It’s in the Bag: How to Use Containers on Your Character Sheet

At last, inventory containers are here for your character sheet! You can finally put things in bags! And chests! And airships! You can put all of the things into all of the other things and finally have that meticulously organized inventory you’ve dreamed of. But in order to start putting stuff into other stuff, you’ll need to know how to use containers, so let’s get started!

Mobile browser: Finding, adding, and using containers

Adding containers

Once you’ve signed into your D&D Beyond account, you’ll want to navigate to your character sheet. You can do this by clicking the menu button (menu button) at the top right corner of the page and selecting "My Characters," found under "Collections." From there, select “View” under the character whose inventory you want to manage.

The first thing you’ll want to do is add a container to your inventory. There are several different types of containers in the game. The easiest way to find them is by using the container filter when adding items to your character sheet. To do this from your character sheet, swipe over to "Equipment" and then select the “Manage Inventory” button. This will open a side panel. Check the “Container” box.

D&D inventory management on mobileD&D inventory management on mobile

Once you check that box, you’ll see a nice list of containers. You can even filter further by selecting “Wondrous” or “Other Gear” (or both) to see handy haversacks, portable holes, and more. Find your vessel of choice and click “Add.”

Once you do, you’ll see a new section in your inventory, either above or below where it says “Equipment.” (Your containers are sorted alphabetically.)

Equipment list on mobile

Putting items in containers

There are two ways you can add items to a container: by moving it from your equipment or another container or adding it in directly.

To move an item between containers and your equipment, click the item and scroll to the bottom of the description. There, you’ll see a “Move” button with a down arrow. If you click that, you will see a list of all of the possible containers, excluding the one the item is currently in. Select the container of your choice and the item will be moved into it.

putting items in containers on mobileequipping and moving items in containers

 Alternatively, you can click the “+Add items to your…” option below your container of choice to directly put items into it.

viewing equipment on mobile

Equipping containers and managing weight

Much like your typical equipment, you’ll see an "Active" toggle next to each container. Selecting this will make the container active, meaning that its weight and the weight of its contents will count toward your character's encumbrance. This is useful for tracking the weight of gear you’re carrying, such as your backpack or coin purse, as opposed to gear that is either being carried for you (such as in a cart) or is being stored elsewhere.

Viewing container weightsAdditionally, magic items that allow you to carry more than you normally would, such as a bag of holding, handy haversack, or portable hole, won't increase your encumbrance even as you fill them up!

Desktop browser: Finding, adding, and using containers

Adding containers

Once you’re signed in to your D&D Beyond account, hover over "Collections" and select "My Characters." Find the character whose inventory you want to customize and select “View.” This will take you to the character sheet.

Adding a container to your inventory is the first step. There are different containers you can choose from, with the container filter being the easiest way to find them. From your character sheet, select “Inventory” and then the “Manage Inventory” button. This will open a side panel. Select the “Container” box.

Using containers on desktop

Checking that box will give you a list of containers to choose from. It’s possible to filter further by selecting “Wondrous” or “Other Gear” (or both). Doing so will show you items such as the efficient quiver or instant fortress. Click “Add” to add the container to your inventory.

Having done that, a new section will appear in your inventory, either above or below where it says “Equipment.” (Your containers are sorted alphabetically.)

https://www.dndbeyond.com/attachments/8/836/containers-in-inventory-on-desktop.jpg

Putting items in containers

Adding items to containers can be done in one of two ways: moving it from your equipment or another container or adding it in directly. 

Moving an item between containers and your equipment is done by clicking the item and scrolling to the bottom of the description. There, you’ll find a “Move” button with a down arrow. If you click that, you’ll see a list of your available containers (excluding the one the item is currently in). Select the container of your choice and the item will be moved into that container.

Moving equipment into containers on desktopAssigning equipment to containers

 Alternatively, you can click the “+Add items to your…” option to add them in directly. This will open a side panel that allows you to add items much in the same way you would normally, except they are added directly to the container.

Add items to your backpack on desktop

Equipping containers and managing weight

Next to each container, you’ll see an "Active" toggle. Tapping this will cause its weight and the weight of its contents to count toward encumbrance. This is useful for managing the weight of the gear you're carrying, compared to what you might have in a cart or stowed away in a keep.

Container weights on desktop

Additionally, magic items that negate the weight of their contents, such as a bag of holding, handy haversack, or portable hole, will not increase your encumbrance. Magic!

Cointainers and mounts

There are two special types of containers you can use on the character sheet that you may not initially realize are options: "cointainers" and mounts.

Cointainers is a feature currently in beta which allows you to store currency in individual containers. To enable this feature, go to "Inventory" and select the currency icon in the top right, above "Manage Inventory." From the menu that opens, select "Settings" and then enable “Put coins in containers (beta)." Once this is enabled, each container will have its own currency section where you can track coinage.

Mounts are another special container option. If you add a mount to your inventory (not Extras), it’ll now appear as a container. The currently supported container mounts are axe beak, camel, donkey (or mule), draft horse, elephant, mastiff, pony, riding horse, and warhorse. You can customize these as with other containers, meaning you can name your mount and even increase their capacity to represent them pulling a wagon or cart should you wish.

Using containers in the D&D Beyond App

Containers in the D&D Beyond App work much in the same way that they do on the mobile version of the website, with two exceptions:

  1. Currently, you can’t add items directly from within a container. Instead, they must be first added to your equipment via the "Manage Inventory" button at the top of your inventory. An item can still be added directly to a container and moved between them just like on the mobile site.
  2. Containers can’t be set as active or unequipped at this time.

Quick tips when using containers

Be careful when removing containers

You can remove any container from your inventory by clicking or tapping the name of the container, then scrolling to the bottom and selecting “Remove.” But be careful when doing this: Removing a container from your inventory will also remove all of the items inside of it.

Customizing your containers

Using the “Customize” menu within a container, you can adjust its details and how it functions. To access these options, click or tap the name of the container, and then click or tap the “Customize” option at the top.

Customizing containers

  • Cost Override: This lets you specify the value of the container. This can be useful for magic containers you might later sell, or even for tracking the total value of everything contained within it.
  • Weight Override: You can adjust the weight of the container itself. Say you’ve found a [Tooltip Not Found] that always weighs 10 lbs instead of 5 lbs. You’d set that here.
  • Capacity Weight Override: This allows you to adjust how much the item can carry.
  • Name: Change the displayed name of the container. For example, you could name a chest “Fangorn Keep” or a wagon “Bessy’s Hauler.”
  • Notes: Add some quick reference information here, if you need it.
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Davyd is a moderator for D&D Beyond. A Dungeon Master of over fifteen years, he enjoys Marvel movies, writing, and of course running D&D for his friends and family, including his daughter Willow (well, one day). The three of them live with their two cats Asker and Khatleesi in south of England.

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