I purchased the Essentials kit on DNDBeyond. I am looking to run a Dm vs 1 Player campaign, entirely using DNDbeyond, and will be using the sidekicks. I can't figure out how to keep track of abilities of sidekicks once they gain levels.
Has anyone else figured this out?
Thanks ahead of time! So far loving the Essentials Kit!
Is it possible to get the monster stat blocks for sidekicks? I see there are listings for each one at each level in the homebrew monster dropdown, but I cannot find the original entries for the sidekick stat blocks.
Are they only accessible as character sheet add ons?
Is it possible to get the monster stat blocks for sidekicks? I see there are listings for each one at each level in the homebrew monster dropdown, but I cannot find the original entries for the sidekick stat blocks.
Are they only accessible as character sheet add ons?
The stat blocks and rules for sidekicks are included with each of the Essentials Kit adventures on D&D Beyond.
Check the table of contents and you'll see a link.
I can find the stat blocks for 1st level sidekicks, but I'm wondering if there's any way to access the 2-11th level stat blocks outside of creating a monster?
Please be aware that the stat blocks for the sidekicks are not meant to be viewed through the encounter builder (they shouldn't be appearing there) and may show values that are not correct for their level.
To see the full stats for a sidekick of a particular level, just add it to a character via the EXTRAS section.
Please be aware that the stat blocks for the sidekicks are not meant to be viewed through the encounter builder (they shouldn't be appearing there) and may show values that are not correct for their level.
To see the full stats for a sidekick of a particular level, just add it to a character via the EXTRAS section.
Howdo you add sidekicks of specific levels? Everything in the Extras/Creatures/Sidekicks menu is level one.
If I add Guard (for my knight-origin character) it's a level 1 creature. There doesn't seem to be any way to change it's level, or look for a higher level version to replace it with.
@lamnuff From the character sheet, click extras, then "manage extras", then "add an extra" and select sidekicks. You should see a list of sidekicks of various levels.
No, you see a list of creatures (including non-npc monsters) that are of various CR.
There are no multiple versions of the same creature. Each thing you can spawn will only ever spawn multiple copies of the exact same creature, of a preset level with preset stats.
A Commoner is first level,. A spy is first level. An Adult Blue Dragon is 16th level. An archmage is 12th level.
A Guard is first level, with 16 AC (from preset equipment) and 11 hitpoints.
I can edit the AC and hitpoints in the customise menu after creating it, alongside giving it a name and some notes, but as far as I can tell, there is no option to select the level of the creature you are going to add to your character sheet.
In the creature menu itself, before adding it to the character sheet, the only option available is which creature you want, and how many of them you want to add.
Edit: Image added for clarity. As you can see, I'm in the extras/manage extras menu, and I have sidekicks selected.
'Filter using sidekick rules' is unticked, because that just hides everything.
'Filter Using Sidekick Rules' locks the Add an Extra menu to display only sidekicks:
This presents all levels of all sidekicks that you own. This option is on by default when you open the menu and select 'Sidekick'
Disabling it gives a list of all monsters, not just sidekicks, with an approximated level.
If you want to add a sidekick of a specific level, filter by the sidekick type (say Expert) with 'Use Filter Using Sidekick Rules' enabled and then you'll get just the Expert stat blocks for each level.
I knowthat filter using sidekick rules shows only sidekicks. But as I said in my last post, if I tick that box, it hides everything.
There are no 'Experts' in my list, filtered or unfiltered, and nothing on the list has a level next to it's name. I have nosidekicks.
...Wait, do sidekicks come from a separate sourcebook ? Is the reason I don't have any because I didn't buy them?
Gonna be honest, If they need to be purchased separately I'm going to be kind of annoyed. I've blown £130 on sourcebooks and I still don't even have enough content unlocked to even flesh out a basic fighter.
I wouldn't mind spending money on obscure races, magic items or subclasses, but NPC minions are as bland and vanilla as you can get. The noble backstory starts with three of the buggers.
Edit: Took a while to find, but Expert is in Dragon Of Icespire Peak, so yeah it looks like it's extra-content.
With my group, none of us have a subscription, so we all are responsible for buying our own sourcebooks for character-creation. It never would have occurred to me to buy an Adventure book, because as a player and not a DM, I shouldn't need that.
Also, all the sidekick creatures seem to be listed as 'monsters' which... makes them pretty irritating to track down.
Is there any indication which ones are sidekicks rather than regular monsters? Because if I do buy them, it'll be as individuals, not as the whole book.
The sidekicks are part of the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure. If you have it, you should have the sidekicks. If you don’t, you won’t. Sidekicks are a late addition to the DnD rules. I’m sorry you are frustrated and that your purchases haven’t gotten you what you want.
In terms of the noble background retainers feature, they aren’t referring to sidekicks, but to NPCs*, and it specifies that they are Commoners. Commoners are part of the Basic Rules, which are free, so you should definitely be able to add them as an extra. You could either search for Commoner, or try filtering by the NPC tag. (The NPC tag is not used consistently, so you might miss some options if you filter that way.
If there are other things that you need to flesh out your fighter, please ask. I and others are happy to help sort out the best ways to do so.
* and yes, sidekicks are in many respects NPCs, but they are a very particular type of NPC, and the retainers feature is referring to NPCs as they existed before the creation of sidekicks.
The sidekicks are part of the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure. If you have it, you should have the sidekicks. If you don’t, you won’t. Sidekicks are a late addition to the DnD rules. I’m sorry you are frustrated and that your purchases haven’t gotten you what you want.
In terms of the noble background retainers feature, they aren’t referring to sidekicks, but to NPCs*, and it specifies that they are Commoners. Commoners are part of the Basic Rules, which are free, so you should definitely be able to add them as an extra. You could either search for Commoner, or try filtering by the NPC tag. (The NPC tag is not used consistently, so you might miss some options if you filter that way.
If there are other things that you need to flesh out your fighter, please ask. I and others are happy to help sort out the best ways to do so.
* and yes, sidekicks are in many respects NPCs, but they are a very particular type of NPC, and the retainers feature is referring to NPCs as they existed before the creation of sidekicks.
I can add three commoners, but I can't edit them much to give them character or flavour, which is why I wanted to use a broader system.
Though I haven no idea how broad the sidekick system even is, since I can't get into it.
You can make custom monsters starting from the commoner and add those.
If you want full sidekicks, you'll need to pick up either the essentials kit (that contains a code for level 1-12 sidekicks) or the adventures on the market place.
I purchased the Essentials kit on DNDBeyond. I am looking to run a Dm vs 1 Player campaign, entirely using DNDbeyond, and will be using the sidekicks. I can't figure out how to keep track of abilities of sidekicks once they gain levels.
Has anyone else figured this out?
Thanks ahead of time! So far loving the Essentials Kit!
I have been looking for the same, as am going to be playing with my wife.
You replace the level 1 version of a sidekick with the level 2 version in the extras menu of your character sheet.
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Ahh. I see that now. Thank you!
Glad to help
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Is it possible to get the monster stat blocks for sidekicks? I see there are listings for each one at each level in the homebrew monster dropdown, but I cannot find the original entries for the sidekick stat blocks.
Are they only accessible as character sheet add ons?
The stat blocks and rules for sidekicks are included with each of the Essentials Kit adventures on D&D Beyond.
Check the table of contents and you'll see a link.
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I can find the stat blocks for 1st level sidekicks, but I'm wondering if there's any way to access the 2-11th level stat blocks outside of creating a monster?
Edit: nevermind, you can access the stat blocks from the encounter builder (https://www.dndbeyond.com/encounter-builder)
Please be aware that the stat blocks for the sidekicks are not meant to be viewed through the encounter builder (they shouldn't be appearing there) and may show values that are not correct for their level.
To see the full stats for a sidekick of a particular level, just add it to a character via the EXTRAS section.
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Can we get support for viewing leveled sidekicks through the encounter builder and/or monster search?
Edit: my specific use case is that I'm DM'ing and sometimes need a sidekick to fill out a party. So I don't exactly have a character to add it to.
How do you add sidekicks of specific levels? Everything in the Extras/Creatures/Sidekicks menu is level one.
If I add Guard (for my knight-origin character) it's a level 1 creature. There doesn't seem to be any way to change it's level, or look for a higher level version to replace it with.
@lamnuff From the character sheet, click extras, then "manage extras", then "add an extra" and select sidekicks. You should see a list of sidekicks of various levels.
No, you see a list of creatures (including non-npc monsters) that are of various CR.
There are no multiple versions of the same creature. Each thing you can spawn will only ever spawn multiple copies of the exact same creature, of a preset level with preset stats.
A Commoner is first level,. A spy is first level. An Adult Blue Dragon is 16th level. An archmage is 12th level.
A Guard is first level, with 16 AC (from preset equipment) and 11 hitpoints.
I can edit the AC and hitpoints in the customise menu after creating it, alongside giving it a name and some notes, but as far as I can tell, there is no option to select the level of the creature you are going to add to your character sheet.
In the creature menu itself, before adding it to the character sheet, the only option available is which creature you want, and how many of them you want to add.
Edit: Image added for clarity. As you can see, I'm in the extras/manage extras menu, and I have sidekicks selected.
'Filter using sidekick rules' is unticked, because that just hides everything.
'Filter Using Sidekick Rules' locks the Add an Extra menu to display only sidekicks:
This presents all levels of all sidekicks that you own. This option is on by default when you open the menu and select 'Sidekick'
Disabling it gives a list of all monsters, not just sidekicks, with an approximated level.
If you want to add a sidekick of a specific level, filter by the sidekick type (say Expert) with 'Use Filter Using Sidekick Rules' enabled and then you'll get just the Expert stat blocks for each level.
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I know that filter using sidekick rules shows only sidekicks. But as I said in my last post, if I tick that box, it hides everything.
There are no 'Experts' in my list, filtered or unfiltered, and nothing on the list has a level next to it's name. I have no sidekicks.
...Wait, do sidekicks come from a separate sourcebook ? Is the reason I don't have any because I didn't buy them?
Gonna be honest, If they need to be purchased separately I'm going to be kind of annoyed. I've blown £130 on sourcebooks and I still don't even have enough content unlocked to even flesh out a basic fighter.
I wouldn't mind spending money on obscure races, magic items or subclasses, but NPC minions are as bland and vanilla as you can get. The noble backstory starts with three of the buggers.
Edit: Took a while to find, but Expert is in Dragon Of Icespire Peak, so yeah it looks like it's extra-content.
With my group, none of us have a subscription, so we all are responsible for buying our own sourcebooks for character-creation. It never would have occurred to me to buy an Adventure book, because as a player and not a DM, I shouldn't need that.
Also, all the sidekick creatures seem to be listed as 'monsters' which... makes them pretty irritating to track down.
Is there any indication which ones are sidekicks rather than regular monsters? Because if I do buy them, it'll be as individuals, not as the whole book.
The sidekicks are part of the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure. If you have it, you should have the sidekicks. If you don’t, you won’t. Sidekicks are a late addition to the DnD rules. I’m sorry you are frustrated and that your purchases haven’t gotten you what you want.
In terms of the noble background retainers feature, they aren’t referring to sidekicks, but to NPCs*, and it specifies that they are Commoners. Commoners are part of the Basic Rules, which are free, so you should definitely be able to add them as an extra. You could either search for Commoner, or try filtering by the NPC tag. (The NPC tag is not used consistently, so you might miss some options if you filter that way.
If there are other things that you need to flesh out your fighter, please ask. I and others are happy to help sort out the best ways to do so.
* and yes, sidekicks are in many respects NPCs, but they are a very particular type of NPC, and the retainers feature is referring to NPCs as they existed before the creation of sidekicks.
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I can add three commoners, but I can't edit them much to give them character or flavour, which is why I wanted to use a broader system.
Though I haven no idea how broad the sidekick system even is, since I can't get into it.
You can make custom monsters starting from the commoner and add those.
If you want full sidekicks, you'll need to pick up either the essentials kit (that contains a code for level 1-12 sidekicks) or the adventures on the market place.
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So, having purchased DoIP, can we have access to the sidekicks in the monster search?
It would be a boon to those of us who need the data but aren't running characters.
-Evan
You do have them in the monster search, just only first level to prevent it from cluttering up the search results.
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