A ranger in my campaign just got a Beast Companion as a Panther. I am trying to have it show up on her sheet, and I can see how to do that, but I am having trouble dealing with the proficiency bonuses. I made up a custom Panther with its own name and whatnot. Based on the UA rules it gets a couple of extra skill proficiencies, and it gets to add the ranger's proficiency bonus (+2) to the skill bonus. I was easily able to do that on the monster sheet. What it should have is +2 to acrobatics, perception, and survival, and +4 to stealth, before the proficiency, and then +4/+4/+4/+6 after. (The extra +2 to stealth comes from the Panther monster, which also has extra stealth modifier.)
However, I can't figure out how to make those bonuses "stick" in the Beast Companion section of the Ranger's sheet. When I added the pet to her sheet, DDB seems to have auto-computed the bonuses (based on stats and proficiency), and gave it to the beast on top of the ones I had done by hand on the monster sheet.
This would ordinarily be fine... I could just subtract the extra bonuses back out. However, DDB will not allow me to add a skill to the Panther that doesn't have at least +1.
So I am kind of stuck at what to do. If the skill is supposed to be DEX bonus + Prof, and the system is going to add DEX and Prof when I make it a beast companion, how do I make it be "proficient" with the skill but not give it a bonus it's not supposed to have (i.e, the extra +1 that DDB forces me to give it to give a skill proficiency)? There doesn't seem to be any way to override this in the Beast Companion part of the character sheet.
Ordinarily I might try to just live with it but this is a new player and I don't want her to get confused about what the bonuses are supposed to be. Or become upset when she thinks she has a +8 and it's really a +6 or something.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Have you tried putting the +1 in the proficiency and then putting a -1 in the “additional bonus” part? (I understand that the - on the numbad does not work, you have to use the one on the actual keyboard.)
I don't really understand why it works this way. For characters, you just check box them as proficient, and DDB automatically adds the stat + prof bonuses. Why doesn't it do this in Monsters, but instead requires me to write in what the bonus would be?
And then for beasts, it adds the proficiency separately, even though it should not be adding proficiency twice (once for the Ranger and once for the Beast) -- it should only be replacing the Ranger's prof for the beast's.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I don't really understand why it works this way. For characters, you just check box them as proficient, and DDB automatically adds the stat + prof bonuses. Why doesn't it do this in Monsters, but instead requires me to write in what the bonus would be?
And then for beasts, it adds the proficiency separately, even though it should not be adding proficiency twice (once for the Ranger and once for the Beast) -- it should only be replacing the Ranger's prof for the beast's.
I think the problem is twofold compiled into one.
In the MM (or is it the DMG?) it has a table for figuring out the CR of a homebrewed monster by calculating its “average CR.” The proficiency bonus is tied exclusively to the CR of a monster. But the features used to calculate CR are not necessarily the ones where prof bonus applies so it’s all janked up. Add to that the fact that around half the entries in the MM have stats that run directly contrary to that system.
So DDB tried to figure out a way to get all of those different polygonal pegs plus’s the square peg of that CR calculation chart to all fit into a nice neat round hole. That metaphorical hole being the monster creator. The homebrew one we use is the same one the Devs use, only they have Admin privileges and can override things we cannot.
Add to that all of the problems getting the character sheet to do, basically anything “out of the ordinary” correctly and voila.
But again, all they need to do is get rid of the "Must be +1" error check and turn it into "must be a positive or negative integer" and my problems are solved. It could be that simple.
And yeah, the CR calculation thing makes absolutely no sense if you compare what it says in the table to what they wrote for CR in MM. I've kind of thrown my hands up at it. I long for the days of NWN, where, as I recall, it auto-calculated CR of monsters when you created them. And, if I am remembering the Aurora Toolset correctly (which I might be, or might not be, as it's been years), I could swear that if you did things like added abilities to a creature like "silvered weapons to do damage to it" that altered the CR. If you gave it Plate +1 armor and equipped it, that altered CR, etc.
It remains utterly strange to me that you calculate CR based only on generalized stats like AC, HP, "damage per round," etc.
But this is a whole separate debate... what I want to know here is how do I get the companion to show the PROPER skill proficiency bonuses and the answer seems to be, "I can't." Which makes me wonder why even have the 'add companion to sheet' feature in the first place if the darn thing is gonna be inaccurate?
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
It remains utterly strange to me that you calculate CR based only on generalized stats like AC, HP, "damage per round," etc.
CR is a rough guide to damage output and time to kill, what would you prefer it be based on? If you want an estimate of how dangerous a creature is beyond that, the answer will vary wildly depending on the party fighting it.
It remains utterly strange to me that you calculate CR based only on generalized stats like AC, HP, "damage per round," etc.
CR is a rough guide to damage output and time to kill, what would you prefer it be based on? If you want an estimate of how dangerous a creature is beyond that, the answer will vary wildly depending on the party fighting it.
The issue is that CR dictates Proficiency Bonuses for shills and saves as well.
I faced the same problem for a gang of low-level BBEs I made a while ago. Eventually I gave up and made them as NPCs using the PC builder and had to run an encounter flipping tabs like a crazy person. It was... shall we say suboptimal to say the least. And when I came to these forums for help people were all like “That’s why you’re supposed to use the monster builder. Stupid.” And I was like “Hold up!” It was a thing.
In short, much like everything else, the monster builder has some... “challenges” to use.
And since no one seems to have figured out a work-around to the actual problem at hand, which is that there is no way to get the correct proficiency bonuses to show up on the Beast Companion tab for my player, I'm going to have to tell her to ignore what she sees here and go with what is in Foundry.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I know this is a pretty old thread, but it's maybe worth pointing this out. D&D Beyond's "beast companion" Extra type is set up to auto-calculate things according to the official rules, so it makes sense to me that there'd be some issues with the old UA ranger. But, you can set up the numbers exactly how you want them to be in the creature's stat block and then have your player add it as a pet, rather than as a "beast companion," and it should work fine. It won't auto-calculate the bonuses for you, you'll have to manually edit the homebrew creature's stats every time the ranger's proficiency bonus increases, but at least it'll display the right numbers on the sheet.
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Hi all.
A ranger in my campaign just got a Beast Companion as a Panther. I am trying to have it show up on her sheet, and I can see how to do that, but I am having trouble dealing with the proficiency bonuses. I made up a custom Panther with its own name and whatnot. Based on the UA rules it gets a couple of extra skill proficiencies, and it gets to add the ranger's proficiency bonus (+2) to the skill bonus. I was easily able to do that on the monster sheet. What it should have is +2 to acrobatics, perception, and survival, and +4 to stealth, before the proficiency, and then +4/+4/+4/+6 after. (The extra +2 to stealth comes from the Panther monster, which also has extra stealth modifier.)
However, I can't figure out how to make those bonuses "stick" in the Beast Companion section of the Ranger's sheet. When I added the pet to her sheet, DDB seems to have auto-computed the bonuses (based on stats and proficiency), and gave it to the beast on top of the ones I had done by hand on the monster sheet.
This would ordinarily be fine... I could just subtract the extra bonuses back out. However, DDB will not allow me to add a skill to the Panther that doesn't have at least +1.
So I am kind of stuck at what to do. If the skill is supposed to be DEX bonus + Prof, and the system is going to add DEX and Prof when I make it a beast companion, how do I make it be "proficient" with the skill but not give it a bonus it's not supposed to have (i.e, the extra +1 that DDB forces me to give it to give a skill proficiency)? There doesn't seem to be any way to override this in the Beast Companion part of the character sheet.
Ordinarily I might try to just live with it but this is a new player and I don't want her to get confused about what the bonuses are supposed to be. Or become upset when she thinks she has a +8 and it's really a +6 or something.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Have you tried putting the +1 in the proficiency and then putting a -1 in the “additional bonus” part? (I understand that the - on the numbad does not work, you have to use the one on the actual keyboard.)
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Nope, both bonuses "must be at least one."
Shame that it is so convoluted here. In Foundry I was able to get it to just work.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
You Preacher. Me Quire. Ugh ugh.
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I don't really understand why it works this way. For characters, you just check box them as proficient, and DDB automatically adds the stat + prof bonuses. Why doesn't it do this in Monsters, but instead requires me to write in what the bonus would be?
And then for beasts, it adds the proficiency separately, even though it should not be adding proficiency twice (once for the Ranger and once for the Beast) -- it should only be replacing the Ranger's prof for the beast's.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I think the problem is twofold compiled into one.
In the MM (or is it the DMG?) it has a table for figuring out the CR of a homebrewed monster by calculating its “average CR.” The proficiency bonus is tied exclusively to the CR of a monster. But the features used to calculate CR are not necessarily the ones where prof bonus applies so it’s all janked up. Add to that the fact that around half the entries in the MM have stats that run directly contrary to that system.
So DDB tried to figure out a way to get all of those different polygonal pegs plus’s the square peg of that CR calculation chart to all fit into a nice neat round hole. That metaphorical hole being the monster creator. The homebrew one we use is the same one the Devs use, only they have Admin privileges and can override things we cannot.
Add to that all of the problems getting the character sheet to do, basically anything “out of the ordinary” correctly and voila.
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But again, all they need to do is get rid of the "Must be +1" error check and turn it into "must be a positive or negative integer" and my problems are solved. It could be that simple.
And yeah, the CR calculation thing makes absolutely no sense if you compare what it says in the table to what they wrote for CR in MM. I've kind of thrown my hands up at it. I long for the days of NWN, where, as I recall, it auto-calculated CR of monsters when you created them. And, if I am remembering the Aurora Toolset correctly (which I might be, or might not be, as it's been years), I could swear that if you did things like added abilities to a creature like "silvered weapons to do damage to it" that altered the CR. If you gave it Plate +1 armor and equipped it, that altered CR, etc.
It remains utterly strange to me that you calculate CR based only on generalized stats like AC, HP, "damage per round," etc.
But this is a whole separate debate... what I want to know here is how do I get the companion to show the PROPER skill proficiency bonuses and the answer seems to be, "I can't." Which makes me wonder why even have the 'add companion to sheet' feature in the first place if the darn thing is gonna be inaccurate?
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
🤷♂️
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CR is a rough guide to damage output and time to kill, what would you prefer it be based on? If you want an estimate of how dangerous a creature is beyond that, the answer will vary wildly depending on the party fighting it.
The issue is that CR dictates Proficiency Bonuses for shills and saves as well.
I faced the same problem for a gang of low-level BBEs I made a while ago. Eventually I gave up and made them as NPCs using the PC builder and had to run an encounter flipping tabs like a crazy person. It was... shall we say suboptimal to say the least. And when I came to these forums for help people were all like “That’s why you’re supposed to use the monster builder. Stupid.” And I was like “Hold up!” It was a thing.
In short, much like everything else, the monster builder has some... “challenges” to use.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
And since no one seems to have figured out a work-around to the actual problem at hand, which is that there is no way to get the correct proficiency bonuses to show up on the Beast Companion tab for my player, I'm going to have to tell her to ignore what she sees here and go with what is in Foundry.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Same issue
Yes it still persists as far as I know.
I have switched to having the official stats for the animal in World Anvil and in Foundry. The player has no problem with using those so... meh.
Shame DDB doesn't let you fine-tune this stuff though.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I know this is a pretty old thread, but it's maybe worth pointing this out. D&D Beyond's "beast companion" Extra type is set up to auto-calculate things according to the official rules, so it makes sense to me that there'd be some issues with the old UA ranger. But, you can set up the numbers exactly how you want them to be in the creature's stat block and then have your player add it as a pet, rather than as a "beast companion," and it should work fine. It won't auto-calculate the bonuses for you, you'll have to manually edit the homebrew creature's stats every time the ranger's proficiency bonus increases, but at least it'll display the right numbers on the sheet.