Foundry-VTT-Visual-Guide.md

Foundry VTT Visual Guide

To see the table of contents for this document, click the list icon at the top of the document. For more details, see here.

This is a quick visual reference guide for players for Foundry Virtual Tabletop, the software we're using to playing Dungeons & Dragons remotely.

Note: we are using some modules for Foundry which alter the default user interface & experience.

Navigating the user interface

Protip: when uncertain of which tabs are which, hover over the icon to bring up its label.

DEMO: Moving the canvas with right click

DEMO: Zooming in & out of the canvas with mouse wheel

Right sidebar

• 🗨️ Chat Messages - player messaging, dice roll results
  DEMO: Expanding a dice roll with left click

  
  DEMO: Linking any item in chat with Alt + left click

  
• ⚔️ Combat Encounters - initiative tracker during combat only
  DEMO: Popping out the initiative tracker with right click

  
• 👤 Actors - players, NPCs, & creatures you have access to
• 💼 Items
• 📖 Journal - DM-shared documents, campaign notes
• 🗒️ Rollable Tables - Most likely not using this
• 🃏 Card Stacks - Most likely not using this
• 🎵 Playlists - global & individual playlist volume controls
• 📘 Compendium Packs - quick in-game reference
  DEMO: Accessing the basic game rules through a compendium

  

Token combat controls

You can right click your token to bring up its controls. This is different than the token controls menu at the top left of the UI.

• 🔥 Toggle Torch - light or extinguish your torches
• ⌃ Token Elevation - height in feet of the token above ground level
• ⚙️ Token Settings - settings to modify token display name, image, and top or bottom resource bars
• 🎯 Target - used for targeted abilities; we most likely won't be using this
• 👤 Assign Status Effects - allows assigning conditions to your token; the DM can handle this, and you should use the token action HUD instead of this button if assigning conditions yourself.
• ⚔️ Toggle Combat Status - the DM will handle this
• 🩸 Player Hitpoints - see Taking damage & healing

Top left - token action HUD & map controls

• 👀 Token Action HUD - see section on token action HUD
• Map Controls - each of the left-most menus have their own submenus, which include the functionalities below:
  • 👤 Token Controls - select, target, and measure distance between tokens
  • 📐 Measurement Controls - place, select, and delete spell templates of various shapes
    • To select, click the template. To delete, press the delete key on your keyboard.
  • ✏️ Drawing Tools - draw various shapes or freeform; select & delete your drawings.
  • 🏷️ Journal Notes - toggle time & map notes display. create note linked to journal entries / notes

Bottom left - time indicator & hotbar

• 🕥 In-game Time Indicator - shows rough in-game time
• 🔥 Macro & Action Hotbar - contains macros & actions for easy access. If we're to use macros, they'll be provided by the DM, so no need to worry about them.
  DEMO: Adding an action to the hotbar by dragging & dropping

  

Character sheet

The character sheet is where you keep your character's stats, roll actions & checks, and track character progress.

Accessing your character sheet

There are two ways to access your character sheet:

DEMO: From the Actors menu

DEMO: Using a token in the playable area, if present, using double click

Character sheet configuration

You can customize the theme & appearance of your character sheet. Our default character sheet theme, the Tidy 5e sheet, includes a favorites system not present in other character sheets, so it's recommended to keep it.

DEMO: Changing default sheet theme from light to dark

Token action HUD

The token action HUD (heads-up display) is a quick way to access most aspects about your character without having to open the character sheet. Your token needs to be present in the current map for the HUD to be visible.

To have the HUD always display even when your token isn't selected, claim a character through your user configuration. You only need to do this once.

DEMO: Claiming a character through user configuration

Token action HUD configuration

You may need to adjust the HUD to expand downwards prior to first use. You only need to do this once.

DEMO: Changing HUD style and expansion direction

Using the "X-Card"

See Social Contract > Safety Tools for details about when this should be used.

DEMO: Using the Anonymous Player's X-Card

Pinging the canvas

The canvas is the main playable area.

DEMO: Pinging the canvas by holding down left click

Moving your character token

You will need to move your token(s) during combat. You may not do this while the game is paused. There are three ways to move your character's token:

DEMO: Using WASD keys

DEMO: Dragging & dropping with the mouse

DEMO: Using the token control ruler tool

Rolling with advantage / disadvantage

You can roll all things with advantage or disadvantage using the controls below.

DEMO: 🎲🎲➕ Advantage: Shift + left click

DEMO: 🎲🎲➖ Disadvantage: Ctrl + left click

Rolling skill checks

DEMO: Using character sheet

DEMO: Using token action HUD

Rolling ability checks & saving throws

DEMO: Using character sheet

DEMO: Using token action HUD

Rolling arbitrary dice

You can use the chat functionality to roll arbitrary dice.

DEMO: Rolling 3d4 + 3

DEMO: Rolling 1d20 with advantage & disadvantage

Protip: the chat functionality can also do math problems! This is great for splitting up gold.

DEMO: Doing arbitrary math

Rolling initiative

DEMO: Using combat tracker

DEMO: Using character sheet

DEMO: Using token action HUD

Attacking with weapons

DEMO: Using character sheet

DEMO: Using token action HUD

If using token action HUD, the weapon must be equipped before it'll show up.

Casting spells

DEMO: Using character sheet

DEMO: Using token action HUD

If using token action HUD, the spell must be prepared before it'll show up.

Taking damage & healing

DEMO: Using character sheet

DEMO: Using token controls

Using active abilities

Passive abilities don't need activation, so we don't need to worry about them. Active abilities need to be activated, with two ways:

DEMO: Using character sheet

DEMO: Using token action HUD

Short / long rests

DEMO: Using character sheet

DEMO: Using token action HUD

Equipping items & preparing 1st level and higher spells

This needs to be done from the character sheet.

DEMO: Equipping an item & preparing a spell

Favoriting items, spells, and features

Favoriting will make an item, spell, or feature appear in the first tab of the character sheet. This needs to be done from the character sheet. It's also only a feature of the Tidy 5e sheet module we're using.

DEMO: Favoriting something

Adding & editing items

This needs to be done from the character sheet. It's recommended to create an item directly into your character sheet instead of the Items menu tab, so you own the item from the start.

DEMO: Creating a rat tail loot item

Importing items from Plutonium

This needs to be done from the character sheet. Plutonium is our main module for importing content. Often times, items you've bought or found do not need to be created from scratch because they already exist in Plutonoum, so importing them is the quickest way.

Protip: you can import all the things, not just items. This includes but isn't limited to: spells, classes, and pets. Please don't import things you're not supposed to have -- importing & creating your own items is a privilege, and we are operating on a system of trust.

DEMO: Importing a Potion of Healing

Popping out a window

Popping out an in-game window puts it into a separate browser window.

DEMO: Popping out an in-game window

Minimizing a window

DEMO: Minimizing an in-game window with double click