I use a sheet protector and a grease pencil (China Marker). This allows me to write down active spells, changes in HP, mark off spells selected spells, etc with ease.
The good ol chessex! Honestly, of all the ones I have tried, that does work the best. It gets rough when you try to fly over big minis, but sometimes the simplest solutions are the best! -Al
I use clear acrylic 1” discs as tokens and just write or draw pictures on them with wet or dry erase markers to represent anything. For flight, I just use one of the tokens as an “altitude” tracker and throw it on the map next to the flying thing. I use multiple tokens for different altitudes so I don’t have to keep erasing and rewriting on them.
I use Lego minifigures and monopoly pieces as minis, and I use dry erase pens to draw enemies onto the board. My dice tower is made out of legos with studs as storage for the mini figs.
I saved a bunch of empty prescription bottles to use for painting minis, but I can see how they could be used for flying, too. Take off the lid, flip them over, use sticky tack or magnetic tape on the mini & bottle, and you have a flying mini. You can even do as I've seen in other comments and write how high they are in dry erase on the bottle. Thanks for the ideas, everyone!
Magnetic initiative tower. Syrinscape Wooden house puzzles from Temu Adhesive 1 inch magnets and an adhesive clear top to create tokens Jenga blocks for walls 5 different maps that come in a tube Dry erase nametags for players to put abilities, spells cast, or feats like Alert on. Then place them on the table in front of them. Dry erase name plates for their character names
I made a ton of origami tiles and stars as coins and ki point counters. I also color code them to track throwing weapons or potions or other expendable items
Skinny minis and the like are crazy expensive - almost as much as 3d minis. There are some off band minis thar are even cheaper. Altoids tins are an even better and cheaper option. Good choice on the initiative tracker. With the sticky tabs, make rings of colored tape to match. For flying, i bought a small number of .5" clear plastic dowels, and cut them for different elevations. For encumbrance sheets and character sheets, put scotch tape over the dynamic value areas. Then it works like dry erase. Better yet, use a sheet protector...
I didn't DM the game in question, but I did come up with a system for representing flight. Which was necessary since my character was the one with wings in the party. I found this set of small clear plastic cylindrical containers at a dollar store, each one with just over an inch radius. I believe their purpose is to hold paint. Pop the cap off, flip them upside-down, and place the figure on top to signify that they are flying. Not practical for extra large figures though.
For condition rings, just buy a bag of mini assorted rainbow rubber bands from A dollar store, Walmart, or hobby lobby. Max of $3-$4 for a bag of 100s. Smaller than 1" but still works in a pinch
sadly as someone who lives in brazil... 30 something dolars is a lot for me to pay on those things... i really wish i could buy all of those, nice video anyway.
Ok, so I bought the starter set with lost mines of phandelver and I need to know what Flat Minis I need to play that because there are so many choices. Any help is appreciated, thanks.
For flight, I went to Hobby Lobby and got a few smal glass bottles with quarks. Stuck i little sticy dot (like for holding up a poster) to the quark and stuck the mini to the top. Then use dry erase marker to write how high up they are. This makes it so things dont fall over and get broken and everyone can see whats up really easy. I have a question. Have you ever used a cheap LCD panel for doing your maps? I started using one at the start of this game and its really been an asset. A TV plus DungeonDraft has really changed the way my players interact with the world.
Hmm that's very interesting! I might just have to try that out. As for the LCD, we built a box for a cheap tv that was on sale. We encased it in wood and put plexi glass over the top. We were going to do a video of it's creation, but we had so many mistakes that we didn't think it was worth it. However, we use it almost every session we play. We make maps on inkarnate and display them with roll20. It's honestly one of my favorite dm tools! I'll have to check out Dungeon Draft! Thanks for the comment! -Al
For flight stands i use those small little plastic stem cups from the dollar store. I trim them and just put it on the table and put the character on top.
I've played with DMs who straight-up disallow flight because of how difficult it is to track. My games are all online now, though, so it's easier to make notes on the minis and then still forget where things are relative to each other.
Being someone who loves using minis and terrain in my games, I ALWAYS miss how easy tracking health and things like flight is in virtual tabletops. -Al
if you're a bit artistic, you could make flat plastic minis yourself with Shrinky Dinks, whatever you need whenever. a DM i knew used wire connectors as stand-in monster minis, and they each had a number label to differentiate them. plus they come in various sizes, most perfect for use with standard minis, and many colors, too.
ugh, carrying capacity... I house rule 5 items equipped + 5 items carried, +1 item per strength mod, items small enough to fit in a dice bag don't count against you. Life's too short for that much math. I've used inventory sheets before though, kind of cool to imagine where all the miscellaneous gear's packed up.
"Strength needs all the help it can get"? Are you bloody serious? Aside from rangers and rogues, strength is the primary stat for every other martial character. And the Primary stat for like 90% of the melee weapons in the game for everyone else. Then you have strength saves, Athletic checks, Grappling and a tonne of other things I haven't mention. Compare Strength to Intelligence and see which more characters dump?
The issue with strength is not that it sucks compared to all the other stats but that it sucks compared to the other melee stat that is dex. Dex saves are more common, with dex the AC gets buffed as well as initiative and you have way more skills tied to it. Strength only helps with carying stuff which most tables ignore anyway. So there is no real reason to pick strength over dex besides roleplay and flavor. The only reason i see is using heavy weapons.
My dnd character can fly and in my game i place my mini on some dice so he is in the air also when gargoyles snatched 2 party members and carrying them while flying as well as my character and put percentile dice next to our mins using them to show how high we were
I have a Chessex dice box, one of those clear boxed with a black lid/bottom. I have a magnet glued on the black part to use it to transport my mini. And I can use the clear part to elevate my mini.
For flight we just drew a black circle on the ground to represent their shadow, and isn’t he circle we would write the height. I’ve only had to deal with it as a dm a few times, and we were running a poor man’s campaign.
This stuff is great and all, but plonk down a bunch of map pieces and say this is where you are, will never be better than You feel off-balanced as the unexpected feeling of the ground, floor? beneath you shifts and pitches. As focus comes to you, the sound of a thousand snare drums assails your senses. The sky lights up and you hear the cry of distressed wood. Roll initiative.
Oh for sure, accessories definitely can't compete with the human imagination and some good narration. Though I really do enjoy terrain and a battle map for strategic play, if I am trying to evoke a strong theme or feeling, narration/theatre of mind is what I prefer most. Thanks for the comment! -Al
I use a sheet protector and a grease pencil (China Marker). This allows me to write down active spells, changes in HP, mark off spells selected spells, etc with ease.
Condition rings are on every plastic pop bottle you buy.
Powerade or Gatorade are the best ones for the size anyway
i really appreciate you sharing DIY options or things you can use from every day items. it helps a lot with players on a budget!
When it comes to flight, I just put my mini on one of my spare old chessex dice boxes.
The good ol chessex! Honestly, of all the ones I have tried, that does work the best. It gets rough when you try to fly over big minis, but sometimes the simplest solutions are the best!
-Al
I use clear acrylic 1” discs as tokens and just write or draw pictures on them with wet or dry erase markers to represent anything.
For flight, I just use one of the tokens as an “altitude” tracker and throw it on the map next to the flying thing.
I use multiple tokens for different altitudes so I don’t have to keep erasing and rewriting on them.
I use Lego minifigures and monopoly pieces as minis, and I use dry erase pens to draw enemies onto the board. My dice tower is made out of legos with studs as storage for the mini figs.
I saw someone use an overturned clear plastic cup to set the flying mini on. you can even fly over another mini by placing the cup over the other guy.
I like that idea a lot!
ANOTHER DM talking about the different dice being different colors. Really should be standardized that way for the "basic" sets.
Calm down 😂
I ❤️ all the extras! Probably bcs of years of just playing Theater of the mind.
Also, i have that curated dice set too and I love it
Flying : use clear container from 36 - d6 pack of dice
It’s perfect size
This & an upside down shot glass are my go tos
I saved a bunch of empty prescription bottles to use for painting minis, but I can see how they could be used for flying, too. Take off the lid, flip them over, use sticky tack or magnetic tape on the mini & bottle, and you have a flying mini. You can even do as I've seen in other comments and write how high they are in dry erase on the bottle. Thanks for the ideas, everyone!
Magnetic initiative tower.
Syrinscape
Wooden house puzzles from Temu
Adhesive 1 inch magnets and an adhesive clear top to create tokens
Jenga blocks for walls
5 different maps that come in a tube
Dry erase nametags for players to put abilities, spells cast, or feats like Alert on. Then place them on the table in front of them.
Dry erase name plates for their character names
I made a ton of origami tiles and stars as coins and ki point counters. I also color code them to track throwing weapons or potions or other expendable items
Skinny minis and the like are crazy expensive - almost as much as 3d minis. There are some off band minis thar are even cheaper.
Altoids tins are an even better and cheaper option. Good choice on the initiative tracker. With the sticky tabs, make rings of colored tape to match.
For flying, i bought a small number of .5" clear plastic dowels, and cut them for different elevations.
For encumbrance sheets and character sheets, put scotch tape over the dynamic value areas. Then it works like dry erase. Better yet, use a sheet protector...
I didn't DM the game in question, but I did come up with a system for representing flight. Which was necessary since my character was the one with wings in the party. I found this set of small clear plastic cylindrical containers at a dollar store, each one with just over an inch radius. I believe their purpose is to hold paint. Pop the cap off, flip them upside-down, and place the figure on top to signify that they are flying. Not practical for extra large figures though.
This video is very underrated! Great job!
Thank you very much for your kind words and comment! :)
-Al
For flight, we've been using different size glasses that we have in the kitchen. Pretty clever, and my DM thought of it off the cuff haha
For condition rings, just buy a bag of mini assorted rainbow rubber bands from A dollar store, Walmart, or hobby lobby. Max of $3-$4 for a bag of 100s. Smaller than 1" but still works in a pinch
sadly as someone who lives in brazil... 30 something dolars is a lot for me to pay on those things... i really wish i could buy all of those, nice video anyway.
Ok, so I bought the starter set with lost mines of phandelver and I need to know what Flat Minis I need to play that because there are so many choices. Any help is appreciated, thanks.
For flight, I went to Hobby Lobby and got a few smal glass bottles with quarks. Stuck i little sticy dot (like for holding up a poster) to the quark and stuck the mini to the top. Then use dry erase marker to write how high up they are. This makes it so things dont fall over and get broken and everyone can see whats up really easy. I have a question. Have you ever used a cheap LCD panel for doing your maps? I started using one at the start of this game and its really been an asset. A TV plus DungeonDraft has really changed the way my players interact with the world.
Hmm that's very interesting! I might just have to try that out. As for the LCD, we built a box for a cheap tv that was on sale. We encased it in wood and put plexi glass over the top. We were going to do a video of it's creation, but we had so many mistakes that we didn't think it was worth it. However, we use it almost every session we play. We make maps on inkarnate and display them with roll20. It's honestly one of my favorite dm tools! I'll have to check out Dungeon Draft! Thanks for the comment!
-Al
For flight stands i use those small little plastic stem cups from the dollar store. I trim them and just put it on the table and put the character on top.
I've played with DMs who straight-up disallow flight because of how difficult it is to track. My games are all online now, though, so it's easier to make notes on the minis and then still forget where things are relative to each other.
Being someone who loves using minis and terrain in my games, I ALWAYS miss how easy tracking health and things like flight is in virtual tabletops.
-Al
poker chips, one for every 5 feet
I haven't seen this one before, I think that's pretty clever
The dice of rolling would be useful, if I didn't bring 150 dice to every game
When describing 2D terrain, it would be good to not call it 3D. Just saying.
if you're a bit artistic, you could make flat plastic minis yourself with Shrinky Dinks, whatever you need whenever.
a DM i knew used wire connectors as stand-in monster minis, and they each had a number label to differentiate them. plus they come in various sizes, most perfect for use with standard minis, and many colors, too.
For flight stands I use Dollar Tree clear plastic tall, narrow glasses found in the party section.
I personally don’t use the encumbrance rules tbh. I feel it bogs down my campaigns
Hi Short Rest, I love your videos and was wondering if you would like to do a collab?
Plastic poker chips are super cheap... And a sharpie for condition rings
A minute in and I thought about the dice tower I started using with the new group
ugh, carrying capacity... I house rule 5 items equipped + 5 items carried, +1 item per strength mod, items small enough to fit in a dice bag don't count against you. Life's too short for that much math. I've used inventory sheets before though, kind of cool to imagine where all the miscellaneous gear's packed up.
"Strength needs all the help it can get"? Are you bloody serious? Aside from rangers and rogues, strength is the primary stat for every other martial character. And the Primary stat for like 90% of the melee weapons in the game for everyone else. Then you have strength saves, Athletic checks, Grappling and a tonne of other things I haven't mention. Compare Strength to Intelligence and see which more characters dump?
The issue with strength is not that it sucks compared to all the other stats but that it sucks compared to the other melee stat that is dex. Dex saves are more common, with dex the AC gets buffed as well as initiative and you have way more skills tied to it. Strength only helps with carying stuff which most tables ignore anyway. So there is no real reason to pick strength over dex besides roleplay and flavor. The only reason i see is using heavy weapons.
My dnd character can fly and in my game i place my mini on some dice so he is in the air also when gargoyles snatched 2 party members and carrying them while flying as well as my character and put percentile dice next to our mins using them to show how high we were
I have a Chessex dice box, one of those clear boxed with a black lid/bottom. I have a magnet glued on the black part to use it to transport my mini. And I can use the clear part to elevate my mini.
For flight we just drew a black circle on the ground to represent their shadow, and isn’t he circle we would write the height. I’ve only had to deal with it as a dm a few times, and we were running a poor man’s campaign.
Clear dice box works for flight just put the many figures on top
This is a good video I have skinni minis and am saving to buy rings for combat I have a dice tower and dice tray as well as some reaper tiles
so helpful 🤩
I made a attack with my flying snakes today, 24 d4 😂 imagine a crit😬
For the condition rings I use milk container lid rims
Who doesn't frigging have enough dice?
Flat plastic miniatures that cost three times more than "real" 3D printed ones 😭
Isn't that 3d terrain 2d?
This stuff is great and all, but plonk down a bunch of map pieces and say this is where you are, will never be better than You feel off-balanced as the unexpected feeling of the ground, floor? beneath you shifts and pitches. As focus comes to you, the sound of a thousand snare drums assails your senses. The sky lights up and you hear the cry of distressed wood. Roll initiative.
Oh for sure, accessories definitely can't compete with the human imagination and some good narration. Though I really do enjoy terrain and a battle map for strategic play, if I am trying to evoke a strong theme or feeling, narration/theatre of mind is what I prefer most. Thanks for the comment!
-Al
$30 set of dice.... WTF!
Lol yes, but you get 31 dice...
a normal dice set of 7 is around $10, so it makes sense
Miniatures
Paper
Dice
Pencils
Skinny mini flight stands all day.
I'll take a peek at those! Thanks for the recommendation!