Who can move which token

Half the “my token is stuck” reports at a table are actually ownership questions. Here’s the whole rule in one place.

The rule

A token will respond to you if any of these is true:

1. You’re the GM. GMs control every token on the map, always.
2. You’re listed in that token’s Controlled By.
3. The token is linked to a character you own.

Observers control nothing — they can look, and that’s it.

If none of those apply, clicks and drags on that token do nothing at all. It isn’t a bug and there’s no error message; the piece simply isn’t yours.

Linking a token to a character

Linking joins the piece on the map to a sheet in the actors library. Once linked, the character’s owner can move it, and the token’s stats and conditions read from the sheet.

There are three ways to do it:

Where	How
While placing	Drag from the Characters tab of the Tokens panel — the token arrives already linked. See Adding tokens.
Token Settings	Open the token’s settings and pick from Linked Character. None (GM only) unlinks it.
The token list	Right-click a row in the Tokens sidebar and choose Link to actor (it reads Relink actor if there’s already one attached).

Once a token is linked, Go to sheet in the same menu — and Open Sheet in the token’s right-click menu — jumps straight to the character.

Handing control to extra players

Controlled By in Token Settings lists everyone in the room who isn’t the GM, with a tick box each. Tick someone and they can move that token regardless of who owns the character behind it.

Use it for:

• A summoned creature the whole party takes turns directing.
• A familiar or animal companion a second player runs in combat.
• A player covering someone else’s character while they’re away.

Tip

Controlled By and Linked Character stack. A token can be linked to Alice’s ranger and ticked for Bob, and both of them can move it.

“My token won’t move”

Work down this list:

1. Is it actually your token? Check with your GM whether it’s linked to your character or you’re in its Controlled By list.
2. Are you an observer? The Observer Mode pill at the top of the screen means you can’t move anything.
3. Is it a wall? A blocked route stops the piece rather than refusing the click — see Moving & selecting tokens.
4. Are you on the Select tool? Press S. Another tool active means clicks are going somewhere else.

Related

• Token settings — Linked Character and Controlled By.
• Adding tokens — placing a token pre-linked.
• Managing players — roles at the table.
• Actors — the character sheets tokens link to.