Encounter Set up Question on DD 5e

[WilshireDM]

Hello all, would someone help me understand this functionality? What is the purpose of being able to double click on the check mark and have the mark turn into the NPC icon?

What I am trying to do is add the NPCs to the map so players can see them when they naturally navigate to the map. Once an encounter stars, I then press the down arrow button to add the NPCs the encounter, however that re populates the NPC icons, adds them to the encounter, but then I have to remove the ones I placed there.

Example scenario: NPC is walking through a hall way and finds the kobolds sleeping in their beds. They are not in an encounter, but the players can clearly see them and thus I want them on the map. Then, a player trips and falls and wakes them all up, now I press the arrow to start the combat and all of the kobolds pop up on the map and I remove the ones I placed (from the encounter quick link - red pin thingy) Please let me know if I am doing this workflow incorrectly!
Capture.PNG

[LordEntrails]

MOD: moved to 5E forum.

When you open an existing encounter, usually a check box will be present on the instance indicator. This tells you that that specific instance of the NPC has already had it's token placed on a map. If you click it it will become a token image indicating that that instance is not longer placed on a map (you have chosen to unplace it).

For instance, the 4 kobolds on your left encounter are already pre-positioned on a map (but not visible), while the winged kobold and drakes are not positioned on a map.

Generally, encounters from modules are properly used by clicking the down arrow on the encounter, which will add the NPC to the combat tracker and a linked token to the correct map in the correct location.

You can not preview or adjust the token placement without clicking the down arrow button. Tokens will then generally be hidden from the players but visible to the DM and you can then move them if desired before showing them to the players.

[Zacchaeus]

In your example scenario you’ll need to activate the encounter and that places the kobolds in the map and the CT, and then make the NPCs visible on the CT so that they also become visible on the map. Effectively the encounter starts when you do that.

[WilshireDM]

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated!
*Edit...this wouldn't of been so much a question for me if my party would stop splitting up!! :/

[Granamere]

Also depending on addons you have if the party does sneak past and does not engage the encounter your addons might have added the encounter to the experience tracker. So if they come back and you add the encounter a second time they might end up with double XP from it. Note base game you would need to add the experience to the party sheet manually just watch out for helpful addons.