So, like the title says, I already own 80% of the physical books for 5e. But, I want to use them for my Beyond campaigns. Is there a way to scan the UPC code to show D&DB that I actually have the books, as in I own them already?
Exactly how you use them for paper and pencil. You have them sitting in a nice little stack on your table during play. If you want to do anything beyond (lulz) that, such as using the digital toolset provided on this site, you will have to pay for the books here. You have no code that can be used here.
If you insist on not opening your wallet, you may also use the homebrew tool, which is available for free. You can add anything from subclass, to species, magic items, feats, and spells to the homebrew and then you can have that available to you for use in your games. I did that for a time, but I am telling you it is not worth it to do it all. If you want every bit of that 80% available on DDB, save yourself a lot of time and buy the individual feats/spells/etc you want from the books or the whole book so you also can pull up the details for quick reference. The core books are on sale for like, 40% off right now too, so it is good timing.
Afraid not. Maybe that’s something they could introduce in the future, but there’d definitely be obstacles with people just noting down the code off a book in a shop and using that.
Other than that, you can buy races/subclasses/feats/magic items from each book separately for 2 or 3 dollars, if that helps and you don’t need everything? Or use the homebrew functions to copy out bits from your book that you want.
These aren’t great options though. Getting a subscription that lets you share content with your party can at least make it easy to split the cost, if everyone’s on board.
DDB doesn't offer PDFs. It is an online website that can offer many (all?) of its services via an app. WotC doesn't currently offer it's products for 5e as PDFs. This is important to note for four reasons: 1. It remains property of WotC which you pay for access to. 2. It offers much more functionality than a PDF does. 3. Memory space is much higher. 4. It is incompatible with most e-readers.
The homebrew function does allow you to add your content to DDB and gain the same functionality as buying it. It is a flaff, and not worth it because it costs $1.99 per option (much less if you go for whole sections or books), but if you got a minimum wage job in the US, you'd earn that in 15 minutes. It will take you longer to do than that , so you'd be better off doing over time and paying for it. Of course if money is tight or the thought just rankles or you'd find it fun, then go ahead. Otherwise, you're actually better off just paying. With practice, you could get faster...but then you'd be thinking about the packs which are much cheaper per item and have a bar for an even shorter time.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Well, thanks for all of this information. Yes, for me, atm, money is very tight, so I'll have to pick and choose exactly what I need and don't need from certain books.
Well, thanks for all of this information. Yes, for me, atm, money is very tight, so I'll have to pick and choose exactly what I need and don't need from certain books.
I’m in school part time right now so I feel you on cost. Part of what complicates things further for me is deciding how happy I’ll be with DDB after that upcoming update. Can’t see going full Legendary Bundle with all the books I actually use you know, Original 5e/ “Legacy” if it’s going to be part of a new site that doesn’t work quite right.
There really is nothing wrong with using the homebrew tools to recreate your print books, and the above posters make it seem like much more of a hassle/a longer process to do than it really is. You can treat it like you would the decision to pay piecemeal: add them in via the homebrew tool when you want to use it to make a specific character. There are whole books that I'm never going to buy a second time, and I'm happy to spend a little time with the homebrew generator instead.
Personally it would be a matter of principle for me. As this product Dndbeyond is a wholly owned subsidiary of wowtc to whom I've joyfully flung $1000.00s of my dollars at over the decades I'm a bit miffed at the idea of having to repurchase books that I physically own. I mean this has been the only thing holding me back from becoming a monthy subscriber and purchasing books I don't already own. I mean wotc regularly claims to be doing for the fans, giving back and all that. What would it really cost in terms of revenue to give away a few digital books to people who can prove they own them physically I mean there's plenty of ways it could be done. I mean in the long run it would definitely curry favor with the public since the whole debacle on the terms of service. I understood that when dndbeyond was a different company from wotc as the labor that went into needed to generate profits. Now however it is the same company that has so much revenue it wouldn't phase the balance sheets to allow some kind of credit for owning physical copies of the material. I mean heck back in the days of physical game stores you could always trade in used books if they were in good condition for store credit. I guess what I'm saying is the core behind dnd at TSR got me hooked as a kid with all they did for the players in building this fantasy realm and allowing us the fun of joining in. It wasn't solely about squeezing every nickel out of the players. Third party printings within the system were acknowledged and accepted maybe even encouraged. The core of dndbeyond seems to be the players being able to share for a monthly fee . I know if there were an option to get credit for at least some of the books every gamer likely owns PHB, DMG, MM etc. My current campaign would be likely to become subscribers and purchasers of plenty of digital content going forward. Until then many may be just fine with using the tools available to the general public to enhance their tabletop experience along with their physical books and whatever other resources they may have collected over the years. I definitely tip my hat to the developers of dndbeyond as they have done a fabulous job of keeping alive the passion of dnd gamers everywhere while giving the whole world a taste of the game I grew up playing.
DDB doesn't offer PDFs. It is an online website that can offer many (all?) of its services via an app. WotC doesn't currently offer it's products for 5e as PDFs. This is important to note for four reasons: 1. It remains property of WotC which you pay for access to. 2. It offers much more functionality than a PDF does. 3. Memory space is much higher. 4. It is incompatible with most e-readers.
The homebrew function does allow you to add your content to DDB and gain the same functionality as buying it. It is a flaff, and not worth it because it costs $1.99 per option (much less if you go for whole sections or books), but if you got a minimum wage job in the US, you'd earn that in 15 minutes. It will take you longer to do than that , so you'd be better off doing over time and paying for it. Of course if money is tight or the thought just rankles or you'd find it fun, then go ahead. Otherwise, you're actually better off just paying. With practice, you could get faster...but then you'd be thinking about the packs which are much cheaper per item and have a bar for an even shorter time.
Oh. Thank you from a newbie for the advice. I`m just a student and i havent`t enough time to read policy about it, because I have a high load in my university. But authors from this site https://essays.edubirdie.com/english-assignment-help helps me to save my time for my hobbies. So I`m sure that I will discover all the rules about books in nearest future. Also, I think physical books and e-books are different products, so it's normal to pay for both versions if you need them. You don't demand a Blu-ray disc after going to the movie theater. It's the same thing here. That's just my opinion.
I agree with you, quite a logical idea. It would be great to be able to buy the digital version of the book at a discount if you can prove you bought the print version before. Or vice versa.
So, like the title says, I already own 80% of the physical books for 5e. But, I want to use them for my Beyond campaigns. Is there a way to scan the UPC code to show D&DB that I actually have the books, as in I own them already?
gm_dm_alexander is my Discord
Exactly how you use them for paper and pencil. You have them sitting in a nice little stack on your table during play. If you want to do anything beyond (lulz) that, such as using the digital toolset provided on this site, you will have to pay for the books here. You have no code that can be used here.
If you insist on not opening your wallet, you may also use the homebrew tool, which is available for free. You can add anything from subclass, to species, magic items, feats, and spells to the homebrew and then you can have that available to you for use in your games. I did that for a time, but I am telling you it is not worth it to do it all. If you want every bit of that 80% available on DDB, save yourself a lot of time and buy the individual feats/spells/etc you want from the books or the whole book so you also can pull up the details for quick reference. The core books are on sale for like, 40% off right now too, so it is good timing.
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Afraid not. Maybe that’s something they could introduce in the future, but there’d definitely be obstacles with people just noting down the code off a book in a shop and using that.
Other than that, you can buy races/subclasses/feats/magic items from each book separately for 2 or 3 dollars, if that helps and you don’t need everything? Or use the homebrew functions to copy out bits from your book that you want.
These aren’t great options though. Getting a subscription that lets you share content with your party can at least make it easy to split the cost, if everyone’s on board.
Just a couple of notes:
DDB doesn't offer PDFs. It is an online website that can offer many (all?) of its services via an app. WotC doesn't currently offer it's products for 5e as PDFs. This is important to note for four reasons: 1. It remains property of WotC which you pay for access to. 2. It offers much more functionality than a PDF does. 3. Memory space is much higher. 4. It is incompatible with most e-readers.
The homebrew function does allow you to add your content to DDB and gain the same functionality as buying it. It is a flaff, and not worth it because it costs $1.99 per option (much less if you go for whole sections or books), but if you got a minimum wage job in the US, you'd earn that in 15 minutes. It will take you longer to do than that , so you'd be better off doing over time and paying for it. Of course if money is tight or the thought just rankles or you'd find it fun, then go ahead. Otherwise, you're actually better off just paying. With practice, you could get faster...but then you'd be thinking about the packs which are much cheaper per item and have a bar for an even shorter time.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Well, thanks for all of this information. Yes, for me, atm, money is very tight, so I'll have to pick and choose exactly what I need and don't need from certain books.
gm_dm_alexander is my Discord
I’m in school part time right now so I feel you on cost. Part of what complicates things further for me is deciding how happy I’ll be with DDB after that upcoming update. Can’t see going full Legendary Bundle with all the books I actually use you know, Original 5e/ “Legacy” if it’s going to be part of a new site that doesn’t work quite right.
There really is nothing wrong with using the homebrew tools to recreate your print books, and the above posters make it seem like much more of a hassle/a longer process to do than it really is. You can treat it like you would the decision to pay piecemeal: add them in via the homebrew tool when you want to use it to make a specific character. There are whole books that I'm never going to buy a second time, and I'm happy to spend a little time with the homebrew generator instead.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
Personally it would be a matter of principle for me. As this product Dndbeyond is a wholly owned subsidiary of wowtc to whom I've joyfully flung $1000.00s of my dollars at over the decades I'm a bit miffed at the idea of having to repurchase books that I physically own. I mean this has been the only thing holding me back from becoming a monthy subscriber and purchasing books I don't already own. I mean wotc regularly claims to be doing for the fans, giving back and all that. What would it really cost in terms of revenue to give away a few digital books to people who can prove they own them physically I mean there's plenty of ways it could be done. I mean in the long run it would definitely curry favor with the public since the whole debacle on the terms of service. I understood that when dndbeyond was a different company from wotc as the labor that went into needed to generate profits. Now however it is the same company that has so much revenue it wouldn't phase the balance sheets to allow some kind of credit for owning physical copies of the material. I mean heck back in the days of physical game stores you could always trade in used books if they were in good condition for store credit. I guess what I'm saying is the core behind dnd at TSR got me hooked as a kid with all they did for the players in building this fantasy realm and allowing us the fun of joining in. It wasn't solely about squeezing every nickel out of the players. Third party printings within the system were acknowledged and accepted maybe even encouraged. The core of dndbeyond seems to be the players being able to share for a monthly fee . I know if there were an option to get credit for at least some of the books every gamer likely owns PHB, DMG, MM etc. My current campaign would be likely to become subscribers and purchasers of plenty of digital content going forward. Until then many may be just fine with using the tools available to the general public to enhance their tabletop experience along with their physical books and whatever other resources they may have collected over the years. I definitely tip my hat to the developers of dndbeyond as they have done a fabulous job of keeping alive the passion of dnd gamers everywhere while giving the whole world a taste of the game I grew up playing.
Sincerely,
Gen X.
I agree with you, quite a logical idea. It would be great to be able to buy the digital version of the book at a discount if you can prove you bought the print version before. Or vice versa.