Character Sheets

[chiefweasel]

If the user community is will we can create multiple templates and offer them to everyone. It would make it easier for folks.

[Nanan00]

The character sheet output is a bit of a disappointment as it neglects many things such as names of custom items still including enhancement stuff spamming to the end of the name block yet those enhancement bonus items are not reflected in the weapons stats such as a longsword with flaming/frost should be 1d8+x + 1d6, the problem is the extra damage dice items are not showing up.

eg.: from the .por file, does HL not even track some enchantments?

+3 Keen Frost Rapier +18/+13 (1d6+11/15-20/x2)

where is the 1d6 frost damage?

[NeoFax]

Originally Posted by toddlower

I didn't get this newsletter that you referenced, so . . . when is soon? I love HL for creating characters but the output is so bad as to be unusable. It doesn't display any of the variable bonuses for things like power attack or rage. I currently have a mid level two weapon fighter with rage, power attack, two weapon rend, none of these show on the weapon's stat block. I have five attacks per round. One of the things that I hate most when playing at a table is when I (or others) can't find or compute their attack/damage bonuses in a timely manner.

You could output multiple sheets with each applied and hand write the name of the applied "bonus" at the top. This way you have a rage sheet, a power attack sheet, Hybrid form sheet...

[ShadowChemosh]

Originally Posted by NeoFax

You could output multiple sheets with each applied and hand write the name of the applied "bonus" at the top. This way you have a rage sheet, a power attack sheet, Hybrid form sheet...

This is exactly what a player in my game does. He says "I rage" and he flips his sheet to the "Rage" sheet. Seems to work pretty good as their is allot of stuff that changes for rage.

The only thing that would be nice is to see which In-Play features are active and which "Adjustments" are active when the sheet was printed. Make it easier to ID which sheet his which and for un-trusting DM's to know what adjustments the character sheet had at the time of printing.

[Kinnakeeter]

Originally Posted by chiefweasel

If the user community is will we can create multiple templates and offer them to everyone. It would make it easier for folks.

Yep. So now that this ability is out there, which of you bright fellows is going to have them first?
On a related note - would someone be willing to write up advice or a tutorial to assist us those of us who would like to learn to create them for ourselves?

I'm slightly upset by this, however. I know next to nothing about editing XML or creating XSLT files other than what little editing I can do in Excel for XML. I don't have the time to map out a sheet in Excel - if I did I'd simply create my own custom database. HeroLab has been great to use and I love the authoring feature( though I don't use it much anymore except to add custom wondrous items or gear and such) but the printed output has left me flat. It's even more of a disappointment to finally have a customizable feature only to have to use an entirely different program to edit it and print something that's actually usable.

Why was the printed output feature neglected so much when you've done so well with every other feature? This has been an ongoing complaint since the beginning of HeroLab and it saddens me.

[Adam.Ormond]

What saddens me is that the upgrade invalidated my license, and now I have to wait for "early license reassignment".

[rob]

Originally Posted by Kinnakeeter

Why was the printed output feature neglected so much when you've done so well with every other feature? This has been an ongoing complaint since the beginning of HeroLab and it saddens me.

Hero Lab supports a large range of game systems, and every gamer has a different idea of what the "right" character sheet design happens to be. Look at how many different character sheets have been produced by various third party companies over the years, let alone all of the custom sheets created by fans. Regardless of what we did, some would like it and others would hate it. So the best solution is to give users the power to create their own. Yes, there is some learning curve involved, but the mechanism uses a well-established standard that many people are already familiar with.

At first, this will be frustrating, since you want something *now*. However, after a little while, a number of users will put together some custom sheets and share them. Once that occurs, you'll be able to use those sheets or tailor one you like to your own purposes.

[rob]

Originally Posted by Adam.Ormond

What saddens me is that the upgrade invalidated my license, and now I have to wait for "early license reassignment".

Are you perchance using the same Hero Lab license number on two different computers? That would definitely cause the upgrade to report that error. If so, then you need to use a separate license number on each computer. When you purchase Hero Lab, you are given access to a FREE secondary license for use on a second computer. All you need to do is obtain the license number and put it to use, which can be done from the License menu within the product (Obtain Secondary License).

Hope this helps...

[Kinnakeeter]

Originally Posted by rob

Hero Lab supports a large range of game systems, and every gamer has a different idea of what the "right" character sheet design happens to be. Look at how many different character sheets have been produced by various third party companies over the years, let alone all of the custom sheets created by fans. Regardless of what we did, some would like it and others would hate it. So the best solution is to give users the power to create their own. Yes, there is some learning curve involved, but the mechanism uses a well-established standard that many people are already familiar with.

At first, this will be frustrating, since you want something *now*. However, after a little while, a number of users will put together some custom sheets and share them. Once that occurs, you'll be able to use those sheets or tailor one you like to your own purposes.

That's not my point, though. My point is that there was never any usable output from the beginning. The program is wonderful but half of the usability is in being able to create character sheets that are legible and helpful in a game. Unfortunately, the output that the program generates is not so. I can't just use a stat block and the printed output is ludicrous and sometime incomprehensible. I need more comprehensive information and I don't have the luxury of using a laptop for games. I talked to you personally at GenCon once about this.

I've had my copy of the program since 2007. I was lucky enough to get a free license from an RPG giveaway and have simply kept upgrading. However, I actually walked away from using HeroLab because of the output issue, even after I spent money upgrading to get all the Pathfinder datasets. I've been waiting for years, silently reading threads commenting on this, and sometimes responding. All this time we've been told something along the lines of "We're working on this", but now all we get is something we can't even manipulate in the program. At least your dataset editor is part of the program and is easier to use. For me, this is useless and, frankly, is a deal-breaker. I'm extremely disappointed.

[Adam.Ormond]

Originally Posted by rob

Are you perchance using the same Hero Lab license number on two different computers? That would definitely cause the upgrade to report that error. If so, then you need to use a separate license number on each computer. When you purchase Hero Lab, you are given access to a FREE secondary license for use on a second computer. All you need to do is obtain the license number and put it to use, which can be done from the License menu within the product (Obtain Secondary License).

Hope this helps...

I have two licenses already. One for one of my desktops, and one for one of my laptops.

As far as I can tell, I need my license unlocked. I'm leery to upgrade on my laptop, as then I'd have zero working copies.