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Using Avrae

Avrae is the Discord bot we use for dice rolls, character sheets, spells, resources, combat tracking and an impressive number of tiny conveniences that nobody remembers until they need them.

If you've just arrived and this page looks like somebody has handed you the operating manual for an airship:

You do not need to learn all of this before playing.

Really.

Learn how to make a check. Learn !qstat. Steal everything else from this page as required.

Cheatsheet

(attack)-> !a <weapon> 
(Skill check)-> !c <skill>
(Save)-> !s <save>
(Cast a spell)-> !cast <spell>
(Look up spell)-> !spell <spell>
(Look up class feature)-> !classfeat <class feature>
(Feat)-> !feat <feat>
(Long rest)-> !g lr
(Change hp)-> !g hp <number>
(Temp hp)-> !g thp <number>

First Make Sure You Are The Right Person

Avrae can hold several of your characters.

This is wonderful right up until your wizard attempts an Athletics check using your barbarian's sheet.

Check your currently active character with:

!char

You can also use the Macguffins server alias:

!ch

which helps with switching characters based on the channel you're using.

If Avrae ever gives you numbers that make absolutely no sense, checking the active character is a very good first step.

Checks & Saves

  • Make sure you have the right character loaded (use !char to check)
  • Use !save Dexterity or !s Strength to make a saving throw.
  • Use !check Athletics or !c Intelligence to make a skill check.
  • To any check or save, you can add:
    • advantage
    • disadvantage
    • -b 5 (bonus to d20)

There are also Server Snippets for common effects such as Bless and Guidance, which are considerably less annoying than remembering the dice yourself.

More on those shortly.

Combat

Attacking Things

Outside initiative, the basic attack/action command is: !a <attack> For example: !a Longsword, !a Eldritch Blast, !a Bite

The attack name generally comes from your character sheet.

If Avrae finds several similarly named options, it may ask you to choose one.

You can also attach arguments and snippets: !a Greatsword bless or !a Longsword rage

We'll explain snippets properly before you begin attaching random words to attacks and hoping for the best.

Avrae's Automated Combat

(http://avrae.io/cheatsheets/player) (Start with !i begin)

  • To enter combat, use !i cadd (stands for "initiative, character-add")
  • To attack in combat, use !i a Target Weapon (remember with "I attack Target with Weapon")
  • To any attack, you can add any of the things from the checks and saves section (adv, dis, etc) as well as:
    • -d "1d6 [piercing]" (extra damage)
  • To make attacks of opportunity, use !i aoo YourName Target Weapon
    • The requirement of your own name is because a single discord user could be running multiple combatants.

Spells

  • To cast a spell, use !cast "Magic Missile" Quotation marks are useful for spell names containing several words.
  • To cast a spell in combat at a target, use !i cast "Fire Bolt" -t Target
    • -t is a tag that indicates your target. You can add multiple by doing -t Target1 -t Target2 -t Target3, as in the case of AoE spells.
  • Sometimes, more than one option will show up for your desired spell. Pick one by following the prompt if this happens.

Rules & Lookup

A lot of 5e rules can be accessed through !rule, !class, !classfeat, !race, !monster or !condition. Check them out!

HP, Spell Slots & Resting

Avrae can track most of your basic character resources.

HP

  • You may see: !g hp
  • For more precise changes use !g hp mod -5 which causes you to lose 5 HP.
  • Meanwhile !g hp mod 5 heals 5 HP.
  • !g hp set 20 Set HP directly to 20.
  • !g hp max Return to maximum HP.
  • Macguffins also has the easier !hp server alias.

Temporary HP

  • Use !g thp 5 for 5 temporary HP.

Spell Slots

  • Macguffins provides !ss for spell-slot management.

Resting

  • Avrae itself supports !g sr and !g lr for short and long rests.
  • Macguffins also has !rest with the related aliases:
    • !hd 
    • !sr 
    • !lr 

These help reset the appropriate resources and, where relevant, spend Hit Dice.

!qstat: Our Favourite Little Status Line

If there is one Macguffins-specific Avrae command worth learning early, it is probably !qstat

It produces a compact status line containing useful information such as:

  • HP
  • AC
  • spell slots
  • class resources
  • custom counters

This is particularly useful in PbP combat because your DM can quickly see the numbers that matter without opening your entire character sheet.

For help type !qstat ?

Changing Your Displayed AC

Temporary AC changes can be reflected in !qstat.

  • Add to your normal AC using !qstat ac +2
  • Subtract from it using !qstat ac -1
  • Set a fixed AC using !qstat ac 21
  • Reset back to your normal base value using !qstat ac
  • You can even make little personal shortcuts. For example !alias shieldon qstat ac +2 and !alias shieldoff qstat ac

You are also allowed to simply remember that the spell "Shield" gives you +5 AC.

Adding a Custom Counter

If your character already has an Avrae custom counter, !qstat can display it.

For example !qstat add :crossed_swords: Fighting Spirit

The counter name needs to match the existing counter name.

This is particularly handy for characters with resources that don't otherwise appear nicely in the default output.

Timelines: The Multiverse of Hit Points

Macguffins characters sometimes participate in more than one mechanical activity at once.

For example:

  • You're halfway through a Quest;
  • Your Arena match starts;
  • Arena-you gets horribly mauled;
  • Quest-you would quite reasonably like to object to suddenly losing 63 HP in another dimension.

This is what timelines are for.

Creating Timelines

Create your normal Quest state !qt new "Main"

Create an Arena state !qt new "Arena"

Switching Between Them

Before acting in the Arena type !qt "Arena"

Your HP, resources and other tracked information now belong to that timeline.

When returning to your Quest type !qt "Main" and you're back to your Quest state.

A simple example. You begin with:

  • Main — Quest resources
  • Arena — Arena resources

Before your Arena turn type !qt "Arena" You get hit. Spend spell slots. Rage. Regret your positioning.

Later, back in the Quest you type !qt "Main" and your Quest resources are restored to the state stored on that timeline.

Get into the habit of checking which timeline you're on before changing resources.

Your DM will appreciate it.

Future-you will appreciate it.

Present-you may continue to forget occasionally and that's okay.

Looking Up D&D Rules & Content

Avrae can also act as a quick reference.

Useful commands include:

  • !spell <name>
  • !class <name>
  • !classfeat <name>
  • !feat <name>
  • !race <name>
  • !species <name>
  • !monster <name>
  • !condition <name>
  • !rule <name>
  • !item <name>

These are useful for looking up D&D material. They are not the source of truth for Macguffins-specific approvals, "house rules" or server procedures.

For those, use the Macguffins wiki. Avrae knows D&D but it does not attend our staff meetings.

Personal Aliases vs Server Aliases

Avrae allows you to create your own aliases and this is quite useful.

It also means you can accidentally install your own ancient copy of a command and then wonder why everybody else's works differently.

  • Check your personal aliases by using !alias list
  • Check the server aliases by using !servalias list

If both lists contain the same command name, your personal version may be overriding the current server version.

You can remove your personal version with !alias remove <name>

Then try the server command again.

Server Snippets

  • The equivalent server-snippet list is !servsnippet list
  • Personal snippets can be viewed with !snippet list

This can be useful when a snippet behaves differently for you than it does for everyone else.

“Avrae Sent Me An Error”

Congratulations! You have reached the authentic Avrae experience. Before summoning the nearest technically inclined person, try the following.

  1. Check your character !char Wrong character accounts for an impressive number of mysteries.
  2. Check the command spelling, particularly with custom aliases. A single missing letter can transform useful automation into Discord politely informing you that it has absolutely no idea what you're talking about.
  3. Ask the command for help. For Macguffins server aliases, try !command ? For Avrae's native commands !help <command>
  4. Check for an old personal alias !alias list If you have your own version of a server command, try removing the personal one and running the command again.
  5. Check whether the server command actually exists !servalias list and for snippets !servsnippet list
  6. If Avrae mentions something being deprecated that is because Avrae changes over time. If the error comes from a personal alias, you may need to update or replace it. If the problem comes from one of our server aliases, tell us which command you used and copy the error.

Please do not quietly work around it forever. We cannot fix the strange noise in the basement if everyone agrees never to mention the strange noise in the basement.

“I Can't Find The Command I Need”

This guide is intentionally not a complete Avrae manual.

For Macguffins-specific functionality, check Server Aliases which is the maintained catalog of server-wide custom commands. Or check Server Snippets which is the maintained catalog of roll modifiers.

For Avrae's own functions, use its official command documentation.

You can also try !help or !help <command>

If you're still stuck, ask.

Asking somebody who knows the command is considerably faster than spending forty minutes trying increasingly desperate combinations of punctuation.

If you're new to Avrae, don't try to swallow the entire page at once.

Step 1 - Learn these

  • !char
  • !c
  • !s
  • !a
  • !cast
  • !qstat

Congratulations! You can now play most ordinary scenes.

Step 2 - When combat happens

Learn !i join and how to use -t for targets (if your DM uses Avrae initiative). Otherwise !qstat is your friend. 

Your DM can help with everything else.

Step 3 - When resources matter

Learn: !hp !rest !ss and whichever class-specific aliases you actually use.

Step 4 - If you're in a Quest and Arena simultaneously

Learn: !qt before changing your HP

Step 5 - Fancy nonsense

Personal aliases, custom counters, advanced snippets, map utilities, elaborate automation. These are the cherry on top and you are not required to learn them.

The Actual Cheatsheet

When Discord has eaten your brain and you remember nothing:

  • !char Who am I?
  • !c Perception Do I notice the problem?
  • !s Dexterity Can I avoid the problem?
  • !a Longsword Can I stab the problem?
  • !cast "Fireball" Can I make the problem everybody's problem?
  • !g lr Can I sleep after the problem?
  • !qstat How badly has the problem hurt me?
  • !qt "Arena" Which version of me currently has the problem?

That's enough and everything else is here when you need it.

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