Dungeons & Dragons Visual Aids

Some players of tabletop role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons (DnD) might not know what a tinderbox or caltrops actually look like. Visual aids can make it easier for players to visualize what's going on during a game. I make visual aids in the form of 3.5" x 2.5" cards (a standard size for poker and baseball cards) so I can hand them out to players when they acquire new items or abilities. They're also useful so the players can always see what their options are for taking action during the game.

I print these cards out on cardstock in sheets of nine, and I also print useful information on the backs. I'm only including the fronts here to avoid having outdated information or infringing on any copyrights.

Click on each image to view the full resolution version:

How you can make your own visual aid/reference cards

I use a Canon PIXMA G620 printer [affiliate link], but just about any inkjet printer will do. Just make sure it can handle cardstock.

For cardstock, I picked up a pack of 100lb (270gsm) cardstock [affiliate link] (the higher the lb, the thicker the paper) from Amazon. I also bought a bunch of card sleeves [affiliate link] to put the cards into. It will give them a glossy look, protect them from handling, and allow you to attach stickers with additional information (such as quantity) onto the outside.

To create the cards, I use the free image editing software Paint.NET. It has similar functionality to Adobe Photoshop, but is free and simpler.

To create original images with artificial intelligence, I prefer DreamStudio. It costs money, but it's very affordable to buy credits as needed.

I create sheets of nine cards each in Paint.NET. You can download an example of one of the sheets I used (.pdn file, 4.2MB). I also find it useful to keep a spreadsheet (.ods file, 16KB) of each card I create, also listing exactly which sheet I can find it in. That way, if I need to print more of a certain card, I can find exactly which sheet it's on.

Some geeky notes on creating the cards:

• I use 300dpi and print the cards such that they come out to be 2.5" x 3.5", which is standard for playing cards and baseball cards.
• The type of card is on the bottom and the name of the card is on the top, to make it easy to arrange the cards in a box alphabetically to make them easier to find when needed.
• I make cards for Abilities (blue), Equipment (green), Feats (purple), Magic Items (yellow), and Spells (red). I may combine Feats into Abilities in the future, as they seem similar to me.
• It may be much easier and more practical to keep the card backs blank. You can always pencil in useful information as needed.