What would your D&D app contain

[nickl_2000]

I do some Android app development and would like to play around with something to help the D&D community. Is there some sort of tool that you find you are missing in phone/tablet apps? Something that would help you as a player or DM?


Somethings to keep in mind
1) I'm a person, not a company
2) I have to be legal by D&D open standards

[Regitnui]

I use an app called "Fifth Edition DM tools" which is really useful if you're willing to put all the information in yourself from legit copies.

[nickl_2000]

I use an app called "Fifth Edition DM tools" which is really useful if you're willing to put all the information in yourself from legit copies.

Thanks, I have a few I use myself. I was wondering if there was something missing. Is there a tool out there that you wish you had, but couldn't find a good app?

[Zanthy1]

DnD Beyond is coming out with an App for their database (which has the official WoTC DnD 5e license). It has not come out yet, but the alpha should be expected before the end of the year I believe. I mostly use their site for the forums and character building/tracking, but they do have a whole campaign manager that I haven' explored yet.

Maybe make an app that can be used during combat? like an initiative tracker sot of thing, but have your own take on it?

[Regitnui]

Thanks, I have a few I use myself. I was wondering if there was something missing. Is there a tool out there that you wish you had, but couldn't find a good app?

Honestly, if I could communicate with the guy, I'd ask for a solid, infallible backup system. I spend a month or two putting all the monsters on the app, and every time I reinstall on a new device I have to go through and make sure nothing's dropped or altered. Give me an app with a definite, trustworthy backup, and I'll download it.

[Phoenix042]

An inventory tracker that comes preloaded with data from the PHB and DMG about the various items and coins in the base game, how much they weigh, and how much they're worth.

The app would allow you to add and remove items and coins, and keep track of the value and weight of your inventory's total contents.

For example, if a PC with this app finds a dagger, he'd be able to add it to his inventory without entering all it's data from the PHB; he could just select it from a list or search for it using a simple search feature and select it from a narrower list. Then the app would add the relevant amount of weight and value to the inventory.

[smcmike]

The ability to lock the devices of the players.

[nickl_2000]

The ability to lock the devices of the players.

LOL, you don't want an app, you want a cell phone signal disruption device :)

[Oramac]

I use a character building app called 5th Edition Character Sheet (as an example).

What I'd really like is the option to export the character sheet to a PDF once I've made it.

[smcmike]

LOL, you don't want an app, you want a cell phone signal disruption device :)

Yeah. I admit I just don’t like apps at the table (except maybe sound effects or other DM features). Most of what I’ve seen in terms of players using character sheet apps is slower navigation and less transparency than pen and paper, with the added bonus of distraction.

[nickl_2000]

Yeah. I admit I just don’t like apps at the table (except maybe sound effects or other DM features). Most of what I’ve seen in terms of players using character sheet apps is slower navigation and less transparency than pen and paper, with the added bonus of distraction.

Ahh, my mistake you don't want a cell signal block you want a full on EMP to completely toast them :smallbiggrin:

[Rogerdodger557]

I use a character building app called 5th Edition Character Sheet (as an example).

What I'd really like is the option to export the character sheet to a PDF once I've made it.

I use the same app, and someone suggested I use this:
https://oganm.github.io/printSheetApp/

It's supposedly a PDF exporter made for the app. I haven't used it yet, but I might in the future.

[Jama7301]

I'd like a map-making program that could also be used as a campaign organizer. Make maps, and tie them to specific entries, etc.

[Oramac]

I'd like a map-making program that could also be used as a campaign organizer. Make maps, and tie them to specific entries, etc.

Yes! Like a wiki almost, but with locations linked to the map itself. I like it.

[Asmotherion]

Currently stisfied with my apps.

If I feel there could be something I would be willing to purchase (realising it would be worth it/too much work to be freeware) would be an automatised Dungeon Master. Sort of, generating random encounters for specific level ranges, and a relativelly good plotline (perhaps with the ability of putting your own adventures online and then download them into the app). You know, for those times where you just wanna hang with your friends and do something fun, yet not too deep...

An other app I'd apreciate would be a Random NPC/Monster generator that would roll random stats for them, randomly give them spellcasting if appropriate, just in order not to use the same stats for every mook or take 20+minutes creating an NPC that might or might not die in 3-4 rounds of "screen time". I'm willing to do this for Boss fights or Important NPCs but mooks will always have the same stats, and this gives me a sence of "that's not very realistic, but I have a real life, and I can't do much about it".

Character Builders/Loot Generators/Die Rollers/Spellbooks and DM toolkits are all overdone, and I'd suggest you stay away from those... By now, everyone (including myself) has a favorite app in each on of those categories, and won't bother checking yours IMO... If they do, your work needs to surpass their standard choice by a lot for them to change it, as people usually like to keep what they know. My advice is to focus on something that has not been done before, something out-of-the-box, and hope to become No1 in this domain.

Good Luck, have a nice time developing your App, and most of all, enjoy the process. :)

[Nidgit]

An initiative/combat tracker could be really useful if one doesn't already exist. Let it include name, AC, current HP, and optionally a condition (e.g. prone, frightened) as well as initiative that sorts automatically. HP should be easily alterable as damage occurs on other characters' turns.

If it allowed you to save certain characters for reuse in later combats that would be even better.

[Jama7301]

Yes! Like a wiki almost, but with locations linked to the map itself. I like it.

Ideally, I'd like to click on, say "Windfall Cave", and then see my descriptive notes, then swipe over to see my listed encounters, and then click a button to see all of my dungeon maps as well. If you could use a link sort of thing, where clicking on a number or icon you place popped up either a description you had set for a specific room, or pulled up your encounter details you set, that'd be great.

Lofty as all get out though.

[nickl_2000]

Ideally, I'd like to click on, say "Windfall Cave", and then see my descriptive notes, then swipe over to see my listed encounters, and then click a button to see all of my dungeon maps as well. If you could use a link sort of thing, where clicking on a number or icon you place popped up either a description you had set for a specific room, or pulled up your encounter details you set, that'd be great.

Lofty as all get out though.

How would you feel about the ability to take pictures of a map and add a description and labels to the map?

[furby076]

How would you feel about the ability to take pictures of a map and add a description and labels to the map?
Thats useful. We store game notes, stories etc on a wiki page. We write story sessions, etc. This could help once in a while....though if you have a backlog, maybe medium priority?

Maybe start with basic app, and expand to new features? My issue is there are dedicated apps. I dont want 5 apps, i want 1 app
Are we going Agile here? :)

1. Create a character, race and classes
2. Stats populate skils, weapon, ac and hp mods
3. Add equipment, and it mods stats (e.g., armor to ac,weapons display)
4. Add spells and powers
5. Add skills, feats, backgrounds
6. Dice roller pops up when you click a spell or weapon. It automatically selects the correct dice
7. Track status (hp, spell penalties, etc)

Just off the top of my head.

Overall,if you started making an app, and expanded on it to do what the other apps did....but in 1 app. You got a winner.

Lastly, make it so it can sync and save data some place and can load on a pc.

[nickl_2000]

SNIP backlog, maybe medium priority? SNIP
SNIP
Are we going Agile here? :)
SNIP

Someone has spent to much time with Kanban boards recently. Besides, I'm creating user stories at the moment still.

[Laurefindel]

I don't use many apps besides sound/music ones

sometimes I wish I had a "travel" application. "party needs to travel 120 miles as the crow flies in forested hill terrain following trails and logger roads".

app calculates distance travelled (as the wolf runs) and time required based on weather, terrains and other factors, proposes a few hazards on the way (including but limited to random encounters), events and whatnot.

[Beleriphon]

Ideally, I'd like to click on, say "Windfall Cave", and then see my descriptive notes, then swipe over to see my listed encounters, and then click a button to see all of my dungeon maps as well. If you could use a link sort of thing, where clicking on a number or icon you place popped up either a description you had set for a specific room, or pulled up your encounter details you set, that'd be great.

Lofty as all get out though.

http://www.wolflair.com/realmworks

Try that. It isn't free, but it is essentially what you want.

[Sariel Vailo]

I use three apps 5e character sheet 5e spellbook and some yellow dice for inputting homebrew into the 5e charactwr app

[Zanthy1]

I use a character building app called 5th Edition Character Sheet (as an example).

What I'd really like is the option to export the character sheet to a PDF once I've made it.

I said it in an earlier thread but i'll plug it again. DnD Beyond. Right now its just a website, but it will be an app soon. It has a built in character sheet exporter to PDF (I believe it is also a fillable PDF). And it uses the official DnD 5e license, so all the information is not only accurate but fully accounted for. There is a free option too, that just doesn't have everything included (and has ads)

[tblaze]

I'd like an app similar to the Deck of Many Dungeons, with links to the SRD for the monsters/traps generated.

[DivisibleByZero]

I just want one that does most of what I use, without the need to constantly switch between apps. I'm sure that would be a ton of work. But since you're asking:
I personally use:
- 5th Edition Character Sheet (as noted above)
- CritDice (die roller)
- 5th Edition Spellbook Burned (spell book)
If there were one app that had that stuff, I'd buy it in an heartbeat. Especially considering I've already bought the upgraded versions of all of those (and a few others).

I also have 5th Edition DM Tools (also noted above), and a few others, but don't use them much.

[Cl0001]

A form fillable character sheet
Dice roller/calculator
Maybe a form fillable table that rolls random encounters
But the first one would be what I want the most

[Zene]

I use an iphone, but here are two things I'd love to see in an app (or in separate small apps):

1) A wild magic surge roller. One button for normal casting (a d20 roll, on a result of 1 a surge is triggered, then a d100 roll to see what the surge does); one button for automatic surges (just rolls a d100 on the surge table). It would show the numbers rolled and the result from the table. It should also have a checkbox for the L14 Wild Sorc ability, where you roll twice and choose which one takes effect. If the box is checked, two results (numbers and table entries) are shown.

2) An easy-to-use die roller that allows you to simply set up multiple standard events. Let's say I have a character whose attack roll with a staff is +10, and then usually does damage of +7, usually is attacking with booming blade up (+2d8), sometimes also uses a smite, and sometimes uses 1 to 3 charges on the staff of striking (+1d6 each). And (of course) sometimes that attack is with advantage; sometimes it isn't. Every single die roller app I've seen has either been too simple to set something like that up; or waaaay to complex to use (either cryptic user interfaces to set things up, or requires hours of entering your entire damn character before you can actually do rolls). Something like this might already exist, but at least in the iPhone world, every one someone has suggested hasn't met those criteria. If I found one that worked, I'd use the hell out of it. When playing online, Roll20 and Fantasy Ground have this functionality (although ease of use is debatable), but it'd be great to have it in my phone for in-person play.

[DivisibleByZero]

I use an iphone, but here are two things I'd love to see in an app (or in separate small apps):

2) An easy-to-use die roller that allows you to simply set up multiple standard events. Let's say I have a character whose attack roll with a staff is +10, and then usually does damage of +7, usually is attacking with booming blade up (+2d8), sometimes also uses a smite, and sometimes uses 1 to 3 charges on the staff of striking (+1d6 each). And (of course) sometimes that attack is with advantage; sometimes it isn't. Every single die roller app I've seen has either been too simple to set something like that up; or waaaay to complex to use (either cryptic user interfaces to set things up, or requires hours of entering your entire damn character before you can actually do rolls). Something like this might already exist, but at least in the iPhone world, every one someone has suggested hasn't met those criteria. If I found one that worked, I'd use the hell out of it. When playing online, Roll20 and Fantasy Ground have this functionality (although ease of use is debatable), but it'd be great to have it in my phone for in-person play.

CritDice. The one that I use, mentioned above. No clue if they made an app for iPhone, but that's what you want.
I won't lie, it does take a while to get it set up if you want to include *everything* that you might have to roll, but once it's set up, you're set for the entirety of the campaign unless you need to add more or tweak it.

Example (let's say I'm using dual short swords and can cast):
I have Groups for:
Combat: Initiative, main hand SS, off hand SS attack, short bow attack, dagger attack, spell attack, etc
Damage: main hand SS damage, off hand SS damage, short bow damage, dagger damage, GFB damage, GFB secondary damage, Fire Bolt damage, each of those have a crit damage button, etc
Str: save, check, prof check
Dex: save, check, prof check
Con: save, check, prof check
Int: save, check, prof check
Wis: save, check, prof check
Cha: save, check, prof check

If I need anything other than that, I'll just roll it independently (fireball? 8d6roll). But really, that covers almost everything other than casting, and casting is always variable anyway because of scaling slots.

[Zene]

CritDice. The one that I use, mentioned above. No clue if they made an app for iPhone, but that's what you want.
I won't lie, it does take a while to get it set up if you want to include *everything* that you might have to roll, but once it's set up, you're set for the entirety of the campaign unless you need to add more or tweak it.

Example (let's say I'm using dual short swords and can cast):
I have Groups for:
Combat: Initiative, main hand SS, off hand SS attack, short bow attack, dagger attack, spell attack, etc
Damage: main hand SS damage, off hand SS damage, short bow damage, dagger damage, GFB damage, GFB secondary damage, Fire Bolt damage, each of those have a crit damage button, etc
Str: save, check, prof check
Dex: save, check, prof check
Con: save, check, prof check
Int: save, check, prof check
Wis: save, check, prof check
Cha: save, check, prof check

If I need anything other than that, I'll just roll it independently (fireball? 8d6roll). But really, that covers almost everything other than casting, and casting is always variable anyway because of scaling slots.

Just checked, nothing coming up for iphone :(

[Bohandas]

What about something that automates and concatenates general edition update guidelines, so you could put in 2e stats and (possibly after a couple of additional questions to gove the program context) it would spit out a 3e, 4e or 5e monster by first converting to 3e then to 4e then to 5e or stopping at whichever the user desires)

I doubt that's been done before

[Sariel Vailo]

What about something that automates and concatenates general edition update guidelines, so you could put in 2e stats and (possibly after a couple of additional questions to gove the program context) it would spit out a 3e, 4e or 5e monster by first converting to 3e then to 4e then to 5e or stopping at whichever the user desires)

I doubt that's been done before

No but it should

[PracticalM]

What about something that automates and concatenates general edition update guidelines, so you could put in 2e stats and (possibly after a couple of additional questions to gove the program context) it would spit out a 3e, 4e or 5e monster by first converting to 3e then to 4e then to 5e or stopping at whichever the user desires)

I doubt that's been done before

I would appreciate this.
I use the Gamemaster 5 app from Lions Den and I love it. I've typed in a lot of the UA stuff and there's a community that shares some other files around. I've added some custom monsters and there's some more things I'm working to add.

I don't really need anything more than those apps (Fight Club and Gamemaster)

One thing that would be helpful for a campaign is a calendar app that allowed me to keep track of my fantasy calendar, which day the players are on, a short diary of each day (from GM and allow players to update), generate weather, keep track of holidays and big events. A cross between a calendar and a diary.
(If this already exists, provide a link please.)

[furby076]

Someone has spent to much time with Kanban boards recently. Besides, I'm creating user stories at the moment still.

What cani say :)

Im a PM, safe agilist scrum master, and rally user

As a user, i want a single app to rule them all:)

[nickl_2000]

SNIP As a user, i want a single app to rule them all:)

This is actually the fear that I had and why I wanted to get people's opinions. If people want a single app that will covered everything you need as a player, I don't have the man-hours available (yes I can say man hours since I'm the person developing and I am, in fact, male). On the other hand if there was a more niche tool that doesn't exist that would be super helpful in the creation of a campaign it is something that I could handle.

[KiltieMacPipes]

An inventory tracker that comes preloaded with data from the PHB and DMG about the various items and coins in the base game, how much they weigh, and how much they're worth.

The app would allow you to add and remove items and coins, and keep track of the value and weight of your inventory's total contents.

For example, if a PC with this app finds a dagger, he'd be able to add it to his inventory without entering all it's data from the PHB; he could just select it from a list or search for it using a simple search feature and select it from a narrower list. Then the app would add the relevant amount of weight and value to the inventory.

Sweet baby Vecna, I'd buy this app. Been wishing for one forever.

[LordEntrails]

This is actually the fear that I had and why I wanted to get people's opinions. If people want a single app that will covered everything you need as a player, I don't have the man-hours available (yes I can say man hours since I'm the person developing and I am, in fact, male). On the other hand if there was a more niche tool that doesn't exist that would be super helpful in the creation of a campaign it is something that I could handle.
Understandable.

I'm not your "clientele" then. I already use Fantasy Grounds so I have 80% of what I need and I'm too lazy to use another app.

[Bohandas]

How about something that randomly rolls ability scores for monsters and adjusts the monster's stats, skillpoints, , hitpoints etc. accordingly so that you're not always stuck using the same generic troll, mind flayer, etc?

[Bohandas]

Understandable.

I'm not your "clientele" then. I already use Fantasy Grounds so I have 80% of what I need and I'm too lazy to use another app.

I haven't figured out how to actually do anything with fantasy grounds

[LordEntrails]

I haven't figured out how to actually do anything with fantasy grounds
PM me here or on the FG forums (I'm there more often than here) and I would be glad to point you in the right direction. You can also check on the FG College (http://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?40020-Join-Fantasy-Grounds-College-Learn-Fantasy-Grounds-learn-D-amp-D-and-then-play!) which is a bunch of users helping people learn FG.