🔥 5E - AoE Spells Auto-Targeting & Upcast - BETA

⚠️ IMPORTANT: FREE BETA TESTING NOTICE

This extension is currently in open beta for 1 to 2 months (Starting from 17/05/2026). After the beta period ends, this extension will be retired and the final, polished version will be released as a paid extension due to its massive and complex scale (estimated between 1,000 to 1,500 Gold).

Download it now for free, test it out to see if it fits your table, and please report any bugs on the Fantasy Grounds forum!

Stop manually dragging targets for AoE Spells like Fireball! This extension transforms Area of Effect (AoE) spells in Fantasy Grounds Unity, introducing a seamless workflow for template placement, automatic target resolution, and full upcasting support.

✨ Features Included

🚀 Smart Upcast System

• Interactive Selection: When you cast a spell, a sleek dialog pops up showing available spell slots (including Warlock Pact Magic).

• Automatic Scaling: Select a higher-level slot, and the extension automatically injects the extra damage dice into the roll!

• Cantrip Upgrade: Automatically scales cantrips based on Character Level (5, 11, 17) without manual editing.

📐 Precision AoE Templates

• Auto-Targeting: Place a template on the map and watch it instantly target every creature inside.

• Live Preview: Tokens inside the area are highlighted with visual rings during movement or rotation.

• Multi-Shape Support: Full support for Circles, Squares, Cones, Lines, and Emanations.

🔗 Persistent Spell Management

• Concentration Link: Persistent spells (like Moonbeam, Cloud of Daggers, and more) stay on the map and are bound to your Concentration. If concentration breaks, the template is automatically removed.

• Deferred Activation: Spawning a persistent template places it on the map for positioning first without triggering immediate damage or saves. Double-click the map token to activate the aura, apply concentration, and register the dummy actor in the Combat Tracker.

• Dynamic Recalculation: Move your persistent template and the extension instantly recalculates targets. Click on CAST to force the saving throw for the new targets.

🎯 Advanced Tactical Control

• Manual Overrides: Use CTRL + Click on the AoE tokens to manually include or exclude them from targeting—perfect for features like Careful Spell.

• Multi-Ray Automation: Track hits and crits across multiple projectiles (e.g., Scorching Ray, Magic Missile) and distribute damage correctly.

🤖 NPC Combat Tracker Integration

• NPC AoE Automation: The Area of Effect (AoE) pointer button is directly integrated into NPC Spells and Actions within the Combat Tracker. GMs can instantly click or drag the targeting icon from the NPC's CT entry to spawn and target maps using the NPC's spell parameters.

🛠️ Homebrew & Custom Spell Support

The extension utilizes keyword parsing to detect AoE shapes, upcasting, and persistence. To ensure your homebrew spells are fully compatible, use the following formatting conventions in your spell descriptions.

📐 Area of Effect (AoE) Detection

To trigger a template, include the shape and size in the description (e.g., "A 20-foot radius sphere..."). The parser looks for these specific patterns:

• Circle/Sphere: X-foot radius or X-foot sphere

• Cone: X-foot cone

• Cube/Square: X-foot cube (creates a square template of that side length)

• Line: X-foot line

• Emanation: X-foot emanation (Note: Automatically adjusts the template size based on the caster's space!)

🎯 Targeting Logic

The extension can automatically filter targets if it finds these specific phrases:

• All Creatures (Default): Use each creature or all creatures.

• Enemies Only: Use your choice (e.g., "each creature of your choice") to ignore allies.

• Self Exclusion: Use other than you or originating from you to exclude the caster from the area.

🔄 Persistent Spells

To keep a template on the map and link it to the caster's Concentration, include one of the following phrases in the description:

• on your later turns

• on later turns

📈 Upcasting & Scaling

Use these headers and phrasing to trigger the Upcast Dialog and automatic damage dice injection.

Level 1+ Spells

• Header: Start the scaling section with At Higher Levels: or Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot:.

• Dice Scaling: Use patterns like: 1d6 for each slot level, increases by 1d8, or 1d10 additional.

Cantrips

• Trigger: Use Cantrip Upgrade: to enable automatic scaling at character levels 5, 11, and 17.

🏹 Projectiles (Multi-Ray Tracking)

For spells like Magic Missile or Scorching Ray, use these phrases to enable the multi-hit tracker:

• Base Spell: create three rays, three glowing darts, or hurl three rays.

• Upcast Logic: one additional ray for each slot level or one more dart.

🧪 Henix Custom Effects (Advanced Automation)

This system allows you to build sophisticated spell and item effects utilizing inline upcast scaling, physical tabletop-physics dice rolling, and conditional deferral.

📈 Henix Inline Effects (Flat Upcast Scaling)

• Tag Format: X [+-Step/TAG] or [+-Step/TAG] (e.g., [+Step/HSULVL], [+Step/WIS], [+Step/Cle])

• Where X is the base value, Step is the scaling factor, and TAG is the variable to scale by. If X is omitted, it outputs a signed modifier.

• Examples:

  • Aid; MAXHP: 5 [+5/HSULVL] (Adds 5 per upcast level to base of 5. Cast at 3rd level it becomes 15)

  • ATK: 2 [+WIS] (Adds caster's Wisdom modifier dynamically to the attack)

  • AC: 10 [+1/cle] (Adds 1 per cleric level to a base AC of 10)

• Supported Variables: HSLVL, HSULVL, HCULVL, level (total level), prf (proficiency), ability modifiers (str, dex, con, int, wis, cha), and class levels (art, brb, brd, cle, dru, ftr, mnk, pal, rgr, rog, sor, war, wiz).

🎲 Henix Roll Tags (Physical Tabletop Rolls)

• Tag Format: [HR_DICE_SIDES] or [HR_DICE_SIDES_MODIFIER]

• Description: Tabletop-physics rolls that resolve individually per target, displaying graphical results in chat, and applying resolved values to Combat Tracker effects. Supports all variables listed in Inline Effects above.

• Examples:

  • [HR_1_d8] - Rolls 1d8 physically on the tabletop.

  • [HR_2_d6_-3] - Rolls 2d6 and subtracts 3.

  • [HR_1_d10_+WIS] - Rolls 1d10 and adds caster's Wisdom modifier dynamically!

✨ Permanent Spell Aura & Deferral Examples

• Moonbeam: Moonbeam; LIGHT: 5 dim; AURA: [HAOEDIM] !self,once,point; Moonbeam AoE; SAVEA: [SDC] CON (H) (M); SAVES: [SDC] CON (H) (M); SAVEDMG: [HAOEDMG]

• Sickening Radiance: Sickening Radiance; AURA: [HAOEDIM] !self, once, point; Sickening Radiance AoE; SAVEA: [SDC] CON (M); SAVES: [SDC] CON (M); SAVEDMG: [HAOEDMG]; SAVEADD: Exhaustion

• Hunger of Hadar: Hunger of Hadar; AURA: [HAOEDIM] !self, once, pointer; Hunger of Hadar AoE; DMGA: [HAOEDMG_1]; SAVEE: [SDC] DEX (M); SAVEDMG: [HAOEDMG_2]

• Prismatic Spray (Divided into 3 actions for setup, main roll, and reroll of 8):

  1. Setup: PSR - [HR_1_d8]

  2. Main Action: Prismatic Spray; SAVEA: [SDC] DEX (H) (M); IF: CUSTOM(PSR - 1); SAVEDMG: 12d6 fire; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR - 2); SAVEDMG: 12d6 acid; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR - 3); SAVEDMG: 12d6 lightning; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR - 4); SAVEDMG: 12d6 poison; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR - 5); SAVEDMG: 12d6 cold; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR - 6); SAVEADD: Restrained; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR - 7); SAVEADD: Blinded; ELSE; SAVEADD: PS Reroll; SAVEADD: PS Reroll;

  3. Reroll (8): PS Reroll; PSR8 - [HR_1_d7]; SAVEA: [SDC] wisdom (H) (M); IF: CUSTOM(PSR8 - 1); SAVEDMG: 12d6 fire; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR8 - 2); SAVEDMG: 12d6 acid; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR8 - 3); SAVEDMG: 12d6 lightning; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR8 - 4); SAVEDMG: 12d6 poison; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR8 - 5); SAVEDMG: 12d6 cold; ELSEIF: CUSTOM(PSR8 - 6); SAVEADD: Restrained; ELSE: SAVEADD: Blinded

⚙️ Settings & Chat Commands

⚙️ Custom Setting Options

• "Show HR roll result" option cycler (ON/OFF): Located under the new settings group "AoE & Upcast Extension" to control chat roll log clutter.

  • ON: Shows the full graphical die bubbles and sums in the chat log.

  • OFF: Silently processes the physical tabletop rolls and applies them to the Combat Tracker.

💬 Chat Commands (Host Only)

• /aoereset — Resets all PC spells' database settings back to standard FGU settings. Useful if you change sizes/shapes and want to clear out cached configurations for all characters.

• /aoereset "PC Name" — Resets spell database settings only for the specified character (e.g., /aoereset "Gandalf").

⚙️ Setup & How to Use

1. Click the "Use Power" button for an AoE spell.

2. Select your upcast level in the popup dialog.

3. Place the template on the map.

4. Roll save or damage! The targets are already waiting in the Combat Tracker.

📺 Watch the Showcase Video

• YouTube - Base Extension: How it Works - Showcase Video

• YouTube - UPDATE Version: How it Works - Showcase Video

📦 Compatibility & Support

• Rulesets: Designed for the D&D 5E and 5.5e (2024) Rulesets.

• FGU Version: Optimized for current FGU architecture.

🐞 Bug Reports

If you encounter issues with template placement or upcast math, please drop a comment in the support thread!

📝 Changelog

v0.2 - BETA Update

• 🧪 Henix Custom Effect System:

  • Inline Effects: Enabled scaling of flat bonuses by slot upcast level (e.g., MAXHP: 5 [+5/HSULVL]).

  • Roll Tags: Integrated physical 3D tabletop-physics rolls (e.g., [HR_1_d8]) resolved separately per target with graphical chat results.

  • Self-Contained Modifiers: Added support for custom modifier scaling inside rolls (e.g., [HR_1_d8_-3] or [HR_1_d8_+WIS]) combining modifiers and caster stats.

  • Custom FGU Setting: Added "Show HR roll result" option cycler (ON/OFF) to control chat log clutter.

• 🤖 Combat Tracker NPC Support:

  • NPC Combat Tracker Support: Spells/actions showing AoE automator and now render a small button_targeting icon directly in their Combat Tracker row.

• ✨ In-App Help & Persistent Spell Improvements:

  • In-App Help Button: Added a "?" button in the spell config dialog that opens a reference guide pop-up dynamically formatted using native headers, lists, and tables.

  • Deferred Persistent Activation: Spawning a persistent AoE token now positions it first; double-clicking the map token activates its aura, concentration link, and Combat Tracker entry, preventing accidental damage triggers.

  • Granular Damage Tags: Added support for [HAOEDMG_X] tags (e.g., [HAOEDMG_1], [HAOEDMG_2]), allowing spells with multiple checkboxes (like Hunger of Hadar) to separate different damage types into different aura clauses while supporting custom upcast scaling.

v0.1 - BETA Release

• Initial Release: Core automation for Upcasting, Cantrip Scaling, Persistent AoE, and Auto-Targeting.