It's been a couple of months since my last post on this matter, and since we were hot off the heels of Tasha's at that time, I'm interested to see how the community feels about the current direction of the site now. I will include some of my previous points, as well as a few new ones I've seen since then.
"Options" Consistency When making a Feat, Subclass Feature, or Racial Trait for a piece of homebrew on DDB, one of the first ways to program mechanical benefits into the ability (thus making it functional), is the "Options" category. Not all "Options" for these aspects of the game are created equally, which is very confusing considering they appear to run off the same framework as one-another.
Subclass Feature Options are the most versatile, as they can contain not just "Actions", but also "Modifiers", "Spells", and even "Creatures" can be added. Racial Trait Options have roughly the same amount of functionality, offering the same programable benefits as Subclass Feature Options, but implementing a little differently and altering how they can be used in tandem with their base trait. However, getting down to Feat Options, you find that they offer very little in the way of programable benefits, only offering an "Actions" section as opposed to the assortment seen in the others. (shoutout to this post)
This inconsistency has always struck as odd, for 2 reasons: the first being as said before, these programable "Options" seem to all be running on the same framework, so one lacking functionality that the others have seems irrational. The second reason is, making them all function consistently would benefit the site as a whole. If you look at how Feats are handled in the character builder, you can see that some feats have been split into multiple different versions in order to effect the character sheet differently, but this wouldn't need to be the case had the "Options" functionality of Feats been made consistent with the other types of homebrew.
Take the Resilient Feat for example. If Feat Options were able to hold "Modifiers", then 6 options could be made for each ability score under the one feat, and the ASI and Proficiency given by the feat could be applied to the character sheet (this would also require the devs to program the ability to designate weather or not a Feat can be taken multiple times, but this is yet another welcome improvement to the homebrew tools). Fixing this issue would not only benefit the homebrew community, it would also benefit the average user in improving ease of use. Bonus points if the other programmable functions, such as the new "Additional Spell Lists", were also added to use under the "Options".
Homebrew Class Feature Variants With the release of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the coveted Class Feature Variants rules were added to DDB. By proxy, the homebrewing tools were updated with means of adding similar variations to features for homebrew subclasses and homebrew races, which leaves more than a little to be desired. The bulk of optional features included under those rulesets were for class features (specifically only two of the new features were for subclasses), so being unable to create homebrew class features of our own design has left most homebrew heavy DMs feeling left out. (shoutout post) (shoutout post)
Implementing the ability for DMs to create their own Class Feature Variants would be a big step in the right direction for the site. Not only would it allow DMs to implement house rules for official class features (and subclass features ideally), but it could act as a stand-in for the long awaited (and seemingly even longer delayed) addition of homebrew classes to the site, letting DMs replace every feature of an existing class in order to build one of their own conception.
One last thing to note on this topic is that it would be better to have a new, independent tool to make variants for features in official classes, races, and subclasses. Simply waiting for the Homebrew Classes to be added to DDB, and allowing DMs to duplicate official classes and make variants for them that way, will clutter the character builder UI, and make it a worse experience for players. It is important that this feature be implemented in a way so as to target the official listings of the classes and subclasses, not require you to duplicate them and edit the copies. Bonus points of course if the Homebrew Classes can be added as soon as possible (i could include this in this list, but it has been shouted to death. poll).
Better "Actions" Actions are probably the most important part of any class or subclass. The most common kind of "Action" you will make for a piece of homebrew on DDB are what they call "General" actions, these being simple descriptive pieces that have specified effects on you, your allies, or your enemies. General Actions are handled as well as they reasonably need to be currently, offering you spaces to describe their effects, setting action requirements, limited use data, and how often those uses return to you.
This starts to get more limited when it comes to the other two types of actions you can make, those being "Weapon" actions and "Spell" actions. If you wanted to make a simple natural weapons trait that draws from a single ability, does fixed damage, and has fixed range with no special properties, the current tools work well enough. But if you wanted to make a more in-depth, interactive attack, your probably going to struggle. I wont go into the numerous combinations that could not be achieved with the current systems, but will instead just list things that could be added to significantly improve them;
Being able to elect more than one "Ability Score Type", and automatically using the characters highest ability score of the ones specified to resolve the calculations.
Being able to set weather or not the attack adds your ability modifier to the damage.
Being able to input a second set of damage dice, and choosing to either have it display in the same fashion as a Versatile weapon in the character sheet, or as additional damage on top of the first value.
Being able to better define ranges, ala the thrown property (related post).
Being able to select multiple damage types, displaying both in the sheet for the player to choose from when using it, or with the second damage type applying to the additional damage (as described above).
A "Weapon Properties" section that appears when making a weapon, down with the "Level Overrides" and "Limited Use" sections, that allows you to add existing weapon properties to a weapon action (This could feasibly contain some functions of the first 2 points in this list).
Adding programable functions like these to the "Actions" would be a great step up from the current systems, and allow DMs to get more creative/have more control over the actions they create for their homebrew. Bonus points if they could also change the "Spell" side of actions to actually appear (or maybe add a checkbox that lets you choose whether it appears or not) as a spell in your list of castable spells in the character sheet, with other additional options like letting you choose if it has charges or consumes a spell slot.
These improvements would be amazing for the site. Bonus points if we could also be able to add "Actions" to magic items (relevant shoutout post).
Better Customization and Organization for Campaigns There are many things that could be done to improve the quality of life for people who use DDB's campaigns. Such as being able to ban and allow individual pieces of content from different sources on a case by case basis, or better organization for sorting multiple parties of characters in a single campaign.
Lots of DMs have houserules that alter or ban specific content, and while its easy to copy a piece of content on DDB and alter it to your needs, it creates a lot of clutter in the character builder, and its annoying for everyone when your players constantly have to ask you what they can and can't use in the mess of content that has built up over the years. Currently, there is a rudimentary content ban system that is built into campaigns, but its a little less than what we need. The system we have now can only bar the sharing of certain whole books with the Campaigns "Content Sharing" feature. This works great if you have a bunch of new players who own nothing themselves, and you want to start off with just the 3 core books with them (PHB, MM, DMG), or if there's one particular entry to the game that you don't appreciate the balance and design decisions made therein (cough cough Tasha's cough), but is a little limited when it comes to the individual interpretations and preferences that more dedicated DMs have.
A system that allows a DM to go through each subclass, spell, background, feat, and whatever else have you, then ban them at their leisure would be far superior, and allow the DMs the customization they need to make their houserulings as easy for their players to use as possible, hiding unwanted content from their characters for that campaign. No need for a "bonus points if..." this time, this change by itself would be more than enough for a passing grade.
As to organization, being able to sort characters in to sub-groups or parties would be an easy and effective addition. As well as more intricate notes sections, with the ability to structure different layers of notes and elect what the players can or can't see.
Improvements to the Character Sheet The list of possible improvements that could be made to the character sheet is unending, but here are a few examples;
Being able to go beyond level 20 in the character builder (post).
Being able to force a spell to be learned or prepared, regardless of spell list or how many spells can normally be learned/prepared (related post).
Being able to add notes to a custom action (shoutout post).
A way to add the benefits of active spells and effects (such as the haste spell or a barbarians rage), so their benefits effect the sheet directly.
A way to indicate Concentration, and a reminder pop-up that appears to roll for CON whenever the PC takes damage.
To be able to disable a feature and force hide it in the sheet viewer.
As said by Saintduma, a better method of recording rolled HP (individual results) would be appreciated.
Improvements to the Homebrew Tools in General Much like the character sheet, there are many minor improvements that could be made to the homebrew tools;
There are some "Modifier" options, like "Kensei", that seem to be hidden and inaccessible. If they could all be made available, that would be nice.
"Race Groups" for all races.
The ability to add homebrew options for class features (such as invocations, metamagic, and fighting styles) and have them appear along side those features (and the new feats presented in tasha's) akin to how homebrew subclasses appear alongside the official subclass options.
Making the way "Spells" work when added to Magical Items, Feats, and Subclasses all function consistently.
Option to Permanently Delete previously Deleted homebrews (or at least stop them from appearing in the drop downs when making new homebrew).
Ability to add definable spellcasting and pact magic features to subclasses (whether spells are learned/prepared/spellbook, how many spells are learned/prepared at each level, spell slot progression full/half/quarter, etc), and able to edit/override base class spellcasting/pact magic.
Being able to use proficiency bonus and half ability modifiers for homebrew "Modifiers" and "Limited Use Data"
Expanding "Additional Spell Lists" to have more functionality, like the "Spells" section has.
Ability to use Schools of Magic to determine what spells can be chosen from with "Spells".
Honourable Mentions
A place where only purchased/owned content can be viewed, independent of all other unowned content (post).
Toggles in character builder for optional rules like proficiency die's and spell points (post and post).
For spell scrolls to not stack in inventory (like weapons).
As said by Lamoon01, improvements to the functionality of the combat tracker (Recording enemy ability usage, quick addition and removal of enemies, round counter, displaying of active conditions and effects, renaming monsters). I also believe the combat tracker should display PC information live and accurately.
An interactive map tool akin to those found on Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds, with official adventures having premade maps and locales to suit (a slow rollout of this would be understandable). Integration with the Combat Tracker and Encounter Builder would go a long way.
On the topic of "Homebrew Classes", a great idea I saw was to add a 'blank class' so to speak. Where the only feature was defining its proficiencies and hit dice, then using the existing homebrew subclass tools to fill out the rest. Given something similar was done for the "Customizing Your Origin" rules for races, this seems like a perfect short-term solution while we wait for proper homebrew tools. (source)
As said by Jamstah, a shared group inventory of sorts for campaigns would be a nice addition.
As said by Asmidiski, Dark Mode would be much appreciated.
What about you? I encourage everyone to weigh in with their own opinions down in the comments. Even if you only wish to echo one or more of my points, louder voices are more likely to be heard. I will edit this post (with credit) to add any good points.
The one thing I would like to see more than anything else right now on this website is a finished/improved Combat Tracker.
If I think about the essential things in my D&D games, Role Playing and Narrative is one thing, but when it comes to using this site, 1st point of call is my Character Sheet, 2nd is the Combat Tracker (as a DM anyway). A distant 3rd is looking up rules etc.
If I think about the niggling issues about tracking an encounter from the enemy side of things, I would love it if they finally added trackable enemy abilities (spells, legendary actions, limited-use features etc), quick adding of new enemies, removal of defeated enemies, round tracker, condition tracker and renaming of monsters just to name a few.
The Character sheet, while by no means complete or perfect, functions very well in my view. Once the Combat Tracker is improved, that would really Dungeon my Dragons as a site user.
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Looking to add mouse-over triggered tooltips to such things like magic items, monsters or combat actions? Then dash over to the How to Add Tooltips thread.
The one thing I would like to see more than anything else right now on this website is a finished/improved Combat Tracker.
If I think about the essential things in my D&D games, Role Playing and Narrative is one thing, but when it comes to using this site, 1st point of call is my Character Sheet, 2nd is the Combat Tracker (as a DM anyway). A distant 3rd is looking up rules etc.
If I think about the niggling issues about tracking an encounter from the enemy side of things, I would love it if they finally added trackable enemy abilities (spells, legendary actions, limited-use features etc), quick adding of new enemies, removal of defeated enemies, round tracker, condition tracker and renaming of monsters just to name a few.
The Character sheet, while by no means complete or perfect, functions very well in my view. Once the Combat Tracker is improved, that would really Dungeon my Dragons as a site user.
This is a good addition to the list. Another thing that could be improved about the combat tracker is displaying character information in real time, such as max/remaining HP, what conditions/effects are currently active on them, and whether they are concentrating or not.
Hey, I just want to jump in here, as likely the single biggest user of those content creation tools, and say - they leave a lot to be desired. We are aware.
We've had some lengthy discussions with our product teams about the content creation forms (the same ones you use for homebrew) and we widely recognise internally that the solution needs to be improved and was never intended to be a permanent thing, but it's about prioritisation of effort. At the time, using the content engine we had available, it was the right choice to get the site built.
Yes, the actions system needs to be reworked, but that's also constrained by needing to ensure that all existing content isn't invalidated. We have ideas around that and making it a lot more modular. We also need to add actions to magic items, and add functionality for equipment, so there is still lots to do there.
I'm not positioned to talk about the development pipeline - those questions are much better asked on our Dev Update stream on Twitch.
Hey, I just want to jump in here, as likely the single biggest user of those content creation tools, and say - they leave a lot to be desired. We are aware.
We've had some lengthy discussions with our product teams about the content creation forms (the same ones you use for homebrew) and we widely recognise internally that the solution needs to be improved and was never intended to be a permanent thing, but it's about prioritisation of effort. At the time, using the content engine we had available, it was the right choice to get the site built.
Yes, the actions system needs to be reworked, but that's also constrained by needing to ensure that all existing content isn't invalidated. We have ideas around that and making it a lot more modular. We also need to add actions to magic items, and add functionality for equipment, so there is still lots to do there.
I'm not positioned to talk about the development pipeline - those questions are much better asked on our Dev Update stream on Twitch.
Thank you for the response regardless :). Most admins/mods tend to ignore me when i try to start these discussions.
I perfectly understand that it won't be easy to do some of the things I have asked for here. The primary reason i try to spark these discussions is so that the community's (and of course my own) voice can be heard in regards to what kind of functions we would like to see, or what kind of improvements would most benefit us as the consumers. (Granted I'm not always civil about it, and I do apologize for those occasions, my frustration is born from a place of passion).
Big things like overhauls to how actions work, implementation of new things like homebrew class feature variants, and in-depth content banning/sorting for campaigns, are all going to take time. My primary goal is to make sure that our opinions and desires are considered, and to offer temporary solutions to these problems that i think could be implemented more easily.
For example, the "Blank Class" idea that would allow people to make rudimentary homebrew classes with the existing subclass creator (source). And also, quality of life improvements like: allowing values to be negative (post); removing the level cap of 20 (post); "Race Groups" for all races; having all "Modifiers" be visible; expanding "Options" for Feats, etc. These are all (relatively) simple quality of life changes that I think the site and its users would benefit massively from, and wouldn't take too many development resources (I think).
So basically, I really am just trying to draw attention to these things, both in the hope to have them fixed, and that you guys will keep them in mind when making your decisions for what to do next or how to do it. Keep up the good work!
My number 1 priority. I would very much like to share a map and tokens from purchased campaigns for my players to move around on. I realize not everyone wants a vtt, but, something with map playability to help us new DMs who are not as good at keeping track of characters without the visual help of a map would be a game changer for my subscription. It doesn't even have to involve lign of sight or
Number 2 I would love for some better dm tools. And world building campaign tools.
I love what dndbeyond has been doing and look forward to seeing this site grow. I would also like to know if we are going to get a better road map of features like the one that was on trello but with a little more detail of what kind of programing has to take place to set up new features.
I agree, there are a lot of ques that the team could take from sites like World Anvil and Roll20, particularly as i despise the people who lead Roll20 and want nothing to do with them or their work... But that's besides the point here.
Its definitely a long term addition to the site, at least in terms of a map tool, but some more options and depth to campaign notes and world-building tools would be a great start.
What I'd mainly want to see improve is inventory management. Here are the things I feel would make great additions in order of what I feel is of importance:
Container management for things like Wagons, Scrolls, etc. Essentially a way to add our own tab alongside others and a tickbox for whether it shares weight or not with the character main sheet on top of tracking its own weight.
Scrolls automatically stack. What I want to see is for them to be individualized and have a dropdown menu to pick what spell they correspond to. Like-wise, the Spellwrought Tattoo is already part-way there as it doesn't stack on one another.
An editable on-the-fly rarity dropdown, especially for custom items.
What I'd mainly want to see improve is inventory management. Here are the things I feel would make great additions in order of what I feel is of importance:
Container management for things like Wagons, Scrolls, etc. Essentially a way to add our own tab alongside others and a tickbox for whether it shares weight or not with the character main sheet on top of tracking its own weight.
Scrolls automatically stack. What I want to see is for them to be individualized and have a dropdown menu to pick what spell they correspond to. Like-wise, the Spellwrought Tattoo is already part-way there as it doesn't stack on one another.
An editable on-the-fly rarity dropdown, especially for custom items.
Group inventory for campaigns.
All good suggestions. Scrolls not stacking has bothered me for a long time too. A group inventory is a new one for me, i like that idea, ill add that in up top.
Options consistency, holy hell yes. I'm baffled it's so different between class features, subclass features, race traits, background features, and feats.
Options consistency, holy hell yes. I'm baffled it's so different between class features, subclass features, race traits, background features, and feats.
It's all just features! Why are they different?
Its bothered me since day 1. Why indeed, comrade.... why indeed.
Options consistency, holy hell yes. I'm baffled it's so different between class features, subclass features, race traits, background features, and feats.
It's all just features! Why are they different?
This is because it's what the rules refer to them as:
Classes and subclasses have features (If you look at a class table, you'll see one of the columns is labelled 'features' and it also calls out subclass features as the corresponding levels)
Races have traits, the chapter in the Player's Handbook being called 'Racial Traits'
Options consistency, holy hell yes. I'm baffled it's so different between class features, subclass features, race traits, background features, and feats.
It's all just features! Why are they different?
This is because it's what the rules refer to them as:
Classes and subclasses have features (If you look at a class table, you'll see one of the columns is labelled 'features' and it also calls out subclass features as the corresponding levels)
Races have traits, the chapter in the Player's Handbook being called 'Racial Traits'
Feats are, well, feats. That's what they're called
The character sheet is adhering to the language used in the rules, hope this helps clarify the why
I am referring to the mechanical difference between them.
A feature, feat, and trait are all just named things of something a character has or can do, and that is the reason it strikes us as weird that they have a mechanical difference in regards to what you (this site) allow us to do with them.
(Edit: beyond the obvious of course, that only feats can be selected instead of an ASI.)
(Edit Edit: throw piety boons and epic boons in there as well. Just a feat with a different name and from a different type of source. Same issue.)
I definitely want to see an upgrade to how the map is linked to the content. It is possible to open two windows and have the map open on the side, but it would be nice if the DM map would be linked to the location number. I like the layout of DDB for reading/preparing the adventures far better than on Fantasy Grounds which I use during gameplay. It is just easier on my old eyes. I know there is a lot of adventures now out there so it would take a bit of effort now to do. I just hate scrolling back and forth. It can be especially bad on a tablet.
For myself i would like a few more things i can homebrew
- mundane weapons & armor (this seams like something that should be the most easy thing to add)
- A whole new class (we can homberew monsters, races, backgrounds, feats, spell, but not classes)
- adding things to homebrewed options that are not part of official options yet (like added spells to your spelllist was added with GGtR to backgrounds, but there is no such feature for races? Instead of giving away spells they can use, they get a bigger spellist to choose from would be interesting, ASI increases in Backgrounds!)
Options consistency, holy hell yes. I'm baffled it's so different between class features, subclass features, race traits, background features, and feats.
It's all just features! Why are they different?
This is because it's what the rules refer to them as:
Classes and subclasses have features (If you look at a class table, you'll see one of the columns is labelled 'features' and it also calls out subclass features as the corresponding levels)
Races have traits, the chapter in the Player's Handbook being called 'Racial Traits'
Feats are, well, feats. That's what they're called
The character sheet is adhering to the language used in the rules, hope this helps clarify the why
These are semantics. The issue we are pointing to is that they all seem to use the same framework in the system, yet feats are more limited than features and traits.
The real issue is that feats should have the same Options as features and traits, because them lacking this consistency is why you needed to make multiple versions of feats in the builder (resilient, magic initiate, spell sniper, etc. All these feats would not need to have duplicates if options were consistent across all abilities). Think about how much cleaner the feats menu would be if options were consistent the dev team could add spells and modifiers to feat options? This is the issue we are pointing to. Focusing on semantics like naming conventions is not a good way to justify the flaws of the site.
It's been a couple of months since my last post on this matter, and since we were hot off the heels of Tasha's at that time, I'm interested to see how the community feels about the current direction of the site now. I will include some of my previous points, as well as a few new ones I've seen since then.
"Options" Consistency
When making a Feat, Subclass Feature, or Racial Trait for a piece of homebrew on DDB, one of the first ways to program mechanical benefits into the ability (thus making it functional), is the "Options" category. Not all "Options" for these aspects of the game are created equally, which is very confusing considering they appear to run off the same framework as one-another.
Subclass Feature Options are the most versatile, as they can contain not just "Actions", but also "Modifiers", "Spells", and even "Creatures" can be added. Racial Trait Options have roughly the same amount of functionality, offering the same programable benefits as Subclass Feature Options, but implementing a little differently and altering how they can be used in tandem with their base trait. However, getting down to Feat Options, you find that they offer very little in the way of programable benefits, only offering an "Actions" section as opposed to the assortment seen in the others. (shoutout to this post)
This inconsistency has always struck as odd, for 2 reasons: the first being as said before, these programable "Options" seem to all be running on the same framework, so one lacking functionality that the others have seems irrational. The second reason is, making them all function consistently would benefit the site as a whole. If you look at how Feats are handled in the character builder, you can see that some feats have been split into multiple different versions in order to effect the character sheet differently, but this wouldn't need to be the case had the "Options" functionality of Feats been made consistent with the other types of homebrew.
Take the Resilient Feat for example. If Feat Options were able to hold "Modifiers", then 6 options could be made for each ability score under the one feat, and the ASI and Proficiency given by the feat could be applied to the character sheet (this would also require the devs to program the ability to designate weather or not a Feat can be taken multiple times, but this is yet another welcome improvement to the homebrew tools). Fixing this issue would not only benefit the homebrew community, it would also benefit the average user in improving ease of use. Bonus points if the other programmable functions, such as the new "Additional Spell Lists", were also added to use under the "Options".
Homebrew Class Feature Variants
With the release of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, the coveted Class Feature Variants rules were added to DDB. By proxy, the homebrewing tools were updated with means of adding similar variations to features for homebrew subclasses and homebrew races, which leaves more than a little to be desired. The bulk of optional features included under those rulesets were for class features (specifically only two of the new features were for subclasses), so being unable to create homebrew class features of our own design has left most homebrew heavy DMs feeling left out. (shoutout post) (shoutout post)
Implementing the ability for DMs to create their own Class Feature Variants would be a big step in the right direction for the site. Not only would it allow DMs to implement house rules for official class features (and subclass features ideally), but it could act as a stand-in for the long awaited (and seemingly even longer delayed) addition of homebrew classes to the site, letting DMs replace every feature of an existing class in order to build one of their own conception.
One last thing to note on this topic is that it would be better to have a new, independent tool to make variants for features in official classes, races, and subclasses. Simply waiting for the Homebrew Classes to be added to DDB, and allowing DMs to duplicate official classes and make variants for them that way, will clutter the character builder UI, and make it a worse experience for players. It is important that this feature be implemented in a way so as to target the official listings of the classes and subclasses, not require you to duplicate them and edit the copies. Bonus points of course if the Homebrew Classes can be added as soon as possible (i could include this in this list, but it has been shouted to death. poll).
Better "Actions"
Actions are probably the most important part of any class or subclass. The most common kind of "Action" you will make for a piece of homebrew on DDB are what they call "General" actions, these being simple descriptive pieces that have specified effects on you, your allies, or your enemies. General Actions are handled as well as they reasonably need to be currently, offering you spaces to describe their effects, setting action requirements, limited use data, and how often those uses return to you.
This starts to get more limited when it comes to the other two types of actions you can make, those being "Weapon" actions and "Spell" actions. If you wanted to make a simple natural weapons trait that draws from a single ability, does fixed damage, and has fixed range with no special properties, the current tools work well enough. But if you wanted to make a more in-depth, interactive attack, your probably going to struggle. I wont go into the numerous combinations that could not be achieved with the current systems, but will instead just list things that could be added to significantly improve them;
Adding programable functions like these to the "Actions" would be a great step up from the current systems, and allow DMs to get more creative/have more control over the actions they create for their homebrew. Bonus points if they could also change the "Spell" side of actions to actually appear (or maybe add a checkbox that lets you choose whether it appears or not) as a spell in your list of castable spells in the character sheet, with other additional options like letting you choose if it has charges or consumes a spell slot.
These improvements would be amazing for the site. Bonus points if we could also be able to add "Actions" to magic items (relevant shoutout post).
Better Customization and Organization for Campaigns
There are many things that could be done to improve the quality of life for people who use DDB's campaigns. Such as being able to ban and allow individual pieces of content from different sources on a case by case basis, or better organization for sorting multiple parties of characters in a single campaign.
Lots of DMs have houserules that alter or ban specific content, and while its easy to copy a piece of content on DDB and alter it to your needs, it creates a lot of clutter in the character builder, and its annoying for everyone when your players constantly have to ask you what they can and can't use in the mess of content that has built up over the years. Currently, there is a rudimentary content ban system that is built into campaigns, but its a little less than what we need. The system we have now can only bar the sharing of certain whole books with the Campaigns "Content Sharing" feature. This works great if you have a bunch of new players who own nothing themselves, and you want to start off with just the 3 core books with them (PHB, MM, DMG), or if there's one particular entry to the game that you don't appreciate the balance and design decisions made therein (cough cough Tasha's cough), but is a little limited when it comes to the individual interpretations and preferences that more dedicated DMs have.
A system that allows a DM to go through each subclass, spell, background, feat, and whatever else have you, then ban them at their leisure would be far superior, and allow the DMs the customization they need to make their houserulings as easy for their players to use as possible, hiding unwanted content from their characters for that campaign. No need for a "bonus points if..." this time, this change by itself would be more than enough for a passing grade.
As to organization, being able to sort characters in to sub-groups or parties would be an easy and effective addition. As well as more intricate notes sections, with the ability to structure different layers of notes and elect what the players can or can't see.
Improvements to the Character Sheet
The list of possible improvements that could be made to the character sheet is unending, but here are a few examples;
Improvements to the Homebrew Tools in General
Much like the character sheet, there are many minor improvements that could be made to the homebrew tools;
Honourable Mentions
What about you?
I encourage everyone to weigh in with their own opinions down in the comments. Even if you only wish to echo one or more of my points, louder voices are more likely to be heard. I will edit this post (with credit) to add any good points.
The one thing I would like to see more than anything else right now on this website is a finished/improved Combat Tracker.
If I think about the essential things in my D&D games, Role Playing and Narrative is one thing, but when it comes to using this site, 1st point of call is my Character Sheet, 2nd is the Combat Tracker (as a DM anyway). A distant 3rd is looking up rules etc.
If I think about the niggling issues about tracking an encounter from the enemy side of things, I would love it if they finally added trackable enemy abilities (spells, legendary actions, limited-use features etc), quick adding of new enemies, removal of defeated enemies, round tracker, condition tracker and renaming of monsters just to name a few.
The Character sheet, while by no means complete or perfect, functions very well in my view. Once the Combat Tracker is improved, that would really Dungeon my Dragons as a site user.
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Looking to add mouse-over triggered tooltips to such things like magic items, monsters or combat actions? Then dash over to the How to Add Tooltips thread.
This is a good addition to the list. Another thing that could be improved about the combat tracker is displaying character information in real time, such as max/remaining HP, what conditions/effects are currently active on them, and whether they are concentrating or not.
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D&D Beyond FoundersHey, I just want to jump in here, as likely the single biggest user of those content creation tools, and say - they leave a lot to be desired. We are aware.
We've had some lengthy discussions with our product teams about the content creation forms (the same ones you use for homebrew) and we widely recognise internally that the solution needs to be improved and was never intended to be a permanent thing, but it's about prioritisation of effort. At the time, using the content engine we had available, it was the right choice to get the site built.
Yes, the actions system needs to be reworked, but that's also constrained by needing to ensure that all existing content isn't invalidated. We have ideas around that and making it a lot more modular. We also need to add actions to magic items, and add functionality for equipment, so there is still lots to do there.
I'm not positioned to talk about the development pipeline - those questions are much better asked on our Dev Update stream on Twitch.
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Thank you for the response regardless :). Most admins/mods tend to ignore me when i try to start these discussions.
I perfectly understand that it won't be easy to do some of the things I have asked for here. The primary reason i try to spark these discussions is so that the community's (and of course my own) voice can be heard in regards to what kind of functions we would like to see, or what kind of improvements would most benefit us as the consumers. (Granted I'm not always civil about it, and I do apologize for those occasions, my frustration is born from a place of passion).
Big things like overhauls to how actions work, implementation of new things like homebrew class feature variants, and in-depth content banning/sorting for campaigns, are all going to take time. My primary goal is to make sure that our opinions and desires are considered, and to offer temporary solutions to these problems that i think could be implemented more easily.
For example, the "Blank Class" idea that would allow people to make rudimentary homebrew classes with the existing subclass creator (source). And also, quality of life improvements like: allowing values to be negative (post); removing the level cap of 20 (post); "Race Groups" for all races; having all "Modifiers" be visible; expanding "Options" for Feats, etc. These are all (relatively) simple quality of life changes that I think the site and its users would benefit massively from, and wouldn't take too many development resources (I think).
So basically, I really am just trying to draw attention to these things, both in the hope to have them fixed, and that you guys will keep them in mind when making your decisions for what to do next or how to do it. Keep up the good work!
My number 1 priority. I would very much like to share a map and tokens from purchased campaigns for my players to move around on. I realize not everyone wants a vtt, but, something with map playability to help us new DMs who are not as good at keeping track of characters without the visual help of a map would be a game changer for my subscription. It doesn't even have to involve lign of sight or
Number 2 I would love for some better dm tools. And world building campaign tools.
I love what dndbeyond has been doing and look forward to seeing this site grow. I would also like to know if we are going to get a better road map of features like the one that was on trello but with a little more detail of what kind of programing has to take place to set up new features.
I agree, there are a lot of ques that the team could take from sites like World Anvil and Roll20, particularly as i despise the people who lead Roll20 and want nothing to do with them or their work... But that's besides the point here.
Its definitely a long term addition to the site, at least in terms of a map tool, but some more options and depth to campaign notes and world-building tools would be a great start.
What I'd mainly want to see improve is inventory management. Here are the things I feel would make great additions in order of what I feel is of importance:
All good suggestions. Scrolls not stacking has bothered me for a long time too. A group inventory is a new one for me, i like that idea, ill add that in up top.
Dark mode, for the love of my eyes.... dark mode.
PREACH!
Options consistency, holy hell yes. I'm baffled it's so different between class features, subclass features, race traits, background features, and feats.
It's all just features! Why are they different?
Its bothered me since day 1. Why indeed, comrade.... why indeed.
This is because it's what the rules refer to them as:
The character sheet is adhering to the language used in the rules, hope this helps clarify the why
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I am referring to the mechanical difference between them.
A feature, feat, and trait are all just named things of something a character has or can do, and that is the reason it strikes us as weird that they have a mechanical difference in regards to what you (this site) allow us to do with them.
(Edit: beyond the obvious of course, that only feats can be selected instead of an ASI.)
(Edit Edit: throw piety boons and epic boons in there as well. Just a feat with a different name and from a different type of source. Same issue.)
Ah, I getcha now. Sorry I misunderstood, I thought you were talking about labelling on the character sheet.
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I definitely want to see an upgrade to how the map is linked to the content. It is possible to open two windows and have the map open on the side, but it would be nice if the DM map would be linked to the location number. I like the layout of DDB for reading/preparing the adventures far better than on Fantasy Grounds which I use during gameplay. It is just easier on my old eyes. I know there is a lot of adventures now out there so it would take a bit of effort now to do. I just hate scrolling back and forth. It can be especially bad on a tablet.
For myself i would like a few more things i can homebrew
- mundane weapons & armor (this seams like something that should be the most easy thing to add)
- A whole new class (we can homberew monsters, races, backgrounds, feats, spell, but not classes)
- adding things to homebrewed options that are not part of official options yet (like added spells to your spelllist was added with GGtR to backgrounds, but there is no such feature for races? Instead of giving away spells they can use, they get a bigger spellist to choose from would be interesting, ASI increases in Backgrounds!)
These are semantics. The issue we are pointing to is that they all seem to use the same framework in the system, yet feats are more limited than features and traits.
The real issue is that feats should have the same Options as features and traits, because them lacking this consistency is why you needed to make multiple versions of feats in the builder (resilient, magic initiate, spell sniper, etc. All these feats would not need to have duplicates if options were consistent across all abilities). Think about how much cleaner the feats menu would be if
options were consistentthe dev team could add spells and modifiers to feat options? This is the issue we are pointing to. Focusing on semantics like naming conventions is not a good way to justify the flaws of the site.Yep. Exactly. Here's the issue (with pictures!)
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/d-d-beyond-feedback/97603-the-smallest-site-feature-that-would-go-a-long-way