If a customer can prove that they've purchased a physical copy of a D&D book, expecting them to pay for the book again to access it digitally seems quite unreasonable. Asking for five or six dollars because of the cost and convenience of digitizing the content makes sense. However, since what's been put on the website is an interactive PDF, charging $29.99 for access to it after the customer has already spent $49.99 is not right, and discourages future purchases.
Considering the current physical+digital bundles are priced at $10 over the suggested MSRP of the physical book alone, I think they have established that the additional cost to cover the digital portion of any book to be a flat $10. Any suggestion less than that isn't even worth a debate about the dozens of other reasons why this isn't feasible.
If anyone wants the digital tools, they will have to pay for it. If they really do not want to spend the money, then they will have to spend time instead integrating the information themself. However, that takes a really long time, and in my opinion, getting a temporary second job to get the money is faster than integrating the stuff manually. This is not any different from getting a physical book and wanting a digital book for free, wanting a physical copy of the movie to take home after seeing the movie in theaters, wanting a digital copy of a boardgame after getting the physical board game, and vice versa and so on. Paying to use each IP on each platform is pretty normal and reasonable.
If someone really, really, really does not want to spend the time nor money, there is a way too. They just have to know how to be a good friend and find a sugar master who has the Legendary Bundle or something. Most players are sugar players and most GMs are sugar masters anyway, so as long as the player is a decent human being, for most GMs, adding another player to the group is not really that big of a deal.
To reiterate what XXXGammaRay said, you can create private homebrew for just about anything you want from the official books by using the homebrew tool and share it with everyone in any campaigns you have a player in for ABSOLUTLY FREE! It's going to take you a hefty amount of time to use the exact same tool the developers use for implementing ~90% the mechanics. There's a few things that the homebrew tool can't do, such as feats that have a choice for which ability to give a +1 (examples: Fey or Shadow Touched) to or subclasses with hot swapping of learned spells (examples: Aberrant Mind, Clockwork Soul, or Divine Soul sorcerer), but these limitations can be worked around in the homebrew tool, albeit its a little clunky to do it.
If a customer can prove that they've purchased a physical copy of a D&D book, expecting them to pay for the book again to access it digitally seems quite unreasonable. Asking for five or six dollars because of the cost and convenience of digitizing the content makes sense. However, since what's been put on the website is an interactive PDF, charging $29.99 for access to it after the customer has already spent $49.99 is not right, and discourages future purchases.
Considering the current physical+digital bundles are priced at $10 over the suggested MSRP of the physical book alone, I think they have established that the additional cost to cover the digital portion of any book to be a flat $10. Any suggestion less than that isn't even worth a debate about the dozens of other reasons why this isn't feasible.
How to: Replace DEX in your AC | Jump & Suffocation stats | Build a (Spell & class effect buff system | Wild Shape effect system) | Tool Proficiencies as Custom Skills | Spells at higher levels explained | Superior Fighting/Martial Adept Fix | Snippet Codes Explored - Subclasses | Snippet Math Theory | Homebrew Weapons Explained
Check out my: FEATS | MAGIC ITEMS | MONSTERS | SUBCLASSES Artificer Specialist: Weaveblade
Dndbeyond images not loading A PERMANENT WORKAROUND!!! (thank you Jay_Lane)
I got my books before they ever did physical+digital bundles and I'd like there to be a way to get my books online without having to buy them again
If anyone reading wants more info:
Hardcover Books, D&D Beyond and You FAQ
If anyone wants the digital tools, they will have to pay for it. If they really do not want to spend the money, then they will have to spend time instead integrating the information themself. However, that takes a really long time, and in my opinion, getting a temporary second job to get the money is faster than integrating the stuff manually. This is not any different from getting a physical book and wanting a digital book for free, wanting a physical copy of the movie to take home after seeing the movie in theaters, wanting a digital copy of a boardgame after getting the physical board game, and vice versa and so on. Paying to use each IP on each platform is pretty normal and reasonable.
If someone really, really, really does not want to spend the time nor money, there is a way too. They just have to know how to be a good friend and find a sugar master who has the Legendary Bundle or something. Most players are sugar players and most GMs are sugar masters anyway, so as long as the player is a decent human being, for most GMs, adding another player to the group is not really that big of a deal.
Check Licenses and Resync Entitlements: < https://www.dndbeyond.com/account/licenses >
Running the Game by Matt Colville; Introduction: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YZvLUXcR8 >
D&D with High School Students by Bill Allen; Season 1 Episode 1: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52NJTUDokyk&t >
Stealing this!
To reiterate what XXXGammaRay said, you can create private homebrew for just about anything you want from the official books by using the homebrew tool and share it with everyone in any campaigns you have a player in for ABSOLUTLY FREE! It's going to take you a hefty amount of time to use the exact same tool the developers use for implementing ~90% the mechanics. There's a few things that the homebrew tool can't do, such as feats that have a choice for which ability to give a +1 (examples: Fey or Shadow Touched) to or subclasses with hot swapping of learned spells (examples: Aberrant Mind, Clockwork Soul, or Divine Soul sorcerer), but these limitations can be worked around in the homebrew tool, albeit its a little clunky to do it.
How to: Replace DEX in your AC | Jump & Suffocation stats | Build a (Spell & class effect buff system | Wild Shape effect system) | Tool Proficiencies as Custom Skills | Spells at higher levels explained | Superior Fighting/Martial Adept Fix | Snippet Codes Explored - Subclasses | Snippet Math Theory | Homebrew Weapons Explained
Check out my: FEATS | MAGIC ITEMS | MONSTERS | SUBCLASSES Artificer Specialist: Weaveblade
Dndbeyond images not loading A PERMANENT WORKAROUND!!! (thank you Jay_Lane)