A ruler that counts squares the way your table does
Distance arguments end at the table when the ruler agrees with your rules. TerrainTale's ruler counts the grid in feet with the diagonal rule you pick, follows waypoints around a pillar, and reads out height along with distance.
Feet, not abstract squares
Every model is authored to the same 5-foot cell, so the ruler always reports feet, not "3 squares." Drag a mini and the readout tracks along the drag in real time. The point is fewer conversions. A 5e character with a 30-foot speed has six squares in a straight line, and a Dash doubles that to 60 feet. A fireball's 20-foot-radius sphere reaches four squares from its centre. A longbow's 150/600 range becomes a drag and a glance. The readout gives the number in the unit the spell or stat block uses, so nobody counts tiles and multiplies by five.
Your table's diagonal rule
Pick the diagonal rule as a setting: every diagonal costs 5 ft (the 5e default), the 5/10/5 pattern (the DMG variant and Pathfinder), or true distance. Change it once and every measurement on the table follows. A worked example: a mini moves four squares diagonally and two straight. Under the 5e default that is six squares, 30 feet. Under 5/10/5 the diagonals cost 5, 10, 5 and 10, so 30 feet plus 10 for the straight squares, 40 feet in all. Under true distance it is about 38 feet. The setting decides which answer the ruler gives, so pick it before the first fight and keep it.
- Waypoint a route with Space or right-click mid-drag, to measure fairly around a pillar
- Elevation-aware readout, e.g. "30 ft · 10 ft up"
- Movement is charged per turn as a mini is dragged
Same ruler for the DM and every player
In a shared room, a player's own ruler (M) is visible to everyone at the table in their colour, alongside the host's, so "can I make it" is answered without asking. That helps both sides of the screen. A player drags from their mini to a door, sees 25 feet before committing, and the DM sees the same line. The feet a player drags are charged to that token, so the turn's movement stays honest even when nobody is watching the numbers. Each ruler shows in its owner's colour, so two people measuring at once do not confuse each other.
Questions
Does it support the DMG's optional diagonal rule?
Yes. 5/10/5 alternating diagonals is a setting, alongside every-diagonal-5-ft and true (Euclidean) distance. The 2024 rules keep every diagonal at 5 feet by default; the alternating rule remains a common table choice.
Does height count?
Yes, the readout adds elevation to the distance, e.g. "30 ft · 10 ft up," for an archer on a parapet or a pit. How height combines with distance for a spell's range is your table's ruling; the readout gives both numbers.
Can I measure around an obstacle?
Yes, add a waypoint mid-drag (Space or right-click) to route the measurement around a pillar or a wall corner. The total is the sum of the legs, so a route around two pillars is two waypoints.
Does the ruler work for players, not just the DM?
Yes, in a shared room every player has their own ruler and every ruler is visible to the whole table. Each ruler appears in its owner's colour.
Keep reading
D&D Virtual Tabletop in 3D
A 3D virtual tabletop built for Dungeons & Dragons: realistic battle maps, painted-miniature figures, a ruler in feet, initiative and HP.
D&D Initiative Tracker on the 3D Table
An initiative tracker that lives on the same 3D map as your minis: turn order, a round counter, HP with damage and heal buttons, conditions, size, and hostile/ally/neutral rings — no separate app.
3D Battle Maps for Tabletop RPGs
Make 3D battle maps in the browser from a realistic, CC0/CC BY library: PBR floors and walls, photoscanned props, trees and lights.
Play D&D with Friends: Start a Group and Run Your First Night
How to get a D&D group going with friends: who runs it, what to buy (almost nothing), a first adventure, a schedule that survives adult life, and a free 3D battle map for the first fight.
Elevation calculator
Work out the real distance to a flying or elevated creature on a 5-foot grid: horizontal squares plus height, with the 5e, 5/10 variant or true-distance rule.
From the blog
How to push an enemy off a cliff in 5e: Shove, Push mastery, Thunderwave and the fall
How to push an enemy off a cliff or into a pit in 5e: Shove's save, the 10-foot Push mastery, Thunderwave, Repelling Blast, falling damage, and whether the target can catch the edge.
· 5 min read
Normal range, long range, and the drag that answers both before you declare the shot
A shortbow's range is 80/320. Past 80 feet the shot has disadvantage; within 5 feet of a hostile creature it has disadvantage too. One drag on the ruler answers both before the arrow leaves.
· 5 min read
Ready action rules in 5e: triggers, reactions, and the map habits that make it useful
The Ready action in the 2024 D&D rules: how to set a trigger, what your reaction can be, why a readied spell costs Concentration and a slot, and the doorway and stair positions where it pays.
· 5 min read
All articles on battle maps, grid rules and running the game
Ready to put a map on the table?
Open the builder and start, no account needed. Sixteen starter scenes are on the welcome screen; sign up free when you want to save one or play it with your group.