The DM's Toolbox

A comprehensive, browser-based suite of tools for tabletop RPG Game Masters

Live Site: https://dnddmtoolbox.netlify.app/ · Version: 2.3.37

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🎯 TL;DR

Free D&D 5e toolkit using 2024 PHB rules (SRD 5.2). No login, no tracking, works offline.

Core Tools

• Initiative Tracker – Combat management with HP tracking, conditions, turn automation, reaction tracking, and legendary action counters
• Battle Map – Lightweight VTT: upload any map image, calibrate the grid, place and manage tokens with HP bars, status conditions, auras, and vision cones; paint or shape fog-of-war; place persistent line/cone/circle measurements; right-click tokens to send to Initiative Tracker
• Character Manager – Full character sheets with guided creation wizard and level-up system
• Encounter Builder – CR budgeting, monster stat blocks, save/load encounter slots, and one-click initiative export with optional pre-rolled initiative
• Compendium – Mid-session spell, monster, and rules reference with full-text search, filters, and pinnable stat-block cards
• Journal – Notion-style campaign notes: TipTap 2 rich text editor with slash commands (/), [[wikilinks]] with a backlinks panel, collapsible sections, block drag-to-reorder, tags, templates, auto-save, focus mode, and multi-format export (TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF)
• Generators – Random shops, taverns, loot tables, NPCs, and names

Out of the Box

• 9 SRD species (Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Human, Dragonborn, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Tiefling) with subspecies
• 12 classes with full progression tables, spell slots, and class features
• 4 backgrounds with 2024 PHB ability score increases (+2/+1) and origin feats
• 437 SRD spells searchable by class, level, school, concentration, ritual, and free text
• 400+ monsters with full stat blocks for encounter building
• 88 rules entries across 16 categories (combat, spellcasting, conditions, resting, and more)
• 2024 PHB exhaustion rules (−2 per level to all d20 rolls)

All data stored locally via LocalStorage and IndexedDB. No accounts, no server, complete privacy, full offline capability after first load.

Press Ctrl+Alt+D or click the gear icon in the footer to open the diagnostics panel with version info, storage stats, and data backup options.

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⚡ Quick Start (30 Seconds)

Option 1: Run Combat

1. Visit https://dnddmtoolbox.netlify.app/
2. Click "Encounter Builder" in nav
3. Search "goblin" → Add 6 to roster
4. Click "Send to Initiative Tracker"
5. Roll initiative — combat ready

Option 2: Create a Character

1. Click "Character Manager" in nav
2. Click "New Character" → "Character Creation Wizard"
3. Follow the guided setup
4. Done — ready to play

Option 3: Improvise a Shop

1. Click "Shop Generator"
2. Select settlement and shop type
3. Generate
4. Read inventory + NPC to players

No login. No tutorial. Just works.

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💬 What You Get

Character Creation & Management

• 13-step character wizard – Guided creation from species selection through equipment, with info icons on equipment packs showing full contents
• Species selection with SRD subspecies (High Elf, Hill Dwarf, etc.) — senses auto-populated from race traits
• Background bonuses – 2024 PHB system with flexible +2/+1 ability increases
• Origin feats – Automatic feat from background (Magic Initiate, Alert, etc.)
• Level-up system – HP rolls, ASI/feat choices, interactive class feature selection (Fighting Style, Pact Boon, Eldritch Invocations, Metamagic), spell slot progression
• XP tracking – Optional XP system in Basic Information with a color-coded progress bar, next-level threshold display, and a level-up wizard trigger when the threshold is crossed; milestone players can use the persistent Level Up button next to the Level field instead
• Class resources (2024 PHB) – All 12 classes populate the Resources tab with correct 2024 rules on creation and level-up (Discipline Points, Proficiency-Bonus Bardic Inspiration, Channel Divinity for Paladin/Cleric, Wild Shape for Druid, etc.)
• Wild Shape notes for Druids – At-the-Table Reminders auto-populated with 2024 PHB rules and a formatted beast-form list; forms expand automatically on each level-up
• Polymorph/True Polymorph notes – Adding either spell auto-populates the Spells tab Notes with 2024 PHB rules, CR limits, and the full available beast-form list
• Structured senses – Dedicated fields for Darkvision, Blindsight, Tremorsense, and Truesight (in feet) on the character sheet and in exports
• Inventory equip toggle – One-click equipped/unequipped button per item, saves instantly
• Exportable sheets – PDF and JSON export for backup or sharing

Combat & Encounters

• Initiative tracking with automatic turn order, round counter, and on-deck indicator
• HP management – Damage, healing, temp HP, and death saves; quick ±1/±5 buttons and a precision amount input
• Reaction tracker – Per-combatant ⚡ button marks reaction used and auto-resets at the start of that creature's turn
• Legendary Actions counter – 👑 enable button for boss creatures; configurable max with auto-reset each turn and full Combat Log tracking
• Condition tracking – All 2024 PHB conditions with exhaustion penalties
• Ability check rolls – Roll raw ability checks (advantage/normal/disadvantage) from the character sheet and combat view
• Combat card – A condensed single-screen combat view with HP bar, AC, speed, spell slots, prepared spells, ability scores, saving throws, attacks, and resources all in one place
• Class resources in combat – Ki Points, Rage, Bardic Inspiration, and any other named resources appear in the combat Resources panel with live −/+ buttons; changes save automatically
• Spell list grouped by level – Known spells are organized under Cantrip, 1st Level, … 9th Level section headers for fast lookup at the table
• Ritual casting – Ritual-flagged spells show a cyan Ritual badge and a dedicated Ritual button that casts without spending a slot (casting time +10 minutes); works for SRD spells and custom homebrew entries
• Spell casting with auto-roll – Casting a spell in combat or on the character sheet automatically rolls to-hit and damage; results shown in a combined toast with attack roll and damage together (6-second display)
• Concentration check modal – Tapping the Concentrating badge in combat opens a modal to roll a CON saving throw with live DC calculation (max 10 or half damage), or end concentration manually
• Dice roll history – Every roll (spell attacks, damage, saves, initiative, hit dice) tracked in a scrollable history panel; accessible via the Roll History button in the combat header
• Encounter balancing – CR calculator with difficulty ratings and per-monster breakdown (e.g. 3× Goblin, 1× Bugbear)
• Monster stat blocks – Full SRD bestiary with searchable filters (CR 0–30, type); hover tooltips auto-switch to two-column layout for large stat blocks
• Custom monster creator – Simple/Full mode builder with all 5e stat block fields (legendary, mythic, lair actions, spellcasting, and more); edit SRD monsters directly from the roster

Campaign Reference

• Compendium – Mid-session lookup tool under the Campaign nav with three tabs:
  • Spells – Search 437 spells by name, school, class, level, concentration, and ritual; click any row to pin a full spell card
  • Bestiary – Browse the full D&D 5e monster list (Open5e API); infinite scroll + debounced look-ahead search; pin full stat-block cards
  • Rules – Search 88 SRD rules entries (title, body, category, tags); pin any rule as an expandable accordion card
• Journal – Notion-style rich text notes with slash commands, [[wikilinks]], backlinks, collapsible sections, drag-to-reorder, tags, templates, and multi-format export

Improvisation Tools

• Shop generator – Inventory based on settlement size and shop type
• Tavern generator – Names, menus, rumors, and NPCs
• Loot tables – Treasure by CR with magic item rolls
• NPC generator – Personality traits, bonds, flaws, and appearance
• Name generator – Fantasy names by culture and gender

Privacy & Offline

• Zero accounts – No login, no email, no signup
• Local storage only – All data stays in your browser
• Offline capable – Works without internet after first load
• No tracking – Only anonymous page counts via GoatCounter

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📘 SRD Scope & Content Packs

The public site only bundles rules text released in the System Reference Document 5.2 (2024 PHB) under CC-BY 4.0. Content from other books (Xanathar's, Tasha's, Eberron, etc.) never renders unless you opt in locally — it stays gated behind the SRD allowlist in js/site.js. UI elements marked with data-srd-block are where those options would appear.

Own other books and want to use that content? You can import it as a private content pack without redistributing it. Packs are JSON files that live entirely in your browser — they're never uploaded or shared. Open the Content Pack Manager (Ctrl+Alt+D or footer gear icon → "Open Content Pack Manager"), paste or upload a pack, and the gated options will unlock automatically.

• New to content packs? → Content Pack Authoring Guide — step-by-step walkthrough with a starter template
• Want the technical details? → Content Packs reference — lifecycle, schema, validation, event system, and API
• Need a private hosted copy? → Private Build Workflow — bundle the site with your packs pre-loaded
• SRD licensing notes → docs/licensing/

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🎲 Design Principles

• Ready at the table – Every tool is designed for mid-session use. Generate a shop in 2 clicks, roll initiative instantly, look up a spell without leaving the page.
• Your data, your device – Characters, maps, and notes never leave your browser. No cloud sync means no vendor lock-in.
• Extend privately – Own books you want to use? Import them as content packs without redistributing copyrighted material.
• SRD-first – The public build uses only freely licensed content. Everything else stays gated until you opt in.

🔒 Privacy & Analytics

The DM’s Toolbox does not collect personal data and does not use cookies, accounts, or trackers.

To understand how many people use the tool, the site uses GoatCounter, a privacy-focused, cookie-free analytics service. It records anonymous page visit counts only — no IP addresses, no fingerprints, no user identifiers, no telemetry.

All characters, maps, journals, encounter data, and preferences remain stored entirely in your browser via LocalStorage and IndexedDB. Nothing is ever uploaded or shared.

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🧪 Technical Overview (for Developers)

• 100% front-end, no backend
• Vanilla JavaScript (no frameworks)
• HTML + Bootstrap UI
• LocalStorage + IndexedDB persistence
• Modularized logic under js/modules/
• 1,000+ automated tests (unit + integration via Vitest, Playwright suites for E2E)
• Vitest + happy-dom for unit & integration tests
• Playwright for end-to-end tests
• ESLint + Prettier enforce the documented coding standards
• GitHub Actions CI runs lint + unit/integration + E2E on every push/PR (see .github/workflows/test.yml)
• Fully static deployment via Netlify

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🛠 Development Setup

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/M-ybeme/Initiative-Tracker.git
cd Initiative-Tracker

# Install dev dependencies
npm install

# Run locally (static server)
npx serve .

No build step required. Open index.html directly or use any static file server.

Running Tests

# Unit + integration tests (watch mode)
npm test

# Unit + integration tests (single run)
npm run test:run

# Unit + integration tests with coverage report
npm run test:coverage

# Linting (ESLint via flat config)
npm run lint

# E2E tests (headless)
npm run test:e2e

# E2E tests (with browser UI)
npm run test:e2e:headed

# E2E tests (interactive Playwright UI)
npm run test:e2e:ui

See CONTRIBUTING.md for test patterns and requirements.

🚀 SRD Deployments

• .github/workflows/test.yml runs lint, unit/integration (Vitest), and E2E (Playwright) on every push and pull request to main.
• Netlify auto-deploy on main (srd-build.yml) is planned but not yet wired up — it needs NETLIFY_AUTH_TOKEN and NETLIFY_SITE_ID added as GitHub repo secrets first. Until then, deploys are manual via the Netlify dashboard/CLI.
• For private/local bundles with your own packs, run npm run build:pack -- --packs path/to/file.json and follow docs/PRIVATE_BUILD.md.

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📚 Documentation

Every guide under /docs covers the SRD-only build. The Documentation Index has the full list organized by audience. Quick jumps:

Using the app:

• Content Pack Authoring – Add classes, spells, feats, and more from books you own
• Character Manager – Creation wizard, level-up rules, export
• Initiative Tracker – Turn automation, HP, reactions, legendary actions, combat log
• Battle Map – Tokens, fog of war, measurements
• Encounter Builder – CR budgeting, stat blocks, save/load
• Journal – Rich text notes, slash commands, wikilinks, export formats
• Generators – Loot, tavern, shop, NPC, and name generators
• Compendium – Spell, monster, rules, and conditions reference

For developers:

• Architecture Overview – Module layout and storage layers
• Content Packs (technical) – Full system reference: lifecycle, schema, validation, events, API
• Codebase Overview – File structure
• Coding Standards – Lint rules and test requirements
• Data Schemas – Character and encounter JSON shapes
• Integration Guide – Embed modules without breaking SRD scope
• Level-Up System – Progression mechanics
• Private Build Workflow – Bundle the site with private packs
• Release Checklist

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♿ Accessibility & Lighthouse Scores

The DM's Toolbox includes accessibility features:

• Semantic HTML structure throughout
• ARIA attributes for interactive components (300+ instances across pages)
• Keyboard-navigable forms and controls
• Bootstrap's built-in accessibility patterns

Lighthouse Audit (January 2026)

Page	Performance	Accessibility	Best Practices	SEO
Homepage	73	96	100	91
Initiative Tracker	82	83	100	91
Battle Map	100	90	100	91
Encounter Builder	83	86	100	91
Character Manager	81	82	100	91
Journal	82	88	100	82
Name Generator	83	91	100	91
Loot Generator	83	89	100	91
Shop Generator	60	96	100	91
NPC Generator	83	96	100	91
Tavern Generator	83	95	100	91

Averages: Performance 81, Accessibility 90, Best Practices 100, SEO 90

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📌 Roadmap (High-Level)

• Accessibility audit and WCAG improvements
• Expanded generator options
• Mobile layout refinements
• Optional import/export enhancements

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📝 License & Attribution

• Code & original assets: MIT License — free to use, modify, fork, or extend.
• SRD-derived rules text: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (see docs/licensing/). The application uses SRD 5.2 (2024 PHB) rules. Exported PDFs/printouts still embed the compliance block automatically, but the live pages now link here instead of repeating the full copy.
• Product identity disclaimer: Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, beholders, githyanki, githzerai, mind flayers, yuan-ti, and all other Wizards of the Coast product identity are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. The DM’s Toolbox is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

SRD Attribution Text

This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

Reference Materials

• Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
• D&D System Reference Document 5.2.1