makes any weapon wielded by character a +1 magical weapon, again to implement this, I will need to customise every weapon the character is carrying. [tried to make a feat up could not give +1 to ranged damage.]
Your disappointed and frustrated.
Don't customize your armor, customize your AC. You can add 2 damage to weapons on character sheet too. You can probably make that boon as a feat, or worst case scenario, just add +1 magic items to the character sheet.
The homebrew tools do everything that has been officially released. They are planned to be able to support more creative homebrew, but that is low priority.
The character sheet is pretty flexible and is getting updated more frequently, so just making the changes on the character sheet is easier.
Literally all the things you complained about can be done on DDB.
Sorry my understand of the platform was to stream line the process not get bogged down in customising every weapon on all of my character sheets, and then when I pass item to another player/character they have to spend hours customising every weapon on their character sheet. This is spending more time on customising the sheet then actual playing.
As the nature of D&D is not to limit the imagination, when actually this platform is limited. That being said they market this place as a one stop shop for all D&D games and what to attract more users here. clearly it is not.
It is still less work than pencil and paper, and still has all the benefits of automatically adding these bonuses together, being rollable, etc. and just being a digital toolset.
Also, if it "takes hours" to change 2-3 numbers on your character sheet, I think you have a different issue. Building a brand new character from scratch takes ~10 minutes (or less). Applying some homebrew takes a few seconds per thing that needs changed (the changes you mentioned so far would take about 10 seconds to make). You could change every number on the sheet to a custom value in no more time than it took to build in the first place.
you say two or three numbers - I have six firearms on one character so with the shooter gloves the 6 numbers that need changing then add the boon that is another minimum 12 numbers as he also carries daggers and a sword. now I swap out the shooters gloves to another characters need top go and amend 6 numbers again, this is a lot of house keeping for a digital platform, should be able to remove item and then add and attune it from one character to another.
P.S. I work in the ICT field in platform/database development and network infrastructure. - This adds to my frustration knowing how half made this platform is.
You know the bracers of archery thing isn't specific to archery and just adds +2 damage to all ranged weapons - including Firearms - right? I don't get why you just don't use that - it does exactly what you want.
+1 to weapons things, just add the +1 version of the weapon or just make a single Custom Action, set to display as attack, named "+1 atk/dmg all weapons magical" or something. Now you have the reminder to add 1 to attacks and damage of all weapons and they're now magical. This is literally what you'd do with a paper sheet.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
It doesn't though. I checked. It only adds 2 damage to bows, there is a special modifier subtype specifically for it and everything.
I already suggested that. Seems to have been forgotten/ignored/overlooked.
Ignoring the "12" since there is a 0 effort workaround already. Why do you 1) have so many different weapons? And 2) swap your attuned magic items specific to your build between party members?
Rhetorical questions, as it doesn't matter. Your problem with the digital character sheet is one that exists on paper as well, but paper takes longer to fix and has no additional benefits.
Yeah, their code is almost certainly a suboptimal mess. They realized that and have been trying to fix it without breaking any existing characters for a long time now. Did I mention homebrew was a low priority compared to stuff used to actually play the game?
Didn't realise about the bracelets.
There is a modifier that does, though,
Damage > Ranged Weapon Attacks > Fixed Value: 2.
And voila, +2 to all ranged weapons, including firearms.
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
Currently I use a custom spreadsheet that does all the auto calcs for me but is a pain to set up,
So thought I would move over to this platform as stated be being sold/marketed as the one stop shop for everything DnD you could imagine, as the game is meant to be played. Nope can't do that or that or that........
What do you mean ignoring the 12??? Character is a dual wielding gunslinger 2x pepperboxes each doing a different additional damage types, 2x pistol backup weapons again with different additional damage types, then there are his two hidden single shot holdouts with different additional damage types that's making 6 pistols,.
Just saying with the misfiring of the firearms easier to just draw a different ones.
Also we have 2 gunslinger in party, and it is a magic heavy homebrew world so we have excess attainable items and we plan and build as a party for major known encounters. So yes items get swap about a bit.
Also to let you the platform is great as a resource. Also the DM and myself have been playing D&D for over 30 years, amongst other RPGs.
Sorry no there is NOT a ranged weapon attacks in the second dropdown after you select damage only melee weapon attacks.
You can create a custom attack that just does 2 damage named "bracer of firearms" to remind you to add the damage. Then you just have to remove/add 1 customization instead of making 6 customizations. 5 seconds instead of 12.
Hey people... its a bit useless to argue with this person... i think the platform he wants is called pen and paper and or PDF character sheet.
he basically wants his own multi leveled platform with all the availlable options of whats called limitless imagination.
for all my research on such platform, i can finally say... that platform do not exists...
those platforms he wants that allow it, are all way way way more convoluted then this.
but i wish him good luck in finding his dream platform.
for now, this platform for playing characters as written in official books is more then capable for me.
but who knows, maybe another company can make the platform he so desires. truly wish him best in that regard.
DM of two gaming groups.
Likes to create stuff.
Check out my homebrew --> Monsters --> Magical Items --> Races --> Subclasses
If you like --> Upvote, If you wanna comment --> Comment
Play by Post Games
--> One Shot Adventure - House of Artwood (DM) (Completed)
Hey All,
Thanks for the feed back, insight, sorry for the rant but needed to vent my frustration at a something which is in my eyes is a small tweak, to some database tags.
@DnDPaladin, yes I agree with you that this platform is great if just using item, rules, and content that is in official books, but they should not markets it as anything beyond that if they are not going to supply.
both @DxJxC and @Cyb3rM1nd I thank you for your input and apologise if any of my replies offended.
I have done the work arounds you have suggested so I can continue to game.
The full story is, the DDB devs don't like the homebrew tools and want to make a completely different toolset. But that will take time and they want the character sheet to be better first so the priority is low. And spending time improving a system that they plan to completely gut is wasting time that could be spent fixing the character sheet and getting to the new tools faster.
Just curious what issue are there with the sheet as I cannot find any resent/active issues in the bug forum.
It is less about bugs and more about unsupported features. Currently they are working to support non-class/race features (calling it general features) like epic boons, supernatural gift, curses, piety, guild/clan/organization rank, etc.
Supporting temporary effects from features and spells like mage armor, bless, rage, bladesong, etc. is also on the to do list.
Not to mention a bunch of optional rules like spell points, gritty realism, etc.
They are also working on DM tools for running a session like checking player stats or looking up frequent rules quickly.
And, to add to DxJxC's excellent list:
-allowing Divine Soul/Clockwork Soul/Aberrant Mind to swap out their special spells as the rules state they can
-finding a way/better way to display fully calculated stat blocks for the various "pets"/summoned creatures that allows for tracking HP, etc. (e.g. Steel Defender, the Tasha's Ranger Best Companion, etc.)
-Making additional damage types rollable on the sheet (for effects/weapons that do more than one type of damage): although this one I haven't heard them really talk about tackling any time soon
-making Martial Adept and some other similar feats/features work properly (see the OP of the various pinned support posts for the different "books")
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
Just for shameless self-promotion and in case peeps want workarounds in meantime:
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.