How To Do Classes Homebrewery: Complete Guide To Custom D&D 5e Character Classes

Crafting custom classes in Homebrewery requires a solid understanding of Markdown, CSS styling, and 5th Edition balance principles to achieve that authentic Player's Handbook aesthetic. By leveraging custom HTML block elements alongside native Homebrewery syntax, you can design professional-grade, multi-column class tables, feature progressions, and rich text callouts that match official Wizards of the Coast publications.

Pre-Operation Setup & Environment Preparation

Before diving into Homebrewery markup, you need to understand how the platform renders styling and how to structure a complex multi-page class document. Building a homebrew class is significantly more intricate than creating a subclass or a simple spell list, as it requires meticulous tracking of progression tables, core features, and subclass options.

• Essential Tools & Environment: A modern web browser (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox work best for Homebrewery's print-to-PDF engine), a secondary text editor (like VS Code or Notepad++) for drafting raw code safely away from browser refresh mishaps, and a thorough knowledge of Markdown combined with CSS styling basics.
• Prerequisite Knowledge & Standards: Familiarity with the 5th Edition System Reference Document (SRD), standard class progression scaling (proficiency bonus, spell slots, feature acquisition levels), and the Homebrewery v3 styling engine syntax.
• Scope & Time Benchmarks: Expect to spend between 4 to 10 hours of iterative design, balancing, and formatting work to bring a completely original homebrew class from initial concept to a polished, publication-ready PDF.

Step-by-Step Homebrewery Class Creation Workflow

Step 1: Establish Document Properties and Column Layouts

Start by configuring your Homebrewery snippet to handle the multi-column layout required for class features. Because D&D 5e books rely on strict column boundaries, you must use explicit column breaks to keep your tables and text from overflowing awkwardly onto adjacent pages.

1. Create a fresh document on The Homebrewery website and ensure your editor view is set to the v3 renderer in the user preferences.
2. At the very top of your document, insert a style block using

Homebrewery vs. GM Binder vs. Native Markdown Styling Matrix

Common Homebrewery Formatting Failures & Field Fixes

• Root Cause: Table text overflows or breaks the right-hand margin of the page.
  
  
  • Actionable Fix: Shorten feature names, reduce table cell padding using a local CSS rule, or move secondary class progression details into a separate descriptive text block below the table.
• Root Cause: The \columnbreak command pushes subsequent text entirely off the bottom of the page instead of moving to the top of the next column.
  
  
  • Actionable Fix: Remove extra blank lines and excessive line breaks immediately preceding the column break command, as accumulated vertical spacing overrides the column shift.
• Root Cause: Custom CSS styling elements break completely after a platform update.
  
  
  • Actionable Fix: Migrate legacy v1/v2 style blocks to the updated v3 Homebrewery syntax, replacing deprecated HTML wrappers with modern CSS grid and flexbox properties.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add background colors to my class feature boxes in Homebrewery?

You can style specific text blocks by wrapping them in HTML division tags with inline CSS properties, such as

. Ensure you close the tag properly at the end of your text block to prevent the styling from bleeding into the rest of your document. Why is my class table formatting breaking when I export to PDF? PDF export rendering is heavily dependent on Google Chrome's print engine settings. Ensure your print destination is set to Save as PDF, paper size is set to Letter, margins are set to None, and background graphics are explicitly enabled in the print dialog options. Can I include custom Homebrewery icons and fonts for my class? Yes, you can import external web fonts and vector icons by linking Google Fonts or FontAwesome stylesheets inside a block at the top of your Homebrewery document. However, keep in mind that external assets may occasionally fail to load during the browser print-to-PDF process.

How do I manage multi-page homebrew classes without breaking layouts?

Use explicit page break commands (\page) between major sections, such as separating the core class description from the subclass options. This prevents unpredictable text shifting when you make minor edits earlier in the document.

Start building your custom class today by opening a fresh Homebrewery document and testing your progression tables with the v3 renderer.