If you go to the home brew creations and select create a monster (I know your NPC is probably not a monster but use create a monster anyway). I suggest using an existing creature as a basis, like commoner, and then adjusting the information but if you want you can build the stat block from scratch. Then if your NPC is specific to a player character in your campaign, like a companion or sidekick or something, make sure their character sheet has homebrew checked and then add it to their Extras. Then when you are in Maps you can find it In the Token Browser under the Companions tab.
If it's just a random person, they will be searchable in the token list and you can add them to the map like you would any other creature. Once you do that select their token then click the little plus symbol in a box at the far left of the little tool tip pop up and that will add them to the encounter. Then you can select them there and when you do there's another tool tip pop-up that comes up. One of the little options is a little face. The default one is enemy it's like a little pink angry looking face with pointy ears or horns. Honestly it looks like a little pig to me but that's just cause I'm weird I'm sure. Anyway if you select that one the little tool tip pop up switches to show that face and then two other faces. One of them is a green smiley face which will make this creature a part of the party and the other one is a white neutral face that makes the creature just an NPC.
So those are your options. Enemy, party member, or NPC, if you don't have them as a companion on someone's character sheet.
Thank you @amanda42882! I had been making new characters for each NPC and I did not like having to clutter my character page with them. This is so much better.
Thank you @amanda42882! I had been making new characters for each NPC and I did not like having to clutter my character page with them. This is so much better.
do you have a subscription to run games as a DM? if thats handled, then add them to the campaign the same way you add PCs; build them from inside the campaign page, or use the invite link to add existing ones.
You can also park characters there by unassigning them once they are in the campaign roster.
Is this still the only way? We have to create custom tokens and monsters to use published NPC's? is this on a list to get fixed? If it is already, please share how. I keep want to switch to Maps VTT, but that will add a lot of extra work as a DM
Dndbeyond does have a mechanic for this. It's called Homebrew.
For me I create Monsters, or just use existing Monsters for NPCs. There are so many Homebrew monsters I can usually find an existing one that suits my needs. https://speedtest.vet/
It would actually be pretty great if the Maps VTT team added a "Custom Token" where you can either pick from uploaded images, or upload an image on the spot.
The token would be placed, added to the combat order, and be visible in the turn tracker.
In my in-person home games, I often can't be bothered going through the effort of filling in the complex Homebrew Monster pages (with their annoying "Rolled a 1" errors) and so I just place Commoners and rename them, just to have an indicator in the queue, then play off a paper copy. I like using the VTT tracker for fully configured monsters, and it's slightly better than the Encounter Builder (in some ways, worse in others), even in person, but it would be nice to just have throw in stuff.
Is this still the only way? We have to create custom tokens and monsters to use published NPC's? is this on a list to get fixed? If it is already, please share how. I keep want to switch to Maps VTT, but that will add a lot of extra work as a DM
Published NPCs that you have access to will have their own tokens in the VTT. For example Pral from Heroes of the Borderlands.
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Just starting with the site, and I can't seem to figure out how to add my NPC characters to the campaign or encounters. Any help appreciated.
If you go to the home brew creations and select create a monster (I know your NPC is probably not a monster but use create a monster anyway). I suggest using an existing creature as a basis, like commoner, and then adjusting the information but if you want you can build the stat block from scratch. Then if your NPC is specific to a player character in your campaign, like a companion or sidekick or something, make sure their character sheet has homebrew checked and then add it to their Extras. Then when you are in Maps you can find it In the Token Browser under the Companions tab.
If it's just a random person, they will be searchable in the token list and you can add them to the map like you would any other creature. Once you do that select their token then click the little plus symbol in a box at the far left of the little tool tip pop up and that will add them to the encounter. Then you can select them there and when you do there's another tool tip pop-up that comes up. One of the little options is a little face. The default one is enemy it's like a little pink angry looking face with pointy ears or horns. Honestly it looks like a little pig to me but that's just cause I'm weird I'm sure. Anyway if you select that one the little tool tip pop up switches to show that face and then two other faces. One of them is a green smiley face which will make this creature a part of the party and the other one is a white neutral face that makes the creature just an NPC.
So those are your options. Enemy, party member, or NPC, if you don't have them as a companion on someone's character sheet.
Hope this helps!
Thank you @amanda42882! I had been making new characters for each NPC and I did not like having to clutter my character page with them. This is so much better.
do you have a subscription to run games as a DM? if thats handled, then add them to the campaign the same way you add PCs; build them from inside the campaign page, or use the invite link to add existing ones.
You can also park characters there by unassigning them once they are in the campaign roster.
Is this still the only way? We have to create custom tokens and monsters to use published NPC's? is this on a list to get fixed? If it is already, please share how. I keep want to switch to Maps VTT, but that will add a lot of extra work as a DM
Dndbeyond does have a mechanic for this. It's called Homebrew.
For me I create Monsters, or just use existing Monsters for NPCs. There are so many Homebrew monsters I can usually find an existing one that suits my needs. https://speedtest.vet/
It would actually be pretty great if the Maps VTT team added a "Custom Token" where you can either pick from uploaded images, or upload an image on the spot.
The token would be placed, added to the combat order, and be visible in the turn tracker.
In my in-person home games, I often can't be bothered going through the effort of filling in the complex Homebrew Monster pages (with their annoying "Rolled a 1" errors) and so I just place Commoners and rename them, just to have an indicator in the queue, then play off a paper copy. I like using the VTT tracker for fully configured monsters, and it's slightly better than the Encounter Builder (in some ways, worse in others), even in person, but it would be nice to just have throw in stuff.
Published NPCs that you have access to will have their own tokens in the VTT. For example Pral from Heroes of the Borderlands.