Map tools: play, run and build
The twenty-seven map tools by level (play, run and build) with their key and what they do.
The rail on the left of the table gathers the map tools. They are arranged in three levels that add up: players have the first, the person running the game also has the second and, to build the map, the third. This guide lists the twenty-seven tools with their key and what they do; the detail of those with their own panel is in the linked guides.
Where to find it
It is the vertical rail on the left edge of the tactical view. At the top, the person running the game picks the level with three tabs: Play, Run and Build. Each tool has its key; with the rail on icons, hover (or hold Alt) to see the name.
Requirements and permissions
- Players see only the first level, without the tools marked "person running the game only".
- The person running the game sees all three levels. Each level shows its own and those of the earlier ones.
- Some buttons depend on the view: in the theatre and written views there is no rail (the tools are in the table menu).
- On mobile the rail becomes a sheet; see The table on mobile and tablet.
Step by step
- Choose the level with the rail tabs (person running the game).
- Press a tool or its key. Some open an options panel beside the rail (fog, lights, walls, floors, heights...).
- Use the tool's gesture on the map; each one's hint says how.
- Change tool with another key, or go back to Move (
V) to stop using it. - Below the tools there are other entries: add to the table, show, grid, table settings, dice, ask for a roll, macros, the dock's "Everything" sheet and undo and redo.
Tip. The
\shortcut switches between icons only and names with shortcuts on the rail. It can also be laid out in columns; see Customising the HUD.
Play level
For everybody.
| Tool | Key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Move | V | Drag the map. Tap a token to see its sheet; drag it to move it. |
| Target | T | Marks a token as the target for your attacks and spells. |
| Measure | M | Drag from one point to another to see the distance. |
| Point | L | Hold to point at a spot; everybody sees it. |
| Draw | B | Freehand drawing over the map. The person running the game decides whether players can. |
| Area template | Shift A | Area template: circle, cone, line or square, from 5 to 300 feet, to see what a spell touches. |
| Erase | Shift E | Drag over things to erase what you touch: strokes (and, for the person running the game, walls, lights and tokens). |
Run level
The person running the game only.
| Tool | Key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Select | Shift S | Draw a frame to pick several tokens and move them together. |
| Text | X | Tap the map to write a multi-line label; double-click to edit it. |
| Fog | F | Drag to cover with fog, with its style and zones panel. See Fog, vision and light. |
| Reveal fog | Shift V | The brush that uncovers fog, without changing mode. |
| Room note | N | Leave a room note where you tap; only the person running the game sees it if you hide it. |
Build level
The person running the game only, to build the map. The detail is in Building the map at the table.
| Tool | Key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Walls | W | Tap to chain walls; double tap or Esc closes. Dragging draws one wall. Shift places them off the grid. |
| Doors | Shift D | Click a wall: it splits it and puts a door or window there. Dragging on empty ground puts a loose door. |
| Walls by shape | Shift W | Raises the walls of a room from a shape, in one go. |
| Lights | Shift I | Tap to place a light; tap it again to move it. Types, colour, radius and animation. |
| Portals | Shift O | Drag to mark an exit and choose which scene it leads to. |
| Event zones | Z | Marks a piece of map that reacts: when, if and then. See Event zones: make the map do things by itself. |
| Sound | Shift N | A positional ambient sound: each player hears it by the distance of their token, and walls muffle it. |
| Floors | Shift G | Paints floors with textures. |
| Heights | Shift U | Relief: raises and lowers terrain with a brush, a rectangle and presets. |
| Holes | Shift Y | A hole through which you see, and pass, to another floor. See Floors: multi-level maps. |
| Paths | Shift R | Draws textured paths over the map. |
| Effects | Shift X | Places animated visual effects on the map. |
| Objects | J | Places objects and scenery from the catalogue. |
| Scatter objects | Shift J | Scatters objects over an area with a brush, for vegetation or rubble. |
| Textured shapes | Shift K | Textured shapes: fills a figure with a material. |
Options
What conditions the tools is in Table settings: who can move, draw and point, the grid, fog.
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Move tokens | Which tokens players can move: their own, all or none. | Their own |
| Can draw on the map | Players can draw on the map. | On |
| Can ping the map | Players can point on the map. | On |
Known limits
- Only one tool is active at a time; choosing another drops the previous one.
- With Erase, the person running the game also erases walls, lights and tokens: use it with care. The last thing you did can be undone from the rail itself.
Common problems
"A tool in the guide is not showing for me." It belongs to another level or to the person running the game only; look at the table.
"I press the key and nothing happens." With a text field open the key is typed into it. Close the field and try again.