Layers and Ordering

FXMaster combines active Scene, Region, and API effects in one ordered stack. The stack controls the order of FXMaster effects relative to one another. Separate placement controls determine whether an effect is masked below tokens, tiles, foreground artwork, or presented above fog and vision.

What each layer control changes

Control	What it changes
Manage Layers	Sets which FXMaster effect rows are processed above or below other FXMaster effect rows.
Below Tokens	Prevents the effect from drawing over token artwork.
Below Tiles	Prevents the effect from drawing over tile artwork where the effect supports the option.
Below Foreground	Keeps the effect beneath foreground coverage.
Display Effects Above Fog/Vision	Raises eligible effects above fog of war and token vision while preserving hidden artwork masking.
Above Darkness	Presents the luminous contribution from a compatible filter above Foundry scene darkness without changing the filter’s position among other FXMaster rows.

Tokens, tiles, Scene artwork, lighting, and vision are not rows in Manage Layers. Their relationship to an effect is controlled by the placement options above.

Above Darkness

Compatible luminous filters expose Above Darkness as an effect-level option. Enable it when the filter’s luminous contribution should remain visible over Foundry scene darkness. It currently applies to Lightning, Lightning Bolts, Fire, Sunlight, Aurora Borealis, and Neon.

This option does not move the filter above other FXMaster rows and is separate from Display Effects Above Fog/Vision. The latter changes presentation relative to fog of war and token vision, while Above Darkness affects only the filter’s luminous contribution relative to scene darkness.

Masking and performance

Masking features such as Below Tokens, Below Tiles, Below Foreground, suppression Regions, and other Region or tile restrictions require additional rendering work. Use them where the visual result needs them, but expect some added performance cost compared with an effect that does not use those masks.

Manage Layers

The Manage Layers window combines Scene, Region, and API rows in their current FXMaster compositing order. The top row is the highest FXMaster layer. Use the window to:

1. Identify a row through its Effect, Source, Owner, and Level columns.
2. Move it one position at a time with the Move up and Move down buttons in Actions.
3. Compare its Order with the other active FXMaster rows.
4. Select Reset order from the window controls when the stack needs to return to its default arrangement.

Edit or hide a row through the interface that owns it: Particle Effects, Filter Effects, the owning Region behavior, or Manage API Effects. Manage Layers only changes stack order.

See Manage Layers for a column-by-column reference.

Why order matters

Consider Bloom and Color:

• Bloom above Color: Bloom receives the color-graded image.
• Color above Bloom: Color grades the image after Bloom has been applied.

Particle rows follow the same stack order. Consider Rain and the Fog filter:

• Rain above Fog: Rain is rendered above the Fog filter, keeping the rain more distinct through the haze.
• Fog above Rain: Fog is rendered above Rain, so the haze also softens the rain particles.

The same type of difference applies when Underwater, Water, Fire, Ice, Glitch, and other particle or filter rows overlap.