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The hook you planted in session 3 shouldn't be lost by session 9.

Campaign manager for Game Masters running 5E compatible games

One campaign free, forever · No card · 2024 rules

Plot threads
7 active · 3 gated
The Verger's second ledger
Locked · 0 of 2 Locked · 1 of 2 Ready to reveal

Planted session 3: Maelis lied about the tithe records.

○ItemFind the vestry key
✓ItemBrass key of the lower vestry
○NPCSpeak with Maelis
✓NPCSpoke with Maelis Corvane
Who burned the almshouse Locked · 1 of 2
The dragon's tithe Locked · level 7+
See how it works

Losing track of the hooks you planted and what unlocks them?

Plot threads and quest map

Your story remembers what's next

Lock a plot thread behind an item, an NPC or another quest, and see the whole campaign as a quest map. When the party meets the conditions, it's ready to reveal.

Quest map
The Ashfall Reach
Main quest
The dragon's titheActive
Side quests
The Verger's second ledger
LockedReady to reveal
Who burned the almshouseLocked
Sub-side quests
The brass key○ Not found
The brass key✓ Found

Accidentally wiping out newer players in one hit?

Encounter builder

Fights built to fit your party

Choose Low, Moderate or High and it builds a fight from the monster list to the right budget for your party's levels. Every big hit stays your call.

Build an encounter
4 characters · level 6
Low 1,150 XP
Moderate 2,300 XP Moderate 2,300 XP
High 3,450 XP
Troll ×1CR 5 · 1,800 XP
Ghoul ×2CR 1 · 200 XP each
XP budget
Pick a difficulty 0 / 2,300 XP 1,800 / 2,300 XP 2,200 / 2,300 XP
Add to combat

Forgetting what a monster's moves are mid-fight?

Combat and initiative tracker

Combat that keeps count for you

Initiative, HP, conditions, recharges and lair actions, tracked turn by turn. Click any monster to open its full stat block beside you.

The Flooded Rookery · Round 4
Lair action in 2 turns Lair action in 1 turn Lair action now
21
Adult Green DragonCR 15 · AC 19 · breath recharging
148 / 207 108 / 207 −40
18
Sera
Rogue 6 · AC 16 Rogue 6 · AC 16Restrained
41 / 44
14
TorinCleric 5 · AC 18
22 / 38
Poison Breath · recharging Frightful Presence · ready Tail Attack · 3 left

Grasping roots. 20 ft. radius: DC 15 Str save or restrained until the end of its next turn.

Dungeon generator and player map

Dungeons your players explore

Generate a mapped dungeon room by room. Reveal it as the party explores, and their map fills in on their phones.

The Sunken Crypt
Exploring… 5 of 8 rooms explored
The party is here
Homebrew

Homebrew anything. Critsmith wires it in.

Make it once and it turns up everywhere the official version would, with its numbers already worked out. Players send theirs to you, and you decide what gets in.

Your next session could already be prepped. Start free →
Session notes and recaps

Type it once. It's already the recap.

Log moments as they happen. Your session log writes itself, and players only see what you share.

Session 9 ▾
Sera pockets the brass key
Save
Character Loot Plot Combat Location DM only
Your session logeverything
LootSera pockets the brass key
CharacterMaelis denies the ledger exists
DM onlyShe'll move the ledger tonight
What the party seesshared only
LootSera pockets the brass key
CharacterMaelis denies the ledger exists
1 note kept for the DM
Player app

Your players get a door too

Guided character creation, their own sheet, a dungeon map that fills in as they explore, a shop to buy and sell at, and every recap on their phone. “What were we doing?” is answered before you sit down.

New recap from your DM
SeraRogue 6 · The Ashfall Reach
Session 9 recap
Sera pockets the brass key Maelis denies the ledger exists The dragon fled the rookery
Quests
The Verger's ledger
Unknown New
The dragon's titheActive
16AC
41/44HP
+4Init

More features in the workshop

Campaign builderLocations, NPCs, factions, quests, shops and items, all linked into one campaign.
LocationHarrowmere
NPCMaelis Corvane
QuestThe Verger's ledger
✓ All three linked
Rules referenceSpells, monsters and items from the SRD. Click any name to open it beside you.
Sera casts Fireball
FireballLevel 3 evocation · 150 ft
8d6 fire · DEX save for half
GeneratorsLoot, NPCs, taverns and shops for when the party goes off-script.
Generate tavern
NameThe Gilded Newt
KeeperOdra Fenn
RumourLights in the old mill
PuzzlesBuild puzzles and link them into your story.
ᚠᚱᛟ
Solved · unlocks the vestry door
Player shopsAutomated in-game shops for your players to buy and sell items, with prices worked out for them.
Brass Lantern Outfitters
Potion of Healing50 gp
Sera buys 2
Purse 120 gpPurse 20 gp
✓ Added to inventory
SoundscapesAtmospheric background audio for your sessions.Standard and Archmage
Tavern at night
Crowd murmurOn
Rain on shuttersOn
Crackling hearthOn
Community libraryShare what you make and use what other Game Masters have shared.
The Sunken Bell CryptDungeon · shared by Mira
★ 4.8 · used in 312 campaigns
✓ Added to your campaign

The doors are open

One campaign, free forever. No card, no trial. Upgrade only when you run more than one world.

Pricing

Free £0
1 campaign Session logs, combat and recaps included
Start free
Standard
£3.99/monthor £39.90/year
2 campaigns No ads Soundscapes
Start free
Archmage
£6.99/monthor £69.90/year
20 campaigns No ads Soundscapes
Start free

Pay yearly and get two months free.

Questions

Is it really free?

Yes. One campaign is free for as long as you like, and you don't need a card to sign up.

What if I run more than one campaign?

Upgrade to Standard (2 campaigns) or Archmage (20 campaigns) whenever you need to.

Which rules does it use?

It's built on SRD 5.2, the free official rules document for the 2024 rules.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Critsmith runs in your web browser on a computer, tablet or phone.

Do my players need to pay?

No. Each player creates their own free account to see their character sheet and your recaps.

Cartoon of Karl, creator of Critsmith

Who makes Critsmith

Hi, I'm the creator of Critsmith. I'm a huge fan of 5E games, and I often end up running the game and writing my own homebrew stories. I love creating worlds for my players, but I have a terrible memory. When I make up a character on the fly and my players want to revisit them three sessions later, I've forgotten exactly how I built them. We use the rule of cool a lot, which means we often end up somewhere I haven't scripted yet and I have to create something on the spot. I couldn't find anything that helped me do everything I wanted in one place, so Critsmith was born. I love it, it helps me immensely, and I hope you love it too!

CRITSMITH

Built on the System Reference Document. Independent, not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

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