Difference between revisions of "Savage Worlds"
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Mike Combs (Talk | contribs) (Added link to free Benny art. Removed advanced cases.) |
Mike Combs (Talk | contribs) (Added Benny options) |
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This guide has been written around a common and proven way to use Roll20 to play Savage Worlds. This section documents other ways of accomplishing the same goals. | This guide has been written around a common and proven way to use Roll20 to play Savage Worlds. This section documents other ways of accomplishing the same goals. | ||
− | ==== | + | == Bennies == |
+ | If you are using a setting with special Bennies, you might have to create extra cards. For example, Deadlands: Reloaded uses a Benny pool made up of Poker Chips called Fate Chips. There are 20 white chips, 10 red chips and 5 blue chips in the Fate Chip pool. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Create your deck as before, upload an image of a poker chip as the background, and red, white, and blue chip images. Then create 20 new cards called White Chip using the white chip image (pull from the Art tab, don't upload again). Repeat for the red and blue chips, making 10 and 5 of each. In Deck Options make sure that "cards in deck are infinite" is NOT checked. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Extra cool: If your Bennies look like coins or tokens, create several with different rotations and offsets, so they look more like coins on the table. | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1r3dJk5CacNQFzIUccbhVBw_qxFTRXY8E?usp=sharing| These Pirate coin Bennies are free to use.]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Tokens: Keeping Stats in Token Bars == | ||
'''Key stats'''--- Place key stats into the token and use token macros for attacks by the creature. This can be relatively fast, because you typically only need Parry, Toughness, Spirit, Fighting and Damage. Tokens can hold 3–6 stats. | '''Key stats'''--- Place key stats into the token and use token macros for attacks by the creature. This can be relatively fast, because you typically only need Parry, Toughness, Spirit, Fighting and Damage. Tokens can hold 3–6 stats. | ||
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{{mbox | text = If you're using character sheets and an avatar, you can edit and right click on the avatar and copy that URL to use for the Name field. Since it's using the storage Roll20 uses, it's quite fast.}} | {{mbox | text = If you're using character sheets and an avatar, you can edit and right click on the avatar and copy that URL to use for the Name field. Since it's using the storage Roll20 uses, it's quite fast.}} | ||
− | |||
− | |||
<br /> | <br /> | ||
[[Category:Games]] | [[Category:Games]] | ||
[[Category:Macros]] | [[Category:Macros]] |
Revision as of 03:38, 2 June 2020
Savage Worlds on Roll20
The streamlined rules of Savage Worlds are relatively easy to set-up and play in Roll20, even with a free account. With little effort Roll20 can handle Bennies, special dice rolls (Acing/exploding rolls and Wild Card dice), and Action cards for initiative.
GMs can upload or create maps, upload tokens for NPCs and track their stats, and configure the Character Sheet for settings like Rifts, Deadlands, and others.
Players can enter all aspects of their characters into a character sheet for easy die rolling that accounts for wounds and other modifiers, with notes for edges, powers, and gear descriptions.
Common functions (like trait rolls and calculating raises) are easily automated with the basic scripting ability included in the free Roll20 service. Most of the automation (usually called macros) needed to play adventures and campaigns are built into the character sheet, others (to speed up or clarify things) are included in this guide.
Quick Start
Roll20 has more than one way to do things, Savage Worlds has many setting rule variations, and GMs have their own preferences. This guide is going to show you one way to cover the core rules, using only features in a free account. I made some judgement calls along the way to get you up and running as quickly as possible. Looking for another way? There is a section at the end of this for alternative methods and great-but-not-essential enhancements.
- Game Settings— Set defaults for map pages and tokens, select the Character Sheet and set its defaults.
- Savage Worlds (Tabbed) Character Sheet— Automates trait, weapon, and power rolls. Tracks Wounds, Fatigue, and statuses like Shaken and Distracted.
- A custom Benny image— Upload it as an infinite card deck and deal them to players.
- Translucent Blast and Cone images— Upload as a deck or as a token for a character sheet.
- Use a 3rd party app like Discord for sound and video if you have more than two players. There's a technical explanation about better performance, and you also gain easy in-game side-bar conversations, and out-of-game text with your group for things like scheduling.
This guide has lots of other macros and information. You probably don't need it. Call your players, tell them you need 45 minutes to set up, and start playing!
You can also speed up things and make your life easier with those macros:
- Stat Block Macro— Brings up a menu with all of the rolls from the character sheet, without having to open the character sheet.
- Target Stats Macro— Shows the Parry, Toughness and Raises for a target, so players don't have to ask the GM (again).
- GM Macros— Wild Card trait, Extra trait, Melee/Thrown/Range damage, and Run. For when you don't want to create a character sheet for some NPC.
Game Settings
After you create a new game, from the Game Settings menu, select Game Settings.
Game Default Settings
From the Game Settings Page, scroll down and configure this section.
- Page Defaults
- Page Scale: 1 grid cell = 6 ft.
- Grid Measurement: Euclidean
- Token Defaults
- Bar Location: Bottom Overlapping
- Bar Style: Compact
- Player Permissions
- Name: [x]See [x]Edit
- Bar 1: [ ]See [x]Edit Text Overlay: Hidden
- Bar 2: [ ]See [x]Edit Text Overlay: Hidden
- Bar 3: [x]See [x]Edit Text Overlay: Hidden
- Aura 1: [x]See [x]Edit
- Aura 2: [x]See [x]Edit
![]() | Be sure to click Save Defaults at the bottom of this section. |
Character Sheet Template
From the Game Settings Page, scroll down and configure this section.
Select Savage Worlds (Tabbed Layout). I recommend these Default Sheet Settings as a start so that creating NPCs takes fewer steps. You're going to do that a lot, save yourself some clicks.
- [x] Extra
- [x] Start Attributes at d6
- [x] Show Soak Button
- [x] Show Unshake Button
- [x] Show Size fields
- [x] Use Species
- [x] Show Load and Encumbrance
- [x] Show Occupation I use this field to store the URL to NPC art.
![]() | Be sure to click Save Defaults at the bottom of this section. |
In-Game Settings
After launching the game, go to the yMy Settings-tab and configure this section.
My Settings
- [x] Use advanced keyboard shortcuts
- [x] Enable 3D dice
- [x] Automatically roll 3D dice
Game Settings
Token Bar Colors + Display Settings.
When you click on a token, three circles show Bar 3, Bar 1, and Bar 2.
- Bar 1: Ivory (for Fatigue)
- Bar 2: Purple (for Power Points)
- Bar 3: Red (for Wounds)
- Status Marker Position: Bottom These tiny icons indicate Shaken, Distracted, etc.
Chat Avatars
- Player Avatar Size: Names only
Video + Audio Chat Options
- Chat Tech: None (no video/audio)
3D Dice
Selecting Automatically roll 3D dice, speeds up the game. Without it, when a die roll is needed it delays the game while a user drags across the table top to set the direction and velocity of the dice throw. The color of the dice will be the same as the color of your chat avatar. Click on the color box of your chat avatar to change it.
Tracking Bennies
In Savage Worlds, Bennies are tokens the players (and GM) may redeem to reroll the dice and change the story. Players start each session with three Bennies and are awarded more for good roleplaying or when a Joker is drawn during initiative.
In order to easily track Bennies, create a custom card deck.
- On the l Collection-tab, look at Decks, click Add.
- In the New Deck dialog:
- Name the deck Bennies.
- Set Cards in Deck = Infinite, Considered = Drawing.
- Set Card Size to 105x105 (usually a good value since the grid is 70x70).
- Upload an image (like a coin or poker chip) for the card back.
- Upload the same image for the card front.
- Select Show Deck.
[These Bennies are free to use.]
You can then shuffle and deal the "deck" just like a deck of cards and the users will receive their Bennies as normal.
To play a Benny:
- Open the card hand window: Click on the Benny icon above your player name at the bottom of the screen.
- Drag a Benny onto the table top.
- Close the card hand window: Click again on the Benny icon above your name.
- Right click on the Benny on the table top and select Delete. We like the way they look on the table, so we wait until the end of the encounter to delete them.
Using Cards for Initiative
In Savage Worlds, Action cards (poker cards with jokers) are dealt to players to determine initiative order. Play order is a countdown from Ace to Two, with Jokers going first, and ties resolved in reverse alphabetical order (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs). Some characters may get more than one card, some groups of extras may get one to represent the group.
Roll20 helps automate initiative with the Turn Tracker. Open the Turn Tracker from the menu (or by pressing 'y').
Add tokens to the Turn Tracker by selecting tokens and pressing 'u'. (If Advanced keyboard shortcuts are not enabled, you can also do this by right clicking on tokens and choosing the Add Turn options from the pop-up menu.)
Show the deck of Action cards by going to the l Collections-tab, scrolling to Playing Cards and clicking Show.
Deal a card to each token in the Turn Tracker, click "Deal" on the Action Cards deck, then select "Deal Cards to Turn Order Items" from the pop-up window.
Some Edges let characters get an extra card. You can manually deal cards to the Turn Tracker to handle this. To draw a card the GM clicks on the card sticking out of the deck; this flips it face up. (The deck must have "Show deck to players" enabled.) Then the GM drags the card onto the Turn Tracker to the card next to the character's name, and when the number turns yellow the GM drops the card.![]() | Note: You can't just click and drag the card from the deck or the table. You have to click so it flips face up on the deck, then click and drag to the Turn Tracker. |
The card on the turn tracker, or drop point, turns yellow when the mouse pointer is over it. The drop point is only activated by the mouse pointer, not the card. This is easiest to do if the GM picks up the card on the upper left corner, because then it is easier to see the background color of the number in the Turn Tracker turn yellow.
Once the cards are dealt, open the Turn Order Settings dialog (click the blue gear icon) and press the "By Card/Suit" button to sort the Turn Tracker.
If you hover over a a token in the Turn Tracker it will highlight that token on the map. If it represents a group of Extras it will only highlight one. Avoid deleting dead tokens because if you delete the one token you chose to represent a group, the group also disappears from the Turn Tracker. A better choice is to mark them dead with a token indicator overlay, or move them out of the visible portion of the Fog of War.
Character Sheets
Character Sheets allow you to track your character's traits, edges, powers, and gear. The creator of a game can choose a character sheet template when setting up the game, and all characters in the game will use that sheet template. Use the guides below for specific versions of available character sheets.
- Savage Worlds (Tabbed) Character Sheet (Updated for SWADE, April 2019)
With the 'statblock' macro, you can access almost any PC or NPC action in three clicks: Click the token to show the token macro bar, click the 'statblock' macro to see a menu of options, then click the action. Compared to using the character sheet, this takes up less screen space and is faster to access. (This draws from info in the character sheet.) Create this as a token macro.
statblock (shows stat block as chat menu with clickable actions)
/w @{selected|token_name} %{selected|fullstatblock}
Tokens for Characters and Creatures
Tokens in Roll20 can represent PCs and NPCs (and other objects) on the map. Tokens have artwork, a name, and may also have a 3–6 attributes (like Parry or Wounds) and a link to a character sheet.
Hints for Token Artwork
Top view token art provides the most realism but the least detail because you mostly see the top of the NPC's head and shoulders.
Side view token art provides the most complete view, but since they're displayed at 70x tall most detail is lost and they can be difficult to see on a map.
Round token art has head and shoulder portraits with a colored circle border and is generally preferred. They're easy to see and provide the most facial detail, and there are free applications and web sites that make it easy to scale and crop the portrait art into a round token. They don't show clothing, weapons, hands, and other details but these can be in the full side-view art in the character sheet, or a Journal handout, or in the q Chat tab (via a macro).
Token Art Size: For standard-sized creatures, tokens will displayed as 70x70 px, the default map grid size. To look good at 200% zoom, make the token 140x140 px (or 128 square, or 150 square). If you're creating a token that is the head and shoulders clipped from a larger portrait, you'll want the clipped portion to be 140 square and this generally means that the larger (source) portrait will be 300 to 400px wide. If you use smaller source material, your tokens will look blurry.
Methods of representing characters as tokens
There are three major ways to configure tokens and stats: Just art, character sheets with unlinked bars, and with linked bars.
- Just art--- Place token art on the map, keep the key stats like parry and toughness elsewhere (like on paper). When you need to roll an attack, use basic dice commands like
/roll 1d6!
. But because players cannot see the Parry, Toughness, and Armor values, they'll have to ask the GM (over and over) and can make combat take longer.
- Character sheet with unlinked bars--- Create a character sheet for the creature, then link the token to it. Then also link the character sheet to the token. This lets access the character sheet for special attacks, but each token has their own wounds. This is handy for Extras. Details on this method are below.
- Character sheet with linked bars--- Create a character sheet for the creature and link the token and token bars (like wounds, fatigue, or ammo) to it. Then also link the character sheet to the token. This lets stats (like wounds, fatigue, or ammo) be adjusted on the token and update the character sheet. This is useful for Wild Cards, bosses and unique NPCs. Details on this method are below.
Token method: Character Sheet
This method ties the token to a character sheet. It's very helpful because it provides a quick reference to the Edges, Powers and all the attributes of the character. For Wild Cards, this is worth the time to set up, and possibly for commonly encountered Extras, but this depends on how much time you want to allocate to entering the data.
1. Create the character sheet. You should at least enter Parry, Toughness, Fighting skill, Strength, and the Weapon, and Spirit. If it's an extra, and they're not likely to try to soak wounds, you don't even need to enter Vigor.
2. Create a token. Size it on the map correctly. New tokens dragged from the character sheet will use this size.
3. Link the token to the character sheet. Edit the token and use the **Represents Character** drop-down menu (on the Basic tab).
4. OPTIONAL Link the token bars. Skip this step if there will be multiple tokens linked to a single character sheet, like Extras (guards), and even for Wild Cards (several captains).
You should do this step if you want adjustments to the Wounds, Fatigue, Power Points or ammo on the token to make changes on the character sheet. It's handy for recurring villains. This step connects the status bars overlaid on the token to stats on the character sheet, so trait rolls will automatically account for wound and fatigue penalties. These also link the bubbles shown when the token is selected so you can edit the values without having to open the character sheet.
Here's a setup for fatigue, power points, and wounds. This makes it easy for players to edit those values as the game progresses. If the character doesn't have power points, just leave it blank, or use it for ammo. Set the field value for each Bar on the Basic tab with the drop-down menu. Type the first few letters of the field value to find it faster.
Field | Field Value | Color | See | Edit |
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Xena | yes | yes | |
Bar 1 | fatiguecur | bone | no | yes |
Bar 2 | powerpoints | purple | no | yes |
Bar 3 | wounds | red | yes | yes |
(Bar colors are set for the entire game; set them on the yMy Settings tab. Do that later.)
(See and Edit, and Bar Location and Bar Style can be set on the Advanced tab but it's better to set them for all tokens in Game Settings. Use See=Yes on Bar 3 only so other players can see Wounds (but not fatigue, for example). Use Edit=Yes on all bars so that the player can change the values without having to open their character sheet. Set Bar Location = Bottom Overlapping and Bar Style = Compact. Do that later.)
On the token, bars without a value (no wounds, no fatigue, no expended power points) will not be shown. The player will see all three bars for their character, and the GM will see all bars for all characters, but other players will only see the wounds bar.
5. Save Changes on the Token. Click Save Changes to close the Edit Token box. You have configured the token on the map, but if you delete it you will lose those settings. To place that token on another map you'd have to copy and paste this one. If you drag the art out onto the map again, you will be creating a new token and it won't have these settings.
In the next step you will set the character sheet to use this token with all of the settings so far. The character sheet will remember these settings, so the token can be deleted and added again at any time.
6. Link the Character Sheet to the Token. Shift-double-click on the token to open the linked character sheet. At the top right, click Edit. In that screen, remove the old default token if there is one, then click to add the selected token.
![]() | Many people miss the next step and lose their work so far. |
7. Save Changes on the character sheet. Test this by dragging the character sheet (by the name, not the handle icon) onto the map. Check to see that this new token has all of the correct settings.
Target Stats Macro
This macro can speed up combat by enabling players to see Parry and Toughness of tokens (if they are linked to a character sheet), but it does eliminate some mystery. This works even if you did not link the token bars to stats.
target-stats
Target stats for ``@{target|To see stats|token_name}``:
• **Parry** @{target|To see stats|parrycur}, [[@{target|To see stats|parrycur}+4]] to raise damage.
• **Toughness** @{target|To see stats|toughnesscur} (@{target|To see stats|toughnessArmor}), [[@{target|To see stats|toughnesscur}+4]] to wound, more wounds at [[@{target|To see stats|toughnesscur}+8]], [[@{target|To see stats|toughnesscur}+12]], [[@{target|To see stats|toughnesscur}+16]].
This script should be on three lines; each bullet point should be on its own line when you enter it into the script box.
Area of Effect (Blast) Templates
Savage Worlds uses blast and cone templates to determine which characters are impacted by various area of effect spells. You can place these images on the map over the tokens.
If you upload templates as art, then drag them onto the map, they will resize to match the grid. To keep them the original size, it's useful to store the templates in card decks, one deck for each template size. Original discussion
Make the templates
- Use the Savage Worlds art or create new template art.
- Size them correctly: Roll20 grids are 70x per inch, and in SWADE 1 inch = 2 yards, so each yard is 35px. Thus: 4 yard small blast is 140px, 8 yard medium is 280px, 12 yard large is 420px. The 18 yard cone is 630x210.
- Set them to be about 20% transparent so you'll be able to see tokens under them.
- Also create template card back art. All decks will look the same size while in the player's hand, so it's helpful to have backs that are labelled small, medium, and large.
- (optional and fun) Create extra templates to represent different trappings. For the four elements (fire/earth/water/air) and four sizes you'll need 16 templates. Consider adding poison gas, insect and other swarms.
- (optional and furious) Make parts inside the blast template transparent, like the space between insects, or an inward spiral for a tornado funnel.
Upload Art to Roll20 Decks
- In the PArt Library-tab, click Upload. You can drag all templates at once into the dialog box.
- (optional but useful) Store them into a folder "blast templates". Try to keep your Recent Uploads list empty by putting everything in folders.
- Create four decks (in the lCollection-tab): small blast, medium blast, large blast, cone.
- In each deck set the size correctly.
- For all decks, select Cards in deck are infinite, Allow choosing cards to GM + Players, Played facing = Face Up, and Considered = Drawings.
- Drag the deck window to the left, click "add card", that window will open a little to the right. Click the P Art Library tab and drag over the appropriate template. Repeat for each template and deck.
Using Area Effect Templates in Play
At the start of the session, show the decks, let the players take the cards that match their spells and trappings, then hide the decks. Players will put the card/blast template on the table when they need it. After use, the player can right-click and select Take Card to put it back in their hand.
States and tokens
A lot of bad things can happen to Savage Worlds characters, and many are represented by states. You can use Roll20's Token Markers to provide visual reminders.
You can overlay a single digit on top of any Token Marker icon, to indicate things like flying height in inches or 10s of inches. Hover the mouse pointer over the wing icon and press a single digit. Fatigue and Wounds could be indicated this way, but it's generally better to use the token bars instead.
Token Markers have no effect on Roll20's calculations so you can use any indicator for any purpose. This convention is a good place to start. (The name of the status and the red text aren't part of the marker. Use this chart or create one like it as a handout in the N Journal-tab.
Since January 2020, you can also create Custom Token Markers.
Chases
Savage Worlds (Deluxe) Chases and Roll20 An example and explanation in the forum
Injury, Fear, and Vehicle Tables
Use the following weights to get the Injury Table results with one roll.
SWADE 2d6 | SWADE wt | SWD wt | Wound |
---|---|---|---|
2 | 6 | 6 | Unmentionables |
3–4, then 1–3 on d6 | 15 | 15 | Targeted (or right) arm |
3–4, then 4–6 on d6 | 15 | 15 | Targeted (or left) arm |
5–9, then 1–2 on d6 | 48 | 48 | Guts (Broken) |
5–9, then 3–4 on d6 | 48 | 48 | Guts (Battered) |
5–9, then 5–6 on d6 | 48 | 48 | Guts (Busted) |
10–11 | 30 | 18 | Leg |
12, then 1–3 on d6 | 3 | 6 | Head (Hideous Scar) |
12, then 4–5 on d6 | 2 | 6 | Head (Blinded) |
12, then 6 on d6 | 1 | 6 | Head (Brain Damage) |
The SWADE Fear table is a d20 plus a modifier of 0 to 4. Because Roll20 does not support modifiers, it must be implemented as five tables. Create tables named fear0, fear1, fear2, fear3, and fear4. Enter the weights from the +0 wt column into the fear0 table.
d20+0 | +0 wt | +1 wt | +2 wt | +3 wt | +4 wt | Effect |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1-3 | 15 | 10 | 5 | - | - | Adrenaline surge (Joker) |
4-6 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 10 | Target Distracted |
7-9 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | Target Vulnerable |
10-12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | Target Shaken |
13 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Mark of Fear: Target Stunned, cosmetic alteration |
14-15 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Frightened: Target Hesitant for encounter, or Panicked |
16-17 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Panicked: Target runs away, Shaken |
18-19 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Target gains Minor Phobia Hindrance |
20-21 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Target gain Major Phobia Hindrance |
22+ | - | - | 5 | 10 | 15 | Heart Stutters: Target rolls Vigor -2. Success=Stunned. Fail=Incapacitated, dies in 2d6 rounds, Healing -4 to save life but remains Incapacitated. |
The SWADE Vehicle Out of Control Table:
Effect | 2d6 | SWADE Wt |
---|---|---|
Major collision | 2 | 1 |
Minor collision | 3–4 | 5 |
Distracted | 5–9 | 24 |
Vulnerable | 10–11 | 5 |
Glitch | 12 | 1 |
The SWADE Vehicle Critical Hit Table:
Effect | 2d6 | SWADE Wt |
---|---|---|
Scratch/dent | 2 | 1 |
Guidance/traction | 3 | 2 |
Locomotion | 4–5 | 7 |
Chassis | 6–8 | 16 |
Crew | 9–10 | 7 |
Weapon | 11 | 2 |
System | 12 | 1 |
For the SWD Vehicle Out of Control Table use these weights:
Effect | Weight |
---|---|
Roll Over | 1 |
Spin | 5 |
Skid | 24 |
Slip | 5 |
Flip | 1 |
For the SWD Vehicle Critical Hits Table use these weights:
Effect | Weight |
---|---|
Scratch and Dent | 1 |
Engine | 2 |
Locomotion | 3 |
Controls | 4 |
Chassis | 16 |
Crew | 7 |
Weapon | 2 |
Wrecked | 1 |
Organizing Content
As you upload art, tokens, portraits, maps, handouts and other material, here are some tips to get the most from your storage allowance and still rapidly find things.
P Art Library tab
All uploaded art will appear in the PArt Library, even if it is directly uploaded into a card deck, handout, map, or character sheet. All uploaded art counts against your storage allowance, and it is shared across all games you create. Here are some strategies for organization. This will help you avoid duplicates and find things quickly.
Roll20's art management system can be unreliable, so it's wise to create art folders on your local computer that mirror the folders you will create on Roll20, and to keep local copies of your art so it can be uploaded again if needed.
When art is uploaded, immediately put it into a folder. Your goal should be for the Recent Uploads section to be blank.
- Bestiary (monsters, guards)
- Races (tokens and portraits for playable races)
- Named NPCs (tokens and portraits)
- Player Characters (tokens and portraits)
- Cards and Bennies
- Scenes
- Handouts
- Maps (named locations)
- 0 Terrain (generic jungle, tavern)
- 0 Tokens (trees, rocks, saloon tables)
If you're going to run games in vastly different settings (fantasy and science fiction), then you can create top-level folders for this and use the folders above as sub-folders.
N Journal tab
The N Journal is unique to each game. Good organization here will help you find things while playing. Items in the Journal that are shared with all players will have a blue dot after their name.
Start with a good folder system.
- Roll20 Tips
- Setup for audio, browser add-ons, whatever
- Shortcuts for Roll20
- Useful macros, how to attack, use power, take damage
- Player Characters
- Gear (Tip: Just paste in screen shots.)
- Weapons, armor, and vehicles
- Ships (if your vehicles have character sheets)
- Handouts
- Maps
- Subfolders for nations, continents, realms, etc.
- Rules (Just paste in screen shots)
- Skills, Edges, Hindrances
- Raise calculator
- References for states, power modifiers
- Bestiary
- NPCs
- Subfolders for locations
- Macros
- Character sheets (pc-macros, gm-macros, power-macros) used for storing scripts
Script/Macro/Ability Resources
Scripts, Macros, and Abilities
Scripts are the lines of code that automate Roll20. When they are stored in the l Collection tab they are called Macros. When they are stored in the Abilities & Attributes-tab of a Character sheet, they are called Abilities.
The scripts in this guide will have a name and some code, and sometimes an explanation of the code in italics. Scripts (macros) will be shown like this:
roll-run
Run speed is [[6 + 1d6]].
Syntax: The code 1d6
rolls one d6. Surrounding the roll with [[
shows only the total. Hover over the result to see a tool tip with the values of the die roll.
To save a scripts as a Macro in the l Collection tab:
- On the l Collection tab, Macros, click Add.
- In the Edit Macro dialog, enter the name and script.
- (Usually) Set Visible to Players = All Players.
- (Sometimes) Set Show as Token Action = True. (These appear in a second macro bar only when a token is selected.)
If the previous example is saved as a Macro named roll-run, players can access it by:
- Typing #roll-run in the chat window. (After typing '#ro', you can press tab to auto-complete the phrase.)
- Opening the l Collection tab and clicking the t dice icon for the macro.
- Selecting "Show Macro Quick Bar" in the l Collection tab, and selecting "In bar" for the macro.
- Clicking the Macro name in the l Collection tab and selecting "Show as Token Action".
Acing (Exploding) Die Rolls
In Savage Worlds, Trait and Damage rolls can Ace. Each time the die rolls its max value, you add that value and roll again.
This example rolls a d4. You can type this script into the qChat tab and see the result there. If the die rolled a 1 the result will be in a red box. If a die aced it will be shown in a green box.
/r 1d4!
/r
rolls dice. 1d4!
rolls 1d4 and enables acing on the die.
This example macro prompts for the die to roll, a modifier, and some descriptive text.
roll-trait
Trait roll is [[ d?{Die type|6}! + ?{Modifier|0} ]] to ?{Reason|do nothing}
?{Question|Default}
prompts the user to enter a value. Surrounding the roll with [[
shows only the result of the roll. Hover over the result to see a tool tip with the values of the dice.
Wild Card Die Rolls
When making trait rolls, Wild Card characters roll an extra d6 and take the highest of the Trait die or Wild die.
Here's an example that rolls a d8 and the d6 wild card die. You can type this script into the qChat tab and see the result there. If either die rolled a 1, the result will be in a red box. If a die aced it will be shown in a green box.
[[ {1d8!, 1d6!}kh1 ]]
{x,y}kh1
keeps the highest one of the two dice. Surrounding the roll with [[
shows only the result of the roll. Hover over the result to see a tool tip with the values of the dice.
This example prompts for the die type and modifier, then rolls with a d6 wild card die.
roll-wild-trait
Wild card trait roll is [[{d?{Die type|6}!, d6!}kh1 + ?{Modifier|0}]] to ?{Reason|do nothing}
?{Question|Default}
prompts the user to enter a value. Surrounding the roll with [[
shows only the result of the roll. Hover over the result to see a tool tip with the values of the dice.
Damage Rolls
Damage rolls are made after a successful attack (fighting, throwing, shooting) roll, and the damage total gains an extra d6 if the attack roll was a raise. The easiest way to do this is to show the extra d6 roll and let the player add it.
Damage roll is [[1d6! + 1d8!]] and bonus damage is [[1d6!]].
These three scripts prompt for the strength die, weapon dice, modifiers and AP, and roll the optional d6 for the raise bonus. (If you hover over the raise result, the popup text will explain when to apply it.)
melee-damage (strength die + weapon die, applies to melee weapons)
The melee damage is [[?{Strength die|d6, d6!|d4, d4!|d8, d8!|d10, d10!|d12, d12!|d12+1, d12!+1|d12+2, d12!+2} + ?{Weapon die|d6|d4|d8|d10|d12}! + ?{Modifier|0}]] AP(?{AP|0}). Raise bonus: [[1d6! Add raise bonus if the fighting roll got a raise.]]
thrown-damage (strength die + weapon die, applies to melee weapons)
The range damage is [[?{Strength die|d6, d6!|d4, d4!|d8, d8!|d10, d10!|d12, d12!|d12+1, d12!+1|d12+2, d12!+2} + ?{Weapon die|d6|d4|d8|d10|d12}! ]] AP(?{AP|0}). Raise bonus: [[1d6! Add raise bonus if the shooting or throwing roll got a raise.]]
range-damage (weapon dice, applies to bows and guns)
The range damage is [[?{Number of dice|2}?{Weapon die|d6|d4|d8|d10|d12}! + ?{Modifier|0}]] AP(?{AP|0}). Raise bonus: [[1d6! Add raise bonus if the shooting roll got a raise.]]
Calculating Raises and Wounds
In Savage Worlds, a roll is a success if it is at least the Target Number (TN, typically 4), and every 4 points above the TN is called a Raise.
This script computes the number of raises on a 2d6 damage roll against a toughness of 5. The result is the number of raises or a negative number if there was no success.
/r floor({2d6!!-5}/4)
Syntax: floor(x)
rounds down.
This calc-raises macro prompts for the roll total and target number, then returns the number of raises. A negative result is a failure, a 0 is a success.
calc-raises
calc raises: [[ floor( (?{Roll value} - ?{Target number|4} ) /4) ]] raise(s) (0 is success)
In Savage Worlds, some weapons have an armor piercing (AP) value which allows them to bypass up to that many points of armor. (A Glock handgun does 2d6 AP2 damage.) Character's toughness is noted as total toughness followed by armor in parenthesis, like 11 (1). The handgun would ignore 1 point of toughness, so the target has a net toughness of 10.
This calc-damage macro prompts for damage, toughness, armor, and armor piercing damage to calculate net damage to the target. Armor piercing damage bypasses that up to that many points of armor, so the macro subtracts the smallest of the AP damage or armor from the toughness.
calc-damage
Net damage= [[ ?{Damage|7} - (?{Toughness|5} - {?{Armor|3}, ?{AP Damage|2}}kl1) ]]
Syntax: {x,y}kl1
returns the lower of the two values.
This calc-wounds macro prompts for net damage and the shaken status of the target. In Savage Worlds the target gains 1 wound per raise in net damage, or if there are no raises, 1 wound if the target is shaken.
calc-wounds
Wounds = raises. If no raises, +1 wound if shaken.
Wounds = [[ ?{Shaken|No,floor( ?{Net damage} /4)|Yes,{floor( ?{Net damage} /4),1}kh1}} ]]
![]() | When nesting queries, characters terminating innermost rolls must be replaced with HTML entities: } must be } , must be , and | must be |. |
![]() | If a macro with substitutions is saved, the next time it is opened the substitutions will be gone and you will have to enter them again. Consider saving backup copies of these macros in your GM notes. |
For ease of reading, here's the same macro without substitutions:
Wounds = raises. If no raises, +1 wound if shaken. Wounds = [[ ?{Shaken|No,floor( ?{Net damage} /4)|Yes,{floor( ?{Net damage} /4),1}kh1}} ]]
Here are some older thread on the forum explain more about setting up Macros in Roll20 for Savage Worlds. They may or may not work with the Savage Worlds (Tabbed) sheet:
- Some macros I made for Savage Rifts (Necron99, 2017)
- Easy Savage Worlds Macros (Andrew L, 2016)
- Example of Setting up Character Sheets and Macros (PaladinTodd, 2014)
- Some General Macros: Rate of Fire 3, etc. (John R, 2014)
Finding Games
Pro Account Features for Savage Worlds
The free Roll20 service is powerful and easy enough to run a complete Savage Worlds adventure or complete campaign with the Base Account subscription. The Pro Account adds the ability to create and run API:Script_Index, including some that are particularly useful for Savage Worlds. This isn't a list of all of the advantages of a Pro Account or all of the API Scripts, just a selection that might be particularly helpful for Savage Worlds.
API: Import Stat Block -- NOT WORKING, APRIL 2020 This saves a lot time creating Character Sheets for NPCs and creatures from the bestiary. All you have to do is copy a stat block from a PDF or other source into the GM Notes section of a token, then type "!SW-Import" into the q Chat tab and it will create the Character sheet for you.
API: Token Mod: This enables macros to set token status indicators like shaken, vulnerable, and prone. These can be set manually by clicking on the token, clicking the indicator button, scrolling the menu, and clicking on the status indicator, but with macro control you could set them by name or set them for several Extras at the same time.
API: Deal Init: Roll20 API Script to Deal Initiative for Savage Worlds Games. DealInit supports Savage Worlds style card based inititive by dealing cards to the Turn Order and sorting the order by suit. It does not, however, utilize the Roll20 deck system. Instead it manages an internal array of cards that are reshuffled when the deck runs out or a joker is drawn. It also checks character attributes for any SW Inititative Edges and handles them appropriately.
API: Bennies: to ease dealing Savage Worlds Bennies to players. You can also use it to grant Conviction, count Mass Battle tokens, or keep track of Social Conflict Influence.
API blood: Add /fx explode-blood @{target|token_id}
to the end of any macro that prompts for a target (most damage macros) and make blood explode from your target.
Savage Worlds Macros By Necron99
![]() | This Necron99 macros have not been reviewed in over two years. |
The macros by Necron99 are largely obsolete, but they are interesting because they automatically pull stats from the attacker and target to calculate results.
You can find the original post from Necron99, Savage Rifts macros.
Alternative Methods
This guide has been written around a common and proven way to use Roll20 to play Savage Worlds. This section documents other ways of accomplishing the same goals.
Bennies
If you are using a setting with special Bennies, you might have to create extra cards. For example, Deadlands: Reloaded uses a Benny pool made up of Poker Chips called Fate Chips. There are 20 white chips, 10 red chips and 5 blue chips in the Fate Chip pool.
Create your deck as before, upload an image of a poker chip as the background, and red, white, and blue chip images. Then create 20 new cards called White Chip using the white chip image (pull from the Art tab, don't upload again). Repeat for the red and blue chips, making 10 and 5 of each. In Deck Options make sure that "cards in deck are infinite" is NOT checked.
Extra cool: If your Bennies look like coins or tokens, create several with different rotations and offsets, so they look more like coins on the table.
[These Pirate coin Bennies are free to use.]
Tokens: Keeping Stats in Token Bars
Key stats--- Place key stats into the token and use token macros for attacks by the creature. This can be relatively fast, because you typically only need Parry, Toughness, Spirit, Fighting and Damage. Tokens can hold 3–6 stats.
The key stats method stores parry and toughness in the token. You can also store spirit, and the primary attack to-hit and damage values in the token. The right balance depends on how much time you're willing to take to enter the information into the token.
Think of the tokens as art plus seven data fields, and use those fields to make combat easier without having to create a full character sheet. Each token has a name field, and three bars each with a value and a maximum value. You can fill just the two values for parry and toughness, or fill in up to all seven, as suits you.
Wounds are not stored for Extras, but for wild cards, extras that can sustain wounds, the wounds can be indicated with a red status dot and the wound value.
Field | Field Value | Example |
---|---|---|
Name | Name or URL to image file | http://example.com/fjdi/soldier.png |
Bar 1 | parry | 5 |
Bar 1 max | attack1-hit | The soldier swings his sword: [[1d6!]]. |
Bar 2 | toughness | 5 |
Bar 2 max | armor | 0 |
Bar 3 | spirit | d6 |
Bar 3 max | attack1-damage | The soldier's cutlass slashes: [[2d6!]] damage. |
You can hide the bars so they don't obscure the token and map. If the value or max is blank, that bar will not be shown. If both values for the bar have a value, it will be visible to the GM. On the Basic tab make sure the controlling player is blank. On the Advanced tab, you can make bars invisible to the controlling player by deselecting Edit, and invisible to all players by deselecting See.
With the Key Stats method you use four macros to complete the automation:
- extra-stats:
/desc [picture](@{target|Extra|token_name}?raw=1#.jpg) Parry @{target|Extra|bar1}, Toughness @{target|Extra|bar2(@{target|Extra|bar2|max})
- extra-attack:
@{selected|bar1|max}. [roll damage](~extra-damage)
- extra-damage:
@{selected|bar3|max}
- extra-unshake:
They attempt to unshake: [[@{selected|bar3}!]].
![]() | Replace the ~ in the extra-attack with ! #, See note in previous section on nested macros for why. |
![]() | If you have images stored on the web, you can use them via their URL. For images in Dropbox, remove the ``?dl=1`` code from the end of the URL. The *extra-stats* macro appends ``?raw=1#.jpg`` to the URL to make it work; this is only needed for Dropbox. |
![]() | If you're using character sheets and an avatar, you can edit and right click on the avatar and copy that URL to use for the Name field. Since it's using the storage Roll20 uses, it's quite fast. |