Custom Output Missing Information

[MidniteArrow]

This is a repost from the HeroLabs general forum. It is Pathfinder-centric, although not necessarily Pathfinder-specific.

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I am working on some automated tools that would consume the custom output XML that was recently added to Hero Labs. The tools would then serve as a game-time companion that automated tasks and act as a sort of electronic character sheet.

First off, thank you for Hero Labs. It is a great tool. Thank you for the custom output, it is a great addition to this great tool. But in an effort to make it better...

The first problem I think I'm going to run into is a lack of information in the custom output.

Consider the armor class of a level 1 fighter in full plate with a dex of 20 and a full tower shield in the Pathfinder system:

AC = 10 (base) + 9 (Plate) + 4 (shield) + 1 (Dex limited by plate)

Now the player decides to take off the plate, but keep the shield.

AC = 10 (base) + 4 (shield) + 2 (Dex now limited by shield)

But using only the information in the custom output, I don't see a way to get that information. The plate armor bonus is there, but not the max dex. On top of that, the general "armor" attribute shows how it was calculated, but not in detail. It doesn't, for example, show that the dex bonus was limited, and that it was limited by two separate pieces of equipment. That is needed information. As-is, I will have to recreate a lot of the work that is already done by the Hero Labs software to make this product. What I would prefer is an output that looked something like:

<...>some section that identifies equipment, and uniquely names them</...>

<abilities>
...
<dexterity>
<value value=20/>
<bonus id="dexBonus" value=1>
<base value=5/>
<limit from="fullPlate1" maximum=1/>
<limit from="towerShield1" maximum=2/>
</bonus>
</dexterity>
...
</abilities>

<armor value=24>
<base value=10/>
<modifier from="fullPlate1" value="9"/>
<modifier from="towerShield1" value="4"/>
<modifier from="dexBonus" value="1"/>
</armor>

I realize that this is much more detail than the typical consumer of this format wants, maybe an added format would be appropriate (assuming this level of information sharing is in line with your business goals of course). In general, I'd like to be able to have enough detail there so I'll know not just what the various values are, but why they are what they are in fine detail.