Rich text on every hex
DM Notes & Hex Keying
Attach encounters, secrets, landmarks, and lore to any hex on your map. Keep DM-only notes hidden from players. Export the whole thing as a printable hex key.
Click the red note badge to open a hex note.
How Notes Work
Rich text editor
Each note opens a full-featured text editor with bold, italic, lists, headings, and links. Paste markdown and it converts automatically. No character limit — write as much or as little as you need.
Categories for organization
Tag notes as Encounter, Secret, Landmark, Settlement, Dungeon, Treasure, NPC, Quest, Lore, or Danger. Filter by category when prepping sessions or reviewing the map. Each category gets a distinct color badge on the map.
DM-only secrets
Mark any note as DM-only. When you share a live link with your players, they see the map with fog and terrain — but DM-only notes stay completely hidden. Reveal them when the moment is right by toggling the visibility flag.
Discovery conditions
Set conditions for when a note becomes visible to players: on entering the hex, on searching, on a skill check, or manually. Combined with fog of war, this gives you full control over pacing and discovery.
Built for hexcrawl keying.
The classic hexcrawl workflow: paint your wilderness map, then "key" each interesting hex with encounters, landmarks, and secrets. Hexer's note system is designed exactly for this — place a note, pick a category, write your key.
When you're done, export as a Hex Key — a structured Markdown document with every keyed hex listed by coordinates and terrain. Print it, bring it to the table, and run your hexcrawl with a physical reference sheet. Read our hexcrawl guide for the full workflow.
Notes work on every layer. Key surface encounters separately from Underdark encounters. Each layer's notes are independent — no cross-contamination.
Start Keying Your Map
Notes are free on every tier. Open the editor, click any hex, and start writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are DM notes free?
Yes. DM notes are available on the free tier. Attach notes to any hex with rich text, categories, and discovery conditions — no account required.
Can players see my DM notes?
Only if you want them to. Mark any note as DM-only and it stays hidden in the shared view. Player-visible notes appear when the party reaches that hex.
What note categories are available?
Encounter, Secret, Landmark, Settlement, Dungeon, Treasure, NPC, Quest, Lore, Danger, and Custom. Categories help you filter and organize notes when prepping sessions.
Can I export my hex key with notes?
Yes. The Hex Key export generates a structured Markdown document listing every keyed hex with its terrain, coordinates, and note content. Perfect for printing and running sessions without a screen.
Do notes work on Underdark layers?
Yes. Each layer has its own notes. Place notes on surface hexes and underground hexes independently. Notes appear in the shared view when a player is on that layer.