I Built a New Way to Manage D&D Character Sheets
Managing character sheets is one of those things D&D players have a LOT of opinions about. Apparently I am one of them, because I was opinionated enough that, after making the off-hand comment about just building my own character sheet app, I remembered I could actually do that and immediately made the thing I have been wanting.
D&D Character Sheets is a web app that gives you loads of freedom in terms of content, a tidy and familiar UI, a place to organize (and not accidentally spill Pepsi on) your sheets, some helpful features for finding and sorting info within your sheet, and it's free.
You're welcome to check out my feature list and write-up about the DDCS app; this particular post is just some explanation on why my experience managing character sheets has been less than satisfactory and why I ended up building DDCS for myself the way I did.
What's the Best Way to Manage D&D Character Sheets?
Mmk, "best" is obviously subjective. But that's the point: there are different options that work better for different people. I built D&D Character Sheets because what I personally want is not available (or at least I couldn't find it).
The best way for YOU depends on:
- how much you are willing spend
- how comfortable you are with the rules/math
- how proficient you are (or are willing to get) with writing formulas, either in a spreadsheet program or within the apps using their custom variables etc
- how much variety and customization you want regarding the characters, classes, etc you play
- how much you value having all your content auto-fill or be in a nice little drop-down
- how much you LIKE digital vs physical ... and probably lots of other factors.
Let's take a tour of the 5 options out there for managing character sheets. For me, there are some great aspects to each, but I'll note why each one had me still looking for a better option.
Option 1: A Full-Featured Digital Platform for Character Sheets
When I first started playing D&D in 2020 (a late bloomer, but hyperfixation is a magic all its own), DnDBeyond was a huge help to me, because it did the math for me and all I had to think about was clicking the right button and using dropdown options. There are now quite a few full-featured, premium platform options that give you that kind of experience.
An option like DnDBeyond was PERFECT for me as a beginner. And the free tier gave me access to basic content and multiple character sheets—it was a great way to start!
But then I got really into this game, learned all the rules, and started dabbling with homebrew... and eventually not only did the gated, training-wheels-on version start to make me have to choose to pay more money, it also stopped easily accommodating some of the modifications I wanted to try.
Option 2: The Classic Physical Pencil-and-Paper Character Sheet
The nice thing about using pencil and paper was that it was free and I could use whatever content I wanted! And I could erase and change numbers however I needed to and nothing would break.
Some people just really do like physically writing, holding spell cards, moving minis, etc, like WAY more than digital options. Totally fair!
But for me, trying to fit all the text into those little boxes was a nightmare, and honestly managing spells as a high level wizard was a deal-breaker. Also... I forgot my character sheet one time, and almost lost it another time... a friend spilled water on hers one time... those are big yikes factors for me.
Option 3: A Fillable PDF of the Official Character Sheets
I'm familiar with making fillable PDFs due to what I do for work, so it was a no-brainer to port that skill over and make my own (there are lots online now that can be found, too).
For me, fillable PDFS has genuinely been my favourite option until recently, because I can keep the familiar layout of the official character sheets without the risk/frustrations of the physical ones.
The three things that I found sub-optimal about this option are...
- My friends on different operating systems or using different PDF programs didn't have the same options I had, or it didn't display the same way for them (sharing the love didn't work as well!)
- The formatting inside some of the text boxes was wacky and difficult to finagle into a consistent layout, and choosing between scrolling vs resizing text was a constant case-by-case basis
- Again, managing spell lists! Just annoying!
Option 4: A Custom D&D Character Spreadsheet
I gave spreadsheets the old college try, and honestly it has some real merit... Using spreadsheets solved my spell-sorting frustrations, and was COMPLETELY customizable. I could even enter my own formulas to automate things.
Genuinely I can't knock spreadsheets too hard, I just found I was wishing for a layout that felt more familiar—closer to the official character sheets, and I missed being able to format my text (inside cells) easily for good scannability. Also, the more formulas I made, the easier it was for things to break, and that can become suddenly super distracting and annoying in the middle of a session.
Option 5: Lots of Other Digital Character Sheets!
I certainly don't claim to be the only one trying to make something that solves this problem for myself and others like me.
I've tried some other options out there, ranging from MPMB's fully automated PDFs to some apps that offer total build-your-own-character-sheet flexibility, or a whole suite of different TTRPG products, or mobile-first options like PrismScroll, or I actually stumbled on the Minimal Character Sheet by Blake Wilson today that prioritizes a really stripped-down layout.
These are geared towards different priorities, which is awesome, and there are big fans of so many smaller options out there. As it should be!
Keeping D&D Accessible to All Income Levels Matters
I do want to include this point, because honestly, this has gotten worse in recent years. And to some extent, I get it; offering all those features (and dealing with licensing fees for WotC's IP) means there are lots of factors involved in offering online character sheet platforms.
I'm constantly trying to find ways to enjoy playing this game that are free or more affordable—and realistically I think a lot of people are in that same place these days.
Something I love about this game inherently is that ANYONE can print out a character sheet, buy some cheap dice (or borrow a friend's), and literally play any kind of character they want. And people have been doing exactly that since the 80s (and before, actually).
I think there's absolutely a reason to offer the premium version and there are absolutely people who will (and do) pay for it. I just think that continuing the long-standing tradition of keeping the game really accessible for folks who aren't in that category matters, too.
So Many Options Is a Good Thing
You might find your best fit with one of the options above, or something totally different! The more the merrier, I say, because there are so many different (and right) ways to play and enjoy this game. That's something I definitely see as a feature, not a bug.
If you give D&D Character Sheets a try and like it, it's always nice to hear if you feel like sending a note by. You can reach me (Sarah) at hello@questadon.com.