It's very odd. two of my five PCs are not registering on Above. All of their stats are question marks and I can add their tokens to maps. the other three PCs are functioning normally with no issues.

I can't find one that still works. Can someone post the invite link here?

I've updated browsers, reinstalled AboveVTT, tried chrome and firefox. I can see the map, fog of war, and character sheet, but I see no tokens. Any idea what it could be? DM setting maybe?

On Friday I finally managed to resume our sessions (I’m DMing Descent into Avernus).
While playing a relatively small map (the scab) with 4 players, after a couple hours the game was lagging horribly. I tried relogging and restarting everything but with no change. Rolls were taking up to a minute to appear on the tracker, etc.
Anyone had similar problems or suggestions on how to fix them?
Loving AboveVTT, and I’d like to keep using it As long as possible! Great job team.

Hi! I just started running a CoS campaign. I’m going challenge myself to do the reddit thing and post a synopsis of my session play along with how I prepared for the session, what choices I made and the rationale behind them, what reference material I used, and what tools I brought into play. I've read so much here that helped me, and I feel this is how I can give back.
Without further ado, let’s enter the mists…

Synopsis

The party members were each summoned to a tavern in the middle of a forest, somewhere. I’ll skip the specifics here, but they now go by the moniker BDB.
Unfazed, Madam Eva proceeded to channel visions to the party through her crystal ball. After the finale, a green light erupted around MMe. Eva and the adventurer’s vision faded to black. Some time later, they awoke and found themselves in the mists. Madam Eva’s voice floated through the fog one final time, instructing them to purge the resident evil in Durst Manor, and find her in Barovia should they survive.
The players walked down a path, came upon the manor, did some sort of reading on it, felt a large, disturbing presence from somewhere beneath the house, and promptly entered. After a few rooms they realized that they never knocked and decided they didn’t care. Three levels later, they threw an animated suit of armor over a balcony, soothed a sobbing specter, followed some child-like apparitions through a magical air conditioner vent, killed some ghouls, a PC almost died but didn’t commit, and found a bunch of treasure.
Oh yeah, and all of the while, a little, cute white puppy has been following them around. What’s up with that dog?
(The players are in the basement and are about to descend the final stairs to the cult's lair.)

Behind the Scenes

Preparation

I spent roughly two months preparing for this first session. I know that’s a long time, and I don’t advise anybody do that unless that is your nature, like it is mine. I played DnD long ago (AD&D anybody?), and from day one, I have built up a mental map in my head. That is the entire draw for me - the chance to weave that rich tapestry and subsequently play in that space. I’ve even carried that into my professional life, and this approach has served me well.
I estimate I have put in at least 100 hours of direct preparation, and at least double that thinking about it while exercising, cooking, cleaning, etc. Like I said, that is how I work - and it is not for everybody, and probably not even advisable for me. Why do I do this? Mainly because I want to tell a spontaneous story, and I can't do that unless I can empathize with the NPCs. This requires work on my part to get in their heads, flesh out their backstories, understand their motivations, and figure out their relationships. So my focus was not on memorizing details, locations, and encounters - it was on understanding the NPCs.
First, I read I, Strahd. I read it back when it first came out, and again I think a decade ago (it was in my Kindle library so I must have), but I needed to refresh myself. Plus, Strahd is kind of a big thing in Barovia. Also, it is a great read, especially if you're into fantasy, and given you are playing D&D, I am going to guess you are into fantasy.
Next, I started reading the adventure module. I failed quickly with this. I had no context, and it was too much information. I needed another entry, so to YouTube I went. I watched the entire LunchBreakHeroes (LBH) CoS series. This was amazing, and I highly recommend it. It was easier for me to digest because I could listen to them while driving (screen off, of course), like my own personal audio book. I have to be honest, in that I finally had the first light strokes of the world-model starting to coalesce around, say, Episode 20. After that, I was able to read and retain information in the source book. I started digging into u/MandyMod’s and u/DragnaCarta’s posts, and of course, this subreddit.
I’ve followed it up w/ No Fun Allowed’s YT series (which I am still watching, just finished Episode 7 w/ none other than DragnaCarta).

Tools Used

1. No joke, I used ChatGPT to help me create personalized content for the PCs. For instance, I wanted a dream sequence about the Blood Spear. I copied the relevant sections into the service, said "write me a dream sequence about the blood spear", and voila, instance sequence. ChatGPT created a very decent first draft, and I refined it from there. I have a full-time job and am a dad to three teenagers. This sped up the process for me but still gave me a great deal of control. I think this was responsible use of the service.
2. AboveVTT - holy cow, did this work out well. It is a great virtual table top.
3. Discord server, with the following bots: Fredboat (music), Apollo (for easy calendar scheduling), Avrae (oh my god is this an awesome discord bot, you can pull info right from DnDBeyond).
4. We videod over Discord. I bought a Nitro subscription too (because I like to pay for things that bring me value). I did everything through a Mac & Chrome (because AboveVTT doesn't work w/ Safari).

Decisions and Rationale

1. I decided I would railroad my players right into the action. After all, I told them we were playing CoS, so there really wasn’t a reason to give them the choice to enter the mist. So their hook was “Madame Eva summoned you to an in, here's your fortune (not the Tarokka reading, but a little something to set the mood), and now you’re in the mists. Your move…”.
2. Despite the railroading, I wanted to at least try to give them individual hooks. I chose hooks that would give them a reason to explore certain areas. I also tried to give them an item quest relevant to their class, with an associated story line that fit their back story and motivations.
3. No Dead Kid Tax. This is my boundary, I refuse to pay it. So I made the following modifications to Durst Manor (starting from LBH's version):
   1. I replaced the Rose & Thorn illusion hook w/ Madam Eva’s pre-game vision quest, and railroaded them right outside Durst Manor with nowhere else to go. Like I said, the invitation said "Curse of Strahd", this was not a surprise.
   2. In the game, Fred Durst (the new name I gave to the dad, and get used to these punny names from my campaign) did father a child with the nanny, and his wife, Fredricka, did go crazy. They did create a rather nasty cult and sought immortality. However, Fred saved Rose, Thorn, and swapped out baby Walter w/ a doll before Mrs. Durst went all murdery. Rose & Thorn escaped the house w/ Walter and now live a private but happy life in the Village of Barovia (well, it was happy before the Strahd Zombies came in, but that’s for a future session). The player's don't know the latter yet, they may learn that if they explore the Village of Barovia. BTW, the house didn't like the doll trick, at all. It was quite unhappy w/ Mr. Durst.
   3. I used ghostly apparitions/cut scenes to move the story along. I was worried this would feel too gamey, since this is not a video game - but it actually worked well. It was a good introduction to the macabre, and let me work safely around my boundaries.
   4. Fred is a ghast down below, and Frederika is the gibbering mouther. No hangings, and no abused children. The nanny/specter asked for help saving Walter, and showed them the secret stairs to the attic. The “kids in the attic” was a cut scene watching Rose & Thorn hurriedly packing their things because “Father wanted them to take Walter on a trip”, and the group followed their spectral forms to the stairs down. Why did the house show the players cut scenes? I have no idea, it didn't tell me either.
   5. I will need to make other modifications in games to make kids more integral (think Peter Pan & the Lost Boys) and less abused/dead. - approximately 100% less. I may present these in future posts as I flesh them out.
4. The party started at Level 1, and leveled to 2 when they went down to the basement. They are now right about to descend one more time. I will level them when they leave the house, before they follow Svalich Road through the eastern gate.
5. I have three players in the party, so I had to tune the difficulty on the fly. I reduced the number of ghasts to two in two separate encounters, and spread out the encounters a bit. No specters to fight, and I nixed the shadows too. My players just aren't experienced enough yet, nor am I for that matter. D&D Beyond made this pretty easy w/ the encounter builder, I could check if the encounter was medium/deadly and adjust quickly.
6. I treated the house an a NPC with a motivation as well - it is a sentient prison for Mr. & Mrs. Durst, who are some pretty rotten people. They did spare their kids right before their final gasp of humanity left their lungs, but they did earn a pretty stiff sentence, and the house is a stern jailer.
7. Why the dog? Well, the players have a choice to make soon... Strahd is very interested to see how this plays out.

Takeaways

1. My players are very inexperienced and need to study D&D tactics. I told them to do this, and that it didn’t count as meta-gaming. The paladin, for instance, has an 18 wisdom (I watched him roll it) and a veteran backstory. this puts him in such elite company as Sun Tzu or Hannibal (of Carthage, not Lecter). The character should know more than the player in this case, so meta-game away to get that knowledge. There is an entire action economy that the characters would know because they are them, and my players need to learn what that is. Especially since there are only three of them - they have to be on top of their game.
2. Virtual gaming with discord & AboveVTT is amazing and almost as good as being in person. In our case, it is better, because we live 500 miles away from each other and aren't quite at the private-flight-for-a-four-hour-game level of wealth (yet). Not even a commercial flight.
3. They LOVED Fredboat and the music in the background, especially the change to combat music. In fact, once we got used to it, it was actually weird not to have the music. The music seemed to help everything flow together, and the pauses for rule-checking, DM-page fumbling, etc, weren't as obvious with it playing. They all remarked on this.
4. The synopsis above is the real synopsis I gave my players. I find this helps me sync with them. I'd love if they wrote it, but that's a project for another day.
5. Death House is a dungeon crawl. It is a great introduction if you are a new DM (I am) and new players (my crew is). You know how to do these. Yeah, the first two floors are a bit slow ... but once you get going, wham!

Resources

• I, Strahd
• The Monsters Know website (I bought his book, it's amazing. If you don't know tactics, stop what you are doing, and go read it. I'll see you in about two weeks.)
• LunchBreakHeroes YouTube series, plus "Raising the Stakes" from his website (I'm a patron, yay!)
• No Fun Allowed's YouTube series (I'm also a patron!)
• This subreddit, and thanks to u/MandyMod and u/DragnaCarta
• I bought two items on dmsguild. First, the "NPC Map for Dungeon Masters CoS Strahd von Zarovich". Second, the "Death House Script". The first helped me w/ that mental model, especially after I watched the first 50 hours of content. The second made running Death House very easy.

--
OK - that's it for now! I won't promise that I will do this again, but I do hope to follow this up w/ future sessions and behind-the-scenes material. Happy to answer questions.
Good night, and don't let the vampires bite!

Game System: D&D 5e
Group type: Online - AboveVTT
Experience: All Experience Levels Welcome
Location/Timezone: US - EST
Schedule: Every Thursday, 6:30 pm until 9:30 pm, EST.
Roles sought: 3 to 5 Players
Game style: DM has 29 years of experience! TWBtW is inherently roleplay heavy, but I provide plenty of opportunities to scratch your combat itch through the introduction third party and Homebrewed side-quests and encounters. I bring full D&D Beyond, Syrinscape, all VTT assets, and plenty of silly voices/faces!
https://startplaying.games/adventure/cleeh7xec000f08ktesq64sc3

This is what the DM sees, apparently, while the players get to see everyone in the game
Are we missing something obvious here? As far as the DM is concerned, nobody is apparently in the game

Hello, wonderful folks of the Pathfinder community, I'm trying to get a better sense of your game and could use a bit of help with clarification of the rules. I'm not particularly a novice GM as I've been GMing for 2-3 groups for a year now with about 60+ sessions under my belt. However, I've decided to take all my groups away from DND 5e due to recent events and I find myself landing on Pathfinder 2e as the easiest conversion for my group. (I also apologize if I should've used a different place for this submission, I have a lot of questions and didn't want to flood the pinned forum.)
I've got about 5 months to learn the system's ins and outs before the end of our current campaigns, and I'm currently reading the Core Rulebook. I do have lots of questions already and I'm hoping to use this thread as an open forum for myself when I need broader advice. For now, I have a few questions listed below:

1. Our group is used to rolling dice for our ability scores and then adding any racial bonuses. I've noticed that Pathfinder has a bit more a complex system in this regard and was wondering if people would recommend sticking to the rules absolutely (which I'm still a little fuzzy on) or if you think that we could still use our normal way of doing things. This would be rolling stats + ancestry bonuses + background bonuses + class bonuses. Is this too much?
2. I am very confused on how hit points work. It doesn't seem as though you roll for your HP in this game, and your ancestry gives you HP too? Is this every level? I could use a lot of clarification for this system.
3. With the three-action system (which I love btw), I've been confused as to what counts as an action. The core rulebook uses unsheathing a weapon as an action. Are skill checks actions? Would opening a door be an action? I could use some clarification here even though I feel the answer I'll receive is that it's up to the GM.
4. Feats in general have me a little confused. Do you get to choose from any of the four categories of feats at every level? I know you only receive one, but do you also have a specific list per level as well?
5. Is Initiative just a flat roll or do you add your dex to it still?
6. I'm currently using Archives of Nethys to guide me through the game at the moment, but are there any specific tools recommended for the game outside of that?
7. Is there a VTT that people recommend here? I've been using AboveVTT in association with DND Beyond, but is there something else that could be used for Pathfinder?
8. 2/3 of my groups enjoy my homebrew worlds and I'm planning to port them over for Pathfinder usage, but that 1/3 really enjoys prebuilt adventures. Is there an archive or resource dedicated to listing out the adventures made for Pathfinder? I would love to find one that could be used as a starter and then one for a longer campaign after that.

I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions later. I apologize again if this was the wrong area to post this in, but this is my first posting in the community and hopefully, I'll get better at this in the future. Thank you all, hope to hear from you soon.

Welcome to the island country of "Stellaris". 600 years ago this island was once floating up about the heavens, but crash landed in 'The Sea of Fallen Stars' and was the cause of the calamity known as "The Star Fall". Set in the world of The Forgotten Realms, Stellaris is a solitary island with boundless resources that has drawn many races to its land. The country has many that call it home and all races live without prejudice in this country. Reaching the island is difficult, but as a native of this land you've known no need to go out and see the outside world, when all of its splendor is here on Stellaris.
But outsiders to the island were not privy to the civil war that occurred 200 years ago, between the Crimson Sun and the Crimson Moon for the right to rule Stellaris...You've known no other rule of law than the current government and the Crimson Sun, as you've lived your peaceful life on Stellaris. However, dark omens have begun to appear and destiny finds its way to you. Will you answer the call?
Hello everyone, My name is aPDTrain (DTrain or Train for short!). Unfortunately one of my players had to step away from the Campaign for ongoing health issues, so I'm looking for 1 eager player to journey with us and take part in my first ever Campaign!! I have taken some time to create my own homebrewed campaign set in The Forgotten Realms. I'm looking for some an excited player that’s looking for a mix of RP and combat!! I've named this Campaign: "The Crimson Skies"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- There will be a small Q&A through Google Forms that will involve elements of what is expected for this campaign
- New Players are highly encouraged to reach out if they are interested! Let's go through all the learning together!!
- Gameplay is Theatre of the Mind with a VTT for battles, we'll be using AboveVTT (Chrome Extension) and DnD beyond for character creation/sheets. I will be sharing content on DnD beyond for the campaign
- A good microphone and a stable internet connection are a requirement, as I am planning on recording our sessions (for me to review my DM'ing post-session). Hopefully this will not be an issue, we won’t be using webcams. But we will be using Discord and Virtual Avatars for our characters.
- The Party is currently at level 3 and are about 9 sessions in. We started at level 1. I have our previous sessions recorded and uploaded on YouTube for those that wish to see what the campaign is about, follow the link belowhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CVeza7ZWa0&list=PLcra1Psl5uHMyBYo027a0u8PkftCB_HJI
- I do have some limitations in regards to your character's backstory, of which we will discuss more at session zero. I want to try to work your character's story into the narrative of this homebrewed world if I am able to! But in order to do that you'll have to help me out by following some small RP rules that I have for character creation.
DM Name: aPDTrainGame Time: Every other Thursday at 8PM ESTGame Style: Open World Based RPG Exploration, RP and CombatWay We Play: Discord Voice, DnDBeyond Sheets and AboveVTT (compatible with DnD Beyond)
Looking for 1 player, new players encouraged
Additional Info: MATURE Campaign, Must be 18+, NO Homebrew, World is set in The Forgotten Realms with a Self-Written Story to fit the narrative.
(If you've read all the way down here) Message me on Discord for application - aPDTrain#5791

Game: D&D 5e Group preferred: Online Experience: New Location/Timezone: EST Availability: Tuesday any, WED-Thur after 7 PM, Sunday after 12 PM Preferred role: Player
Meet Calvin!
https://ddb.ac/characters/92094226/Nl9Gax
Still relatively new to DnD but I have invested time and resources into this character and am excited to test him out. I have experience with a group that uses discord voice chat and this site with AboveVTT for one campaign I am in that I found on start playing games but would like to find others I don't pay for.
Thanks for your consideration.
discord zdstein#9361

I just stumbled upon Shard today and didn't see an answer to this on the website or in this subreddit so...Is it possible to import official source books?
I just started DMing for a friend group and have dumped several hundred dollars into 5e source material. We've been using dndbeyond with abovevtt to run our games but like many I'm worried about what Hasbro is doing/will be doing.
Shard seems like a viable alternative however, especially in the short term, I don't want to shell out another few hundred dollars just to play.
Any advice would be appreciated.

My name is Raven. I have been playing DnD 5e for around 5 years now. I have been both a player and a DM of many games (campaigns and one shots). I have many years of RP experience outside of DnD as well. I am in my 30s so I am looking for a group that is at least 21+. A more cozy group of maybe 5 players is preferred since it is online. I am looking for a game that is EST friendly. My availability is somewhat limited. Ideally, I would love to play Fridays (either weekly or bi weekly) from 7-10pm EST. I enjoy roleplaying and getting into a story. I like well built worlds with lots of lore to discover and secrets to unlock. Combat is great too when story appropriate. Nothing raildroady. Player agency is important to me. I am familiar with D&D Beyond and Roll20 but have used AboveVTT and Foundry as well. Discord for voice is great. Free games only at the moment. Reply here or shoot me a message if you think I might be a good fit for your game. :)

Hello all,
I'm Alex, I've been playing DnD for close to 5 years now and have been DMing for most of that. I have several ongoing campaigns and one shots worth of experience as well as a completed Call of the Netherdeep campaign with lovely people that I met on this subreddit. Myself and those lovely players are looking to add more to our group.
What I am looking for:
- 2-3 dedicated players, experience is not needed as i am more than happy to guide any new players through the process.
- Availability on the noted time of 7-11pm GMT on sundays every week. This can be shifted an hour or so either side but not much more than that unfortunately.
What you get for your money:
- A dedicated DM; while the session will cost, my other time will not. I am more than happy, ecstatic even to talk with you about your character, the story, any issues you have or even any roleplaying you wish to do outside of the time constraints of the game.
- Online tools to build your character (DnD Beyond subscription including most character options, integrated AboveVTT to utilise that character, Shareable file of the Tal Dorei Reborn Book for some setting specific character options). NOTE: With the current events and not wanting to support DnDBeyond, we may be moving to either Foundry or Roll20.
- A consistent game, I have found that Paid games tends to filter out those who, perhaps through no fault of their own, are not able to commit the time and energy that they think they can to a game. But of course life happens, and i would never hold people to a DnD game when life takes priority.
- A free session zero, where I can tailor the game, the rules and any sensitive content to you.
- A discounted first session (£5) to ensure that you want to invest in the game and that it is something you will find fun and enjoyable enough.
- A prepared DM who knows how to improvise and have fun; I know this game like the back of my hand but the most fun I have is when my players make me think on my toes. I can't wait until you do something that makes me think "Holy shit how am I gonna make this work".
Now for the actual game!
Adventure's in Wildemount will be a homebrew campaign utilising content from Explorer's Guide to Wildemount. The exact details of the campaign is something I would want to work out with all my players to ensure that we are actually playing a game that we all want to be involved with. But the general sense of the setting is that of War, Intrigue, Questions of morality and discovering the powers of the pre-calamity world.
The game takes place on the AboveVTT browser extension, a table top that functions similarly to Roll20 but integrates much more easily with DnD beyond. Once again this may change. Discord will be used for voice!
Please feel free to express any interest or questions either here, through direct message or through my discord ajames1210#6354
Thanks Folks!
P.S. I am posting this with the comments from my players John and Brad, who you will be playing with if you decide this game is for you :)
"This is my second campaign with Alex and let me tell you... He's one of the best GMs I have ever played with. His note-taking and understanding of the rules are fantastic. His first campaign was Call of the Netherdeep and his voice talent is excellent. He really does create a living world. A very immersive GM." - John
"I am one of his players that has gone through the Call of the Netherdeep. We each got to do a lot of great roleplay and work on each of our character's individual storylines throughout the campaign. We would love to have some more players come in to join us. Very enjoyable and knowledgeable GM." - Brad

Hey I been using the table top and it feels great and my players love it, only thing missing is some great music to put in the back ground, I was wondering if any one could tell me how to add music and what websites they use

Hello all,
I'm Alex, I've been playing DnD for close to 5 years now and have been DMing for most of that. I have several ongoing campaigns and one shots worth of experience as well as a completed Call of the Netherdeep campaign with lovely people that I met on this subreddit that are also currently playing in this campaign.
What I am looking for:
- 2-3 dedicated players, experience is not needed as i am more than happy to guide any new players through the process.
- Availability on the noted time of 7-11pm GMT on sundays every week. This can be shifted an hour or so either side but not much more than that unfortunately.
What you get for your money:
- A dedicated DM; while the session will cost, my other time will not. I am more than happy, ecstatic even to talk with you about your character, the story, any issues you have or even any roleplaying you wish to do outside of the time constraints of the game.
- Online tools to build your character (DnD Beyond subscription including most character options, integrated AboveVTT to utilise that character, Shareable file of the Tal Dorei Reborn Book for some setting specific character options).
- A consistent game, I have found that Paid games tends to filter out those who, perhaps through no fault of their own, are not able to commit the time and energy that they think they can to a game. But of course life happens, and i would never hold people to a DnD game when life takes priority.
- A free session zero of sorts, where I can tailor the game, the rules and any sensitive content to you.
- A discounted first session (£5) to ensure that you want to invest in the game and that it is something you will find fun and enjoyable enough.
- A prepared DM who knows how to improvise and have fun; I know this game like the back of my hand but the most fun I have is when my players make me think on my toes. I can't wait until you do something that makes me think "Holy shit how am I gonna make this work".
Now for the actual game!
Adventures in Wildemount is a long-term homebrew campaign utilising many aspects of the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, including the introductory adventure Dangerous Designs. The game has started and the two characters are currently 4 sessions in but have not yet progressed significantly.
Stirrings of war emerge from the Dwarven city of Grimgolir, but all may not be what it seems. Will the Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty battle as they have done for centuries or is there a mysterious third party at play attempting to bait a war that could cost thousands their lives. You are at the heart of this question and your adventures may just help save the continent from mutually assured destruction.
You will join the campaign at level 4 as the party captures a Kryn employed mercenary/war criminal and investigates the person behind their escape from prison. This campaign is expected to advance into the higher level, likely ending after level 15.
The game takes place on the AboveVTT browser extension, a table top that functions similarly to Roll20 but integrates much more easily with DnD beyond. Discord will be used for voice!
Please feel free to express any interest or questions either here, through direct message or through my discord ajames1210#6354
Thanks Folks!
​
P.S. I am reposting this with the comment from my player John, who you will be playing with if you decide this game is for you :)
​
"This is my second campaign with Alex and let me tell you... He's one of the best GMs I have ever played with. His note-taking and understanding of the rules are fantastic. His first campaign was Call of the Netherdeep and his voice talent is excellent. He really does create a living world. A very immersive GM."