Quick Links
So you’ve got your copy of Vecna Eve Of Ruin, and you’re ready to run your nextDungeons & Dragonscampaign using all of the resources at your disposal. One of the best ways to play is using D&D Beyond, with resources at your fingertips and an organized set of everything you need, which is just a DM’s dream.
Cut your prep time in half, run a completely digital campaign, or supplement your in-person campaign with the digital assets available on D&D by running the adventure using the system. Here’s everything you need to know to use D&D Beyond to play Vecna Eve Of Ruin.
Setup Your New Campaign
If it’s your first time using D&D Beyond, you may check out our complete guide onhow to run your D&D campaign in D&D Beyondfor all the basics you’ll need to set up the game.
We will instead get into the specifics for Vecna Eve Of Ruin, what you’ll get, and how to use it.
Be aware that choosing toCreate From Premade Campaign does not include Vecna Eve Of Ruin, and you’ll have to build the campaign out from scratch.
You’ll need to create this campaign from scratch and add everything from the campaign yourself. Start by creating important NPCs in the campaign. Firstchoose Create A Campaign, then once it’s made and you’ve filled out the basics, you’ll go to My Campaigns and clickEdit My Campaign.
Create Unassigned Characters
Next, you’llcreate unassigned characters for all important NPCsin the campaign. You’ll want to have character sheets ready for any important characters that don’t have stat blocks in the adventure.
For example, should Sarasunda Allester be needed due to some impromptu campaign, or you wish to show her significant seance to players on maps, you’ll need to have a character and token ready to do so.
Creating unassigned characters allows you more freedom when using them on maps and in scenarios in D&D Beyond. If you don’t create them, you’ll be restricted to trying to upload premade tokens without stats.
Thisallows for customization of the NPCs and their character tokenswhen they are used in the campaign.
Luckily, most important figures with stat blocks, such asKas the Betrayer and Tasha The Witch, are included as monster tokenswhen it comes to using D&D Maps in Beyond, so they won’t need additional character sheets created.
There are not many standout NPCs in this adventure, but having a backup ready just in case will save you from having to make one on the fly.
Disable Content Sharing
You’ll have the option here to Enable or Disable Content Sharing at the top; it’s recommended that for Eve Of Ruin, you do not have content sharing enabled.
While sharing sourcebooks is a great idea, an adventure book like Vecna Eve Of Ruinwill give your invited players access to the entire adventure, potentially spoiling the whole campaign.
As there are no specific additions for player characters in this adventure, there’s nothing they need to add or have access to that will provide them with extra options aside from background story information.
Once you’ve got your important NPCs and extra characters made, you can begin uploading the maps provided by D&D Beyond. Vecna Eve Of Ruin hasmore than 30 monsters and 32 new maps. All of these maps are available in the Maps section.
To add a map to your campaign, you’ll first navigate to your campaign main page, and in the top left corner,click Launch Maps, highlighted in blue.
You’ll click in the top left corner to open the collapsable menu. Next, you’ll chooseOpen Map Browser. A pop-up window will open, and you’ll have access to maps from every available adventure uploaded to Maps via D&D Beyond that you own.
This is split into two sections, one for Adventures and one for Sourcebooks. Under theadventures section, you will see Vecna Eve Of Ruin. Choose this adventure, andall of the maps from the book will be available in order by chapterand encounter.
From Chapter One to Chapter 11, eachmap comes with two versions: a DM version and a player version. You can choose the map you need, it will upload into the section, and you can use the monster tokens and player characters to add to the map as needed.
The map section also has several options available to you, such as fog of war, point and ping, and a ruler for measuring distances during combat or roleplay.
Add Your Player Characters
This part is easy. Once you’ve got your initial setup ready, it’s time to invite your players and add their player characters to your campaign. To do this, you’ll need to copy the D&D Beyond campaign link near the top.
Underneath the Launch Map buttons and to the right of your content sharing, you’ll see a link. Send that link to your players so they can join the campaign and upload their characters.
Once this is done, you’ll be able to use them in maps and encounters.
Add DM Notes Before Each Session
Since the adventure is fairly linear, leading players down each path on their journey to collect the rod of seven parts, ensure you use the DM notes feature when going to your campaign in D&D Beyond.
You shouldknow which piece of the rod your players are going toward each session, and canuse the private notes section to create reminders of what their current goalis and any important scenarios that should occur.
Once you click on My Campaigns and View Campaign, underneath your active characters, you’ll see a section that saysDM notes (Private) and DM Notes (Public).
So that you aren’t stuck attempting to remember anything specific in each section, use the private notes section to write out specific plot points your players should encounter for that session.
Because your players will be traveling across the multiverse, you should have notes needed for each new area you visit. Some for you, but also for your players should they need more information on each new area they visit.
Use the public section to keep notes for your players to access during the campaign, either for use on specific secrets they’ve learned throughout the campaign to use later or for a general recap of the last session.
