5E Class Specialization Details

[Tooting Dog]

I am new here and just this weekend purchased FGU including the core books: DMG, PHB, MM, Volos, and Xanathar. When I level-up a character to 3rd, in this instance a Ranger, I get some choices such as Gloom Stalker and others. However, I know diddly about what a Gloom Stalker offers, as with some others since I never owned Xanathar's before, but the character leveling process does not afford any details about these specializations that I can see or find. I can't believe I am left to just randomly choose one and then during play find out what is offered and where this specialization leads me. Where can I read the details of this specialization and the other choices? Thank you in advance.

[Zacchaeus]

Welcome to FG.

Several places; the information is accessible via the reference manuals that you'll find in each module and you can also access the classes directly from the library or from the class list on the right hand side. The archetypes will be split across any modules that you have open; so if you want to read about the Gloom Stalker you'll need to read about it in Xanathar's guide since that's where you'll find it.

[Tooting Dog]

I guess I don't know how to access the modules. I assume you are calling Xan's a module. (Back in my day when I played in the 80's, "modules" were specifically the games or adventures.) I did do a search and read that you can't actually read the manuals like a book but maybe I read faulty info.

I did try the Library with no luck. I tried it again just now, too. I can see Xan's is loaded in the left window but when I input Gloom Stalker into the search field to the bottom-right, I get nothing. I even try to click Xan's in the left window to see if that helps but it does nothing. I think I'm missing something here.

I don't have Class as a button on the far right. I did see somewhere how I can add more buttons and have to find that again as that may be the ticket. However, with a 15" monitor on a laptop, I'm pressed for room.

However, success! Just now. So I will share in case anyone else has trouble. I, again, clicked the name of the Module in the left window and this time a list of things showed up in the right window. Maybe it takes time to load the stuff in? I was clicking it before but I guess searching too quickly before it could load in, maybe. Anyhow, I now see it and see the dragon icon and so can drag it to an easily accessible place. Thanks for the help! The problem was that the right window was not populating or not populating fast enough and I'm impatient...or something. THank you!

[charmov]

The side buttons also link to various records such as feats, spells, classes, etc. Also, the library window shoes that some modules have a reference manual which is slightly easier to read imo.

[Evolivolution]

I read that you found what you wanted, here some quick tips anyway. Maybe they can help you. In all cases welcome to the FG forums.

A module (in FG terms) is a product you purchase in the store. There are also extensions but generally most of the stuff are modules. You can find them in game in your Library window to the bottom left.
You can also read all the manuals like a book although I'd say it's more of "like a PDF".

When you see a module that you have loaded in your library you can left click it to take a look at its contents on the right side of the window, it should outline and underline the title if you hover over it as well. In there you should be able to find the 'Reference Manual' which you can open by clicking on the shield icon. Just to clarify; the search bar on the bottom right of the Library is to search through your loaded modules not their contents. So Gloom Stalker wouldn't be able to come up here.

To change the sidebar, you open up the options menu (gear icon in the to right), where you can find a button called 'Sidebar'. It opens up a new window where you can individually select which sidebar icons you want to have acive. You can click 'All' to just pull up all of them to get a good overview.

[Tooting Dog]

When you see a module that you have loaded in your library you can left click it to take a look at its contents on the right side of the window, it should outline and underline the title if you hover over it as well. In there you should be able to find the 'Reference Manual' which you can open by clicking on the shield icon. Just to clarify; the search bar on the bottom right of the Library is to search through your loaded modules not their contents. So Gloom Stalker wouldn't be able to come up here.

Thanks for the help to everyone! It seems there is a problem with the search function. I guess I tried to the search term "Ranger" and "Gloom Stalker" and nothing comes up. It was after that I would specifically click Xan's Players (and others) with one of those search terms still in the search field and still nothing would come up in that right window. It seems the search function does not do anything but will block categories from loading into the right window if a term is entered in the search field at very bottom right. As I type this I click PHB and then I see the headings in the right window and if I input Ranger in the search field, nothing comes up. Not a single word comes up from any module--It seems to me the search field is for naught, really. Or is that not a search field? It looks like a magnifying glass.

It would be great during the character creation that the things like sub-classes were hyperlinked to open to that section. The program detects that I have the book and brings up that option for a sub-class and so clicking on it should bring up that window. This will really help new players I try to get started in this game as they won't have a clue at all as to this program.

Thanks all! I'm still learning.

[Evolivolution]

Like I said the search bar in the Library window is just for searching terms in your modules. So you could search for 'player' and it would bring up the players handbook or you could search for 'equipment' and it would bring up all modules that contain equipment and if you clicked on any of them (leaving the equipment in the search bar) you would only see 'Equipment' on the right side.
If you want to look for anything specific you can open up the 'Reference Manual' section of any module and it has a search bar of its own, where you then can look for 'Ranger' or 'Gloom Stalker' and have the programm find what you are looking for.

[Tooting Dog]

I appreciate your patience. I don't think I am understanding this search function. When I open Library, in the left window it shows all my modules uploaded. DMG, PHB, MM, Volo's, Xanathar's. The right window is blank. If I input "player" into the search function, nothing happens. Is it supposed to bring up the PHB if I don't have it already uploaded? I tried equipment and it does not bring in my other modules such as The Yawning Portal which surely has equipment listed. Nothing happens in fact, that I see, and nothing appears in the right window. So, the search doesn't seem to bring up any modules or narrow my list to any specific modules. The search field just turns pink and nothing happens. I am failing to see its purpose. I fear I am not understanding something that is very simple, though.

Yes, opening a specific module and searching within its Reference Manual produces a search result. That works great.

[Evolivolution]

Sorry, little confusion on my part actually.
The search bar in the library section is just for the contents of a module (the right side of the library window). So you will always see all of your loaded modules on the right side but if you search for anything and then click on the modules to bring up their contents it will only show you the ones that also match your search term. So if you search for 'equipment' it will only show you the Equipment section of every module if you click on them but all your loaded modules and if the module doesn't contain an Equipment section the right side will just appear empty if you click on it (the module).
Sorry again, I got a bit mixed up.

[Tooting Dog]

You are going to tire of me! LOL.

I see my loaded modules in the left window. Nothing in the right window. I click on MM and now see in the right window: Tables, Images, NPCs, Reference Manual. If I search "Dragon," the field turns pink and the right window clears and shows nothing. If I type "images," it shows the image link. Ok, but I'm not very impressed as I can already see the list of the four headers or sections and don't need to search for any of them such as "images." If I click NPCs I then get a new search field and in THAT field I can now search "Dragons" or what-not. Not much of a time-saver in regards to not having to open a bunch of windows.

That initial search field is kind of weak and seems to only search for the headings you can already see in the right window. Maybe the plan was that some modules will have a huge extent of subjects/headings (for lack of a better term.)

Even if I open Xan's, then click Classes, and then enter "gloom stalker," the search field will turn pink and you get no result. (Searching "Ranger" doesn't even work!) You have to go all the way to Xan's, Classes, Ranger and then you get a pop-up window with the explanation of the Ranger and at the bottom you see Gloom Stalker. I can't actually do a meaningful search for the term at all. This seems weird to me and a very impotent function. I'm having difficulty thinking I'm the only one to have trouble here so I think I'm missing something.

Thank you so much for your patience!

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[Evolivolution]

Well I didn't the search bar has any use I just wanted to make a clear impression of its capabilities. I never use that. I hardly ever open up the Library window, I just do that to load and unload modules if I need to.
You'll find that the workflow (if you'd like to call it that) is much more dependend on the side bar instead of the Library itself. You'll open up Classes directly and look for the Ranger and then the Gloom Stalker.
I personally play mainly Starfinder and in the SFRPG ruleset there is a seperate window called 'Features' where all the Features go, so you could look up any Features by name directly. I don't assume this will come to 5E though cause it would force a lot of modules to be rewriten, from my understanding. So I guess you'll have to go that extra step and open up the Ranger to find the Gloom Stalker.
One last thing: You really should be able to find the Ranger if you are in the Classes window and search for 'Ranger'. Please double check that :)

[Zacchaeus]

I’m not sure what the search bar in the library is for either to be honest and I’ve never had reason to use it. If you have several modules open it is easier to find information using the buttons down the right hand side. Click on classes to see all the. Lasses and navigate through them from there. Same for backgrounds, feats etc etc.

If you open the reference manual in any module in the library then you should have more success searching for stuff in that. However there’s no search facility that I know of that will search across multiple modules. FG is designed more for navigating to where you want using links rather than searching for stuff.

[Moon Wizard]

It's a leftover really from a much older version; I'll see about removing it, as it's no longer needed.

Regards,
JPG

[damned]

has the OP activated all the sidebar buttons in Options?
Moon Wizard is there a way to make that more obvious?

[Moon Wizard]

The Specialization options will pop up automatically in the character wizard and when using drag and drop. It's part of the wiki documentation (at least for drag and drop), I believe.

For the sidebar buttons in general, it should use the default GM set of buttons when making new campaigns; then remember any settings from there.

Regards,
JPG

[Tooting Dog]

has the OP activated all the sidebar buttons in Options?
Moon Wizard is there a way to make that more obvious?

I am the OP. Unfortunately, I am on a laptop with a 15" monitor; though it is a 2020 laptop and runs well. Still, all of the buttons will not fit to the right on my screen. I have since added Spells and Characters and along with what was already on the sidebar, which I assume was the DM option, the sidebar is now completely filled. However, as a new user one-week old today, I am bombarded with information and a very steep learning curve. I had at one time seen where to add those things but then forgot which has been typical of a few things. And also, I just plain was not thinking about another way to find the information since I assumed that search field was functional and worked a certain (and what I would think is a typical) way and so I kept at it; it would be helpful to remove that search field which would force a new user to look elsewhere for answers instead of spinning his wheels.

I am doing a total crash course on Youtube and learning a bunch there. But again, it is a lot of information to digest and string together. On a side-note, though, I noticed that a lot of these game youtube content creators like to smack their lips or roof of their mouth before they start talking again after a long pause... and it drives me nuts! LOL. I watch lots of guitar learning on Youtube and other things and no one else does it. It seems to be a gamer-thing. LOL. ARgghh. Thanks all!

[Tooting Dog]

They could make the buttons smaller. But this is all I can fit:

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[Zacchaeus]

Try changing the ui scale. Type /scaleui x into chat and press return (where x is 50 - 200 default is 100) and see if that makes things easier to get onto your screen.

[LordEntrails]

Also check out www.fantasygroundscollege.net. Lots of free classes :)

[Griogre]

It's a leftover really from a much older version; I'll see about removing it, as it's no longer needed.

Regards,
JPG

I hope you don't... :(

I have a lot of 4E and 5E modules that depend on that.

[Tooting Dog]

Try changing the ui scale. Type /scaleui x into chat and press return (where x is 50 - 200 default is 100) and see if that makes things easier to get onto your screen.

Awesome stuff! That helped!

I bought the Roll20 stuff a few weeks before this and went through a crash course with that watching everything I could on Youtube. So it's been a few weeks of a total crash course of D&D online. Someone else suggest FG College which is one of the sites I've been watching...good stuff! There are a few others I've found and like, too. But the tips I'm receiving in this simple thread have been very helpful! Thank you to all.

[Moon Wizard]

@Griogre,

It sounds like some good feedback to people who made the modules that they should reorganize their hierarchy better; like the newer modules.

Regards,
JPG

[Griogre]

It's an eye of the beholder thing, for monster manuals, I find it's simpler and has at least two fewer levels to drill down to get to the information since you click on the link in right library pane and to go directly to the NPC or drag and drop the top level shortcut pin to make encounters.

To make the newer structure work for a 5E Monster Manual you need three link lists: Alpha, CR, Type. So three lists to maintain while using the Library Pane you just need just one link list for the module since you can filter on any of the categories, ie the Library Pane is set up to show the Name CR and type of each monster so you can filter by any of the 3 or some combinations like "05 Hu" which would find all the CR 5 Humanoids.

It's also a top level filter so you don't have to open anything but the library, and it doesn't page like the NPC list so it's easy to scroll down and find monsters in the middle.