Hi, all. This thread is a brief explanation of the very basics of macros and rolls on roll20. If you're already experienced with them, you may want to check out my Guide to Great Macros . You may also want to reference the roll20 wiki pages on macros and dice reference rolls. The basics of macro creation for the Guild are also covered in this tutorial video . So, what are macros? Macros are small pieces of text and/or code that you can save and bring up with a click. They are incredibly useful for 4e, where you may have powers that have several different rolls with different bonuses or varying effects depending on the situation. Roll20 chat is not just a chat window : it's also a calculator and a random number generator. Using macros will save you a lot of time rolling, adding bonuses, and looking up special effects, if you use them properly. I strongly encourage everyone to mess around with roll20 calculations, codes, macros, etc. as I feel firsthand experience is the best way to learn them. Common parts of macros There are several common aspects of macros you will come across: Plain text : this appears the same as any words you would normally type into the chat window. For instance, you may make a macro that just says "It's a trap!" Every time you click on that macro, the message will be sent out as if you typed it. /me statements: If you start a line of a macro (or a chat message) with "/me" the text will display your name (or your character name selected from the dropdown menu under the chat window) in BRIGHT ORANGE and will format the text so it looks like you or your character are doing something. For instance, a macro that reads "/me laughs maniacally" would be displayed in orange as "Matt W. laughs maniacally." This is useful if you want to flavor your attack macros, e.g. "/me makes a Twin Strike attack against the target!" Plain rolls : These rolls are used infrequently in this campaign because they take up a lot of space, but if you ever need to make a quick roll, you can always type "/roll 1d20" (or /r 1d20) and it will roll a d20 for you (with a graphic). If you only want the gm to see the roll, you can do "/gmroll 1d20" (or /gr 1d20). The number preceding the d is the number of dice, and the number after the d is the number of sides on the dice, i.e. /roll 1d20 will roll a single, twenty-sided die. You can also add modifiers to this and it will calculate it for you. E.g., you can type "/roll 1d20+10" and it will roll a d20 for you and automatically add 10 to the rolled value. In-line rolls/calculations: These are the most commonly used rolls in this campaign because they are effective and compact. This function works exactly the same as the /roll function, but it takes up a lot less space when rolling. To do an inline roll or calculation, you put the dice (and modifiers) you want within double square brackets, so if you wanted to roll a d20, you would type [[1d20]]. If you wanted to roll a d20 and add 10 to it, you would type [[1d20+10]]. You can do just rolls (e.g. [[1d8]]), or just calculations (e.g. [[4*3+3-1]]) in the brackets, or a mix of the two, and roll20 will evaluate them for you. For more advanced coders out there: BEWARE. Roll20 uses its own order of operations that may not match the one you learned in 4th grade maths classes. Most people don't need to worry about this too much. Where do Macros go? The DMs encourage all players to make macros for their characters on the character sheets they are given in the journal tab of roll20, under the "Abilities" section of the "Attributes and Abilities" tab of the journal entry. Making macros here ensures 1. That DMs can look at and help adjust player macros, and 2. That players with multiple characters only see the relevant macros if they check the box that says "Show as token actions." While you can make macros in the settings tab of roll20, we do not recommend it. The only macros that should go here are little pieces of text or code that are useful across characters (so nothing that involves rolling with potentially different stats). For instance, I always keep a "/me laughs maniacally" handy in my macro bar, because it is useful no matter which character I'm playing or if I'm a GM. Note: a recent "feature" of roll20 automatically alphabetizes all token actions. To turn this off so you can order them however you like, go to the settings tab in game and uncheck the box that says "Alphabetically sort token actions." Testing Macros: You are requested and required to test all your character macros before you can play. If you'd like to do this without broadcasting them to the whole world, you can type "/talktomyself" in the chat window before you start. This turns on "talk to yourself" mode, which means that anything you type or roll will not be shown to other players. Typing "/talktomyself" again toggles this mode off. The Attack Template We provide you with a macro template for your attacks to make things easier. So you understand what's going on, I'll walk you through it. Here is the template: (Power Name) (Action Class) ✦ (Action Type) ✦ (Keywords) (Range) ✦ (Target(s)) /me attacks with a [[1d20 + (your attack bonus) ]] vs (AC / Fortitude / Reflex / Will, pick applicable, remove the rest ). Hit : [[(Power or Weapon damage) ]] (damage type, if any) damage (and any conditions applied by the hit). Miss: (If the attack deals any damage or has other effects on a miss, put this here.) (Crit : [[ (total damage and special effects on a critical hit) ]] Effect: (If the attack has any special effects, list those here) Let's go through it a line at a time, using an example power (the Ranger's Nimble Strike, located in PHB1, p. 105) The top part is just in plain text and gives basic information about the power you are using. ⦁Power Name: self-explanatory. For our example, we would write "Nimble Strike" ⦁Action class: Is it at-will? Encounter? Daily?. Nimble strike is an At-will power. ⦁Action Type: Is it a standard action? Minor action? Move action? Interrupt? Reaction? Free Action? No action?. Nimble Strike (like most attacks) is a standard. ⦁Keywords: Listed in the power entry. They usually include the power source (Martial, primal, divine, etc.), the tool to use the power (weapon, implement), and sometimes the damage type (if there is a listed damage type). For Nimble Strike, the keywords are "Martial, Weapon" ⦁Range: There are many options here. Powers can be Melee 1 or Melee 2, or Melee weapon. They could be close burst 1, or Area burst 1 within 10, etc. etc. For Nimble strike, the power says "Ranged Weapon." If you know you're using a longbow, you can look up longbow range and see that it is listed as range 20/40. You could either write "Ranged Weapon" or "Ranged 20/40" for this macro. ⦁Targets: One target? One or two targets? All creatures in the burst? All enemies in the burst? These are important to note down for many powers. Nimble Strike targets "One creature" The next line is the lines where you actually make an attack and a damage roll . This is the heart of the macro: /me attacks with a [[1d20 + (your attack bonus) ]] vs (AC / Fortitude / Reflex / Will, pick applicable, remove the rest ). ⦁This tells the GM and the players succinctly: 1. What attack you are using. 2. What defense you are targeting. 3. Whether you hit or not based on your attack roll. Remember, the /me will make the attack display like "Ulvark attacks with a (number) vs AC" ⦁The [[1d20+ (your attack bonus)]] part just tells Roll20 (as above) to roll a d20. Substitute in your attack bonus when you make your macro. For instance, your macro may read [[1d20+10]], if your attack bonus is +10. ⦁For your attack, list the defense this power is targeting, and remove the others. /me attacks with a [[1d20 + 10]] vs AC. To keep a certain speed and flow in the game, we code a macro to list the consequences of a hit or miss immediately with the D20 attack roll. So after the attack line, in the chat output box, we want to see what happens. Hit : [[(Power or Weapon damage) ]] (damage type, if any) damage (and any conditions applied by the hit). ⦁Let's say that our ranger is using a +1 frost longbow. He would do [[1d10+5]] damage. Additionally, if there is a damage type, you should include this. So if using a frost longbow, you may say: Hit: [[1d10+5]] cold damage! Following that, if your power has consequences on a miss, please list those. The Ranger Daily power Jaws of the Wolf, for example (Player's Handbook, page 106) is so powerful that even on a miss, it still deals half damage. So from the template : Miss: half damage. (Please note the Nimble Strike power used as an example throughout this explanation does not have any consequences on a miss, and as such this line is best removed when writing a macro for that power.) On a critical hit, not only does a power deal the maximum amount of damage possible, often magical weapons and implements have an additional property that comes up when a critical hit is rolled. Using the example of the ranger with nimble strike and a +1 frost longbow again, the compendium entry for Frost Weapon reads : “Critical: +1d6 cold damage per plus”. With 10 as the maximum from 1d10, 5 from the standard damage bonus and 1x1d6 from the critical hit property of the bow: (Crit : [[ 10 + 5 + 1d6 ]] ) Lastly, Effect is a word with a special meaning in D&D 4e. It lists consequences of the use of a power that happen regardless whether your attack hits or misses. For example the Ranger at will power Throw and Stab lists : Effect: You move up to your speed and make a melee basic attack against a creature other than the target.” While the power it describes is a ranged attack, following that ranged attack the player character can then move their speed, and make a different attack against a different target, regardless of whether the original attack hit or missed. Effect: (If the attack has any special effects, list those here) Let's put it all together! If we put everything above together for our ranger macro, we'll get one that looks like this: Nimble Strike At-Will ✦ Standard ✦ Martial, Weapon, Cold Ranged 20/40 ✦ One creature /me attacks with a [[1d20 + 10 ]] vs AC. Hit : [[1d10+5]] cold damage (Crit : [[ 10+5+1d6 ]]) /me can shift 1 square before or after the attack! If you follow the template, you should be good to go for most macros! Rinse and Repeat : Many of your macros will have very similar formats. They will often have many of the same keywords, attack bonuses, and damage rolls, so once you make your first macro, you can often copy and paste it into other macros and alter it slightly (the name, the action type, etc.) so you don't need to type everything out all over again. This will save you a lot of time. Learn more advanced tricks ! Once you feel like you've gotten the hang of the macro basics, check out the links at the top of this post for more advanced things you can do with macros. These tips and tricks can help you make macros that are clearer, more succinct, and that even update themselves as you level up or get new items! Don't be overwhelmed! There are some truly complicated and messy macros out there. Don't feel the need to overcomplicate the first few macros that you make. When in doubt, remember that roll20 macros are just tools that will make life easier for you in the long run. Once you break them down, you can see that they're just rolling and adding, so you don't have to! Rolling and adding 8d6 + 8 is much easier with macros on your side than with dice in your hands. As always, feel free to ask GMs and players for assistance. Remember to read through the forum posts, as they will likely contain the answers you seek!
