Earlier this year we introduced a neat feature to the Encounter Builder and Combat Tracker, that allows you to roll digital dice for pretty much every aspect of each monster that you could want to roll dice for: Hit Points, Saving Throws, Attack Rolls, Damage, Healing, and more.
At the time, I promised there would be a guide on how to add these dice expressions to your homebrew monsters, so they also have this functionality in the Encounter Builder and Combat Tracker. This is that guide.
WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE ROLLABLE EXPRESSION?
The dice expression looks like this:
The dice expression is initiated by using the [rollable] tag within the text. The expression should always start with [rollable] and end with [/rollable] to close it.
There are two parts to the expression, separated by a semicolon ;
The first part is the text that should be displayed. In the example above, the displayed text will be (3d6 + 5).
The second part is the actual dice expression, which is formatted as JSON data.
The following data fields form the expression:
diceNotation
Mandatory
This is the actual dice roll that the system should evaluate. In the example above, this is 3d6+5. Note that it can include multiple dice types, so you could for example have a diceNotation of 2d8+4d6+12 and that is also valid.
rollType
Mandatory
This needs to be one of the following types of roll:
roll- used for a generic dice roll.
to hit - used for attack rolls.
damage - used for damage rolls. Should include rollDamageType when using this.
heal - used for healing.
spell - can be used to differentiate a spell attack from a regular attack roll.
save - used for saving throws.
check - used for profiency checks (skills).
rollAction
Optional
This is the name of the dice roll, as it will be shown in the game log. In the example above, we have this set to Tail, as it represents the damage from the tail attack of a monster.
rollDamageType
Optional
This should only be supplied where the roll is a damage roll. It specifies the damage type, which is important to know for D&D, as the target may be resistant, or even immune, to certain damage types.
The damage types are:
Acid
Bludgeoning
Cold
Fire
Force
Lightning
Necrotic
Piercing
Poison
Psychic
Radiant
Slashing
Thunder
Note: the Game Log doesn't currently display damage types, but it is planned that future iterations will display this information.
This will display the text +5 and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 1d20+5. This roll is treated as a to hit roll, meaning that right-clicking it will activate the options to roll at advantage or disadvantage. The dice roll will have the name of Bite in the Game Log.
This will display the text (1d8 + 3) and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 1d8+3. This roll is treated as a damage roll, meaning that right-clicking it will activate the option to roll critical hits. This dice roll has the damage type of piercing. The dice roll will have the name of Bite in the Game Log.
This will display the text (3d8 + 3) and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 3d8+3. This roll is treated as a healing roll, which may have further functionality attached to it in the future. The dice roll will have the name of Healing Touch in the Game Log.
This will display the text (Recharge 5–6) and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 1d6. This roll is treated as a recharge roll. This may have further functionality attached to it in the future. The dice roll will have the name of Fire Breath in the Game Log.
This will display the text d4 and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 1d4. This roll is treated as a generic roll. This may have further functionality attached to it in the future. The dice roll will have the name of Chaos Spell in the Game Log.
This could be used if you have a monster with an action called "Chaos Spell" that requires the DM to roll a d4 each round to see what spell is generated by that action.
HOW DO I ADD THAT TO MY HOMEBREW MONSTERS?
100% the best way to see how something works is to make a homebrew copy of an official monster, then take a look at how we built it.
Here's what the Hell Hound looks like in the Combat Tracker.
The first thing to note is that all of the dice rolling for the following are automatically added for you:
Hit Points
Ability Scores
Saving Throws
Skills (proficiencies)
You only need to add dice expressions for content in other sections, like Special Traits or Actions.
This is what the contents of the ACTIONS DESCRIPTION box looks like for that monster (I have manually added different colours of syntax highlighting to make it easier to read):
As the image shows above, there are multiple dice expressions within this action.
You can add dice expressions to the following areas of the stat block:
SPECIAL TRAITS
ACTIONS DESCRIPTION
REACTIONS DESCRIPTION
MONSTER CHARACTERISTICS DESCRIPTION - doesn't currently display in the Combat Tracker
BONUS ACTIONS DESCRIPTION
LEGENDARY ACTIONS DESCRIPTION
MYTHIC ACTIONS DESCRIPTION
LAIR AND LAIR ACTIONS DESCRIPTION - doesn't currently display in the Combat Tracker
Notes: Updated to include rollable tags in the text
So far in Combat Tracker, I have not noticed any ability to roll attack spell damage for enemies.. Is there a reason for that, or is it something you are still working on implementing?
So far in Combat Tracker, I have not noticed any ability to roll attack spell damage for enemies.. Is there a reason for that, or is it something you are still working on implementing?
Please can you give me an example of a specific monster and what you're hoping to see?
Are there plans to make this like... not take an hour to homebrew 1 monster while adding the rollable text? You have the dice roller extension in the text editor but it doesn't spit out the right format. Any plans to update it?
Are there plans to make this like... not take an hour to homebrew 1 monster while adding the rollable text? You have the dice roller extension in the text editor but it doesn't spit out the right format. Any plans to update it?
I've made an excel spreadsheet to spit out the right format, but I can't share it here. But the general idea is to create cells with the input parameters and the following as strings:
So far in Combat Tracker, I have not noticed any ability to roll attack spell damage for enemies.. Is there a reason for that, or is it something you are still working on implementing?
Please can you give me an example of a specific monster and what you're hoping to see?
An example would be the Biomancer. It allows you to roll for spell attack but not damage (such as Acid Splash, Shocking Grasp, or Cone of Cold).. on a player sheet, you can roll from damages, and it also shows the higher casting damages as well.
For Roll Type would it be reasonable to add a lair tag in the future as it seems, especially with how lairs actions are rather unique in their rules and what they do, to be worth them having their own tag?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Loex - A Lizardfolk Lvl 4/6/4 Hexblade Profane Blood Hunter/ Battlesmith Artificer/ Cleric of the Forge Arborea - A Warforged Lvl 1 Hexblade Warlock
This is shown above in the original post at the very end in the bite example. It cannot be combined into one roll but can be done on one ability or attack as two separate rolls.
I am wondering if there are any plans to add more complex modifiers to the expressions like what is possible with snippets. For example, I have a monster that adds “1d2” fire damage. Now, I know that D&D doesn’t officially use a d2 or a d3, so that’s why they are unavailable anywhere. But the PHB intro does give instructions for faking both of those with the standard set of 7. While I personally would love it is I could simply list “1d2” (even if it really rolls 1dX/2@roundup), I know that’s not likely to happen. However, I would like to at least be able to put something like this in:
Torch (improvised weapon). Melee Weapon Attack:-1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:(1d4-1) bludgeoning damage (+1d2) fire damage.
Torch (improvised weapon). Melee Weapon Attack: [ rollable]-1;{"diceNotation":"1d20-1","rollType":"to hit","rollAction":"Torch"}[/rollable ] to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: [ rollable](1d4-1);{"diceNotation":"1d4-1","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Torch","rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"}[/rollable ] bludgeoning damage [ rollable](+1d2);{"diceNotation":"1d4/2@rounddown","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Torch","rollDamageType":"fire"}[/rollable ] fire damage.
Is something like that even likely at all? (Anything even remotely similar perhaps?)
Is the recharge expression only made to work if it's a recharge of 5-6? I'm trying to put a rollable on an attack that only recharges on a 5 and the rollable isn't working.
Is the recharge expression only made to work if it's a recharge of 5-6? I'm trying to put a rollable on an attack that only recharges on a 5 and the rollable isn't working.
Does it at least let you do the roll for Recharge and show the result? As of now it's not going to do anything beyond saying what number was rolled (and if it was the right number(s) you'll know the attack recharged), though they may implement something later on to say like "It Recharged!"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
It doesn't even show up to let me click anything to roll. It's just the plain text in the encounter builder.
It is I’ll be until you save the encounter.
You do realize that the recharge doesn’t actually allow/disallow the attack? It’s just a number.
Yeah, I know it doesn't prevent it. I'm just trying to make it work in the combat tracker. The encounter is saved and I've tried it six ways to Sunday and it will not appear as a rollable in my test encounter that I created specifically to test the functionality of the rollables. All others work. Just this one. I literally copy-pasted the text from the first post in this thread, removed the 5- in the (Recharge 5-6) and saved and it does nothing. Yes, I know I can just roll a die manually but that's not the point of the question. I'm trying to make the json work so that it displays how it should in the combat tracker. As it is, inside the combat tracker all other rollables are functioning as expected but this one is not showing up in the tracker.
ETA: Somehow now it's working. I didn't do anything and it's working. Must have been a code gremlin.
It doesn't even show up to let me click anything to roll. It's just the plain text in the encounter builder.
It is I’ll be until you save the encounter.
You do realize that the recharge doesn’t actually allow/disallow the attack? It’s just a number.
Yeah, I know it doesn't prevent it. I'm just trying to make it work in the combat tracker. The encounter is saved and I've tried it six ways to Sunday and it will not appear as a rollable in my test encounter that I created specifically to test the functionality of the rollables. All others work. Just this one. I literally copy-pasted the text from the first post in this thread, removed the 5- in the (Recharge 5-6) and saved and it does nothing. Yes, I know I can just roll a die manually but that's not the point of the question. I'm trying to make the json work so that it displays how it should in the combat tracker. As it is, inside the combat tracker all other rollables are functioning as expected but this one is not showing up in the tracker.
ETA: Somehow now it's working. I didn't do anything and it's working. Must have been a code gremlin.
You mean this:
(Recharge 5–6)
The “(Recharge 5–6)” is just what is displayed and has absolutely nothing mechanical attached to it whatsoever.
What likely happened is that one of the quotations accidentally got deleted and when you replaced it you did it in the field instead of as code or something. (The difference between this: “ and this: " for example).
Also, please remember that after you save anything it can sometimes take a while to update.
Is this going to be added to the extra section of the character sheet for mounts and the like? Itd be nice to be able to attack with a mount from there instead of trying to get the correct rolls in an extra attack.
Is this going to be added to the extra section of the character sheet for mounts and the like? Itd be nice to be able to attack with a mount from there instead of trying to get the correct rolls in an extra attack.
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D&D Beyond FoundersEarlier this year we introduced a neat feature to the Encounter Builder and Combat Tracker, that allows you to roll digital dice for pretty much every aspect of each monster that you could want to roll dice for: Hit Points, Saving Throws, Attack Rolls, Damage, Healing, and more.
You can read all about that in this changelog.
At the time, I promised there would be a guide on how to add these dice expressions to your homebrew monsters, so they also have this functionality in the Encounter Builder and Combat Tracker. This is that guide.
WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE ROLLABLE EXPRESSION?
The dice expression looks like this:
The dice expression is initiated by using the [rollable] tag within the text. The expression should always start with [rollable] and end with [/rollable] to close it.
There are two parts to the expression, separated by a semicolon ;
The first part is the text that should be displayed. In the example above, the displayed text will be (3d6 + 5).
The second part is the actual dice expression, which is formatted as JSON data.
The following data fields form the expression:
diceNotation
Mandatory
This is the actual dice roll that the system should evaluate. In the example above, this is 3d6+5. Note that it can include multiple dice types, so you could for example have a diceNotation of 2d8+4d6+12 and that is also valid.
rollType
Mandatory
This needs to be one of the following types of roll:
rollAction
Optional
This is the name of the dice roll, as it will be shown in the game log. In the example above, we have this set to Tail, as it represents the damage from the tail attack of a monster.
rollDamageType
Optional
This should only be supplied where the roll is a damage roll. It specifies the damage type, which is important to know for D&D, as the target may be resistant, or even immune, to certain damage types.
The damage types are:
Note: the Game Log doesn't currently display damage types, but it is planned that future iterations will display this information.
SAMPLE DICE EXPRESSIONS
Some sample expressions are given below.
Sample Expression - Attack Roll
This will display the text +5 and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 1d20+5. This roll is treated as a to hit roll, meaning that right-clicking it will activate the options to roll at advantage or disadvantage. The dice roll will have the name of Bite in the Game Log.
Sample Expression - Damage
This will display the text (1d8 + 3) and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 1d8+3. This roll is treated as a damage roll, meaning that right-clicking it will activate the option to roll critical hits. This dice roll has the damage type of piercing. The dice roll will have the name of Bite in the Game Log.
Sample Expression - Healing
This will display the text (3d8 + 3) and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 3d8+3. This roll is treated as a healing roll, which may have further functionality attached to it in the future. The dice roll will have the name of Healing Touch in the Game Log.
Sample Expression - Recharge
This will display the text (Recharge 5–6) and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 1d6. This roll is treated as a recharge roll. This may have further functionality attached to it in the future. The dice roll will have the name of Fire Breath in the Game Log.
Sample Expression - Generic Dice Roll
This will display the text d4 and make it a clickable dice expression that causes a dice roll of 1d4. This roll is treated as a generic roll. This may have further functionality attached to it in the future. The dice roll will have the name of Chaos Spell in the Game Log.
This could be used if you have a monster with an action called "Chaos Spell" that requires the DM to roll a d4 each round to see what spell is generated by that action.
HOW DO I ADD THAT TO MY HOMEBREW MONSTERS?
100% the best way to see how something works is to make a homebrew copy of an official monster, then take a look at how we built it.
Here's what the Hell Hound looks like in the Combat Tracker.
The first thing to note is that all of the dice rolling for the following are automatically added for you:
You only need to add dice expressions for content in other sections, like Special Traits or Actions.
This is what the contents of the ACTIONS DESCRIPTION box looks like for that monster (I have manually added different colours of syntax highlighting to make it easier to read):
As the image shows above, there are multiple dice expressions within this action.
You can add dice expressions to the following areas of the stat block:
Pun-loving nerd | Faith Elisabeth Lilley | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
So far in Combat Tracker, I have not noticed any ability to roll attack spell damage for enemies.. Is there a reason for that, or is it something you are still working on implementing?
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D&D Beyond FoundersPlease can you give me an example of a specific monster and what you're hoping to see?
Pun-loving nerd | Faith Elisabeth Lilley | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
Are there plans to make this like... not take an hour to homebrew 1 monster while adding the rollable text? You have the dice roller extension in the text editor but it doesn't spit out the right format. Any plans to update it?
I've made an excel spreadsheet to spit out the right format, but I can't share it here. But the general idea is to create cells with the input parameters and the following as strings:
[rollable ]
;{"diceNotation":"
","rollType":"
","rollAction":"
","rollDamage":"
"}
[/rollable ]
Then use the TEXTJOIN command, inserting the required text between the strings above, cutting the space out of the first and last strings.
An example would be the Biomancer. It allows you to roll for spell attack but not damage (such as Acid Splash, Shocking Grasp, or Cone of Cold).. on a player sheet, you can roll from damages, and it also shows the higher casting damages as well.
For Roll Type would it be reasonable to add a lair tag in the future as it seems, especially with how lairs actions are rather unique in their rules and what they do, to be worth them having their own tag?
Loex - A Lizardfolk Lvl 4/6/4 Hexblade Profane Blood Hunter/ Battlesmith Artificer/ Cleric of the Forge
Arborea - A Warforged Lvl 1 Hexblade Warlock
DM - "Malign Intelligence"
Is it possible to have a damage type roll that combines two different of damage types but denotes which is which? IE 1d8 + 5 bludgeoning and 2d6 fire?
This is shown above in the original post at the very end in the bite example. It cannot be combined into one roll but can be done on one ability or attack as two separate rolls.
Quick question: is there now or will there ever be a value to adding the rollable tag to other homebrews, such as magic items or spells?
Hello Stormknight,
I am wondering if there are any plans to add more complex modifiers to the expressions like what is possible with snippets. For example, I have a monster that adds “1d2” fire damage. Now, I know that D&D doesn’t officially use a d2 or a d3, so that’s why they are unavailable anywhere. But the PHB intro does give instructions for faking both of those with the standard set of 7. While I personally would love it is I could simply list “1d2” (even if it really rolls 1dX/2@roundup), I know that’s not likely to happen. However, I would like to at least be able to put something like this in:
Is something like that even likely at all? (Anything even remotely similar perhaps?)
Thanks in advance.
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I made a Google Sheet that will make the JSON for you:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i4DbBYtwAMQ5cNWh5iIfZHhXMGrmuI_NI3u3sIMkBX8/edit?usp=sharing
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Is the recharge expression only made to work if it's a recharge of 5-6? I'm trying to put a rollable on an attack that only recharges on a 5 and the rollable isn't working.
My Homebrew Backgrounds | Feats | Magic Items | Monsters | Races | Subclasses
Does it at least let you do the roll for Recharge and show the result? As of now it's not going to do anything beyond saying what number was rolled (and if it was the right number(s) you'll know the attack recharged), though they may implement something later on to say like "It Recharged!"
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
It doesn't even show up to let me click anything to roll. It's just the plain text in the encounter builder.
My Homebrew Backgrounds | Feats | Magic Items | Monsters | Races | Subclasses
It will be until you save the encounter.
You do realize that the recharge doesn’t actually allow/disallow the attack? It’s just a number.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
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Yeah, I know it doesn't prevent it. I'm just trying to make it work in the combat tracker. The encounter is saved and I've tried it six ways to Sunday and it will not appear as a rollable in my test encounter that I created specifically to test the functionality of the rollables. All others work. Just this one. I literally copy-pasted the text from the first post in this thread, removed the 5- in the (Recharge 5-6) and saved and it does nothing. Yes, I know I can just roll a die manually but that's not the point of the question. I'm trying to make the json work so that it displays how it should in the combat tracker. As it is, inside the combat tracker all other rollables are functioning as expected but this one is not showing up in the tracker.
ETA: Somehow now it's working. I didn't do anything and it's working. Must have been a code gremlin.
My Homebrew Backgrounds | Feats | Magic Items | Monsters | Races | Subclasses
You mean this:
(Recharge 5–6)The “(Recharge 5–6)” is just what is displayed and has absolutely nothing mechanical attached to it whatsoever.
What likely happened is that one of the quotations accidentally got deleted and when you replaced it you did it in the field instead of as code or something. (The difference between this: “ and this: " for example).
Also, please remember that after you save anything it can sometimes take a while to update.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
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Hardcovers, DDB & You
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Is this going to be added to the extra section of the character sheet for mounts and the like? Itd be nice to be able to attack with a mount from there instead of trying to get the correct rolls in an extra attack.
That’s the plan.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
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