Amid the OGL controversy, many Dungeons & Dragons fans have been canceling their D&D Beyond subscriptions and looking at alternatives for creating online characters. Luckily for fans, a great alternative already exists in the form of Roll20. As a virtual tabletop, Roll20 provides plenty of D&D resources that players can use and even allows players to upload their own images to make into maps and tokens. More importantly, it has an integrated character sheet system that allows players to create characters for Dungeons & Dragons and a variety of other TTRPGs the site supports.
Character sheets on Roll20 serve a few purposes. First, they allow players to build a D&D character, keeping track of ability scores, weapons, and spells. For players who are using the VTT to play, character sheets also allow them to easily roll attacks and or use rests to recover HP and spells. Roll20 sheets also take away some of the math for players, automatically calculating things like initiative modifiers, armor class, and passive perception. Overall, they streamline the process of making a character with pen and paper. Here's how to create a character sheet in Roll20.
How To Create a New Character Sheet
When players create a new Roll20 game, they will be prompted to choose the type of character sheet they want to use. Players can choose sheets for multiple D&D editions, as well as games like Cyberpunk Red or Pathfinder. Once in the actual game, the DM will have to navigate to the Journal tab and add new character sheets for each player. DMs need to edit the settings on the sheets so that they appear in players' journals and give those players control over them.
For Dungeons & Dragons, players then have the choice to build their character on their own or use Roll20's Charactermancer. The Charactermancer will automate some of the creation process for players, but it is limited. If players want access to more in-depth character creation options on the Charactermancer, they will need to purchase official D&D materials from Roll20. Seeing as many players are canceling their D&D Beyond accounts to specifically avoid giving Wizards of the Coast any money, those players will want to stick with manually filling out their character sheets. Equipment can be added through the Charactermancer or on the compendium tab, and most basic D&D weapons should be available to players for free. Armor added this way will also be automatically equipped to a player, calculating their AC for them.
How To Use a Roll20 Character Sheet
Now that players have their character sheets set up, they can use them to play D&D on Roll20's virtual tabletop. With weapons and spells added to the sheet, players can easily access their attack rolls on the sheet's first page. The main page can also be used for tracking HP, hit die, and death saves if things aren't going so well. On the spell tab, players can cast non-attack spells like Healing Word, and Roll20 will allow players to choose which level to cast at. Then, the program will automatically resolve any rolls attached to the spell in accordance with the level it was cast at. Players' rolls will be posted in an ongoing chat log, allowing other players to celebrate natural 20s and commiserate failures together.
Roll20 character sheets actually have a lot of great options for more advanced players to explore as well. Under the settings tab, players can create attack modifiers for mechanics like Rage or Sneak Attack. There are also toggles for advantage that they can switch on, allowing them to pick and choose which rolls use two dice and which only use one. After becoming more familiar with Roll20's sheets, players will find a lot of the game streamlined for them, allowing combat to flow more cohesively during games. Roll20 also has a support chat that allows players to directly message customer service if they are struggling with any aspect of the VTT. Players who are leaving D&D Beyond will likely find Roll20 to be a great alternative for creating characters and playing Dungeons & Dragons online.