Pathfinder package question

[Meridias]

Greetings all. Just signed up after getting HeroLab so I haven't gotten too deep into the program yet and I apologize if this has been asked before. Not sure if HL can even do what I would like it to do but I'll ask anyway.

Here's what I'm hoping I can do:
Take a copy of the Pathfinder source, strip out anything I don't want or plan to not use, put in all the extra stuff, package it up and send it to the people in my campaign that also have HeroLab and say "Here. This is the ruleset. Everything in there is fair game."
Instead of telling them "Load up Pathfinder, make sure this is on, this is on, this is off, ignore that, etc."

Is this even possible?

[Farling]

There is a "Configure Hero" panel which defines which packages are being used.

I don't think you can share the ticked items directly.

[CorzatTheGray]

If the others in your group also have HL, then all you need to do to get the correct list of options on the "Configure Hero" is to set them up on a single character and save that portfolio as a Template. Send that one single portfolio to the others in your group to use to create their PCs and then save as a new portfolio.

EZPZ

In this way all of the options that you as the GM decide are to be used are already checked/unchecked and all the players have to do is create their characters.

It's worked like a charm for a long time for me and my group.

[Silveras]

Make a portfolio with one "empty" hero ("unnamed hero") configured the way you want it, with the books and options you want.

You can give that portfolio to your players, and tell them to make new characters by using that. They can make file copies of the portfolio, then open them and edit.

If they mostly use HeroLab for your game, they can click on "Set Defaults" in the Configure Hero window, and all new heroes will have the same book selections (note: new purchases are enabled by default, so you may have to periodically go in and turn new books off).

You can implement some changes to the rules in the Editor. Some things are easier than others -- generally, adding new Feats, Races, and Classes is much easier than changing how core parts of the rules work. There is a learning curve to the Editor, though, so that may take a while to get where you want it. Files you create in the Editor can be given to your players (and must be, if they want to use HeroLab with your changes).

Otherwise, for official content, they need to buy their own copies.

If there are only a few things from a particular book that you want to use, you can try to create them yourself in the Editor (especially if they are Feats, or Equipment), but the packages are low-priced enough that it may be worth just buying it if you have the money.

EDIT: Aaaaaannd ninja'd

[Azhrei]

Using the above approach works great, but there's no simple way to verify that the players haven't changed the settings (that I can tell; if there is a way, I'd like to know!).

It would be great if HL calculated a checksum and displayed that value at the top of the Configure Hero panel. If the checksum was based on which checkboxes were selected, that would be great! Even if new sources became available later, the checkboxes that were selected wouldn't change so (hopefully) the checksum would be the same... This would give the GM a super easy way to verify the options were the same.

For example, if the names of selected checkboxes were concatenated together into a single, long string, a checksum of that string would be the same even if new sources were added. I'm assuming those checkboxes have some internal HL name that will never change, even if the title of the publication changes; that unchanging name is the one I'm suggesting be used.

[Mathias]

Azhrei - look in the debug hero tags - look for the usesource tags. You could write a series of eval rules, and place them on a mechanic, that would test these things. If you want verification of the mechanic's presence, have it bootstrap an ability that will show in the Special tab.

Although players who are determined to cheat you will just edit the .user file of the mechanic you've sent them, so if you really don't trust them, make them send the characters, and only have the mechanic on your own system, so that it provides verification once you get the character.

[ShadowChemosh]

Originally Posted by Mathias

so if you really don't trust them

If you can't trust your players get new players. HL is not a security or anti-cheat software and should never be expected to be one.

[Farling]

Originally Posted by Azhrei

Using the above approach works great, but there's no simple way to verify that the players haven't changed the settings (that I can tell; if there is a way, I'd like to know!).

There is an option on one of the tabs for you to see which sources a character is actually using, rather than what is configured for them to be able to pick from.

You can then compare the actual used sources to your list of approved sources.

[Ualaa]

You can check a box, where HL will print the sources that are used for a given character.

You won't necessarily know if a player has enabled a book that you don't want in your game.
But you can immediately tell if they took anything from that book.

[Azhrei]

That's a good option, Farling and Ualaa. I'll look into that.

What I'd like to do is ask a player, "What's the checksum at the top of the Configure Hero panel?" If they read me a ten-digit number that doesn't match what I think it should be, their character is invalid in my game.

I can't think of anything simpler, and looking through a list of sources could be a bit of a pain. I suppose they could copy/paste the list into an email to me, but it's too easy to just leave something out. They can't leave something out of the checksum because they wouldn't know how to calculate a new checksum.