How can I make a Roll20 macro that shows different text depending on the result of a die roll?

Question

I would like to roll for the random Chaos Bolt (first level spell) damage type, which is variable.

In play, I have to roll 1d8 and as a result I get the damage type of the spell:

I guess it should be something like:

&{template:default} {{name=Damage Type}} 
{{[[1d8]]|acid|cold|fire|force|lightning|poison|psychic|thunder}}

The result should be:

Damage Type: cold

Nice to Have:

if you hover over cold you see '2'

Note that Chaos Bolt has you roll 2d8, and you can pick either one to determine the damage type. — GreySage, Jan 22 '20 at 16:04
You shouldn't edit your question to include the answer (or rather, the macro you arrived at based on the answer). Instead, you should leave it as a comment on the accepted answer, or as an answer itself if you feel it is sufficiently distinct from the existing answer. In general, answer content doesn't belong in the question; it makes the post confusing to read and discourages future answers. — V2Blast, Jan 23 '20 at 08:16
Related: How can I set up a Roll20 macro to roll certain additional dice depending on the results of an initial die roll? — V2Blast, Jan 23 '20 at 08:18
@V2Blast It is related, but the other thread did not produce an answer. — Torsten, Jan 23 '20 at 09:43
@Torsten: I'm aware. The previous comment that linked to it just mostly made a point that was already addressed (it linked the related question as an afterthought to that point), so I deleted that comment and reposted the link to the related question as its own comment. :) — V2Blast, Jan 23 '20 at 09:46

keithcurtis · Accepted Answer · 2020-01-22T16:18:47.110

19

This is something you should use a Rollable Table for. Create a table with 8 entries, one for each damage type. You could call it "Chaos-Bolt". Then modify your macro above to:

&{template:default} {{name=Chaos bolt}}{{damage type = [[1t[Chaos-Bolt]]]}}

If you want the actual number to show, just write the entries as:

Acid (1)
Cold (2)
...

The results will look like this:

edited Jan 22 '20 at 16:18

answered Jan 22 '20 at 16:13

keithcurtis

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Great to see you drop by again, thanks Keith! I have a shadow sorcerer in the game I DM who would like this. – KorvinStarmast Jan 22 '20 at 16:36
Perfect solution. Thanks a lot. That one works great. – Torsten Jan 22 '20 at 17:25

How can I make a Roll20 macro that shows different text depending on the result of a die roll?

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