I took a hiatus from D&D after our 4th edition campaign ended. I am considering getting back into it again and trying out 5th. I have the 3 core books. My question is that aside from the character creator and digital access to the book content what am I getting with D&D Beyond? Did they ever implement any campaign management tools? Why would someone buy the Monster Manual other than just the digital access to the book? Can you build encounters?
People buy it to have it easily accessible online, rather than having to carry the books and such. To answer your question, there's no REAL reason to go with D&D Beyond over the books other than ease of use and the character page, like you said.
As others have indicated, it may be that you don't need what DDB offers.
I can say that I've found it very helpful, both as a player and as a DM. I'm running a published Adventure, and own it here. I love the links to monsters, spells, conditions, etc. I keep monsters up in various tabs on my tablet when running combat, which I find better than flipping between pages. I also use the (very primitive) campaign notes to prep my sessions, setting up links for what I will need access to.
There is not an encounter builder yet. It is on the roadmap, but it will be a while. There are some Chrome extensions that add encounter builder capabilities, but only on actual computers, not on mobile devices.
There is a potential cost benefit, but not if you already own the books. Searchable referee, if that matters to you. Apart from that, it really depends if you prefer digital or pen and paper.
Just hauling the 3 books you mention around was enough for me. I was hauling my computer bag to the games because I'm usually on call. Nice to have everything on my laptop/iPad/iPhone. Did I have to buy it, no. Am I glad I bought into it, yes every game.
There is a very long thread titled D&D Beyond vs Physical Books somewhere that discusses this. For me DND Beyond is easily worth it. I DM with a laptop and a computer open to the module. I project the player map of the dungeon down onto a table where the players have their miniatures. DnD Beyond provides those maps and having the module open on the computer in multiple windows allows me to easily access monsters, spells, items, the dungeon, etc. It saves so much time and is much more immersive for the players. My only critique is the maps for the last 2 modules are...not good for how I'm using them. I'm hoping though that they'll switch back to a professional map for dungeons in the future.
Is it needed? no. Is it useful? yes. To your group? that I can't answer :)
Personally if you want a guide whether to buy or not, check the links in ArwensDaughter signature (they have posted above). That is way more to the point than the "D&D Beyond vs Physical Books" thread, which has a tendency to diverge in discussion and be less specific as to how it is useful.
My Opinion: D&D Beyond is less useful if you have a chunk of house rules, make your own adventures or generally customise all enemies/monsters. Though you can add (or recreate from the books) your own backgrounds, races, sub-classes, feats, monsters and spells.
It seems much better for cheaper reference material and/or using D&D specific adventures/campaigns or other general stuff.
Curious... if I got the Player Manual here, with all the trimmings (options, etc) the complete book in otherwords. What am I loosing over the published book?
I ask since some of the material is free to begin with. I might be in location where wifi and cell signal is poor or not even an option. I want to know from experienced users of the digital version what limits I have, losses I might have etc.
As for your first question, the only thing you are losing by going with DnD Beyond over physical books is the feeling of a book in your hand. Every word, chart and piece of art in the book is included when you buy the digital version.
If you download the app, you can load the books you have published into it and reference them offline at any time. So if you are ever in a location that has no wifi or cell service, you can still search and read those books. As a person who has purchased most of the DnD content published by wizards both as physical books and as digital files here, I can say that they fulfill different needs for me.
Another thing is you can download the free part of the rules on the app to first check out if it is what you require. Obviously that wont have all the info of the players handbook but will give a good idea of what to expect if you do buy other books.
A point of note is it is the D&D beyond books are updated with the current errata as well if I recall.
As for your first question, the only thing you are losing by going with DnD Beyond over physical books is the feeling of a book in your hand. Every word, chart and piece of art in the book is included when you buy the digital version.
If you download the app, you can load the books you have published into it and reference them offline at any time. So if you are ever in a location that has no wifi or cell service, you can still search and read those books. As a person who has purchased most of the DnD content published by wizards both as physical books and as digital files here, I can say that they fulfill different needs for me.
Thanks, I was confused as it stated part of it was free (I assumed from D&D Beyond) and required the internet to use and the other part (the paid part) wasn't. So now what i would loose would be the Character creator and other specialized tools that they provide. Which is perfectly acceptable. However, I am really digging that character creator... :D
Another thing is you can download the free part of the rules on the app to first check out if it is what you require. Obviously that wont have all the info of the players handbook but will give a good idea of what to expect if you do buy other books.
A point of note is it is the D&D beyond books are updated with the current errata as well if I recall.
Yes, I will miss out on the new book smell.. however, I am not a very big book person.
The sentimental options are another nice touch. I might only need some info from alternate books (other than the base Player's Handbook / Monsters Manual) from time to time. At least to start.
If it is updated with the current info, that is another plus as well. :D It is all good if not.
Part of it is free, the SRD, but there are a few things in the PHB and everything from subsequent books that arent part of the free version.
The character creator is so nice, but it can also be mitigated by pre-building characters and printing them if you know you will be without internet.
There is also a weird fear from a section of the gaming community that curse/dndbeyond will fail and all the info you have leased there will just disappear and go away. Which is a valid opinion, but NOT supporting a thing because it may fail is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Not to mention if DnDBeyond fails in 3 years, thats going to be a couple hundred game sessions for me that I didnt have to manually deal with. YMMV of course!
Failure of the site is one concern... but a minor one for me at least as far as I am concerned. It has been up for some time as far as I can tell, used by many D&D people and are very active in development (again, as far as I can tell) which tells me it should last and the only thing that could harm it.. would be if they started doing something crazy etc.
Two more questions.. SRD, and PHB ? Not sure of the abbreviations. (yes I am new to this... lol returning from not doing anything for several versions... perhaps as far back as v2 maybe v3.. late 80's. So a bit out of the times... ;) )
I've downloaded the app for D&D Beyond and I have to say it is quite good. Drops me right on the page with the source books with a nice tool bar for the bottom (I0S device... older iPhone to be exact) Even though my screen is smaller than most newer phones (or should I say phablet lol) It shows up quite good. The free versions are clear to see and download right away and those that you buy are clear and easy to see. The tool bar is able to be altered with the three dots ... at the far right.. gives you all the other stuff you might want. Books marks are there (haven't used it yet) for your favorite things... So far very well setup. The site is clean and easy to operate. Info at your hand once you get used to it (a few things I might perfer changed but that is more preference than a hindrance)
I've posted the above for anyone new (like I am... was :D ) so they can get a first hand experience from someone just starting. (don't even have any of the new modern books or info) I'd say D&D Beyond is something I'd strongly advise fully exploring (including the app from iOS and Android) before discounting. Extremely useful so far for me even if I had the books as far as I can see. Plus, a good place with good people / members that have responded quite rapidly and kindly to my fumbling questions and comments. Double plus they are Roll Playing enthusiast like I (you, directed at anyone new here considering this site) are.
TL;DR Explore the site fully and evaluate what D&D Beyond has to offer or you might find you regret it later.
I took a hiatus from D&D after our 4th edition campaign ended. I am considering getting back into it again and trying out 5th. I have the 3 core books. My question is that aside from the character creator and digital access to the book content what am I getting with D&D Beyond? Did they ever implement any campaign management tools? Why would someone buy the Monster Manual other than just the digital access to the book? Can you build encounters?
People buy it to have it easily accessible online, rather than having to carry the books and such. To answer your question, there's no REAL reason to go with D&D Beyond over the books other than ease of use and the character page, like you said.
Because you want it. And if you don't, then there's no reason to get it.
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
As others have indicated, it may be that you don't need what DDB offers.
I can say that I've found it very helpful, both as a player and as a DM. I'm running a published Adventure, and own it here. I love the links to monsters, spells, conditions, etc. I keep monsters up in various tabs on my tablet when running combat, which I find better than flipping between pages. I also use the (very primitive) campaign notes to prep my sessions, setting up links for what I will need access to.
There is not an encounter builder yet. It is on the roadmap, but it will be a while. There are some Chrome extensions that add encounter builder capabilities, but only on actual computers, not on mobile devices.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
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There is a potential cost benefit, but not if you already own the books. Searchable referee, if that matters to you. Apart from that, it really depends if you prefer digital or pen and paper.
Just hauling the 3 books you mention around was enough for me. I was hauling my computer bag to the games because I'm usually on call. Nice to have everything on my laptop/iPad/iPhone. Did I have to buy it, no. Am I glad I bought into it, yes every game.
Thanks everyone for the great feedback.
There is a very long thread titled D&D Beyond vs Physical Books somewhere that discusses this. For me DND Beyond is easily worth it. I DM with a laptop and a computer open to the module. I project the player map of the dungeon down onto a table where the players have their miniatures. DnD Beyond provides those maps and having the module open on the computer in multiple windows allows me to easily access monsters, spells, items, the dungeon, etc. It saves so much time and is much more immersive for the players. My only critique is the maps for the last 2 modules are...not good for how I'm using them. I'm hoping though that they'll switch back to a professional map for dungeons in the future.
Convenience. But some people like the heft of the books and the feeling of filling out an actual character sheet.
"The Epic Level Handbook wasn't that bad, guys.
Guys, pls."
Is it needed? no.
Is it useful? yes.
To your group? that I can't answer :)
Personally if you want a guide whether to buy or not, check the links in ArwensDaughter signature (they have posted above). That is way more to the point than the "D&D Beyond vs Physical Books" thread, which has a tendency to diverge in discussion and be less specific as to how it is useful.
My Opinion:
D&D Beyond is less useful if you have a chunk of house rules, make your own adventures or generally customise all enemies/monsters. Though you can add (or recreate from the books) your own backgrounds, races, sub-classes, feats, monsters and spells.
It seems much better for cheaper reference material and/or using D&D specific adventures/campaigns or other general stuff.
- Loswaith
Curious... if I got the Player Manual here, with all the trimmings (options, etc) the complete book in otherwords. What am I loosing over the published book?
I ask since some of the material is free to begin with. I might be in location where wifi and cell signal is poor or not even an option. I want to know from experienced users of the digital version what limits I have, losses I might have etc.
As for your first question, the only thing you are losing by going with DnD Beyond over physical books is the feeling of a book in your hand. Every word, chart and piece of art in the book is included when you buy the digital version.
If you download the app, you can load the books you have published into it and reference them offline at any time. So if you are ever in a location that has no wifi or cell service, you can still search and read those books. As a person who has purchased most of the DnD content published by wizards both as physical books and as digital files here, I can say that they fulfill different needs for me.
You miss out on that (new) book smell too :)
Another thing is you can download the free part of the rules on the app to first check out if it is what you require. Obviously that wont have all the info of the players handbook but will give a good idea of what to expect if you do buy other books.
A point of note is it is the D&D beyond books are updated with the current errata as well if I recall.
- Loswaith
Thanks, I was confused as it stated part of it was free (I assumed from D&D Beyond) and required the internet to use and the other part (the paid part) wasn't. So now what i would loose would be the Character creator and other specialized tools that they provide. Which is perfectly acceptable. However, I am really digging that character creator... :D
Yes, I will miss out on the new book smell.. however, I am not a very big book person.
The sentimental options are another nice touch. I might only need some info from alternate books (other than the base Player's Handbook / Monsters Manual) from time to time. At least to start.
If it is updated with the current info, that is another plus as well. :D It is all good if not.
Part of it is free, the SRD, but there are a few things in the PHB and everything from subsequent books that arent part of the free version.
The character creator is so nice, but it can also be mitigated by pre-building characters and printing them if you know you will be without internet.
There is also a weird fear from a section of the gaming community that curse/dndbeyond will fail and all the info you have leased there will just disappear and go away. Which is a valid opinion, but NOT supporting a thing because it may fail is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Not to mention if DnDBeyond fails in 3 years, thats going to be a couple hundred game sessions for me that I didnt have to manually deal with. YMMV of course!
Failure of the site is one concern... but a minor one for me at least as far as I am concerned. It has been up for some time as far as I can tell, used by many D&D people and are very active in development (again, as far as I can tell) which tells me it should last and the only thing that could harm it.. would be if they started doing something crazy etc.
Two more questions.. SRD, and PHB ? Not sure of the abbreviations. (yes I am new to this... lol returning from not doing anything for several versions... perhaps as far back as v2 maybe v3.. late 80's. So a bit out of the times... ;) )
SRD means System Reference Document. It's essentially referring to the Basic Rules which are free.
PHB is the Player's Handbook, which includes the Basic Rules expanded but with extensive additional content.
I've downloaded the app for D&D Beyond and I have to say it is quite good. Drops me right on the page with the source books with a nice tool bar for the bottom (I0S device... older iPhone to be exact) Even though my screen is smaller than most newer phones (or should I say phablet lol) It shows up quite good. The free versions are clear to see and download right away and those that you buy are clear and easy to see. The tool bar is able to be altered with the three dots ... at the far right.. gives you all the other stuff you might want. Books marks are there (haven't used it yet) for your favorite things... So far very well setup. The site is clean and easy to operate. Info at your hand once you get used to it (a few things I might perfer changed but that is more preference than a hindrance)
I've posted the above for anyone new (like I am... was :D ) so they can get a first hand experience from someone just starting. (don't even have any of the new modern books or info) I'd say D&D Beyond is something I'd strongly advise fully exploring (including the app from iOS and Android) before discounting. Extremely useful so far for me even if I had the books as far as I can see. Plus, a good place with good people / members that have responded quite rapidly and kindly to my fumbling questions and comments. Double plus they are Roll Playing enthusiast like I (you, directed at anyone new here considering this site) are.
TL;DR Explore the site fully and evaluate what D&D Beyond has to offer or you might find you regret it later.
For me, because they just dropped more errata and my books will automatically include all this info.