Self-hosted, high-performance Virtual Tabletop with real-time multiplayer token controls, 3D physics dice, dynamic fog of war, and native 5e compendium integration.
ForgeD VTT Guide
Comprehensive per-button guide, GM hosting instructions, canvas controls, character sheet mechanics, and complete chat dice formula manual. Everything in ForgeD VTT documented in full.
Game Master Setup & Hosting Guide
ForgeD VTT runs directly from your personal computer. You can host multiplayer campaigns securely over HTTPS with zero port-forwarding or router configuration using built-in Cloudflare Tunnels.
Download & Launch Desktop App
Download and run the 1-click Windows Desktop Setup installer:
Or for Node.js / CLI self-hosting, open your terminal in the project directory and run: node launcher.js
Choose Campaign Subdomain
Enter your session's unique subdomain slug (e.g. mygame or tavern) in the launcher and click 🚀 Start Online Tunnel.
Share Player URL
Share your unique campaign URL with your party (e.g. https://mygame.forgedvtt.com/vtt.html) so they can connect directly in any web browser with no downloads required!
Left Floating Toolbar
The vertical toolbar on the left edge provides quick access to active tabletop manipulation tools, measurement rulers, persistent spell templates, and layer controls.
Default interaction mode. Click any token to select it, drag across the canvas for a rubber-band box multi-select, or drag tokens to move across grid cells with collision and waypoint measurement.
GM tool to place light sources on the map (Torches, Lanterns, Campfires, Magical Darkness). Click on the canvas to place a light node, then customize its bright/dim radius, color tint, and emission angle.
Measure precise distances in feet across the grid. Supports Line, Radius Circle, 53.13° / 90° Cones, and Squares. Tap Spacebar during measurement to place multi-segment waypoints.
Place persistent spell templates (Fireball circles, Spirit Guardians, Darkness spheres, Wall of Fire lines) that stay rendered on the canvas until deleted. Select and tap Del to remove.
Broadcast an animated pulsing beacon on the canvas to draw all players' and GM's attention to a specific tile, trap, secret door, or tactical encounter zone.
Opens the Campaign Map Manager modal. Create blank tactical grids, upload custom map files (JPG/PNG/WEBP), import official 5eTools adventure maps, or calibrate grid dimensions.
Opens or minimizes the floating Combat Initiative Tracker carousel on the screen. Synchronizes round counters, turn order highlights, and Dex tiebreakers across all connected players.
Quickly isolate canvas layers: ~+1 Token Layer, ~+2 GM Secret Layer (invisible to players), ~+3 Lighting Layer, ~+4 Notes Layer, ~+5 Map Background Layer.
Safely disconnects your WebSocket connection from the active campaign room and redirects back to the ForgeD VTT web portal homepage.
Token Controls, Rotation & Radial Menu
Token Movement & Waypoints
Click and drag your token across the map. While dragging, tap Spacebar at any corner to drop a movement waypoint! The measuring ruler automatically calculates total movement cost across obstacles.
- Snap to Grid: Automatically snaps to square or hex cell centers.
- Multi-Token Drag: Shift+Click or drag a selection box to move whole parties.
Token Rotation & Flipping
Rotate or mirror tokens facing direction with instant hotkeys:
- Q / E: Rotate token by 45° counter-clockwise / clockwise.
- Shift + Q/E: Fine rotation step by 5°.
- W / S: Flip token vertically.
- A / D: Flip token horizontally (mirror facing).
- Del / Backspace: Delete selected token(s).
Token Radial Context Menu (Right-Click)
Right-clicking any token opens the rich circular context menu with instant creature controls:
| Menu Item | Icon | Function & Description |
|---|---|---|
| HP Quick Adjust | Adjust current HP, Max HP, or add temporary HP directly from canvas without opening sheets. | |
| AC & Defense | View and modify base Armor Class and active defensive bonuses. | |
| Condition Markers | Toggle 5e condition overlays (Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Grappled, Incapacitated, Invisible, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Stunned, Unconscious). | |
| Token Scale / Size | Change size from Tiny (0.5×), Medium (1×), Large (2×2), Huge (3×3), to Gargantuan (4×4). | |
| Dynamic Torch / Sight | Equip token with a 30ft/60ft torch light emission or darkvision radius that pierces Fog of War. | |
| Open Creature Sheet | Opens full 5e statblock or character sheet in the left sliding inspector panel. |
Canvas HUD, Navigation & GM View Broadcast
Bottom-left HUD badge showing current zoom percentage (10% to 500%). Click the badge to type an exact percentage value, use the zoom slider, or tap + / - on your keyboard.
Displays the exact global map grid coordinates X: [val] Y: [val] of your mouse cursor in real-time, assisting GMs in tile alignment and trigger placements.
GM exclusive command. Instantly synchronizes your exact screen coordinates and zoom magnification to all connected players' screens, bringing everyone's focus to the battle.
When previewing maps in secret without players, a top banner alerts the GM with a quick-action "Push to Players" button to reveal the battlemap to the party.
Combat Initiative Carousel Tracker
The floating combat carousel displays the synchronized initiative order for party members, companions, summoned familiars, and monsters.
| Button / Control | Visual Icon | Action & Description |
|---|---|---|
| Drag Handle | Click and drag to reposition the tracker freely across any area of your screen. | |
| Round Counter | Displays current combat round number. Automatically increments after the last combatant's turn. | |
| Position Selector | Docking style dropdown: Right Aligned, Top Aligned, or Bottom Aligned. |
|
| Minimize Tracker | Collapses tracker into a compact turn pill showing only the current active creature. | |
| Next Turn (GM) | Advances combat to the next character in turn order and pulses their token on the canvas. | |
| Previous Turn (GM) | Steps back to the previous character's turn if an action was rewound. | |
| Add Creature (GM) | Opens quick modal to add custom initiative rolls for homebrew monsters or NPCs. | |
| Clear Tracker (GM) | Ends the encounter, clears all combatants, and resets round count back to Round 1. |
Right Sidebar: Chat, Dice & Character Sheets
1-click buttons to instantly roll standard polyhedral dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, d100). Right-click any die button to enter a custom quantity (e.g. 4d6, 8d6).
Toggle roll modes: Adv (Advantage, keeps highest of 2d20), Norm (Standard), Dis (Disadvantage, keeps lowest of 2d20), and GM (Whisper roll secretly to GM only).
Integrated 3D dice physics canvas renderer. Every roll triggers smooth 3D dice tumbling across the screen with authentic material reflections and synced results.
Full 5-tab Character Sheet: Primary (HP, AC, Stats, Saves, Skills), Equipment (Weapons, Armor, Encumbrance), Spells (Slots, DC, Cast), Abilities, and Build (Class, Subclass).
Search thousands of official 5e monsters or create custom NPCs. Drag any monster directly onto the battlemap to instantly spawn its token and load its stat block!
Upload local images (PNG/JPG/WEBP), animated GIFs, or videos (MP4/WebM). Create folders, search assets, and drag items onto the map as tactical props or tiles.
GM Connection, Setup & Campaign Rules
| Setting Card | Option / Control | Function & Description |
|---|---|---|
| Server Connection URLs | Copy Remote / Local URL |
1-click copy buttons for your HTTPS Cloudflare subdomain URL or local network IP address. |
| Player Allowlist | Add / Remove Usernames |
Restrict campaign access strictly to specified usernames. If list is empty, any player can join. |
| GM Roll Visibility | Public / Private (GM Only) |
Choose whether monster attack and damage rolls are shown to everyone or hidden in secret. |
| HP Bar Global Rules | Always / Hover / Never |
Configure monster and player HP bar and name visibility rules separately for GM and Players. |
| Temp HP Bar Style | Stacked / Layered / Split |
Choose how temporary hit points display visually above creature tokens on the map. |
| Encumbrance Rules | Standard / Variant |
Switch between standard (STR × 15) or variant encumbrance rules (STR × 5 encumbered, STR × 10 heavy). |
| Initiative Dex Tiebreaker | Checkbox (Checked by default) |
Appends character Dexterity as decimal tiebreaker (e.g. roll 14 with 16 DEX becomes 14.16). |
| Dynamic Sight Radius | 5ft to 120ft (Default 60ft) |
Controls global player line-of-sight distance through the dynamic Fog of War overlay. |
Campaign Map Manager & Modals
Campaign Map Manager Modal
Click the map button on the left toolbar to open the Map Manager:
- Blank Tactical Grid: Create a battlemap with customizable width, height, and cell size.
- Import 5eTools Maps: Select any official D&D 5e adventure (e.g. Curse of Strahd, Phandelver) and import hi-res dungeon maps with 1 click.
- Upload File: Upload local JPG/PNG/WEBP files directly to your server.
- External URL: Paste any web link, GIF, or video stream.
Map Grid Calibration
Edit any map to calibrate its grid parameters:
- Grid Type: Choose Square, Hex (Vertical), or Hex (Horizontal).
- Cell Size: Adjust pixels per grid square (20px to 200px).
- Grid Shift X & Y: Fine-tune grid alignment to align with artwork.
Master Chat Dice Commands & Syntax Reference
ForgeD VTT features a powerful mathematical dice engine supporting standard D&D rolls, advantage/disadvantage, exploding dice, rerolls, math functions, and target success counting. Type /roll [formula] or /r [formula] in chat:
| Roll Category | Syntax / Operator | Example Command | Explanation & System Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Dice Roll | XdY + Z | /r 1d20 + 7 | Rolls one 20-sided die and adds +7 modifier. |
| Multiple Dice | XdY + NdM | /r 8d6 + 2d8 + 4 | Rolls multiple dice pools (e.g. Fireball + Divine Smite). |
| Keep Highest (Advantage) | khN or kN | /r 2d20kh1 + 5 | Rolls 2d20 with Advantage, keeping highest 1 die. |
| Keep Lowest (Disadvantage) | klN | /r 2d20kl1 + 3 | Rolls 2d20 with Disadvantage, keeping lowest 1 die. |
| Drop Lowest | dlN | /r 4d6dl1 | Ability Score Generation: Rolls 4d6 and drops lowest 1. |
| Drop Highest | dhN | /r 4d6dh1 | Rolls 4d6 and drops the highest 1 die. |
| Reroll Exact Value | rN | /r 1d20r1 | Halfling Luck: Rerolls any 1 rolled indefinitely until != 1. |
| Reroll Comparison | r<=N or r>=N | /r 2d6r<=2 | Great Weapon Fighting: Rerolls 1s and 2s on damage dice. |
| Reroll Once | roN or ro<=N | /r 1d20ro1 | Rerolls a 1 exactly once, keeping the new result. |
| Exploding Dice | ! or x | /r 1d6! | Rolls max value (6) and automatically rolls an extra die. |
| Exploding Threshold | !>N or !>=N | /r 1d10!>=8 | Explodes whenever die result is 8, 9, or 10. |
| Compounding Explode | !! | /r 1d6!! | Exploding dice that adds all bonus rolls into a single number. |
| Penetrating Explode | !p | /r 1d6!p | Exploding die with -1 penalty on each subsequent roll. |
| Expanded Critical Hit | cs>=N | /r 1d20cs>=19 + 6 | Champion Fighter: Triggers Critical Success on 19 or 20. |
| Expanded Critical Fumble | cf<=N | /r 1d20cf<=2 | Triggers Critical Fumble on rolls of 1 or 2. |
| Target Success Counting | >N or ts>=N | /r 8d10>7 | Counts number of dice that meet or exceed target DC 8. |
| Math & Rounding | floor() / ceil() | /r floor((1d20+4)/2) | Rounds result down or up according to 5e rules. |
| Average & Max Functions | avg() / dmax() | /r avg(8d6) | Calculates fixed average or maximum possible roll value. |
| Proficiency Variable | pb | /r 1d20 + pb + 3 | Injects character proficiency bonus automatically. |
| Secret GM Whisper | GM Toggle / /w GM | /r 1d20+9 (with GM toggle) | Sends dice breakdown secretly to the Game Master only. |
Master Keyboard & Mouse Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
| Action Category | Shortcut Key / Mouse Action | Target Scope | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas Navigation | Right Click + Drag / Middle Click | Canvas | Pans the camera smoothly across the battlemap. |
| Canvas Zoom | Mouse Wheel / Numpad + / - | Canvas | Zooms in / out centered at cursor position. |
| Center on Token / Map | Numpad 5 or 5 | Canvas | Centers camera on selected token or active character. |
| Broadcast View (GM) | Shift + Numpad 5 | Canvas (GM) | Broadcasts GM viewport pan and zoom to all players. |
| Keyboard Panning | Numpad 4, 8, 6, 2 (and diagonals 7, 9, 1, 3) | Canvas | Step-pan camera Left, Up, Right, Down, and Diagonals. |
| Token Movement Waypoint | Spacebar (while dragging) | Tokens | Places a waypoint segment on path measurement ruler. |
| Token Rotation (45°) | Q / E | Selected Token(s) | Rotates token facing 45° CCW / CW. |
| Token Rotation (5° Fine) | Shift + Q / Shift + E | Selected Token(s) | Fine angle rotation step by 5°. |
| Flip Token Facing | A / D (Horizontal) | W / S (Vertical) | Selected Token(s) | Mirrors token sprite along horizontal or vertical axis. |
| Delete Token / Shape | Delete / Backspace | Selection | Removes selected token(s) or spell template shape. |
| Canvas Layer Switcher (GM) | ~ + 1 to ~ + 5 | Layers (GM) | 1: Tokens, 2: GM Layer, 3: Lighting, 4: Notes, 5: Map. |
| Dismiss Menus | Escape | UI Modals | Closes token radial context menus and mobile drawers. |