Wording for an NPC to give extra damage for ally next weapon attack

[Myrdin Potter]

How would you word an NPC ability to give an ally extra damage for the next weapon attack? I know how to word for a character (sneak attack but targeted at another instead of self), but what about a monster that can inspire an ally to do extra damage?

[Zacchaeus]

The Hobgoblin Captain Leadership trait might be what you are looking for.

[Myrdin Potter]

I'll drag it into the combat tracker, but it basically create the bless effect, which make it easier to hit but not more damage.

[Zacchaeus]

Oh, I see you want this to automate? I thought you just wanted an example. As far as I'm aware there's no wording you could use to get something like this to appear on the CT.

[Myrdin Potter]

Yes, automated.

Then I will create an effect or give instructions on how to do the effect in the module I am converting. I can do it, it is just sneak attack result on another creature, so the actual example exists. I checked my excel file I have of all the existing monster wording and could not find a similar one.

[Zacchaeus]

The closest thing would probably be something like Bardic inspiration.

[Myrdin Potter]

Bardic Inspiration is a to hit bonus as well.

I will just create an effect to give "sneak attack" or "martial advantage" to someone else and explain how to use it in the module as a using FG note.

[Myrdin Potter]

To make sure I have this right:

Extra Super Damage; DMG:1d3 [roll]

Give instructions to apply that to the target and the next damage roll will do 1d3? Will stay there for to hit rolls (miss or hit) and will trigger when there is a damage roll?

[Myrdin Potter]

Nope, that does not work. No extra damage.

Funny enough, when I recreate sneak attack, and then go in and remove the (self) from the combat tracker that auto-populates, I can target something and pass the effect to the creature and it works.

What do I need to do to create an effect to make the next attack that succeeds from the target do an extra 1d3 damage?

[Myrdin Potter]

Well, I think I have it.

There is no similar ability in existing monsters. The closest are sneak attack / martial advantage, but if you word it that way, it always adds in (self) on the combat tracker. You can actually go in and edit out the (t:self) and it works as you want it to, but I cannot figure out how to word an ability so it autopopulates.

So I need a custom effect.

My error was in trying to add in roll on the effect. That is not how you do it.

Next to the little man symbol for effects there is a tiny colored box. Keep clicking that one until it turns to roll. While you are at it, set the visible "eye" to off so the players cannot see your evil plans. That turns into other colored boxes next to the effect on the combat tracker which actually are clickable to change if you want.

The master commands his minion to kill the intruder and fear inspires the minion to extra damage. Drag the new effect onto the minion from the effect list. The next damage roll, the effect will expire.

Victory! (I think)

[Myrdin Potter]

This is so close to automatically parsing but I cannot come up with wording that does not target self.

For newer users that may be reading this thread, the NPC parser tries to match known patterns based on the official WoTC monsters, especially ones in the SRD. If it finds something close it creates a set effect on the combat tracker.

You can see what is being keyed on in the actual NPC itself as it will highlight and become clickable.

The parser is pretty smart, if targeted, but it relies on certain word order and certain words to work properly.

So if you are creating new monsters or spells, the closer you can word them to existing monsters or spells, the greater chance you have of having FG auto-magically parse into the combat tracker.

In this case, so close and yet so far. This effect is very close to the existing extra damage if next to an ally (spy sneak attack, hobgoblin martial advantage) that if I word it close to that that CT populates with the right ability but self targeting. I can edit the CT to get rid of self and it works as I want.

Unfortunately, I am trying to make a module that others could use. I think it is more intuitive to apply an effect than it is to edit the combat tracker. Like regedit in windows, if you mess up the wording on the CT you can impair the ability to run the creature.

So FG is capable of supporting what I want, but either not smart enough to get the right wording to force the parser to do what I want or (more probable) the built in parade cannot do it now.