In order to enhance your own games and add another layer of depth to the player's environment on Roll20, you are able to use the Dynamic Lighting feature. Known, Dynamic Lighting can allow  the GM to illuminate the map and also control what the players see.

If you are a newcomer who is just playing games on Roll20, you may not know how to use the Dynamic Lighting on Roll20. However, Dynamic Lighting is such a gorgeous feature that you will find in this tool. Let's see how to set up  the Dynamic Lighting on Roll20 below!

Setting the Dynamic Lighting Up, Here's the Guides!

The Dynamic Lighting on Roll20 will work well especially in certain tabletop games. In other words, Dynamic Lighting is a mechanic for certain tabletop games such as D&D and Apocalypse. We think that there are other certain games which will need the Dynamic Lighting in the game.

Roll20 Setting Up Dynamic Lighting

Indeed, the Dynamic Lighting will give any benefits for giving the players a more realistic view of the game world. If it is night time, the player definitely cannot see the entire map. So, the Dynamic Lighting here is really used to give more light to the map of the game.

Because the Dynamic Lighting is not a free feature provided on Roll20, you certainly have to have either a Plus or a Pro Account subscription. The range price of the subscriptions are roughly $5 to $10 a month which come with a ton of other extras included. The Plus account for Dynamic Lighting is actually worth $5 a month.

Here's how to set up the  Dynamic Lighting on Roll20!

The first thing that you have to do to use the Dynamic Lighting on Roll20 is byconfiguring the map's settings. You certainly have to enable the use of the Dynamic Lighting in the map to add the lighting on. To do it, you need to open the Roll20 game that you are a game master of. Then, click on the maps tab. Afterward, you have to click on the cog-wheel to access the page settings for the map you want to add the Dynamic Lighting.

 configuring the map's settings

Once you click on the settings icon, a pop up message of settings will appear. Here, you need to scroll down to the Dynamic Lighting option. Make sure the option is in "Enabled" selected. You also have to choose Enforce Line of Sight due to prevent players from seeing lighting on the opposite side of a wall.

If you want to use the Dynamic Lighting, you will see the optional settings as follow:

  • Only Update on Drop: This option allows the player to drag their character token. The token's vision cannot be updated until the token is placed down in a new square.
  • Global Illumination: This option informs you to check the map in fully lit but the line of sight is still enabled. Here, the players cannot see behind the walls which are drawn.
  • Restrict Movement: This option shows that the tokens cannot move through the Dynamic Lighting boundaries.

Once you know the optional settings of Dynamic Lighting, you totally canchoose which settings you want to add for the map. After you choose at least one of the options above, you certainly can move on creating the Dynamic Lighting Layer.

The next step that you need to do once you choose the optional settings that you want to add to the map, you can continue toset the Dynamic Lighting Layer to begin adding lighting to the map. Need to know, the elements of any map in Roll20 will be given special properties by placing them in a specific layer. Well, the Dynamic Lighting is no exception for the special properties.

To set the Dynamic Lighting layer, you can go to the layer selection tool on your toolbar and then click on the Dynamic Lighting layer to start making your lighting.Add the Dynamic Lighting to the map, you totally can use the Draw Polygon/ Line tool to add the walls and other barriers which will affect the way a token's vision or lighting.

Here's how to add the Dynamic Lighting to the map!

  • Step1: Choose the polygon/line tool

Choose the polygon or line tool

The first thing to add the Dynamic Lighting is to choose the proper tool. Here, the best option for you is to select the polygon/ line tool. You are able to use the draw shape tool. We recommend you to change the color of the line from the default black as it can be hard to see on some maps. Choose the different color and size for your windows, doors and other entrances.

  • Step 2: Add  a line

Add  a line

Once you draw the Dynamic Lighting layer of a small cabin in the woods, for instance. You can begin with drawing a simple line. Click on the starting point, this case on the left-hand side of the door and then click on a second point to make a single line. You can use Shift+Click to snap the line directly to the grid.

  • Step 3: Create a perimeter

Create a perimeter

Here, you can continue to draw line segments by holding Shift and clicking the corners of the cabin. If you need, you don't hold Shift but continue to click to create crooked lines. At least there are two ways to complete drawing in the Dynamic Lighting layer. First, you can complete a shape by clicking the starting point of the drawing. The other, you just simply right-click anywhere on the map.

  • Step 4: Draw doors and windows

Draw doors and windows

You can continue drawing doors and windows. In drawing them, you can use the different color and thicken the line size to give the differences between your perimeter.

Once you add the Dynamic Lighting to the map, the next step that can be done is byconfiguring the Tokens. To access the token settings, you can double-click the desired token and choose the Advanced tab. Unless you can check the Has Sight option, the player totally can only see pitch blackness. It allows the players to see any lighting which appears on the map. Instead, you can have their normal vision if you choose the "Global Illumination" setting.