D&D Nerd.com

I’ve found a few tools that are quite handy when preparing for a D&D adventure, and I thought I’d share. Some of these will probably seem like no-brainers. However, I think one will be rather unexpected. In fact, I’ll start off with that one first.

The Journal
This is primarily meant as journaling software, but it’s quite a nice electronic notebook to boot. You can configure as many categories as you want, with as many entries as you want. Also, each category can be configured to be a journal (entries automatically created according to your specifications) or a notebook (each entry has to be manually created). I’ve created a category specifically for D&D, and within it I have entries and sub-entries for campaigns I run, as well as a couple of entries for my PCs, at least those I keep on the long term.

So instead of playing around with many sheets of paper, and sometimes losing something, I keep all the important stuff in my electronic notebook. Also, I keep it on a USB thumb drive, so I’ll have it anywhere I go, without having to bring my computer with me.

DiceTool
This is actually one of two tools I use from rptools.net, and is I think one of the best dice rollers around. Rather than just filling in some text box with the number of dice you want to roll, and then clicking an appropriate button, you actually program each button for what exactly you want to roll. So, for example, rolling HP for a Frost Giant is made far simpler when you can configure one button You can also set it up for attacks that each creature you’ll have will do, so you can see at a glance what their to-hit roll is, and, if it hits, the damage that the attack does. Far easier than trying to quickly add up dice you’ve rolled, which allows you to spend more time actively DMing.

InitTool
This is the second tool from rptools.net that I’ve been using, and loving. While preparing an adventure, I can set up groups for each encounter that I’ll throw at my players. Once that’s all done, I simply need to add the appropriate group to the encounter when it comes up, and initiative is automatically rolled for each creature in the group. All I worry about is just getting initiative from all the PCs that are involved in combat (usually all of them), and quickly adding them into the initiative list. So not only a great way to handle mass initiative, but also an excellent way to track it in the middle of battle!

Jamis Buck’s Generators
Excellent generators to be used when preparing for an adventure. Roll loot, create a random dungeons, random NPCs, and random towns all you want, until you have what you need. Great stuff for those who are too lazy or crazed to get really creative, and also helps when time is short and you need to have something for your players. Also, you can choose to either use the browser-based stuff, or download the tools to run on your computer (Windows only, unfortunately) regardless whether or not you have a net connection.