If you need to make Player or GM Tokens for an Online Game, this tutorial will get you started.
We will use a great webapp called Token Stamp. Go ahead and open that page in a new tab in your browser (in fact save it to your favourites, you will use it a lot).
Now you will need an image for your character unless you already have some character art on your computer.
Open google images in a new tab and search for an appropriate image such as ‘Goblin Alchemist’, ‘orc sorcerer’ or ‘Tiefling barbarian’
Sometimes you will have to get a little creative with your search terms – try adding Pathfinder or D&D to your search.
Choose an image to use. (be sure to check the copyright status of any images you choose)
Either download it to your computer by right clicking the image preview on the right and selecting ‘Save image As’.
Then you can use the upload button in Token Stamp to load the image you just saved.
Or you can drag and drop it from the image preview on the right of the screen. Left click and hold, then drag the image over the browser tabs, and move it onto the tab for Token Stamp, this will open that tab and you can drop the image as indicated.
Once the image is loaded, you can adjust the scale and position of the image within the tokens border. Some prefer a full image, while others prefer to use a ‘headshot’
You can also adjust the size and shape of the tokens border, and also its colour (under border tint). Many other options are available for the image, but you can experiment on your own till you find a setting you like.
One you are satisfied with the image, hit the download button to save to your computer.
The VTT software will handle things such as dice rolling, chat, map and token display. It will also allow some degree of automation and customisation.
The most common VTT for PFS / SFS games is Roll20. Roll20’s free tier is all you need as a player, the higher paid tiers will be useful if you intend to GM.
other VTTs such as Fantasy Grounds. Maptool and Astral are also available but beyond the scope of this tutorial at this time.
Discord
Discord is a lightweight messaging / voice chat application. There are a number of servers that are used for RPG groups to organise games.
Many groups use Warhorn to manage game signups, and each GM or group will have an individual Warhorn site for their games, once you have joined a site you will be able to see all the games in their EVENT SCHEDULE.
To signup for games – see the putting it all together section below.
TimeZones
Be aware that the global nature of online play means you will need to play careful attention to the timezone of any games you want to join, and any daylight saving time differences between your home timezone and that the game is run in.
In a perfect world all games would be listed in Universal time, but thats not always the case.
Time Code Abbreviations UTC – Universal Time CET – Central European Time GMT – Greenwich Mean Time BST – British Summer Time EST – Eastern Standard Time EDT – Eastern Daylight Time PST – Pacific Standard Time PDT – Pacific Daylight Time CST – Central Standard Time CDT – Central Daylight Time MST – Mountain Standard Time MDT – Mountain Daylight Time
Useful time conversion website timebuddy it shows your local timezone, add the timezone of the game’s host to make sure you arrive on time – remember to check the finish time too, we all need sleep sometime.
Etiquette Please be aware that if the GM sends you an RSVP, that you reply in a timely manner, including information such as the level of the character you wish to play so they can calculate appropriate tiers etc. If for any reason you cant make it to a game, remove youself from the warhorn listing and email the GM at the earliest opportunity. Remember that you will be playing with a global player base, and that some comments you find humorous others may find distasteful or offensive.
Flutters Guide there is an excellent guide here to playing PFS online
Putting it all together Armed with all this useful information you are ready to get involved in your first game.
peruse the discord servers and warhorn groups till you find a game you want to play in their EVENT SCHEDULE.
Click on the game you want to play – remember to check the Timezone!
If the game has space, then SIGN UP TO PLAY.
However the game may be full, you can JOIN PLAYER WAITLIST, waitlisted players are listed on the right hand side of the page. (dont dispair if the games are full, people often drop out and you can easily find yourself with a seat).
Once you have signed up for the game, keep an eye on your emails for the RSVP from the gamemaster. Reply to this promptly and you will be sent a link to the the VTT.
Now is the time to log into the game (before the game start time) and check things look ok. If possible contact the GM, tell them that you are new and perhaps ask them to join the game a few minutes early to iron out any issues you may have.
if you are using discord for voice, then you might like to test its working before the game – you may need to adjust its settings to your headset etc.
Once you join a voice channel, you will see a box like this at the bottom left of your discord window. Click the cog (highlighted above) to enter the settings menu.
From the settings menu – click the Voice & Video link.
Using the dropdowns shown, select both your input and output devices (probably your headset) and if you want to use Push To Talk. You can check your Mic here also & adjust the sensitivity of the mic if you are using Voice Activation.
NB This is for the Pathfinder (1e) Simple template
this is my zen archers macro – probably a good base
&{template:pf_attack}{{name=+4 Bow Flurry}} {{AC [[{(1+?{PS|2})d20cs>19+20+?{PBS|1}+?{Haste|0}-?{DA|3}}kh1]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})]] dmg }} {{AC [[1d20cs>19+20+?{PBS}+?{Haste|0}-?{DA}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})]] dmg }} {{Hasted & Ki Shot}} {{AC [[1d20cs>19+20+?{PBS}+?{Haste|0}-?{DA}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})]] dmg }} {{AC [[1d20cs>19+20+?{PBS}+?{Haste|0}-?{DA}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})]] dmg }} {{iteratives}} {{AC [[1d20cs>19+15+?{PBS}+?{Haste}-?{DA}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})]] dmg}} {{AC [[1d20cs>19+15+?{PBS}+?{Haste}-?{DA}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})]] dmg }} {{crit confirm}} {{[[1d20+20+?{PBS|1}+?{Haste|0}-?{DA|3}]] || [[1d20+15+?{PBS}+?{Haste}-?{DA}]] extra [[2d8+18+(2*?{PBS})+(4*?{DA})]] }}
this looks like this
this is the basic line
{{AC [[{(1+?{PS|2})d20cs>19+20+?{PBS|1}+?{Haste|0}-?{DA|3}}kh1]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})]] dmg }}
all the others are based off it – as youre not a zen archer you dont need the perfect shot part (highlighted) , or the improved critical – so that leaves
{{AC [[1d20+20+?{PBS|1}+?{Haste|0}-?{DA|3}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})]] dmg }}
this will pop up a dialog for point blank (PBS) – and ive set that to be 1 by default (ie ON) with this part +?{PBS|1}
notice that references PBS in the damage side too – it remembers the value
similarity i have a variable for haste (only on the too hit side) +?{Haste|0}
and then another for deadly aim – ive set the default value to 3 due to my BAB (a -3 penalty)
-?{DA|3}
and i add double that on the damage side:
+(2*?{DA})
you should probably add in another variable to each side for buffs +?{att_bonus}
+?{dmg_bonus}
just tell the GM which rolls apply (e.g. this turn we dont have haste and i’m not spending a ki point, so just the 2 mains and the iteratives )
for the rapid shot, just add another penalty variable -?{Rapid|2}
that would give us – replace the red parts with your numbers
{{AC [[1d20+20+?{PBS|1}+?{Haste|0}-?{DA|3}+?{att_bonus}-?{Rapid|2}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})+?{dmg_bonus}]] dmg }}
so your full attack macro would be like this (all on one line though – ive broken it down for readability)
&{template:pf_attack}
{{name=+1 darkwood bow}}
{{AC [[1d20+20+?{PBS|1}+?{Haste|0}-?{DA|3}+?{att_bonus}-?{Rapid|2}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})+?{dmg_bonus}]] dmg }}
{{Rapid Shot + Haste}}
{{AC [[1d20+20+?{PBS}+?{Haste}-?{DA|+?{att_bonus}-?{Rapid}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})+?{dmg_bonus}]] dmg }}
{{AC [[1d20+20+?{PBS}+?{Haste}-?{DA|+?{att_bonus}-?{Rapid}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})+?{dmg_bonus}]] dmg }}
{{Iterative}}
{{AC [[1d20+15+?{PBS}+?{Haste}-?{DA|+?{att_bonus}-?{Rapid}]] for [[1d8+9+?{PBS}+(2*?{DA})+?{dmg_bonus}]] dmg }}
i wouldnt bother with crit confirms – its only 5% chance until you get improved critical
other choices are ‘skill_chk=’, ‘init=’, ‘spell_chk=’, ‘notes=’
pf_attack
similarly this is generated by this macro text – note there is only one set of curly braces for the entire attack box, and each separate roll is on a new line.
As a minimum i ask the players to build these macro’s for their characters
To add macros directly into the roll20 table
click on the collection tab on the right hand side above the chat
click the ‘+ add’ button
give the macro a name
paste in the text as below
click ‘show as token action’ (if you want a dynamic macro menu to appear when you select your token)
save changes
in the sidebar on the right, the macro should appear, tick the ‘in bar’ box (if you want a traditional macro bar at the bottom of the screen) remember to also check the ‘show macro quick bar’ box
Adding macros to your character sheet
click on the journal tab on the right hand side above the chat
open your character sheet
select the attributes and abilities tab
click the ‘+ add’ button on the right hand side (abilities)
this will add an ability (this is going to be where we add the macro)
click the ‘show in macro bar’ and ‘show as token action’ boxes (as above)
click the pencil (edit) icon
give the macro a name
paste in the text as below
click the tick icon to close the editor
Macro code
Replace the XX with the appropriate modifier
a) initiative
/me rolls a [[ 1d20+XX &{tracker} ]] for initiative
b) saving throws
/me saves Fort [[ 1d20+XX ]] Ref [[ 1d20+XX ]] Will [[ 1d20+XX ]]
c) perception
/me looks around
perception [[ 1d20+XX ]]
d) melee attack (if applicable)
/me attacks with +1 rapier
hits AC [[ 1d20+XX ]] for [[ 1d6+XX ]] dmg
e) ranged attack (if applicable)
/me fires +1 bow
arrow hits AC [[ 1d20+XX ]] for [[ 1d6+XX ]] dmg
f) skills – group them all in one macro if possible – if they have the same bonus, put them all on the same line
compare these three methods of rolling
1) straight roll /r 1d20+x
2) inline roll [[1d20+5]]
3) Roll Template (PF1 Community sheet) – more on this later
I like my players to use inline rolls, as they use less screen space, allowing me to see whats going on before someones text scrolls off the screen..Roll template make things super tidy for the more experienced macro user
lets look at those in a little more detail
/me rolls a [[ 1d20+XX&{tracker} ]] for initiative
the /me at the beginning will emote your character name like this
the XX is your initiative modifier
add a decimal to resolve ties (e.g. if your init mod is +2, then XX is 2.2)
&{tracker} will send your initiative roll to the initiative tracker – you must have your character token selected before you click the initiative macro though, else you will see an error message. Its also very important to have no spaces between the ampersand ‘&’ and the opening curly brace ‘{‘ otherwise it wont work.
to use Roll Templates, your GM must have enabled Character Sheets in roll20
to get this (PF1 Community sheet) – for PF2 roll templates see this page
you can have as many display lines as you require – but its all entered as one long line
each line is separated by a pair of curly braces ‘{{‘ and ‘}}’
count the number of squares in your map (counting part squares each as ¼, ½ or ¾) in both the Horizontal and Vertical axes.
e.g. the image below would be 19.5 x 25.75 (approx.) – round that up to 20 x 26.
add 4 to each dimension to allow for a 2 square border all around the map (24 x 30)
Open the page editor in Roll20, click create page.
Give the page a meaningful name.
Click on the gear icon to open the settings, set the page size you worked out above (e.g. 24 x 30) make sure you set the Diagonals to ‘pathfinder’ and the grid colour to Red, also slide the opacity to about 75%. Click OK
Select the ‘Map and Background’ Layer
Drag the new image onto the roll20 window, don’t worry if the grids don’t align yet.
Drag the top left corner up, leaving a 2 square border above and to the left.
Grab the right hand handle of the image hold down the ALT key and drag it across until you see the Vertical grid align.
TIP – Holding ALT while dragging the image stops it from snaping to the grid.
Grab the bottom handle of the image and drag down in the same way.
You should find that the page is now nicely aligned with the red grid.
To get rid of the red grid, goto the page settings and in the colour picker, select the very last box on the bottom row (transparent). The grid will be invisible, but the tokens will still snap to it.
Click OK.
Many times people have asked me how I print the maps from Pathfinder Society Scenarios as full size battlemaps. Here is a tutorial.
NB – there is a quick and dirty method to resize, allowing you to import the ripped image straight into posterrazor.
To do this , count the number of FULL squares on your map – either Horizontal or Vertical. look at the part squares either side and decicde if they are ¼, ½ or ¾ – this will be close enough for most mats.
eg ¾ + 12 + ¾ = 13½ inches
Goto Step 11, then use this measurement in the dialog box (shown in step 15) as the absolute size (Width or Height as appropriate) instead of selecting 100%
Step 1
Extract the image from the PDF – there are a myriad of methods and apps to accomplish this and I won’t cover them here.
Step 2
Open the image in Photoshop / GIMP or other photo editing software.
Step 3
Select a piece of the map with nice visible gridlines. a 2 x 2 square with a half square border is ideal.
Step 4
Copy the selected square and paste as a NEW image.
Step 5
Crop the new image down to the gridlines so its an exact 2 x 2 square.
Step 6
Open the image size tool.
Step 7
Change the drop down to select ‘percent’.
Step 8
Change the width & height to as near as 2 inches as possible- note the percent increase required (500% in this case).
Step 9
Back on the main image, resize by the percentage you noted in step 8.
Step 10
Save the image.
Step 11
Open posterazor – change the settings to (inches).
Step 12
Open the image you just saved – press next.
Step 13
Select the paper size you use, leave the orientation as it is for now, set borders to 0.5 inch (this will depend on your printers borders) -press next.
Step 14
Set the overlaps to 1 inch (you can go smaller if you prefer) – press next.
Step 15
Make sure size in percent is 100%, use the buttons to align the image for best best fit to the pages – you can skip back and change the orientation (portrait/landscape) to find the smallest number of pages – press next.
Step 16
Save the PDF. print as required, cut off the white borders & stick together with a glue stick or tape.
