The Dungeons and Dragons scene has been online for quite a while now, and with digital software like DnD Beyond being accessible to tabletop-gaming enthusiasts, the era of tracking level progression, gear, and hit points through pen and paper was slowly dying out.
And as amazing DnD Beyond may just be, we can definitely understand why players may want to opt for alternatives to the official digital toolset for DnD, especially after the OGL controversy.
The internet is a large and resourceful place, so you will be happy to know that there are plenty of capable alternatives to DnD Beyond available to you, and you can decide which one suits your exact needs by taking a look at our list of eight best alternatives to DnD Beyond.
Eight best alternatives to DnD Beyond
Roll20
Probably the most popular alternative to DnD Beyond, Roll20’s success can largely be attributed to its game-finding capabilities and its free-to-play options.
Its system highlights a built-in game browser that allows DMs to advertise potential players to find a game in a system that suits them. This feature is one of Roll20’s unique selling points since it takes out a lot of the dirty work that goes into finding a game.
The dice and ability macros in Roll20 have also raised the bar for modern designs of these systems, giving DMs and players alike, ways to roll swiftly and easily without needing to remember all their stats and bonuses.
With wide native support for official DnD content, being easy to set up and use, and possessing dynamic lighting and token animation, Roll20 is a top contender for a perfect alternative to DnD Beyond.
Adventure Builder
Being a platform that allows users to create their own games along with the characters, Adventure Builder enables users to build up their characters according to their needs and desires with carried capabilities and powers.
Additionally, it helps users to create the whole story of the game from start to finish. Players can create different fight scenarios within the software and can choose the types of monsters they want. Players are able to build up an entire city through the help of Adventure Builders, where their characters will carry out fights and perform everything written in the story.
Adventure Builder comes along with easy-to-use tools, with no requirement for coding skills while letting users easily build up their very own adventure games and campaigns through it.
Aurora Builder
Another character builder platform, Aurora Builder allows users to create and manage characters for their dungeons and other similar games which involve these elements.
Everything from the character’s avatar, name, age, gender, race, class, and abilities, to their proficiency and inventory can be determined using this tool since it is backed up by an extensive database that is constantly updated by the developers.
If you enjoy spending time fine-tuning everything up to the tiny details of your character, such as their backstory, you will certainly appreciate Aurora Builder since it lets you pen down every bit of your creation’s characteristics.
Aurora Builder also happens to use the fifth edition of DnD as a rule set, which means the documents that it creates will be using the latest information available. Once you are finished creating the ideal sheet for your character, Aurora Builder has the option of giving you a preview of how the document will look, and then lets you export it in the form of a PDF.
We have to say, Aurora Builder is one of the most complete DnD Beyond alternatives out there, and while there are quite a few programs like it online, Aurora Builder gives them all a solid run for their money.
TaleSpire
Another platform that lets users build up their characters from scratch exactly how they want in roleplaying games, TaleSpire offers an online, digital method of playing classic PnP-style roleplaying games with other people.
Moreover, as a DM, TaleSpire helps players build their campaigns in the game and invite other people for the gaming sessions, while also allowing players to create game rules according to their varied requirements.
It lets users build their characters according to the scenes as well as the theme of the fame, such as fighter, sorcerer, monk, swordsman, and the like. TaleSpire allows users to construct entire scenes within the game as well as their types of players. Players can utilize RPG rules in the software to create campaigns and customize the entire area according to their tastes.
TaleSpire may be early in development while lacking some of the quality-of-life features available in the other alternatives on this list, but it is well on its way to attracting many DnD fans.
FoundryVTT
Foundry is the jack of all trades when it comes to DnD Beyond alternatives. High levels of customizability along with a polished user interface make it highly adaptable to specific DM styles.
Since it can be run off your own computer, its storage isn’t limited like Roll20 beyond whatever storage you already have.
The core functionality of FoundryVTT is quite impressive, boasting dynamic lighting and collision-enabled walls and doors that enable you to build a large map in the service while letting players fearlessly walk around, not afraid of entering an area they shouldn’t.
There are also a ton of ways to configure your system, whether it’s reworking how the combat is handled or allowing characters to light torches on the go.
The one downside to FoundyVTT is that it can be a little tedious to work with it though since there is a lot of setup required to get things configured and working as they should be.
Fantasy Grounds
Fantasy Grounds is the longest-standing major alternative to DnD Beyond, boasting the most licenses for official material than any of its competitors out there, and with its DnD-inspired design, it does certainly feel a lot more attractive than the rest of your options.
While Fantasy Grounds Unity is the newer version of the software, older games still run on Fantasy Grounds Classic.
This software is ideal for running DnD games, including repeating the same adventure since you’re able to save bundles of assets as a single module to import that into a game. This can be an amazing feature for anyone running a one-shot with multiple groups.
Fantasy Grounds also happens to be built especially for DnD, where much of the boring work that involves setting and configuring things is taken care of by the system. Adding backgrounds to new characters automatically adds proficiency in relevant skills, for example.
While the automation of these tasks is fantastic, it can prove to be unwarranted for players with more custom worlds and stories going on. If you aren’t keeping track of standard rulings, it can be difficult to follow everything that is being changed for you.
Beyond Tabletop
One of the strongest options for a DnD Beyond alternative, Beyond Tabletop boasts a solid digital character sheet that will make your lives easier by handling all of the boring stuff like the numbers and calculations that come along with it.
If you choose to create a DnD fifth edition character, you will get launched straight into the General section where you can quickly choose your name, race, class, background, and personality traits. From that point onwards, you can start adding your equipment and weapons, which they have added a lot of easily accessible weapons and armor to use as a template.
For a Game/Dungeon Master, Beyond Tabletop is very valuable too, having a built-in map creator that can be shared with players that currently supports tokens, turn order, player-controlled tokens, interactive chat with battle information, chat-integrated dice rolling, and the like.
Not to mention the ability to create encounters, write up adventure logs, pre-write quests, keep notes and journal entries, have a list of enemies including a comprehensive monster list that you can use to reference.
Top all of this off with the fact that this software will run on your iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Windows laptops, Android phones, and Android tablets, and you’ve got a winner on your hands.
MasterScreen
Known as the self-proclaimed ultimate set of tools for running tabletop or online roleplay campaigns and managing intricate fictional worlds, MasterScreen runs on every device without the need for any downloads.
The system is offline first, meaning only you own your data, while the devs store nothing of it in the cloud. Every bit of your content can be saved as Markdown files on your hard drive, so the personal security aspect has definitely been covered by MasterScreen.
Since this software is markdown-based, everything can be saved and edited as plain Markdown files, letting you use MasterScreen on top of other tools like Obsidian.
The advanced tech of the unobtrusive, familiar, and lightweight interface of MasterScreen can be run on any device, without the need for confusing and time-consuming configurations and installations. The software also happens to be completely free with unlimited content along with no restrictions. Everything within MasterScreen is provided free of charge and only runs on the support of the community.
