✅ ❌ 💙 3️⃣ 😕 💰

          [Official Website](<https://www.rptools.net/toolbox/maptool/>)       

Intro

MapTool is one of the apps made by RPTools. They also make TokenTool if you’re familiar with that. The most popular open-source option in the English-speaking world. It is extremely flexible VTT with all the bells and whistles.

MapTool is best suited to people who really care about open source software and want to put the time in to make it work. Its sophisticated macro language lets you really expand the automation. Since the integrated server runs on your computer, you don’t have to worry about any ongoing fees.

MapTool is the only VTT that lets you just copy and paste images from a PDF. All others would require screenshots or 3rd party PDF image extractors.

Cost

As FOSS (free, open source software) MapTool is funded by the community and doesn’t have an inherent cost, unless you want to help development!

Features

• Battlemaps
  • ✅ Shared battlemaps with player- and GM-controlled tokens
  • Basic drawing capabilities
  • 😕 Map-making tools aren’t present per-se, but you can just drag and drop images onto the 4 layers on a map (Token, Object, Background and Hidden). Either from outside sources or from the internal Resource Library. Then by adding walls you get proper lighting and movement restrictions.
  • ✅ Ruler
  • ✅ Fog of War
  • 😕 Dynamic Lighting exists as you can set vision via walls on maps, but it does not update as the token moves without setting macros to do so. The DM can control it, or allow clients to do it via an option. With macros it functions correctly, though I’m keeping it at frowny face because that is somewhat cryptic to new DMs.
• Chat & Dice
  • ✅ Basic chat with roll commands & macros
  • ✅ Die rolls from character sheets
  • ✅ Visual (not slash commands) dice rolling interface
  • 💙 MapTool has the ability to set your own global audio for things like dice rolls
• Character Sheets
  • ✅ Character sheets for various games
  • ✅ Moving character sheets between games
  • ✅ Custom character sheet creation
• Compendium
  • ✅ Game SRDs available
  • ❌ Game rules available for purchase or upload - You purchase the PDFs from any source and just copy/paste. It will format it with markdown
  • 😕 Drag-n-drop to character sheets isn’t supported, but it does have a “move” button for things like spells in the SRD. MapTool tries to emulate a physical character sheet where you fill it out yourself or use the character wizard to pre-fill it.
• Handouts, Etc
  • Types of handouts able to be edited and displayed
  • Playing cards, random tables
  • Calendars and note taking
  • Storage
• Automation
  • ✅ Turn Tracker
  • ✅ Click-to-roll sheets
  • ❌ Targeting, damaging, healing, and other effects
  • 💙 MapTool has a tremendous macro facility that allows you to automate just about any facet of your game. These are entirely optional bits of code you write yourself or borrow from others you meet in the forum or on Discord.
  • 💙 MapTool thrives on community modules!
• Music & Video Streaming
  • ❌ Integrated voice & video calls
  • 😕 Stream uploaded music to players is possible from a URL if one has access to a web server, though it can be finicky.
• Extras
  • ❌ Mobile device support
  • 😕 Help & support
  • ✅ Community

Pros & Cons

• Extremely friendly (and helpful) support community on Discord, and on RPTools forums (including the devs)
• Extremely versatile macro language
• Under ongoing active development, with devs who are responsive to feature requests
• Many user created frameworks for various games | * Basic functions - a map and tokens to move around - are pretty simple, but the learning curve on more advanced features can be pretty steep.
• No "official" modules or adventures, or official access to rule sets.
• Since you host the server on your own computer, some knowledge of networking to set up port forwarding or some kind of VPN is required (but there is an extensive troubleshooting guide available, and help on Discord).
• Stand alone program that has to be installed by all players - it does not run in a browser (not can players connect in a browser). |

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