So i am just getting into using D&D Beyond and i discovered something that worries me. I discovered (through testing) that players can freely edit their character sheets without the DM knowing. Is there a setting to change this so that i get a message that Player A just added 50 PP or Player B just added 100 xp? Or maybe a setting that makes it so that the DM has to approve all sheet changes before they take effect?
firstly, there are all sorts of changes that can and should be made routinely, e.g. hit dice usage, spell prep changes at long rests, new equipment, etc.
I wouldn't get hung up on this. Be familiar with the characters and what levels they have. It's difficult to make game-breaking changes without anyone noticing.
Not something I'd typically be very concerned about, but if you want you can always collect reference PDFs.
The creator of a character can export to PDF by selecting the character name, then picking Export Sheet from the resulting dropdown.
edit: Just tested and confirmed that if the character is in your campaign, you can export the character to PDF yourself. So if you really want, you can take a reference copy of each character after the session.
Players control their own character sheets at this time, yes. You may want to create and control all character sheets yourself if there are problems with the current implementation.
For the most part, majority of the current campaigns do not seem to have issue with mischievous players altering their character sheets between sessions. I might suggest new players. ; )
Ultimately, if you can't trust your players not to edit their stats and abilities, you have a larger problem.
But - as DerficusRex pointed out - you can take a DM's copy of the sheet via PDF export.
Personally, I have a "party character sheet" which is a condensed spreadsheet with all the party stats, ability score modifiers, attacks, and quick notes about their class abilities, all in one quick-reference sheet, so even if a Player modified their sheet, it wouldn't show up on my copy, and I'd start to notice discrepancies with checks and rolls.
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DM can change any character sheet in the campaign, I also thought there was an edit history you could look at. But really its hard to change things, you are going to know where they are stat wise so if all of a sudden their modifiers are different you'll notice.
Like I always say, if someone needs to cheat at DnD they have bigger, way more serious issues.
Meldroth, I am glad you feel that way. However there are those that dont. Whether in self interest leading to refusal to accept bad outcomes players may 'fudge' die rolls and more. At the other end of the scale those who have invested in their character for years may find it hard to let go.
My advice for Devin is that if you believe your players are living on credit, in terms of cash or hitpoints, that you begin to keep a note of damage done and coin spent. Dont act on suspicions as fact. Trust, but verify. If you do discover Hitpoint discrepancies then slowly increasing damage done against the target until the character falls may be better than exposing it at the table and derailing a session - after the fact speak to the player in person, and alone instead of calling them out may be better than what may be taken as a public humiliation. Every situation is different and you hopefully know your group better than we :) so make your own assessment of how to minimise friction. I hope you have fun and all of this is ultimately irrelevant because your fear is misplaced!
best way to prevent cheating... don't play with cheaters, works every time!
but seriously, there needs to be a certain trust that the players will not spoil their own fun. I dare say it's a DMs role to interpret rules and guide players through a story using those rules not to monitor the players money and equipment. if you don't trust your players... I don't think anyone is gonna have fun
A simple text audit log with date/time stamps for changes to character sheets in a campaign would be nice for routine or occasional audit. It would also be useful to review for general session notes.
A DM suspecting that players makes cinapropriate changes to their character sheets can always make screen shot them periodically and mark them down before asking about them.
Honestly, I would love to just periodically grab snapshots in a CSV or script/macro friendly format, ideally in an automated fashion. Then I could automate simple differential analysis and trigger red flag warnings with ease. Maybe there is already a simple method and I have not read far or deep enough to find it. It is generally a simple development task to dump a set of variables to an output matrix like CSV/JSON/XML/TXT. If it does not exist, then it likely does not exist by design.
I don't think seeking efficient methods for character sheet evaluation and analysis is an unrealistic ask, given all the tasks already overburdened gm's balance when running sessions.
Sure, I can grab all this is a spreadsheet and update as I go. Sure, I can grab a screenshot or download the pdf's, but that entails juggling open tabs, and manual interaction at a point in time when my attention should be on the table. How long does it take to audit each character sheet manually and can this be achieved in real time without drawing the gm's attention from the table and players. For me, the explosion of player options in terms of classes, backgrounds, and special abilities is a lot to keep track of.
Did the bard recover spell slots on a short rest?
What about the Paladin?
Should they recover spell slots on a short rest?
Do they have some archaic ability that bypasses general class features for short rests?
Should I stop game play and look it up?
It would be VERY NICE to have a method, either via logs or character sheets in CSV/JSON/XML/TXT formats that can be easily addressed via scripting or macros. I am not asking for them to develop a GM Journal tracking all the varied details, just a simple way to extract for post-game or maybe even real time automated audit and analysis.
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Hello All,
So i am just getting into using D&D Beyond and i discovered something that worries me. I discovered (through testing) that players can freely edit their character sheets without the DM knowing. Is there a setting to change this so that i get a message that Player A just added 50 PP or Player B just added 100 xp? Or maybe a setting that makes it so that the DM has to approve all sheet changes before they take effect?
firstly, there are all sorts of changes that can and should be made routinely, e.g. hit dice usage, spell prep changes at long rests, new equipment, etc.
I wouldn't get hung up on this. Be familiar with the characters and what levels they have. It's difficult to make game-breaking changes without anyone noticing.
Not something I'd typically be very concerned about, but if you want you can always collect reference PDFs.
The creator of a character can export to PDF by selecting the character name, then picking Export Sheet from the resulting dropdown.
edit: Just tested and confirmed that if the character is in your campaign, you can export the character to PDF yourself. So if you really want, you can take a reference copy of each character after the session.
Players control their own character sheets at this time, yes. You may want to create and control all character sheets yourself if there are problems with the current implementation.
For the most part, majority of the current campaigns do not seem to have issue with mischievous players altering their character sheets between sessions. I might suggest new players. ; )
Ultimately, if you can't trust your players not to edit their stats and abilities, you have a larger problem.
But - as DerficusRex pointed out - you can take a DM's copy of the sheet via PDF export.
Personally, I have a "party character sheet" which is a condensed spreadsheet with all the party stats, ability score modifiers, attacks, and quick notes about their class abilities, all in one quick-reference sheet, so even if a Player modified their sheet, it wouldn't show up on my copy, and I'd start to notice discrepancies with checks and rolls.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
This. Cheating at DnD is the lowest. And pointless.
The only one who gets to "cheat" is the DM.
Blood Frenzy. The quipper has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
DM can change any character sheet in the campaign, I also thought there was an edit history you could look at. But really its hard to change things, you are going to know where they are stat wise so if all of a sudden their modifiers are different you'll notice.
Like I always say, if someone needs to cheat at DnD they have bigger, way more serious issues.
Meldroth, I am glad you feel that way. However there are those that dont. Whether in self interest leading to refusal to accept bad outcomes players may 'fudge' die rolls and more. At the other end of the scale those who have invested in their character for years may find it hard to let go.
My advice for Devin is that if you believe your players are living on credit, in terms of cash or hitpoints, that you begin to keep a note of damage done and coin spent. Dont act on suspicions as fact. Trust, but verify. If you do discover Hitpoint discrepancies then slowly increasing damage done against the target until the character falls may be better than exposing it at the table and derailing a session - after the fact speak to the player in person, and alone instead of calling them out may be better than what may be taken as a public humiliation. Every situation is different and you hopefully know your group better than we :) so make your own assessment of how to minimise friction. I hope you have fun and all of this is ultimately irrelevant because your fear is misplaced!
best way to prevent cheating... don't play with cheaters, works every time!
but seriously, there needs to be a certain trust that the players will not spoil their own fun. I dare say it's a DMs role to interpret rules and guide players through a story using those rules not to monitor the players money and equipment. if you don't trust your players... I don't think anyone is gonna have fun
Jesus Saves!... Everyone else takes damage.
Give them a friendly reminder that such shenanigans is considered cheating.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
A simple text audit log with date/time stamps for changes to character sheets in a campaign would be nice for routine or occasional audit. It would also be useful to review for general session notes.
A DM suspecting that players makes cinapropriate changes to their character sheets can always make screen shot them periodically and mark them down before asking about them.
Honestly, I would love to just periodically grab snapshots in a CSV or script/macro friendly format, ideally in an automated fashion. Then I could automate simple differential analysis and trigger red flag warnings with ease. Maybe there is already a simple method and I have not read far or deep enough to find it. It is generally a simple development task to dump a set of variables to an output matrix like CSV/JSON/XML/TXT. If it does not exist, then it likely does not exist by design.
I don't think seeking efficient methods for character sheet evaluation and analysis is an unrealistic ask, given all the tasks already overburdened gm's balance when running sessions.
Sure, I can grab all this is a spreadsheet and update as I go. Sure, I can grab a screenshot or download the pdf's, but that entails juggling open tabs, and manual interaction at a point in time when my attention should be on the table. How long does it take to audit each character sheet manually and can this be achieved in real time without drawing the gm's attention from the table and players. For me, the explosion of player options in terms of classes, backgrounds, and special abilities is a lot to keep track of.
Did the bard recover spell slots on a short rest?
What about the Paladin?
Should they recover spell slots on a short rest?
Do they have some archaic ability that bypasses general class features for short rests?
Should I stop game play and look it up?
It would be VERY NICE to have a method, either via logs or character sheets in CSV/JSON/XML/TXT formats that can be easily addressed via scripting or macros. I am not asking for them to develop a GM Journal tracking all the varied details, just a simple way to extract for post-game or maybe even real time automated audit and analysis.