Die expressions linked to Story

[DietRichCola]

New to Fantasy Grounds and just learning how to program my modules in. I’ve tried to search the forums and guides for answers to this with no luck, though I apologize if I just missed it.

I’ve found the guide that discusses die roll expressions. That is, if my story module says the DM needs to roll [1d6+1]*5, I can literally do just that by typing in the chat line:

/die [1d6+1]*5

My question is, is there a way to code this die roll expression into the Story text in the modules so that when this line appears in the Story text, I can simply click a link instead of manually typing the expression?


Secondary Question: I’m under the impression that typing that command in chat also makes it visible to players. Is there a way to roll a complex die expression like that that is DM eyes only?

[Zacchaeus]

Include the dice expression in a chat bubble.


And welcome to FG

[DietRichCola]

Thank you so much for your quick reply (though my response back was slow). I actually just watched a tutorial video you recorded... so kinda cool to get a direct response. :)

I also realized that creating that particular Story entry as a Story Template could also do what I wanted, though I don't know if that is a common practice for people making professional modules with FGU. All the videos I've seen for Story Templates are using it more for random encounter descriptions, random village/NPC descriptions, things like that. Not a way to make required portions of a story where those kinds of optional rolls often included in traditional paper modules are randomized in the text.

[Zacchaeus]

Secondary Question: I’m under the impression that typing that command in chat also makes it visible to players. Is there a way to roll a complex die expression like that that is DM eyes only?

If you don't want your players to see GM dice rolls this is handled in the option 'Chat: Show GM rolls', Switching this to off will prevent players seeing the GMs dice rolls. I can't think of a way to hide just this one type of roll; it's a bit all or nothing; either the players see all rolls or none from the DM. You can hide specific table rolls or dice rolls made from the party sheet but I don't think there's a way to hide a dice string.

[DietRichCola]

Well, I should have just included the text of what I was trying to do. It's just one of those common entries you see in a modules story text that goes something like this:


The apothecary’s name is Hazel. She happens to have three potions of healing on hand which she will sell for 35 [(1d6+4)*5] gp each and a potion of acid resistance that she will sell for 150 [1d6*50] gp. She has two vials of basic poison (100 gp each) available, and can craft many other poisons if requested, but it may take her several days to procure the ingredients.

The entire point of including the dice roll is to make the prices random each time the module is run. All in all, with regards to the story, it's not a huge deal to roll on the fly, or just use the averages provided. But it's definitely just part of the STORY text, not an encounter or table or anything that needs to be included. The only reason I thought it would be nice to have those rolls "auto-generated" was so that a DM running the module could just read the story entry as normal, get the uniquely generated prices, but wouldn't have to REMEMBER the price roll if the players came back to the apothecary later.

If I make this entry of the story as a Story Template, it actually works... but as this sub chapter also includes information important to the story (not just some randomly generated shop), the DM must remember to generate the template before beginning the module, or they may not realize it is there. You can see from the screenshot, the "generated" story entry needs to be inserted into the chapter structure in the spot indicated, or this story entry will be missing if you use the "next" buttons to advance.

50206

In the end, this is pretty minor (the PCs can't afford any of these potions at their level anyway, they're mostly there so Hazel can offer them to them, put them in a safe, and the PCs have the option to break into the safe later and acquire them). Mostly, I'm still trying to figure out what I can and can't do in FGU to maximize the customization of my modules. Such a powerful program is daunting to get the hang of, because I'm almost certain is has capabilities way beyond what I can currently comprehend. It's just gonna take time to learn it all!

[Zacchaeus]

Yes, a template would certainly work. The problem is that you can't insert the price into the items and you'll need a treasure parcel for the items; so I'd probably just create the items with the average price and include those in the parcel and leave it to the DM to decide whether they want to make the roll or not.

[DietRichCola]

It didn't occur to me that if for some reason the PCs did try to buy the item at the "rolled price" the DM could go in and modify the price on that individual item itself before it was handed over. That makes a lot of sense. Sort of the problem with still being at the stage of "putting a module into the software" without actually having run a game with real players yet. I haven't actually seen the mechanic of how "buying" items works with regards to characters exchanging their GP when items are offered by an NPC shop.

Thanks for your advice. With that in mind, I think the "convenience" of having that value auto-rolled by the template is outweighed by just having a normal story entry in the chapter order that the DM won't accidentally miss.

[LordEntrails]

I use templates, tables, and parcels when setting up something I expect to be used multiple times. But for something I don't, I just use dice and/or strings and don't worry about it. Note, if you have GM dice shown, the GM can then roll in the die tower for hidden rolls.