D&D 5E D&D Beyond and pencil-and-paper games

[redrick]

Are any of you using D&D Beyond specifically to enhance your pencil and paper, in person, tabletop games? If so, how are you using it?

I revisited the site recently and setup a free account. It seems like a decent character builder, coupled with a reference tool, but I'm wondering if there are any ways to leverage it as a way to improve my prep for traditional pencil-and-paper games. I don't use a laptop or tablet at the table. I'll go to my phone in a pinch, but I generally prefer to work off of printed or handwritten notes. I could see using the free character generator to help with making pre-gens for my open table games, particularly as we get into higher levels, but I'm wondering how other people are using it.

And please, just experiences of actual use at the table. If you don't like it, don't want to use, don't know why you would use it, that's fine, but not what I'm looking for now.

 

[Oofta]

I use it frequently to look up information, particularly for spells and monsters, particularly when I DM. I also occasionally enter my own custom monsters if I get ambitious so I can cut down on some paper.

I've tried the character builder, and use it to verify some stuff but haven't started using it much yet. Maybe when I start a new campaign.

 

[redrick]

I use it frequently to look up information, particularly for spells and monsters, particularly when I DM. I also occasionally enter my own custom monsters if I get ambitious so I can cut down on some paper.

I've tried the character builder, and use it to verify some stuff but haven't started using it much yet. Maybe when I start a new campaign.

Do you use it this way at the table, or just as reference when you are prepping for your session?

I looked at the monster creator — it seemed like a cool way to create a monster using the Wizards design layout, but it still requires you to do all the legwork of how changes to various values affect CR, right?

 

[Oofta]

Do you use it this way at the table, or just as reference when you are prepping for your session?

I looked at the monster creator — it seemed like a cool way to create a monster using the Wizards design layout, but it still requires you to do all the legwork of how changes to various values affect CR, right?

Yeah, I look up stuff at the table when I'm DMing on a regular basis. It's quicker than flipping through physical books, and every once in a while I'll throw in a monster on the fly.

And yes, you still have to do the CR calculations for monsters. I wish it would do the basic math for you (even if it was only an approximation).

I could also wish for a better campaign organizer but I like the tool in large part because I can share it with my group and for the convenience.

 

[lkj]

Two current uses:

1) rapidly create characters for pen and paper games. I've done this a few times now. That functionality will improve with time as they do their 'revamp'. But it's already useful.

2) Reference at the table. I pretty regularly use it to look up spells, rules, monsters, etc. Very handy. Quicker than flipping through the book by far in most cases.

If the developers follow through on the plans they mention, it will get more useful through time. The monster builder, for example, will eventually allow calculating CR automatically and advancing monsters. But I think that's all months away. Same with the encounter builder and such. That said, I do think they'll follow through. They seem to be pretty deliberate in their process.

AD

 

[redrick]

[MENTION=6801845]Oofta[/MENTION] and [MENTION=18646]lkj[/MENTION], do you work from a laptop at the table? Or are you pulling out a tablet or phone to do reference lookups?

My laptop died this spring. I need to keep an up-to-date desktop at home for work, so I've been seeing how long I can go with just using the smart phone for all my mobile computing needs. RPGs might be the one thing that kicks me over the edge.

 

[Oofta]

[MENTION=6801845]Oofta[/MENTION] and [MENTION=18646]lkj[/MENTION], do you work from a laptop at the table? Or are you pulling out a tablet or phone to do reference lookups?

My laptop died this spring. I need to keep an up-to-date desktop at home for work, so I've been seeing how long I can go with just using the smart phone for all my mobile computing needs. RPGs might be the one thing that kicks me over the edge.

I use my laptop. I know they are doing beta testing for android and IOS, but don't know when it will be released.

 

[Hedonismbot]

I GM with a laptop, and I have D&D Beyond up all the time. Mostly for monster references, but most of my players are new to D&D and so I'm generally doing a lot of rules referencing as well (Looking up conditions, looking up spell stats).

None of my players use a laptop, but they will use D&D beyond or sometimes other similar sites to look up the full text of their spells in a pinch.

It's not quite as handy at the table as the 4e compendium, but I love not having to pay a subscription for it.

 

[lkj]

[MENTION=6801845]Oofta[/MENTION] and [MENTION=18646]lkj[/MENTION], do you work from a laptop at the table? Or are you pulling out a tablet or phone to do reference lookups?

My laptop died this spring. I need to keep an up-to-date desktop at home for work, so I've been seeing how long I can go with just using the smart phone for all my mobile computing needs. RPGs might be the one thing that kicks me over the edge.

I use a phone, and it works well. The mobile app isn't out yet (and to start with it'll be an e-reader). But the mobile website is very user friendly. As far as I can see, the app will basically offer offline functionality and probably other perks. But, as a rules reference, the mobile website on a phone works just fine (so long as you have internet).

I haven't actively during a game tried to use the mobile version of the character sheet (I usually DM). But I've played around with it and would be comfortable using it as my character sheet in place of the paper one.

AD

 

[redrick]

I use a phone, and it works well. The mobile app isn't out yet (and to start with it'll be an e-reader). But the mobile website is very user friendly. As far as I can see, the app will basically offer offline functionality and probably other perks. But, as a rules reference, the mobile website on a phone works just fine (so long as you have internet).

I haven't actively during a game tried to use the mobile version of the character sheet (I usually DM). But I've played around with it and would be comfortable using it as my character sheet in place of the paper one.

AD

Good to know. Yeah, I just fired up the website on my phone and tried to browse the basic rules and it is not bad. Better than trying to read the Basic Rules PDF on my phone, which is what I usually do when needing to quickly look something up when I don't have my books on hand. If only it had offline functionality so that I could use it on the subway!