Tray and Party Tools
The SDX Tray is the module's persistent control surface. It sits on the left edge of the canvas and combines a scene/party browser with the launch buttons for most map and session tools.
Use the chevron on the tray handle to expand or collapse it. The adjacent view button cycles the primary token/party view.
Which tabs appear depends on role, settings, scene grid, and feature access:
| Tab | Who sees it | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Token | Players | The selected or owned character, HP, and sheet shortcut |
| Scenes | GM | ToM scene/overlay cards, folders, editing, and broadcast |
| Party | Configurable | Player/NPC token cards, HP, selection, sheet access |
| Pins | GM | Search, organize, edit, ping, and reveal journal pins |
| Notes | Everyone with access | Notes attached to Tokens, Tiles, Walls, Lights, and Sounds |
| Hexes | GM | Format and paint hex maps, POIs, and procedural terrain |
| Dungeons | GM; opted-in players | Paint/generate dungeon floors, walls, doors, biomes, and decor |
| Decor | GM | Place and manage decorative assets |
The tray is client-scoped: one user may hide the tray or Party tab without changing another user's screen.
The narrow button rail changes with your role and the active tab.
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Choose Party Leader | Select the token that drives Marching Mode |
| Marching Mode | Restrict movement to the leader/following workflow |
| Formation Spawner | Place selected tokens in a chosen formation |
| Add Pin / Pin List | Create and manage journal pins |
| Light Source Tracker | Inspect and control active light sources |
| Video Overlays | Manage ToM scene broadcasts when enabled |
| Carousing | Open the shared carousing overlay |
| Drawing Tools | Open the SDX sketch/symbol toolbar |
| Map Generators | Open the six-generator Maphub launcher |
| Coordinates | Toggle the scene coordinate overlay |
| Hex Tooltip / Hexplorer | Inspect keyed hex data on hex scenes |
| Hex Fog | Toggle exploration fog; right-click for effects/options |
| Solo Hex Mode | Run solo-oriented hex exploration controls |
| SDX Roller | Build a multi-participant dice check |
| POI transform controls | Undo/redo, resize, rotate, or mirror POIs while painting |
Map tools are covered in Hexcrawls & Dungeons; general utilities are covered in Canvas & Table Tools.
Party view is a live canvas roster, not the same thing as a Party actor. It lists eligible tokens on the current scene:
- player cards show portrait, name, level, HP, and a sheet shortcut;
- the GM can include NPCs with the per-client Show NPCs setting;
- the GM can hide or reveal the NPC section to players;
- clicking a portrait selects/pans to the token;
- HP bars can be hidden per client.
The world Party Name setting controls the heading.
SDX also adds Party to the Create Actor type list. Internally this is a flagged NPC using the dedicated Party sheet, so it remains compatible with the Shadowdark actor model while gaining group-specific behavior.
Create it from the Actors sidebar:
- Click Create Actor.
- Choose Party.
- Open the new Party sheet.
- Drag world Player actors into the Members tab.
To return to Party Management later, open the Actors sidebar and double-click that Party actor. The tray's Party view is a live scene roster; it is not the Party Management sheet.
Only world Player actors can become player members. Compendium actors must be imported first. NPC entries can be managed with their spawn counts for encounter placement.
| Tab | What it does |
|---|---|
| Members | Roster, HP/AC/level/slots/abilities/effects, place tokens, award XP/coins, sync light |
| Inventory | Shared items and treasury, slot maximum, transfers, even coin division |
| Travel | Assign camping tasks, resolve a complete rest, roll weather, and choose a travel speed |
| Description | Shared party notes |
The Members tab can:
- place all, player-only, or NPC-only member tokens;
- award the same XP to each eligible member;
- award coins to every member;
- synchronize a placed Party token with the brightest active member light.
The Inventory tab can:
- hold shared items and treasury coins;
- set the party's maximum inventory slots;
- transfer an item to a selected member;
- divide treasury coins evenly among eligible player members, leaving the remainder in the treasury.
The Party sheet's Travel tab is the entry point for travel speed, weather, camping tasks, and full rests. The default speeds are Slow, Normal, and Fast.
Assign a character with either the task/ability dropdowns or by dragging their portrait onto a task. Players can only assign characters they own, and only Party members are accepted. A player's selection is validated against character ownership and sent to the active GM for the write, so the Party actor itself does not need player ownership. This requires an active GM and SocketLib. Multiple characters can perform the same task. The GM can set a separate DC for each task; the default is 12.
Click a task header to make an isolated task roll. This opens the cinematic SDX Roller for the assigned characters but does not apply camping supplies, rest recovery, or task rewards. The activity's configured banner image appears in that roll overlay and recap. Camping tasks are launched from the Party sheet; they are not additional choices in the generic SDX Roller.
Edit task names, allowed abilities, descriptions, campfire requirements, and banner art with Configure Travel Activities. Edit the speed list with Configure Travel Speeds.
The GM can click Begin Rest on the Travel tab to resolve the complete procedure:
- Choose the participating campers, task and ability for each, and any task-specific choice.
- Light a campfire with three pooled unused torches, assign someone to gather Firewood, or proceed without a fire.
- Resolve each occupied task as one grouped SDX roll. Firewood resolves first when it is needed for the campfire.
- Resolve the additional checks for an interrupted rest when selected.
- Apply successful Hunt results before checking the party's food, then consume one ration per eligible camper.
- Optionally advance world time eight hours, apply rest recovery and task rewards, and post one summary card.
Torch spending is deterministic: unused torches in Party inventory are used first, followed by camper inventories in the order shown in the planner. Active/burning torches are ignored. Rations are taken from each camper's own inventory first, then Party inventory, then another camper's pooled supply.
Without a campfire, tasks marked with the flame icon roll with disadvantage during the complete procedure. A successful Firewood check establishes the campfire before the remaining tasks. The temporary Campfire item and Party-token light are cleaned up when the rest finishes.
A successful full rest restores HP to maximum, refreshes lost spells, expended class abilities, and lost wand spells, and clears Unconscious. A ration is required. If the rest was interrupted, a camper also needs a successful interruption check unless their Bed Down task succeeded.
| Task | Automated result on success |
|---|---|
| Bed Down | Bypasses the camper's check when this rest is interrupted |
| Cook | Every participating camper who eats a ration gains +2 ordinary HP, capped at two above maximum |
| Craft | Creates one torch or 2d4 chosen ammunition, or repairs selected broken mundane gear |
| Entertain | Grants Luck to the selected other camper |
| Firewood | Establishes the campfire without spending torches |
| Hunt | Adds 1d4 rations; unavailable after pushing during that day's travel |
| Keep Watch | Records the chosen protected half and reports that the party cannot be surprised; the GM enforces surprise during encounters |
| Predict | Banks a prompt to reroll the next Party weather result after it is revealed |
The Weather button draws the Party's configured RollTable. The adjacent
gear button (GM only), or Configure Weather Table in module settings, selects
any available world or compendium RollTable. With no selection—or if the
selected table is unavailable—SDX uses its built-in Shadowdark 1d6 weather
check.
The selector chooses a table; edit its entries through Foundry's normal RollTable sheet. To customize a read-only compendium table, import/copy it into the world, edit the world copy, and select that copy. A successful Predict task offers its reroll immediately after the next weather result appears.
Player-triggered Predict consumption is likewise validated and written by the active GM.
Marching Mode is GM-controlled and world-synchronized:
- Use the crown tool to choose the party leader.
- Enable the walking-person tool.
- Move the leader to drive the marching workflow.
- Turn the mode off for free movement.
The leader's owner is allowed to move the leader. Other movement is restricted while marching. If ownership or order changes, reselect the leader so every client receives an unambiguous state.
Select the tokens to place, open Formation Spawner, choose the formation and grid size, and place it on the canvas. The current formation is shared as world state so the GM controls the authoritative placement.
Use it for marching order, doorway stacks, ranks, rings, or encounter setup. It creates/moves token positions; it does not change initiative or party membership.
The flame tool opens SDX's light-source tracker, with a fallback to the Shadowdark system tracker if needed. Party actors are included:
- active member lights can be inspected;
- the Party sheet can sync its Party token to the brightest member source;
- updates to member light items resynchronize relevant Party tokens.
Torch visuals are separate from light emission. See Animation FX.
Tray is missing. Enable the client setting Enable SDX Tray and reload.
Party option is not in Create Actor. Reload the world; the type is injected during module initialization.
A character cannot be dropped into a Party. Import compendium actors into the world first and use a Player actor.
An NPC is visible to players in the tray. Use the eye control in the NPC section to hide it. The GM's own Show NPCs client setting only controls whether the GM includes NPCs in their tray.
Marching Mode blocks an unexpected player. Re-select the crown leader and toggle Marching Mode after every client has loaded the current module version.
Player dungeon painting does not commit. The world setting must be enabled and an active GM must be connected.
Related: Canvas & Table Tools · Hexcrawls & Dungeons · Character Sheets