The D&D 5th Edition SRD is finally a reality, and Hero Lab support is hot on its heels. In two short weeks, D&D players can get their hands on the premier character management tool for RPGs like D&D 3.5, Pathfinder, and Shadowrun. Discover for yourself why Hero Lab has won multiple ENnie Awards!
What Makes Hero Lab Special?
At its core, Hero Lab provides flexible character creation that readily accommodates house rules. The rules are all flagged, plus you have the freedom to adjust them – or simply ignore them. However, Hero Lab is vastly more than just character creation, as it includes multiple DM tools that are all woven together. Create custom monsters, build some NPCs, blend them into an encounter, and manage the combat – all in one convenient place. There’s no need to bounce between disparate apps that can’t share data.
A key aspect of Hero Lab is its extensibility, which allows both the user community and publishers to add custom material – much like mods to computer games. The SRD and DM’s Guild make extensibility a cornerstone of D&D, and we have long-standing relationships with the big third party publishers that have already begun offering a host of D&D 5th Edition material, such as Kobold Press (Tyranny of Dragons, Tome of Beasts), Green Ronin Publishing (Out of the Abyss), Frog God Games, and many more. Look for announcements about third party D&D products in Hero Lab in the near future.
When Can You Get It?
As a commercial product, we take pride in making sure everything works as intended before releasing it, so we’ll be rolling out D&D 5th Edition SRD support in phases over the upcoming weeks. To get it into your hands as soon as possible, we’ll put out an initial release on January 29th that features character creation and the DM tools we believe are ready to go. In mid-February, additional DM-specific tools will be incorporated, with a late-February update including any DM tools that remain (if needed).
Hero Lab support for D&D 5th Edition SRD will be available on Windows, Mac, and iPad. Current Hero Lab users will be able to add it to their license for $20, and new Hero Lab users will be able to select it as their initial purchase for only $29.99. This price includes all the DM tools and access to community-created content.
Want to be the first to get your hands on the D&D 5th Edition SRD in Hero Lab? Sign-up, and we’ll send you an email the moment it’s available!
Tools OverviewIf you’re not familiar with Hero Lab, here’s a quick overview of the key components of the product.
Character Creation: It all starts with character creation, whether for PCs or NPCs. Selecting options is a breeze, and Hero Lab takes care of all the calculations for you. Unlike many other tools, though, Hero Lab flags violations of the rules but doesn’t impose them, making it easy to accommodate house rules that frequently arise within gaming groups. Or tailor the rules in Hero Lab to suit your game.
Character Management: Hero Lab goes beyond mere character creation. During play, you can track in-play aspects of your characters, such as health, spell use, etc. You can also personalize your character with portraits, track earned experience points, and more!
Monster Creation: Construct custom monsters by choosing their various aspects and let Hero Lab suggest the CR for you. Pick from abilities possessed by other monsters to design just the right combination for your game.
Encounter Builder: Hero Lab guides you through building the encounter, drawing from all the available monsters. Just select a challenge rating, and you’re one step closer to crafting the perfect encounter for your game.
Tactical Console: Once you’ve created the encounter, simply add its monsters to the Tactical Console. Smoothly manage encounters between PCs and enemies, reviewing who has and hasn't acted, initiative scores, readied actions, and more. Everything you need is available at a glance.
What’s Included?
Hero Lab will include everything in the D&D 5th Edition SRD, such as races and their traits, character classes and class features, spells, equipment, magic items, and other character creation necessities. It will also include all of the monsters and DM mechanics outlined in the SRD.
For those of you not familiar with the SRD, it differs from the rules presented in the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon’s Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. Specifically, the SRD omits certain options that appear in the full rulebooks (e.g. certain spells, feats, etc.), so those options cannot be included in Hero Lab. Fortunately, Hero Lab’s customizability allows users to fill in the holes and readily go beyond the limits of the SRD.
We are also still pursuing an official license with Wizards of the Coast to support the entire D&D 5th Edition product line. If an official license can be secured, anyone purchasing the SRD option for Hero Lab will be given the option to upgrade.
Don’t Miss Out!
Can’t wait to get your hands on the D&D 5th Edition SRD in Hero Lab? Sign-up below, and we’ll send you an email the moment it’s available!
Sign-Up Here
To stay up to date with all 5th Edition news, be sure to sign-up for our monthly newsletter either in the sign-up above or on our website.
Do you have additional questions about our D&D 5th Edition SRD support? Do you want to discuss this news with other gamers? Join the conversation on our forums! Or, let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
(Originally posted on our website.)
What Makes Hero Lab Special?
At its core, Hero Lab provides flexible character creation that readily accommodates house rules. The rules are all flagged, plus you have the freedom to adjust them – or simply ignore them. However, Hero Lab is vastly more than just character creation, as it includes multiple DM tools that are all woven together. Create custom monsters, build some NPCs, blend them into an encounter, and manage the combat – all in one convenient place. There’s no need to bounce between disparate apps that can’t share data.
A key aspect of Hero Lab is its extensibility, which allows both the user community and publishers to add custom material – much like mods to computer games. The SRD and DM’s Guild make extensibility a cornerstone of D&D, and we have long-standing relationships with the big third party publishers that have already begun offering a host of D&D 5th Edition material, such as Kobold Press (Tyranny of Dragons, Tome of Beasts), Green Ronin Publishing (Out of the Abyss), Frog God Games, and many more. Look for announcements about third party D&D products in Hero Lab in the near future.
When Can You Get It?
As a commercial product, we take pride in making sure everything works as intended before releasing it, so we’ll be rolling out D&D 5th Edition SRD support in phases over the upcoming weeks. To get it into your hands as soon as possible, we’ll put out an initial release on January 29th that features character creation and the DM tools we believe are ready to go. In mid-February, additional DM-specific tools will be incorporated, with a late-February update including any DM tools that remain (if needed).
Hero Lab support for D&D 5th Edition SRD will be available on Windows, Mac, and iPad. Current Hero Lab users will be able to add it to their license for $20, and new Hero Lab users will be able to select it as their initial purchase for only $29.99. This price includes all the DM tools and access to community-created content.
Want to be the first to get your hands on the D&D 5th Edition SRD in Hero Lab? Sign-up, and we’ll send you an email the moment it’s available!
Tools OverviewIf you’re not familiar with Hero Lab, here’s a quick overview of the key components of the product.
Character Creation: It all starts with character creation, whether for PCs or NPCs. Selecting options is a breeze, and Hero Lab takes care of all the calculations for you. Unlike many other tools, though, Hero Lab flags violations of the rules but doesn’t impose them, making it easy to accommodate house rules that frequently arise within gaming groups. Or tailor the rules in Hero Lab to suit your game.
Character Management: Hero Lab goes beyond mere character creation. During play, you can track in-play aspects of your characters, such as health, spell use, etc. You can also personalize your character with portraits, track earned experience points, and more!
Monster Creation: Construct custom monsters by choosing their various aspects and let Hero Lab suggest the CR for you. Pick from abilities possessed by other monsters to design just the right combination for your game.
Encounter Builder: Hero Lab guides you through building the encounter, drawing from all the available monsters. Just select a challenge rating, and you’re one step closer to crafting the perfect encounter for your game.
Tactical Console: Once you’ve created the encounter, simply add its monsters to the Tactical Console. Smoothly manage encounters between PCs and enemies, reviewing who has and hasn't acted, initiative scores, readied actions, and more. Everything you need is available at a glance.
What’s Included?
Hero Lab will include everything in the D&D 5th Edition SRD, such as races and their traits, character classes and class features, spells, equipment, magic items, and other character creation necessities. It will also include all of the monsters and DM mechanics outlined in the SRD.
For those of you not familiar with the SRD, it differs from the rules presented in the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon’s Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. Specifically, the SRD omits certain options that appear in the full rulebooks (e.g. certain spells, feats, etc.), so those options cannot be included in Hero Lab. Fortunately, Hero Lab’s customizability allows users to fill in the holes and readily go beyond the limits of the SRD.
We are also still pursuing an official license with Wizards of the Coast to support the entire D&D 5th Edition product line. If an official license can be secured, anyone purchasing the SRD option for Hero Lab will be given the option to upgrade.
Don’t Miss Out!
Can’t wait to get your hands on the D&D 5th Edition SRD in Hero Lab? Sign-up below, and we’ll send you an email the moment it’s available!
Sign-Up Here
To stay up to date with all 5th Edition news, be sure to sign-up for our monthly newsletter either in the sign-up above or on our website.
Do you have additional questions about our D&D 5th Edition SRD support? Do you want to discuss this news with other gamers? Join the conversation on our forums! Or, let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
(Originally posted on our website.)