Tavern Talks

Adam: Well met,

adventurers, and welcome back
to the Tavern Talks Podcast.

I'm Adam, your guide through the
realms of Dungeons & Dragons, and

alongside me is the ever-short

ever-short Zac.

Greetings, fellow seekers of adventure.

Today, our virtual tavern echoes with
the hum of excitement as we embark on a

journey into the digital realm of D&D.

Zac: Join us as we unfurl the

Adam: digital scroll and delve into a
treasure trove of online resources that

await both players and dungeon masters
in the vast expanse of the D&D universe

Zac: From character creation to campaign
management, from world-building to

community engagement, we're here
to illuminate the myriad paths

that lead to enhanced gameplay
and unforgettable experiences.

Adam: So pull up a chair, refill your
tankard, and let the glow of your screen

illuminate the adventures that await.

Welcome, one and all, to a journey
through the boundless possibilities of

online resources in Dungeons and Dragons

To the adventurers who seek knowledge,
the storytellers who craft worlds,

welcome to another enlightening
chapter of the Tavern Talks podcast

Zac: All righty.

So, I think the best way to break down
online resources for our listeners

is just to describe kind of what
they do and give a nice overview.

This'll be a, uh, kinda quicker
episode for all of us, and I think

it's just because you, as the listener,
probably need to go explore each

one of these individually and figure
out the different mechanics of how

it works and what works for you.

So I think the first thing we do is
use player resources, and then the next

segment we can go into dungeon master
resources, and then in the third segment,

there's the community and content
creation that we can hit on, um, as well.

So starting with the first segment as
player resources, I'm talking about

different character generators and sheet
apps that are out there, digital rule

books and references, and the online dice
rollers and virtual tabletops basically.

So.

Adam: and virtual tabletops,

Zac: So the first one that
comes to mind always is?

Adam: D&D Beyond.

Zac: So Zac, take that away.

Adam: Yeah, so Adam's definitely
gonna be your go-to when it comes

to digital resources to use during,
you know, DM'ing or playing.

But I think D&D Beyond, um, it is a
Wizards of the West Coast application.

Um, you can download it on your...

You know, it's a website on the computer,
desktop, laptop, whatever you have.

Um, it's also an application on the
smartphones, so if you have Android or

iPhone, you can download it there as well.

Um, D&D Beyond, for those who
are not aware, whether you be a

player or a dungeon master, is
probably one of the go-to resource.

And the reason I say that is
because it does put it in the

easiest, uh, laissez-faire terms
you can find of Dungeons & Dragons.

They break down everything from the
basic rule books all the way to the

extensions, uh, such as, you know, Ghosts
of Saltmarsh, um, Baldur's Gate, Descent

into Avernus, other books of the sort.

Um, these books...

So imagine like this.

This is the easiest way I can put
it for those who are unknowing or

unaware of how D&D Beyond works.

You still purchase the
book from D&D Beyond.

It might be a digital book.

You can also order a physical copy.

But D&D Beyond acts as basically
a video game, and if we have video

game listeners out there, you'll
probably understand this comparison.

Imagine each book as a portion
of downloadable content.

So they allow you either different
places, different spells, uh, different

races to play as, and just overall,
they give you different things to

kind of peer into in the D&D world,
whether it be a home brew or your own.

Now, you're probably wondering, "Why
would I need to purchase it if, um, you

know, if I can just home brew it myself?"

Well, D&D Beyond isn't just a,
you know, a plethora of books.

It's also a place where you can
build your first character sheet.

You can also have listing of spells.

Um, so it'll break down each
and every spell your, you know,

your class is available to.

It'll also break down
your character sheet.

Um, I believe the free version gives
you five free characters to create.

Um, once, now there are
different subscription

services you can buy into that.

There's three different kinds.

I think it goes something like, I
don't know, gold, platinum, premium,

s- something along those sorts.

But you'll pay a yearly, uh,
fee, and it'll give you access to

unlimited character creation, um,
you know, or unlimited character

sheets, so on and so forth.

Um, it does walk you on how to create...

walk you through how
to create a character.

In doing so, it'll walk you
through how to create your strength

modifiers, dexterity, constitution,
intelligence, wisdom, and charisma.

It breaks tho- breaks down those
subclasses quite well into kinda

explaining what they're good
for, what you can use them for.

It also makes it very

D- D&D 101 for you.

It, it kinda tells you
what these are good for.

It'll tell you walking speed,
distances, armor classes, and it'll

keep all, all of this up with all of
this, um, in your character sheet.

You can also, from there, since it is
a digital character sheet, you can, uh,

increase your character's, um, levels or
decrease them however you see fit, right?

And also, you know, going from that, it
lets you keep track of your inventory,

um, notes within the campaign itself.

It'll allow you to reset
on long or short rests.

Uh, these things might sound a little
obtuse, a little out of your realm right

now, especially if you're just beginning.

But if you were to download that
application and just go to create a

character, it kind of walks you through
step by step what you're gonna need, um,

what this means, and, and what these,
these words and these things I'm saying,

uh, will mean to you in your campaign.

Um, it'll also give you the ability
to add pictures for your characters.

Um, they do give you a generic list of
things to pick from, but if you want to

create your own personal character, there
are other outlets you can use to do so.

Um, one we will talk about
later is one called HeroForge.

It is a great miniature custom, uh,
design website, and you can really get

a look and feel for your character.

But going back to D&D Beyond,
um, this'll also help you

keep track of your campaigns.

If you're a DM, you are actually able
to invite players out to your campaigns.

Adam, uh, just for a little bit
to bounce back off of you, you do

this with our campaign right now.

Uh, can you kind of tell the listeners how
it is in terms of a DM's point of view?

Zac: Yeah.

So in D&D Beyond, and we attach that
with a couple of VTTs, which we'll

get into, um, later on in the segment.

But essentially anybody that r- joins
the campaign itself, you'll be able to

see if they roll anything on D&D Beyond
as the, uh, that keeps track of your

rolls and such, as well as you can add in
comments here and there over the story,

or you can send comments out to individual
players if you're trying to speak to them

without letting the other players know.

Um, so they allow the chat box to do that.

And then you as a DM can roll, and
you're able to view in the campaign

everybody's, um, character sheets
that they've already created.

So it makes it management pretty easy
on that, on the DM side of things,

especially if you, uh, tie it in
with a, a VTT or a, a different, um,

online virtual tabletop basically.

So y- a couple of other character
generators that are out there

other than D&D Beyond...

Zac, you don't know this, but
back in the day, um- Back in

Adam: Back in the heyday ... back

Zac: in 2018, 2017, it's been out for
a while, but 2019 and it shut down.

Uh, uh, it was going to shut down in 2019.

I think it officially closed down in 2020.

Can't remember, but there used to
be a thing called OrcPub, and OrcPub

was a very complex character creator.

Um, people praised it for how well you
could create a character, as well as

how well you could, uh, the complexities
that were involved in it And everyone

seemed to like it, but I think Wizards
of the Coast sent a cease and desist

because it wasn't official 'cause
D&D Beyond was coming out at that

point, so they kinda had to shut down.

But what lived on is what's called the
Dungeon Master's Vault, and you can create

a character over there from the Orc Pub.

It's similar.

It is different 'cause they have
to keep it down, but you can make

home brew characters in that area.

Um, and that's what it's really
good about, is home brew characters.

So if you wanted to make a, let's
say, a monster character and play a

monster series, you certainly can out
of, uh, the Dungeon Master's Vault.

Adam: Very nice.

Zac: The other, uh, character
generator that I know of, that I

have used a couple of times, is
called Fight Club Fifth Edition.

Um-

Adam: Hey, I know about

Zac: yeah.

So that's a current one that still
exists out there, and they have a

good dedicated subreddit, and I'd s-
highly suggest if you're listening

to go check out the subreddit to
get the better details in there.

But Fight Club 5E is really good
when you're wanting more, um, control

over than what D&D Beyond gives you.

Because if you wanna look at
different pathways and different, um-

Different ways to create a character
without it being blocked by not

having accessible books like D&D
Beyond has, and open up your, you

know, world from Xanthars all the
way to back to the player's handbook

kinda characters and creatures.

You can do that in Fight Club 5E, so
you're not withholding to just, "I

have to obtain this book to get access
to this character," kinda thing.

So I'd highly suggest you check
those out and check out it over

on the subreddit for those.

But those are the top
major character creators.

We just wanna make sure that
we can lay it all out there.

D&D Beyond is the e- most easily
accessible and free, uh, version for you.

And if you're first starting
out, I suggest to use that.

And then as you get comfortable in
it, maybe start reaching out to DM,

the Dungeon Masters Vault or, uh,
Fight Club 5E for the, the rest of it.

Each one has a dedicated subreddit
for it, and they're pretty active

in there, and they can help you out,
uh, starting out with, uh, helpful,

uh, FAQ questions and all of that.

So, um, moving on to that,
uh, we will talk about digital

rule books and references.

So

in my world of, of, as
a player, I liked it...

I like it for ease of use, um,
and for the simplicity sake.

So we can get very complicated
very quickly as a player and a DM

with different functions and online
resources that are out there.

And it can be overwhelming at times.

But a couple that I use as a
player and as a DM is, uh, Roll20.

And Roll20 does a very good job at, at
simplifying the virtual tabletop for you.

And then the other one that I also
use is called Above VTT, that's

what Zac's campaign is currently on.

Um, we usually do Theater of the Mind
anyways, but in case I need to pull

up something, Above VTT is the best
one that I, that is a free resource.

But I would highly suggest you donate
to their Patreon because the amount

of stuff that it pulls from, like D&D
Beyond, and still functions correctly

as a virtual tabletop and, and having
the resources available is insane.

Roll20 will charge you
after so many things.

Um, it only allows so much free space, uh,
available to it, and I get it because the

servers can only last for, you know, so
much bandwidth can be taken at a time, so.

But Above VTT is, I highly recommend.

It is a little buggy, but once you get
through it, I would highly suggest it.

Now, if you are a veteran DM like
myself, you have played around

with what's called Fantasy Grounds
Fantasy Grounds is a complex system

that has rule books and references.

It's a virtual tabletop for cl- or for
you, and it's an ultimate D&D resource as

well as Pathfinder and these other, uh,
role-playing RPG games that are out there.

Um, but you pay for it.

It's a pay system.

So once you pay for it, you
download it and it's like a little,

its own little game essentially.

Um, and I think I've played around with it
a little bit, but it is just very complex.

It's very difficult to get into.

I would highly suggest you, uh, kind
of y- look into it, but I would highly

suggest you watch a lot of YouTube videos
on it because it can be very complex

and the cost of it is almost, uh, null
if you don't use all of the options

available to you as a DM or as a player.

Um, but it's a fully customizable game
for your players as well as is a fully

customizable game as a DM too, and it
allows full features and tool sets.

Um, it's insane what's included
with it, but it, it's sometimes so

much stuff can get overwhelming.

Adam: Oh, 100%.

I mean, most of your online tools
can be overwhelming at first.

Um, where do you wanna go into now?

We've kinda touched base on D&D
Beyond for the, the listeners

in terms of this is your rodeo.

You're, you're more of the, "I am going
to look to you on guidance on this."

Zac: Yeah.

So that's fine.

Um, so the last one in the, in
the segment for the players to go

find is, um, the virtual tabletop.

So like we said, Roll20 and Above VTT.

The best one that is payable, and I've
never asked y'all to pay for anything on

the, on the campaign, but if we did pay
for something, it would be Foundry VTT-

Okay ... and that is like the pinnacle
peak of virtual tabletops for D&D.

Adam: How much is that?

Zac: is that?

$40, I think.

Adam: Yeah, but you get what?

Lifetime?

But

Zac: you get it for, like, lifetime?

But it's subscription-based
after the fact, I think.

I'm not for sure.

So

Adam: four- what, 40 a month?

Zac: No, it's 40 for, like, the
download, and then it's, like, a

subscription for whatever tier you are

Adam: after.

Oh, God, they get you with the micro

Zac: Yeah, but it's a l- If you're
running, like, tabletops, like, on the,

on, like, three days a week or something-

Adam: Ah, it's kinda worth it.

Yeah.

Okay.

Zac: 'cause it keeps up with everything.

And yeah, as a player, Foundry VTT
is s- it's, it's just cool because

you can, like, move your character
around and the light bars and

stuff will go with it in a cave

Adam: okay.

So kinda like

Zac: Roll20 does it, too, and Above
VTT, but Foundry does it just better.

Okay.

Um, even, like, it, uh,
me making, uh, what is it?

What is that called?

Dragon or

Dungeon,

Dungeon Alchemist,

uh,

Adam: game that- Are you
talking about where we did-

Zac: I dow- I made my own
maps and p- imported them in.

I think

Adam: it's- Yeah ... called
Dungeon Alchemist.

I think it's, I think it is.

That's what you did for the prequel.

Uh, our session zero is essentially.

Zac: Yes, it's called Dungeon Alchemist.

It's on Steam.

I downloaded it, and it's,
it's amazing on there.

And, and that, that's for DMs, but as
players, you can import those in and

you get to live in the world basically.

But Foundry does it, like, top tier, and
I would highly suggest if you're going

that route, it has, you know, tabletop
layouts, dynamic lighting in it, and, and

the character sheets are built in already.

So that's just kind of for you as players.

Uh, let's move on to the segment
about the dungeon master resources,

and that will kinda highlight our
world and how the different...

There's, there's different campaign
management tools that we can use.

There's different world building
and map making software that's out

there, and then there's a monster
database that we can, uh, ch- choose

for encounter generators basically.

So, uh, we can take it away there

So in this segment will be, uh, campaign
management tools, world building and

map making softwares, and monster
databases and encounter generators.

So, well, I'll hit the high points
since I'm currently in a campaign, and

Zac can talk about our world building
and map making software, and then we

can tag team, uh, monster databases.

And I have a little bit to add to map
making after Zac's done, just a couple of

different things that I use, um, outside
of what we wanna talk about, um, on that.

But to highlight the campaign
management side of things If you're

doing a large and long campaign, um,
there's different avenues you can

go with keeping up with your notes
and keeping up with your sections.

So first one every- everybody thinks of is
World of Anvil, or World Anvil, not World

of Anvil, but it's called World Anvil.

It's $54 a month or a year and it...

Yeah, sorry.

How's that saying?

You're

trying

Adam: to get them to be broke too?

Zac: Philip?

Yeah, I mean, i- if you use it, you...

It,

it's hard for me to recommend something
that expensive, but it is worth it

and it's one of the most leading, you
know, online resources for keeping

up with notes in your campaign and
everything that you want in it.

Um, I personally have not used it just
because I believe in just trying to make

it as free as possible for everybody.

I know people use it if they're
doing D&D campaigns all over.

Um, and if they're doing it 'cause,
you know, some places are paying

for D&D DMs basically at this
point, um, to keep up with it.

So I try to make it as free as
possible for these resources.

But World of Anvil does exist
if you wanna pay for it, and it

is a very good tool software.

I'm not knocking it at all,
but it's just a lot of money to

dedicate for that price point.

You get a lot out of it, but
you're just gonna have to

Adam: You're gonna have to dish out the

Zac: Yes,

for it.

It's still good.

I like it.

I just have not personally used it because
I've stayed away from pricier things.

Other things, um, like Campfire,
uh, that one's a decent one too.

It's still payable.

Um, but it is a...

Imagine they kind of taught, uh,
teach you around a campfire type of

thing and you're telling stories.

It's all about storytelling, so
you're writing your stories and

they, they're saving it and all.

I do like Campfire.

Um, the main one that I use, uh,
and it is payable, is Obsidian.

And Obsidian is a project
management software, funny enough.

Um, but a D&D campaign
is a project management

Adam: software.

I was about to

Zac: And you can create these, like,
little pinpoints in, in this world

basically, and you click on the
pinpoints in the world and it creates

all the files for you and you're
typing them all in so you can...

Y- it's almost like a network
of lines going to everything.

So it's almost, it's almost like a
detective with their red, uh, yarn tying

everything in, trying to solve the case.

That's what Obsidian does with every
little character and every little piece.

Um, I do like using it.

You can use OneNote as a resource.

I used that in college.

Um, and OneNote's good just to
keep up with different cities

and the lore that you have.

Um, you can just use your notes
app, um, or a pen and paper if you

wanted to go back to classic D&D.

Oh, yeah.

But there's different ways to do it.

I usually keep mine in a Word
doc, and I kinda just live in that

Word doc or the Google Drive and
just keep up with it that way.

However, I did recently
fund a Kickstarter, and

I'm very excited about it.

It's called Amsel Suite.

Amsel Suite, uh, is funded by these
two French guys, and they have created

a lore side and a campaign side.

So...

Or, uh, I'm probably not doing it justice
enough, but it's like a lore side where

you're doing your storyline and your
storytelling, and then they have a

second software where you're creating
a, um, basically a campaign out of it.

So your lore ties into the campaign,
and everyth- uh, you can make a, like,

a hyperlink inside the story, and you
click on it, and it'll take you to

the lore about that specific piece.

And you can make different
folders and different sections

for the towns and cities and every
character that they interact with.

And you can do commentary, the
weather, all of that in Amsel Suite

Adam: Suite.

Don't let it seem intimidating.

I know that's

Zac: No.

And it's a one-time purchase and it's
not subscription-based and that's what I

liked about it and that's why I funded it.

And, um, and I have the software for
life and it's not, it's not g- it's

actually downloaded on the computer
and it's stored on the computer and

Adam: Have you used that

Zac: cloud.

It's supposed to release
beta in July, I believe.

Okay.

So I've Kickstarted it, I backed it,
I'm in the Discord, I'm active in there.

So if anybody's listening from Ample
Sweet, like shout out to y'all, like a

hashtag I hope everything works out, uh,
the way that you promised and everything

seems to be going that way with the
updates that you've been giving us.

So I'm excited to, to dive into that
to where I can actually take my notes

from my drive and my Word doc and pop
them into it 'cause I can have each

individual little city and create the

Adam: a lot of lore to keep up with,

Zac: It is, but it all, it's all in
one and it's like a Wikipedia page

where it's like hyperlink central
so you can hyperlink it and it'll

take you over to the other software
to pull the, the lore behind it.

So I mean, I am excited about that.

But you, yeah, in all of these
y- you could do map integration,

you could do plot tracking and
collaborative editing in all of them.

So those are the things
offered in campaign management.

Um, we could do a, I, I mean I
could go do a whole thing of how

I do my campaign management style.

I mean, I'm pretty loosey-goosey
when it comes to that.

Um, a lot of more people are more
organized and strict with it.

I'm not so much because
everything changes.

I'm not a very rigid type of
person when it comes to my stories.

I just like them to make, I, I just
like it to make it interesting.

Adam: interesting.

Okay.

It still kinda makes sense though.

Zac: It will.

It will.

It all comes together in the end.

Adam: end.

All right.

Well, speaking of, uh, map building,
there are a couple things I wanna

speak on, j- little tools that, um,
starting out DMs especially can use.

Um, the first one I'm gonna
get into is called Wonderdraft.

It is a map, uh, building
software essentially.

This is so you can get a grandeur scale
of what your world will become Basically,

I'm just gonna break it down for you.

The easiest way to explain what
Wonderdraft is, is like I said, it's

a program that allows you to create
whatever type of map you want with the

terrain, with geographical pinpoints, you
know, lakes, rivers, mountain streams,

plateaus, islands, just whatever you want.

And it's...

All it is, is Photoshop but with word art.

Um, it's a fancier version of
that, and it is, it is something

that you'd need to purchase.

And I know Adam and I were
saying, "Hey, you gotta use..."

You know, we do like to
preach the free tools because-

Zac: We're broke

Adam: we're all broke out here,
especially in this economy.

So, um, but once again, um, going into
that, there are things you are going

to have to do as a DM if you want
that, you wanna go the extra mile.

You know, let's not go to Starbucks, you
know, once every day for a week, and you

can afford stuff like this, you know?

Or-

Zac: it a one-time

Adam: purchase?

This is a one-time purchase.

Okay.

So Wonderdraft- I always

like can

Zac: one-time purchases.

other than subscription services,

Adam: And it's, it's not e- it's, it's
no more than a book you would get at

Books-A-Million or Second & Charles.

It's, it's 29.99,

and from here you can create an entire
world map, and it kind of breaks down.

You can even, you know, create
coastal cities if you want.

Um, it, it's a good overview of
what you want the world to be.

But personally, um, even though
Wonderdraft is good, I prefer something

called Dungeon Fog, uh, a little bit more.

It's another software.

This one does not do a one-time
purchase, unfortunately.

This is a monthly or annual subscription.

Um, they break it down into different
categories, but it does the same

thing, just on a im- it does a
in, in-depth breakdown of worlds.

So you can do a world map,
but you can also do a dungeon.

Um, cities, you could do
streets, you could do cathedrals,

whatever you really wanted to.

But they break down their membership
options through one month, three month,

six month, monthly, and annually.

Um, and those prices range
from a month being $6.90

to an annual, uh, being 49.90.

So it's, on average, it's costing
you right under $5 a month.

I think if you're running a decent sized
campaign, you know, a year or two, or even

if it's something you only wanna do for
a few months, you know, f- a few bucks

here and there is not gonna kill you.

You know, 50 bucks for a year, or even
let's say you were doing a shorter

campaign for three months, $15.

Uh, it's something well worth it The
good thing about these maps and these

editing software tools is not only do
you kinda get to visualize what your

world is like to your players, um,
but you also get to export that out

into, uh, software programs like VTT,
we were talking about on D&D Beyond.

It is something that you would
put along with D&D Beyond.

You would be able to import your map
that you've created from Dungeon Fog.

Um, they give you different
types of features within these.

They give you additional map slots, uh,
the ability for, for example, Dungeon

Fog gives you over 4,000 props and
textures for the base subscription.

Um, from that is going anything
from fantasy to pop punk sci-fi.

I mean- Yeah ... you can do anything
you wanted, e- especially if it was

a home brew or it's you're trying to
explore the traditional realms of Faerûn.

They do color filters, so you're
not having to make it just a gray

template or something of the sort.

I could go into this for probably well
over an hour, but both of these two, uh,

Dungeon Fog and Wonder Draft, are both
really fantastic world building tools.

But speaking on getting to a smaller
s- scale of everything, Wonder

Draft actually partners with, um...

It's kinda like another software,
and they partner with it, and

it's called Dungeon Draft.

If you could probably put it
together, Dungeon Draft primarily

focuses on dungeons, so battle maps.

When you want encounters and combat
encounters, this is what you would

use to really hone and shape that, and
that kinda goes along with the export.

It can go to Foundry VTT, Encounter+,
D20 Pro, Roll20, MapTool, uh,

MapTools, excuse me, ArcEnForge.

It goes to all these.

Um, it does a one-time purchase, if
I'm not mistaken, and that is $20.

And all these systems are
compatible with Microsoft and Apple.

These, um, do need minimum
requirements, so don't just buy

this if you're on a 93 Microsoft,
you know, or Dell in your basement.

Don't, don't do that.

Uh, it's probably not gonna run it too
well Uh, you can read the requirements

on each site, what you'll need for this,
but what I really wanna get into with

Dungeon Draft is kinda the features of it.

Much like having the props and
the world building tools, you'll

have a built-in lighting system.

Uh, this is something really cool,
so if you're exploring a cave, a

cave is naturally gonna be dark
unless there's, you know, dwellers

within the cave system itself.

It has random cave and dungeon generators,
so you're not having to map out every

single nook and cranny yourself.

It's not a subscription base.

Like I said, it's a one-time purchase.

It does a smart tiling system, so
it'll break it down on tiles if you're

getting to the, you know, movement
speed of your players, so which is 30

usually per player unless it varies.

Um, and it, it's got a very
clean, appealing art style in

terms of it's smooth, it's not
granulated or pixelated in any way.

You'll be able to export this,
and your players are gonna be able

to see the sprite, uh, crispiness
of your actual world and dungeons

a- and battle maps themselves.

But, um, all of these are really
great world building tools that

Adam really put me on, and I
like to kinda touch base on them.

Yes, they are, they are
stuff you have to pay for.

Prepare yourself.

You cannot always find a good
world building or dungeon building

tool at no cost because at the end
of the day, it does cost people

software to create these things.

So we do want to support the
creators, um, but also do

something affordable, you know?

Zac: I try to.

If it's, if it's not, like, some
large, you know, hidden behind

corp- cor- uh, corporate- Yeah.

Yeah.

Um, like Amsel Suites, two guys
in France, and then, um, you

know, you have, uh, Above VTT,
which is just Patreon-supported.

so- you know, try to
support where you can.

Um, a couple others that Zac
didn't hit on is Inkarnate.

Um, and that's just a, uh, there is a free
version of that, so that could get you a

taste of your building up maps and things.

Uh, check that out first before you
go into these other Wonderdraft or...

And I know that there's another
one that exists as well, um, that

I've touched base on, but Campaign
Cartographer is another one.

It's a little bit more complicated to use.

It's kinda like a CAD software, um, base,
uh, based around that, so it's a little

bit more of a learning curve on it.

Um, and it's not very intuitive.

Um, Inkarnate is easy, but it's
a l- maybe too simple for you.

But if you're just going for a
quick, easy map, Inkarnate would

be the one that I would choose.

Um, Wonderdraft, like Zac said,
hits, hits a nice spot, and

then Dungeon Fog does as well.

So both of those that are
payable, they know what they're...

You're getting your
money's worth out of it.

So those are the two that I would hit on.

Now, if you're looking at, like,
city-building in the world, um,

I have used, uh, what's called
Watabou, uh, W-A-T-A-B-O-U.

Uh, just type that into Google.

It's a city generator for you.

And it reminds me of these old style, uh,
um, Greek and Latin, when I was in Latin

class in, in college and in, uh, high
school, where we had to identify old,

uh, maps of, uh, where places of temples
were and different, uh, uh, forums, Roman

forums, and they would just give you a, a
piece of paper with just squares on them.

It reminds me highly of that.

And if that's just very niche for anybody
that took Latin, if they'd ever did the,

um, exams where they just handed you
a bunch of squares and boxes and said,

"Identify this map and what it is."

That's basically what
you're looking at there.

But they do it in a nice way where
you can actually choose what walls to

build and what, um, uh, how many walls
you wanna have, how many major roads

you wanna have, how many harbors, and
then it'll divide up the city into

districts for you, so you already
don't have to create a name for them.

But if you wanna change
the names, you can.

So it's very intuitive and it's free.

That's what I like about it.

Um, and I would highly suggest
using that as a city generator.

Um, the last topic to talk about
in this segment would be the, uh,

encounters and monster databases.

Um, so obviously, uh, the first one
is D&D Beyond, and then we have the

Kobold Fight Club, which I use, and then
DonJon, um, is another resource to use.

But Zac's got D&D Beyond already pulled
up, so take it away, Zac, with D&D Beyond.

D&D Beyond

What can it do?

When

Adam: can it do?

When it comes to monsters,
pretty much everything.

Uh, D&D Beyond, we talked about
it in the very first segment

because I'm, I'm a huge fan of it.

I don't try to over-hype it, but I
think it's just wonderful for beginners.

D&D Beyond is gonna break down everything.

With your basic rule book, you're
gonna have access to primarily most,

I'd say a good three-fourths of the
monsters you are going to encounter

in your traditional D&D campaigns.

Within this basic rules book, you're
also going to have monster stats, so

it will break down a monster's stats.

It will break down their AC, their
attack, what you will roll for said

attack, the lore of said monster so you
kind, kind of know where to place them

within the geography of your world.

Um, and it, it'll go through every single
one like that, whether it be a level one

monster or something that could fight,
you know, even level 20 characters.

Now, with D&D Beyond, kinda how I will
touch back on this, it has multiple books.

Most of these books you have to buy.

So, whether that be the Monster
Manual, um, the Player's Handbook,

Out of the Abyss, Dungeon
Master's Guide, what Tasha's- You,

Zac: have to buy the digital copy
to get access to it in D&D Beyond.

So you buying physical books
is great and all, but the

Adam: That's if you're doing hardcore-

Zac: person

first

Adam: edition D&D, everything on
paper- Yeah ... kind of person.

Zac: mean, I have a lot of the books,
and one thing I really am upset about

with Wizards of the Coast, and I
feel like a lot of people feel the

way, same way, is like I've bought
these Player's Manual and Monster

Manual and Xanathar's Guide, physical
form, 'cause I like physical media.

But I go on D&D Beyond and I
can't scan the back of the barcode

and say, "Hey, I purchased this.

Can you import it on the D&D Beyond side?"

Adam: Yeah

Zac: you're getting double charged
for a book you've already paid for

just to get access to the D&D Beyond

Adam: the D&D Beyond software ... if
you buy the physical copy.

Zac: a physical media

Adam: Look,

I'm well

Zac: have a whole dedicated
man cave of physical

Adam: I--

Don't get me wrong, physical media's
great, and like the late, great

Stan Lee once said, you know, it,
it's nice to see online, but it's

better to hold one in your hand.

But he kinda got sexual
with that reference, so

Zac: reference.

Adam: Talking about comic books
being like titties, but okay.

We're gonna cut that out.

Anyway, back to it.

Um, you can buy books, and they're
gonna give you access to more creatures.

The more books you buy digitally,
the more creatures you're gonna

have to introduce in your campaign.

Now- Be smart about this,
especially if you're a new DM.

Don't go collect these things like
Pokemon cards just 'cause you think

in your campaign you have to include
every single monster that is in

and beyond the D&D Monster Manual.

You do not.

Um, but do use, as a DM, D&D Beyond
to be able to track your combat

encounters, to be more easily access
to the monster stats themselves.

Um, uh, that, that's
mainly what you use it for.

I mean, D&D, uh, there's not
much else you can delve into

Zac: pull in, uh, monsters from D&D
Beyond on the Above VTT, and it'll give

you the stats of it on the Above VTT.

So

Adam: can actually see them.

Yep.

Right?

Mm-hmm.

Um, that d- It's nice

Zac: to have that.

It has the whole monster
manual basically- Right

Adam: accessible to you.

And you have to use it pretty...

I mean, don't sit there and make
an army of hobgoblins or goblins.

This is gonna be a little chaotic there.

But Above VTT gives you the map outline.

It also gives you the creatures on said
map, and it'll give you the stats as well.

So that's why D&D Beyond works
very well with Above VTT.

Um, and, and there's not
much else you can go into it.

I mean, it is a very you have to
discover these things for yourselves.

Yeah.

You have to delve into this, and
really, you could sit here and

talk about every single thing
D&D Beyond does for hours on end.

Zac: It's a good software.

It is.

It's just, it's, it's sad that
it's just Wizards of the Coast

kinda drives up the pricing for it

Adam: Oh, they definitely capitalize

Zac: They do.

And they, and they can.

Hasbro has that, you know, covered,
and that's just another, that's

another episode to talk about.

But I kinda

Adam: But I try to think of it like
this, and I mean this genuinely.

I'm a video game guy.

I pay $60 for a story.

These are only $30, and most
books nowadays are anywhere

from 20 to 30 bucks anyway.

So- Yeah ... if this is giving you
a sense of satisfaction, go for it.

But once again, remember, you do not
have to buy every single book on the

Zac: the marketplace.

Yeah.

And then, uh, the last two things
is, you know, Kobold Fight Club.

Uh, I love the name of it.

It's just so funny.

But it gives you, it gives you
generators so you can type in the

monsters that you want your, uh,
encounters to be, plus whatever you,

you can, you can tell it what kind of
characters you have, and you can...

I believe you can import your
characters into the list as well, or

let them know, like, what their class
and race is of it, and it can give

you the chances of survivability.

And it, you, you...

I had a lich and two death knights
that popped up at one point, uh,

on a, and it was, like, uh, almost
impossible, so I had to lower it

down for, uh, a session one time.

But I do use Kobold Fight Club.

It's fun to mess around with, and it'll
give you the XP with it, and it'll,

it'll let you know how impossible it
is based on what you're giving it.

So it's just this nice little generator.

Now, the, the next one is a very
old, and I'm, I'm saying I, I, I aged

myself, but this was, like, back in
twen- was, what was nine, 10 years ago?

T-four-2014?

Yeah, so 2014, this guy
creates what's called DonJon.

Adam: That's a movie.

Zac: It is,

Adam: With Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Yes.

Zac: But it's called DonJon, and
it is a all-in-one D&D generator.

So I'm talking you can do encounters
with challenge ratings and all of

that, and it randomly generates it for
you, and it'll give you a whole list.

And you can go around, tweak it, and you
can pull things from, and I use it a lot.

But it, you can also do, uh,
generate random quests, NPCs, loot.

You can do castles and towns,
fantasy world generators, fantasy

name generators, treasure maps.

It, it, it's like a one-stop shop
of you just using this, and this

guy just lets it go off for free.

And,

uh, it's just beautiful.

I- it just generates list

Adam: still here?

Zac: still here.

Oh, yeah, it still, it still works.

Like, you can give it...

Let me

just, let me just do
it real quick for you.

So a random, I'm going on it real quick.

Uh, let's do a fantasy world generator,
all right, since we did world building.

So if I click on it, you can...

it does a random seed.

You can ask it how much water or ice it'll
have, uh, map style, if there's geography,

rivers, yes, hex grid, and then you say
construct world And we're in position one

right now, so it's making a world for us.

Um, but it's just this

one-stop shop-

Adam: Oh, God

Zac: of just random generators.

So if you're not, like the lazy
DM in me oftentimes use, uses the,

the random generator sometimes just
because it's more fun that way.

You can also use ChatGPT for it
and AI, uh, as well, um, in it.

So, uh, we'll just wait on that to
generate, and then I will let you know

when it actually gets done generating
in the rest of the episode, uh, with it.

So the last segment that we have
is community and content creation.

So we're just gonna discuss
different forums and platforms and

some, uh, online resources, and
then we can conclude the episode.

Adam: I'm only gonna talk
about one because there's only

one I've been wanting to talk

Zac: about.

Oh, wait.

There, there we go.

There's the map.

Uh, yeah, it did.

Hang on.

Adam: It's the void

Zac: So there you go.

Adam: Well, holy shit You can see the

Zac: I

Adam: So it's basically AI
generated before this was a big

Zac: Oh, yeah.

Like, look at that.

It gives you a whole

Adam: thing's pimping.

Zac: Oh, yeah.

It's so cool.

It is, like, one of the coolest
things that I have ever discovered

w- in my D&D, in DMing journey.

And

these generators are,
like, legit generators.

It's not like some, like, "Oh, I
need a random generator of this,"

and you click the first link.

Nah, this thing has everything,
and I'm showing Zack what it has.

Just scroll through that real quick.

Adam: quick.

God, I don't even want to.

Zac: even want to.

Adam: Oh my God, it really does.

Zac: Yeah, so whatever you can
think of and whatever you've...

It just, yeah, it's amazing.

Adam: Okay.

That's pretty

Zac: cool ... DonJon.

Do it, and 10 out of
10 would recommend it.

Just d- i- if you're doing an online
session, just have DonJon pulled up

because if you need to create something
real quick, he's there for you on that.

All right.

Let's go into some content.

Uh, so, so online resources.

What's your first one that you have?

Adam: So I know you start
from a 30,000-foot view.

You like your gods and your clouds.

You know me, I'm like
the boots on the ground.

I like to start with one
thing and then build out.

Um, and in that one thing,
I like character creation.

So, um, a lot of players, I've noticed
this before, a lot of new players,

especially when they have to create new
characters, using my wife as an example.

I love her to death.

Honey, I love you.

Um, she struggled with trying to
figure out a character and, and what

they're gonna look like and how they're
gonna act and everything of the sort.

I think that giving somebody a visual aid
is going to dictate a lot of what they're

gonna create their character to be.

Yeah.

So there is a dun, dun, dun, dun,
dun character creator, um, little...

It's a miniature creator called HeroForge

Zac: Lovely.

Adam: I found Hero Forge about
se- oh God, I don't know.

Probably like a long time.

2018?

Yeah Yeah, it's been around
for Something like that.

I don't know.

Zac: Yeah.

You can carry your little tokens.

Adam: Yeah, so y- it goes from the eye
color all the way to scars, you know,

what your character's gonna look like.

Um-

Zac: And you can get it made, right?

Adam: Yeah, you can actually...

So the cool thing is- Like

Zac: bucks, I

Adam: 45 bucks to get a, a plastic version
or plastic creation of your character.

If you want it bronzed, it's like 100.

Yeah.

I've actually got my first D&D
character bronzed, and I've- Did you?

... basically made a veteran version of him.

That's cool.

And I gave him a beard.

He's a dragonborn barbarian.

Um, but long story short, it gives
you a very good visual input as

to what your character should be.

It gives you a fun bit to play around
with, and it, it gives you the ability

to just make it beyond just human races.

So you can do tieflings, you could do, um,
tortles, you could do anyth- dragonborn.

Yeah,

Zac: you could do a whole

Adam: You could do pretty
much- It essentially

Zac: includes anything D&D related and

Adam: Correct.

and you can export that
character's creation to D&D Beyond.

You can also, um, you know, like ha-

Zac: 'Cause it makes a
token of it, doesn't it?

Adam: It makes a token as well.

Yeah.

You can...

And I think you actually have
to pay for the token now.

Yeah.

Uh, but it's

Zac: There's ch- They charge

for everything.

Adam: and but I mean- Does it

Zac: up to how many characters

Adam: Three.

Endless.

Like three?

No, I've got like 12.

Zac: Oh, really?

Okay.

Is there-- They're just

Adam: I've just played around with it.

I can sit on there for an hour.

And you can do this on your phone, you
don't have to be on a desktop or a PC.

Yeah.

Uh, but I really like it as a
resource just because it's free.

It kinda helps me create a character,
what they're gonna look like.

Yeah.

Then from there I can build a backstory.

It's customizable.

I'm a visual person.

From there, I can move forward.

Um, yeah, that's what I got.

Zac: I got.

Okay.

Yeah.

That, that's perfectly...

That, that, yeah.

I've used HeroForge for a couple
of my characters just to get

an idea of what I want them to
look like, and it's very custom.

It's, it's very detailed and
very customizable on that.

Um, a couple of communities
that I want you as a listener

to be, uh, l- looking out for is
obviously in the Reddit subreddits.

Uh, there is the, there is the D&D
subreddit, which is r, you know, r/DND.

Um, for DMs specifically,
there is, um, r/DMsGuide.

Um, let me just make sure
that that is the correct one.

I think it is DMs...

Yeah, sorry.

R-r/DMsGuild is what
you're looking for on that.

And then, um, the other one that
I use is the, uh, dungeon masters,

uh, r/dungeonmasters as well.

Um, some online forums as well that is
out there is called the, uh, DMs Guild.

Uh, I know it's r/DMsGuild, but
then there's also DMs Guild as well.

That is a forum that you can go use, and
it's called the Dungeon Masters Guild,

and use that for free resources, free,
um, uh, basically toolboxes and free, uh,

uh, what I wanna say, like free one-shot
campaigns and also fully fledged campaigns

are available on DMs Guild as well.

So I'd highly recommend
checking that place out.

Um, some other ones that I wanna highlight
as well is Giant in the Playground and

EN World, um, and that's E-N World.

Those are great, uh, forums that are out
there that you can go take a peek at.

I would highly suggest, um, looking
into those, and that will, uh,

take us into the next section.

Um, so Giant in the Playground,
I just wanna touch on that for...

It's a forum as well as it has
334 creatures to print and cut

and fold that you can use for
your next adventure as well.

They do have fifth edition
as well as, uh, 3.5

and, and d20.

So I would definitely look into Giant in
the Playground and then EN World Is, uh,

basically tabletop news and RPG stuff
that they keep you up to date, uh, with

new releases and things of that nature.

Um, the last little bit that I just
kinda wanna hit on is some podcasts

and YouTube channels, um, and
some tutorials that are out there.

So you could listen to us at
Dungeon Mes- Tavern Talk Podcast.

Adam: Shit, don't mess our name up, man.

That's what they gotta find us by.

You, you

Zac: visit always ustaverntalks

Adam: Podcast.

Us@us.com.

Exactly.

Zac: Uh,

and I thank y'all for sticking with us.

It's been a great journey
so far that we've had.

Um,

Adam: All five

Zac: of us.

That's right.

We're, we're talking to you, Jimmy.

Um, and then obviously you can highlight
some, some big ones that are, like,

Critical Role, Dimension 20, if you wanna
get into some, you know, Brendan Fraser,

or, uh, Brendan, uh, and, uh, Matt over
there, and then some Matt, uh, Colville's

YouTube channel I would highly suggest.

You, you have something to say.

Adam: I

would just suggest, you know,
uh, checking out a little podcast

called Dungeons and Daddies.

It's definitely a home brew-
Yeah ... but it's heavily inspired

by D&D in the first season.

Zac: is funny.

Green's Adventures, if, if, uh, if Tim
and, uh, Michael and all of them out

there are listening, definitely go check
them out 'cause it definitely, uh...

A lot of my DM'ing skills comes from
Michael since they were one of the,

uh, originals, and you can find them
on Twitter, uh, or X @dndpodcast.

They have the original D&D podcast
handle, uh, which is kinda cool.

Um, and then the other one, that
is the Dungeon Cast, uh, Podcast.

It...

They basically storytelling game
mechanics and world-building.

Similar to us, they just kinda do
the storytelling aspect a little

bit more, I think, rather than going
bit by bit, detail by detail what

to expect in D&D and how to, you
know, craft it and, and all of that.

So definitely listen to us first,
though, 'cause we're the best.

Uh, no, no holds barred on that one.

Uh,

Adam: No holds bard.

Zac: right.

Uh- Yeah ... and then there is, you
know, some courses out there, some

from Udemy and, and Skillshare for...

You can look up tutorials in D&D, but
really there's a lot of free resources

out there, uh, that are accessible
with D&D, and I would highly suggest

you take a look at all the ones that
have been mentioned, uh, by me and Zac.

It's just highly likely that you're
gonna stumble upon it when you're

looking for free resources, so
just highlight the ones, you know.

We are not sponsored by any of these.

We're, we're just giving it to you
straight how we feel about each

of the softwares that we presented
and each of the online systems.

And definitely check 'em out for
yourself and see how you feel about it.

Um, we definitely recommend using as many
free online resources as possible because

we are broke just like you are broke.

Adam: Broke as a joke.

Zac: so it's highly likely that you're
looking for free resources, and I hope we

were able to balance that with some paid
ones that are actually worth paying for.

Um, and overall, y- we're looking at, you
know, all of the player resources that

we were able to give you, and then the DM
resources in world-building and monster

databases and campaign management, and
then the communities that surround us, not

only just us at Tavern Talks Podcast, but
the other podcasts in general, Dungeons

& Daddies, Green's Adventures, Critical
Role, and Dimen- uh, d20 or Dimension 20.

They all do, do their part in
the community, and we're all here

to support one another in that.

Adam: True

Zac: that.

Adam: So,

there you have it, dear adventurers,
the conclusion of another illuminating

journey here at "Tavern Talks" podcast.

We've traversed the digital highways and
explored the myriad online resources that

enrich our Dungeons & Dragons experiences.

So a heartfelt thank you to all of
our listeners who've joined us on this

quest for knowledge and inspiration.

Your presence in our virtual tavern
adds warmth to our shared exploration.

As we bid farewell to this episode, we
invite you, the listener, to delve deeper

into the digital troves we've uncovered.

Share your favorite online resources
with us, exchange tips and tricks,

and continue to build upon the
rich tapestry of the D&D community.

Whether you're a seasoned veteran
or a fledgling adventurer, may the

digital realms continue to inspire
and empower your journeys in D&D.

Zac: D&D.

Here's to the boundless creativity of D&D.

Here's to the boundless creativity
of the D&D community and the endless

possibilities of online resources.

Until next time, safe travels, and
may your adventures be ever legendary.

Second conclusion.

And with that, fellow adventurers, we
conclude another captivating episode

here at "Tavern Talks" podcast.

Together, we've unraveled the mysteries
of online resources in the realm

of Dungeons & Dragons, discovering
invaluable tools to enrich our adventures.

Adam: But fear not, dear listeners,
for the adventure doesn't end here.

We invite you to continue your
exploration and share your own

tales of triumph and discovery.

Zac: Join the conversation with us,
uh, on Twitter or X @PodTavernTalks,

and on Instagram @TavernTalksPod, or
follow us on our TikTok @TavernTalksPod.

The community thrives and
adventure never ceases over there.

Adam: there.

So raise your tankards once more,
my friends, to the camaraderie of

adventurers and to the boundless
horizons of the digital age.

Zac: Until next we gather around the
virtual hearth, may your dice be ever

fortunate, your campaigns brimming
with excitement, and may your tales

you weave echo throughout the ages.

Adam: So farewell for now, adventurers.

Safe travels, and may your
adventures be ever legendary.