Map File

You have two options for a map file, this can either be from an image that you have uploaded in the resources on Cauldron, or a URL to the image. If you are using a URL ensure that the URL ends in a file format such as .png, .webp, .jpg.

Cauldron is special, not only can it be a static (non-moving) image you can also use video. Be careful when uploading videos to Cauldron. Videos are large and can often take up half or more of the space you have assigned.

Map Size

You can set the height and width of the map. Be careful here, as setting it to sizes that the image wasn't can often leave it looking blurry or/and stretched. You can leave these blank as Cauldron will try to set the values for you.
`The map must be at least 100x100 pixels. Does the map file exists? Try specifying the dimension manually. `
This can sometimes happen, if the map isn't wide and tall enough for Cauldron then it can't accept it. Additionally, it could be cause because Cauldron can't figure out what size it should actually be. In this case you can simply fix this by setting the width and height value yourself.

Background Audio

Similar to the maps, you can upload or use a URL for audio which can be played for this map in your adventure. This audio will begin to play when you load up the map in the adventure. Everyone present in the adventure will be able to hear this for as long as their audio is on.

Players can drag character

In Cauldron there are two supported ways in which a player can move their token. They can either use W, A, S, D keys to move in that direction or they can use their mouse to drag their token. As the DM/GM you can make the decision whether all players can move their token with the mouse or not on this map.

Fog of war & Dynamic Lighting

What is Fog of War

Fog of war is simply a feature of many virtual tabletops which obscures part of the map from the player's view. This typically means that players can only see areas of the map that they have already explored, which gives a sense of mystery and exploration to your maps.

What is Dynamic Lighting

Dynamic Lighting goes hand in hand with fog of war. This feature automatically set's the player's visibility based on line of sight and light sources. This means that areas that are in shadow or darkness are hidden from player's until this move close enough for their slight to see or they have a light source which enters this area. This makes gameplay much more realistic and immersive as it gives a better perspective to what the player's character would be seeing.

What are all the different options for the map's fog of war?

There are 6 options in total for the fog of war in Cauldron.

• Off: This option turns off fog of war and dynamic lighting completely.
• on, day / illuminated (cell): This option turns on fog of war and dynamic lighting. This set's it as day meaning that the player's would have no restrictions on how far away, they can see (e.g. being able to see from one side of the map to the other). You can still use blinders and walls (see later in this section) to impede on the player's vision as normal. Cell is for square by square basis which will make your fog of war block based on the grid but it's more performance friendly on your device.
• on, day / illuminated (real): Exactly the same as the above point except that the fog of war is real instead of cell based. This means that the dog of war adapts to any shapes it needs to realistically match the player's sights. This can take more performance for your computer but is considered to be more realistic since it's not based on the grid.
• on, night / dark (cell): This is for when your map is dark (such as underground or at night). This option takes into account the Default fog of war distance (mentioned below) meaning that player's cannot see beyond X amount of distance. Due to the dynamic lighting, this will always stay the same distance that they can see even when they move. Cell is mentioned in the second point.
• on, night / dark (real): Exactly the same as above except that it uses real fog of war instead of cell. Real is mentioned in the third point.
• Manual reveal: This is just fog of war on its own without any specific dynamic lighting. This allows you to remove the fog of war bit by bit, manually by yourself. Only the DM/GM can do this.

Nightly Fog Distance

This is the distance that the players can see when the fog of war is set to night. the number is based on squares where the default for a new map is "3" (3 squares north, south, west, or east of each player).

Notes

Finally the last part to the map, the notes. Here you can put anything you like as the DM/GM. Only you get to see it where the player's don't. This is just so that you can remind yourself what the map is for, or any notes that you want to remember about the map. You'll be able to view these notes in the adventure as you're playing.

Show Grid Map

This will show a transparent black grid on top of your image map for the adventure that everyone can see. The red grid will not be shown whether this is enabled or not.

Grid Finder

This helps you get the right values to closely match Cauldron's grid with your map's grid. click, hold and drag to begin to draw a red square box. You should try and match this with the grid on your map, making sure you cover exactly 5 squares on your map's grid.

Map Arrange Setup

Once you have saved the grid settings you will be directed to a page which looks similar to the adventure version of the map. None of your player's can see this as it's for setting up the rest of the map. You still have access to tokens and the menu on this view of the map.

Player Start

This is what you will find on your map whilst setting it up or arranging it. This yellow box will decide where your player's start on the map. you can drag this around the map and move it wherever you like it.

Menu

There are fewer options in this menu to the menu found in the adventure.

• Back: this will go back to the list of maps that you have already set up for the adventure.
• Toggle Constructs: This will show/hide walls, blinders and windows but not script zones.
• Highlight Tokens: This will toggle on and off a highlighting for tokens. This will add a yellow box around each creature/monster/NPC token. This doesn't apply it to any player tokens already on the map.
• Edit Settings: This allows you to go back to edit the map's settings. this is the first page you come across when creating a new map.
• Edit Grid: This allows you to go back to the grid settings and change Cauldron's grid.
• Import Constructs: This allows you to choose a .CVM file and load blinders, walls, and windows into the map (see the next point).
• Export Constructs: This allows you to download an offline file containing all blinders, walls, and windows that have already been placed on the map. This will download a .CVM file containing all constructs. You can choose Import Constructs to import that file back into the map..

Right Click Menu

Cauldron has its own right click menu which is where your most important things are when setting up the map or in an adventure. "Measure Distance" and "Get Coordinates" are also find when playing the adventure.

Create Blinder

A blinder is often used in combination with fog of war. The blinder allows you to obscure specific areas of the map from player views', regardless of their position or sight. Unlike walls, players can freely move through this as they please.

Why use a blinder when you can use a wall?

A wall has tofollow the grid lines meaning that the walls can only be on the grid, either horizontally or vertically. A blinder, on the other hand, can be placed anywhere not based on the grid. Some parts of a map don't line up with a grid line (for example parts being in the middle of squares). Walls can be used here to stop a player from going through that part of the map, whereas blinders can make it neater looking for the players.

To be able to place a blinder off of the grid (so it doesn't automatically snap to the grid) hold the ALT key while you create the blinder.

Create Door

As it sounds, a door is something that can be opened, closed, or hidden. Only the DM/GM can open and close doors, this can be done on this page or on the adventure page. Right click on the door and you'll see the option for open or close (depending on what it already is right now).

Secret: You can also turn the door into a secret door that the players can't see. Whilst hidden the player still can't move through the door even though they can't see it making it act as a wall.

Bars: You can turn the door into bars instead on a right click of the door. An example of this could be something like jail bars. Players can see through the door like you normally would for bars, but they still can't go through them unless they are open, acting like windows.

Create Window

Windows are similar to walls with one difference, players can still see through the windows, they can't move through them or into them but can see through them.

Script Zones

What is a Zone Script

A zone script can be used on any map to create an area that triggers a specifically set action when something specific triggers the zone script. For example, you could set the zone script so that when a player enters the zone script's area a specific message is sent out to the DM/GM.

By right clicking you can set a script zone up. When you do so a window will pop up.

• Width: This is the width of the zone based on the squares of the grid.
• Height: This is the height of the zone based on the squares of the grid.
• Colour: This is the colour of the zone which can be any colour you like. There are two types of colours you can put here. A hex value such as

  #ff0000

  which is red. But if you don't know any hex values you can just use simple words too such as green, pink, blue, red, yellow, etc.
• Opacity: This is setting how see through it is. 0.0 means that it can't be seen and 1.0 means it's solid as Cauldron will allow it (this isn't 100% solid though).
• Altitude: This is layering at its simplest. If you have one zone script at altitude 2 and another at 5, that one will be above because it's at a higher level, although this doesn't go above tokens or constructs.
• Group: ***N/A***

Creating the script

The script is very basic to create for those that are less "tech savvy" might need to practice and even get to grips a little with it, but the scripts have been made as simple as possible for anyone to use.

To edit the script first create the script zone. Once you have done this right click on the created zone and choose "Edit Script". If you need help, there and then when you are creating the script you can just press the help button the window that opens up. This will show you all the commands and what each one does.

A script consists of one or more lines, each having a single command. A script can only be triggered by a character when it enters, moves inside, leaves the zone or is inside the zone on its combat turn. An object's ID can be obtained by selecting 'Get information' after a right click on that object. The following commands are available:

• audio : Play the audio file '/resources/audio/'. Upload audio files via the Resources page in the Dungeon Master's Vault.
• condition : Character gains one of the following conditions: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhausted, frightened, grappled, incapacitated, invisible, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned, unconscious.
• damage : Damage the triggering character.
• disable: Don't run this script again for a next event.
• event enter|move|turn|leave: Only execute the next lines in the script under the specified condition: 'enter' when a character enters the zone, 'move' when a character moves inside the zone, 'turn' when it's a character's turn during a battle while inside the zone or 'leave' when a character leaves the zone.
• heal : Heal the triggering character.
• move [+/-],[+/-] [slide]: Move the triggering character the x,y grid position. If there is a plus or minus sign in front of the x or y, the movement will be relative to the current position of the character. Adding 'slide' animates the movement, otherwise it's instant.
• name : Use this name when sending messages via 'write' and 'write_all'.
• token show|hide: Show or hide a token.
• write : Write a message to the user of the triggering character. The Dungeon Master receives a copy of this message.
• write_all : Write a message to everybody. In this message, the word 'character' will be replaced with the name of the triggering character.
• write_dm : Write a message to the Dungeon Master. In this message, the word 'character' will be replaced with the name of the triggering character.
• zone show|hide: Show or hide a zone group for the triggering character.

You can add comments to your script. A comment line starts with a hash (#).

The zone group is an identifier that defines to what group a zone belongs. If a character leaves a zone and at the same time enters another zone that belongs to the same group, the leave and enter events are replaced with a single move event for the zone that the character enters.