So when you roll initiative in the Combat Tracker and it ports it into the VTT (Roll20), it loads the init values into the initiative tracker on Roll20.
This shows all the players in my game the names of every monster in the encounter, including the ones that haven't been introduced to the board yet, and the ones whose identities I haven't revealed. So in many encounters I'll have them roll initiative, load the tracker and someone will go "Ohhhh, Gladiator eh??" This blows!
So, I've taken to homebrewing every creature with a custom name when possible, so they see the name of the creature as I describe them at the outset of combat, but if I don't own the sourcebook for the creature, I can't homebrew it unless I rebuild it from scratch and that's too damn time consuming.
Is there a way to rename creatures before they load into the Roll20 tracker? How do I avoid these spoilers?
The tokens I have on the VTT have no properties set at all. They're just labelled A, B, C. I stopped adding creatures and linking the tokens to them in roll20 when I began using the encounter and combat tools in DDB.
The Roll20 initiative tracker is populated from the directly from the DDB combat tracker, without regard to the tokens on the VTT.
In any case, do you think you could help me understand how I might configure it so that it doesn't show it to them?
Since Beyond20 just pulls from available data fields and converts into Roll20 it would probably need to have the feature in DDB, then they'll figure a way to transfer it, but you could always post to the Beyond20 thread and ask there to see if they can do something with how it currently stands.
Edit-Sorry Beetroot, just realized you had already posted to that thread previously
Not sure if I'm answering the right thing, but when I do it it shows as ??? If I have the token on the GM level. It is only when the token is moved to the token level that it comes through with the name.
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All posts come with the caveat that I don't know what I'm talking about.
Oh really? I'm pretty sure in my last encounter (the reason I decided to post this) is that I had some guys on the GM layer that were going arrive after the combat started, and when I rolled initiative for the monsters my players said "Oooh, Gladiator eh?" and I was like /swear!
Maybe if I don't auto-roll initiative for the monsters, but roll them individually they won't appear in the tracker until I punch them in. That seems sensible.
Yeah when I had monsters created in roll20 they work great. You are anonymous and show up as ??? until they're revealed via line of sight to the players (I think anyway). Or at least, there's some pretty cool programming in Roll20 that keeps them hidden until the right moment.
DDB doesn't do this, and since there isn't an ability to add monsters into a combat after it's started, we don't have any way to do do this at all. I'm kind of surprised that the encounter tool is in beta without a second-wave feature included. I certainly hope that the combat tracker fills these holes before it leaves the Alpha.
Since there's no answer for this here, I'll keep posting on the features request forum and let you guys know if I figure a work-around for this in tonight's session.
I've been opening an incongito window on my computer and accessing the Encounter Builder from DnDBeyond there. Then, I can run the encounter and track initiative without it pushing to Roll20 at all. It means the party can't see where they are in initiative (so I say "it's x's turn and y is on deck") but it's better than spoiling the whole fight by revealing the name and number of all the opponents!
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Hey guys,
So when you roll initiative in the Combat Tracker and it ports it into the VTT (Roll20), it loads the init values into the initiative tracker on Roll20.
This shows all the players in my game the names of every monster in the encounter, including the ones that haven't been introduced to the board yet, and the ones whose identities I haven't revealed. So in many encounters I'll have them roll initiative, load the tracker and someone will go "Ohhhh, Gladiator eh??" This blows!
So, I've taken to homebrewing every creature with a custom name when possible, so they see the name of the creature as I describe them at the outset of combat, but if I don't own the sourcebook for the creature, I can't homebrew it unless I rebuild it from scratch and that's too damn time consuming.
Is there a way to rename creatures before they load into the Roll20 tracker? How do I avoid these spoilers?
Thanks! :)
They don't necessarily actually show to PCs; it depends on how you have the token set up.
The tokens I have on the VTT have no properties set at all. They're just labelled A, B, C. I stopped adding creatures and linking the tokens to them in roll20 when I began using the encounter and combat tools in DDB.
The Roll20 initiative tracker is populated from the directly from the DDB combat tracker, without regard to the tokens on the VTT.
In any case, do you think you could help me understand how I might configure it so that it doesn't show it to them?
Oh, if you're doing it from DDB I don't have any idea, that would be a DDB configuration.
No way to do it right now. There's been requests to add in a feature that allows for it in this thread: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/d-d-beyond-feedback/combat-tracker-feedback/69411-adding-creatures-during-combat
Since Beyond20 just pulls from available data fields and converts into Roll20 it would probably need to have the feature in DDB, then they'll figure a way to transfer it, but you could always post to the Beyond20 thread and ask there to see if they can do something with how it currently stands.
Edit-Sorry Beetroot, just realized you had already posted to that thread previously
Not sure if I'm answering the right thing, but when I do it it shows as ??? If I have the token on the GM level. It is only when the token is moved to the token level that it comes through with the name.
All posts come with the caveat that I don't know what I'm talking about.
Oh really? I'm pretty sure in my last encounter (the reason I decided to post this) is that I had some guys on the GM layer that were going arrive after the combat started, and when I rolled initiative for the monsters my players said "Oooh, Gladiator eh?" and I was like /swear!
Maybe if I don't auto-roll initiative for the monsters, but roll them individually they won't appear in the tracker until I punch them in. That seems sensible.
I'm an idiot, I didn't read the question properly.
Mine the rolls to Roll20 from DnDBeyond are via the plugin Beyond20 nothing to do with the combat tracker.
I can't even get the combat tracker to send anything to Roll20 :S
All posts come with the caveat that I don't know what I'm talking about.
Yeah, you can do anonymous if you're tracking monsters from the roll20 character sheets, but that's not helpful if using beyond20.
I am using Beyond20 for anonymous rolls.
I thought the question was in regards the to combat tracker on DNDBeyond, which I dont use and dont know how to "port" it to the VTT.
All posts come with the caveat that I don't know what I'm talking about.
Yeah when I had monsters created in roll20 they work great. You are anonymous and show up as ??? until they're revealed via line of sight to the players (I think anyway). Or at least, there's some pretty cool programming in Roll20 that keeps them hidden until the right moment.
DDB doesn't do this, and since there isn't an ability to add monsters into a combat after it's started, we don't have any way to do do this at all. I'm kind of surprised that the encounter tool is in beta without a second-wave feature included. I certainly hope that the combat tracker fills these holes before it leaves the Alpha.
Since there's no answer for this here, I'll keep posting on the features request forum and let you guys know if I figure a work-around for this in tonight's session.
I've been opening an incongito window on my computer and accessing the Encounter Builder from DnDBeyond there. Then, I can run the encounter and track initiative without it pushing to Roll20 at all. It means the party can't see where they are in initiative (so I say "it's x's turn and y is on deck") but it's better than spoiling the whole fight by revealing the name and number of all the opponents!