Backstories

The Backstory editor lets you write the lore, behavior, habitat, and other descriptive details that appear around a monster's stat block. It uses Markdown shortcuts, but displays the result as a formatted document while you work.

Open the Backstory editor

On a desktop or tablet:

1. Open or create a monster in the Monster Editor.
2. Turn on Show backstory at the top of the editor.
3. Select Switch to edit if the backstory is currently in view mode.

On a phone, open Edit/view and select Edit: Backstory. Select View: Backstory when you want to read the result without editing it.

Your changes are saved automatically. The save-status icon at the top of the editor shows whether the latest changes have been saved. You can use the Undo and Redo buttons there, or the usual keyboard shortcuts:

• Undo: Ctrl+Z on Windows and Linux, or Command+Z on macOS.
• Redo: Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y on Windows and Linux, or Command+Shift+Z on macOS.

Markdown shortcuts

Type these markers at the beginning of an empty row. Add the space shown in the example to turn the row into the selected block.

Press Enter to continue a list or blockquote. Press Enter again on an empty item or quotation row to return to a normal paragraph. In a list, use Tab to indent the current item and Shift+Tab to move it out one level.

To define a term, write the term in one paragraph. Start the next paragraph with : :

Gargoyle
: A creature made from animated stone.

The editor turns both rows into one definition-list entry. Press Enter at the end of the term to move to its definition. Press Enter in a definition to add another definition. Press it again in an empty definition to start the next term. An empty term exits to a normal paragraph.

Each term appears in bold beside its first definition. Additional definitions begin on new lines at the normal left edge. When a definition wraps, only its continuation lines are indented.

You can also format text as you type:

Markdown markers disappear after the shortcut is recognized, while the formatted result remains visible. If you would rather use menus, all of the common block types and text styles are available through the contextual controls described below.

Insert blocks with /

Type / as the first character on an empty row to open Insert a block. Search for a command, then select it to replace the empty row with that block.

The insertion menu includes:

• Paragraph, heading, bulleted list, numbered list, definition list, blockquote, and task list.
• Table and divider.
• Author comment and footnote definition (coming soon).
• Callout and quote with attribution.
• Additional image gallery (coming soon).
• Object link and stat block embed.

The complete catalog is grouped into basic blocks, annotations, components, and references. Scroll the results to reach every available option while the search field remains visible.

Object links and stat block embeds open another search menu so you can choose from your own, official, or published content. The layout's main image gallery remains available. Author comments, footnote definitions, and additional galleries are shown as disabled coming-soon options for now.

Press Escape to close a menu without choosing a command.

Use the desktop gutter

When your caret is inside a block, two controls appear in the left gutter:

• Select + to open the same insertion menu at that position.
• Drag the grip to move the block. A line shows where it will be placed.
• Select the grip without dragging to open Block actions.

The block-actions menu can turn compatible content into a paragraph, Heading 2 through Heading 6, a definition list, a blockquote, a bulleted list, a numbered list, or a task list. It also lets you copy, duplicate, or delete the block. For ordinary and definition-list items, the grip targets the individual item instead of moving the entire list. Turning a definition entry into paragraphs keeps its term first and its definitions after it.

You can also move a focused grip with the keyboard. Press Space to pick up the block, use the Up and Down arrow keys to choose a position, and press Space again to drop it. Press Escape to cancel.

Right-click still opens your browser's normal menu for spelling, clipboard, and other system actions.

Format a selection

On desktop, selecting text opens a small menu beside the selection. You can apply:

• Bold.
• Italic.
• Underline.
• Highlight.
• Strikethrough.
• Inline code.

Use Turn into in the same menu to convert the selected block or blocks into another compatible type. Formatting changes only the selected characters, while Turn into changes the complete blocks touched by the selection.

Tables, callouts, quotations, galleries, references, and other structured blocks keep their more specialized options inside the block itself.

Use definition lists

Use a definition list for a bold term followed inline by its explanation. Type a term, press Enter, then type : to create one from the keyboard. Monstershuffler adds the final period to the term. Wrapped definition lines use a hanging indent, while each additional definition starts at the normal left edge.

Title
: Description

Use callouts

Choose Callout with title for a short titled rules note. Its surface follows the monster's alignment color. Choose Callout without title for an untitled aside with a blue surface and side rails.

Move the pointer over a callout, or place the caret inside it, to reveal the ... menu above its upper-right edge. The same menu is touch-sized on a phone. Switching to Callout without title removes the title. You can undo the switch to restore both the titled type and its title.

Callouts support paragraphs, headings, lists, definition lists, tables, dividers, blockquotes, links, and inline formatting. Product components such as galleries and other callouts cannot be nested inside a callout.

Edit on a phone

The desktop gutter is replaced by a compact bar above the software keyboard. Depending on the current block, it provides actions to add a block below, move it, undo or redo, delete it, and indent or outdent list items. This bar might not be always visible or fully functional on iOS Safari, as its development is limited by Apple's greedy restrictions on web apps.

Select text to open the formatting actions. The Add action opens the complete insertion menu in a drawer without losing your place in the document.