PL Checks
 

I want to modify how power level is enforced. Normally these two rules are enforced:
Toughness + Dodge <= PL*2
Toughness + Parry <= PL*2

This usually results in Dodge = Parry or one of the active defenses is below the PL limit. So how do I implement

Toughness*2 + Dodge + Parry <= PL*4

Which would allow, for example, Tough 10, Dodge 13, Parry 7 at PL 10.

I'm guessing it has to be added as a procedure but how do I also disable the default checks?

what part of hero lab you are seeing this in.

Oof... that's a pretty fundamental thing. Your best bet is to look at the ".hlz" file in the ProgramData folder when you have the 3E files loaded, but I'm not currently in the position to try to track down which procedure handles this.

Nothing let's me open the .hlz files. How does one look at those files? If I could look at the XML this would be easy. But the compiled .hlz files don't seem to be reversible.

When HeroLab is open, it's basically a text file with XML of the various calculations and rules. It's not really something you can change, but you can sometimes look up what to replace.

I've been a computer programmer for 30 years on Windows in C++. I have no idea what you mean but "it's basically a text file with XML of...." as it related to the running program. Where is this basic text file that one can look at?

You can open it in any text editor. Go to your Game System data folder and open data.hlz. Some of it is not human-readable (I think it's binary data), but most of the scripts are visible. To find what to search for, use the HeroLab diagnostics to determine field names for things like PL.

I will try to remember to get you more detailed data tonight when I get home.

It looks like 3E uses the linkages on the saves to do the calculations. You might be able to rig up the Tradeoff script to take items that have two tradeoffs, and instead do the calculation as planned, but I don't know if it would work with things like Validation.

I really can't tell for certain, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is, indeed, too fundamental to the system.