Adjusting the intitial point buy number

[Diceman]

My friend is starting a new 3.5 campaign and he sent an email today listing the parameters of his new campaign. He said to use the point buy method with 34 points. The HL program has many choices, but it gets to 32 points then jumps to 40 points.
How can I set the program so I can create characters with point buy limit of 34?
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Diceman

p.s. I looked in the editing tools to see if I could find a way to copy one of the point buy settings and change the number to 34 but I was unable to locate them in the editor.

[Aaron]

You can increase the points available by adding to the tGen herofield. It'd be pretty easy to create an adjustment to add or subtract them. Open the editor, create a new adjustment and give it an eval script that goes something like this:

~ If we're not enabled, get out now
doneif (field[pIsOn].value = 0)

~ Add extra attribute points for nonstandard point-buy.
herofield[tGen].value += field[pAdjust].value

Only part that might be sticky is timing. I'd start out at First 10000, but if that didn't work I'd move it back a bit.

Don't forget to hit Test Now! in the upper left of the editor and then try out the adjustment to ensure it is working. If not, adjust the script timing and try again.

Hope that helps!

[Diceman]

getting the following error mesage:

Hero Lab was forced to stop compilation after the following errors were detected:

Syntax error in 'eval' script for Thing 'ppa' (Eval script'#1') on line 5
>Only derived fields can generally be modified via scripts (field 'tGen')

Assuming that is saying that point buy adjustments don't fall into that category.

could be I did it wrong. not very adept at scripting. I basically did a copy/paste of your script into the eval script field.

[Aaron]

Looks like the problem is that tGen isn't a derived field, meaning it wasn't set up to be messed with by user scripts. I think you can probably get around this with a trustme command (although we discourage users from using them, so don't make a habit of this).

~ If we're not enabled, get out now
doneif (field[pIsOn].value = 0)

trustme

~ Add extra attribute points for nonstandard point-buy.
herofield[tGen].value += field[pAdjust].value

[Diceman]

Originally Posted by Aaron

Looks like the problem is that tGen isn't a derived field, meaning it wasn't set up to be messed with by user scripts. I think you can probably get around this with a trustme command (although we discourage users from using them, so don't make a habit of this).

~ If we're not enabled, get out now
doneif (field[pIsOn].value = 0)

trustme

~ Add extra attribute points for nonstandard point-buy.
herofield[tGen].value += field[pAdjust].value

ok tried this when I got home. tested the script and it passed. but in using it, you add the permanent point adjustment , and then it doesn't matter which way you spend your points, up or down... the amount of points left keeps going up. So I can raise all my starting stats to 18, and I end up with an additional 134 points left.
If nothing else this is a fun experiment.
I tried adding min and max values in the fields below the eval script and it did not have any effect.

[Lord Magus]

Originally Posted by Diceman

ok tried this when I got home. tested the script and it passed. but in using it, you add the permanent point adjustment , and then it doesn't matter which way you spend your points, up or down... the amount of points left keeps going up. So I can raise all my starting stats to 18, and I end up with an additional 134 points left.
If nothing else this is a fun experiment.
I tried adding min and max values in the fields below the eval script and it did not have any effect.

I remember asking for this a couple of years ago; "trustme" was suggested but Mathias recommended against it for this very reason.

As for the solution I devised / was recommended at that time, I'm afraid none were found.

[Mathias]

herofield[tGen].value = field[pAdjust].value

Wouldn't create the problem where it keeps trying to add to the value every time the program re-calculates that character.

[Diceman]

Originally Posted by Mathias

herofield[tGen].value = field[pAdjust].value

Wouldn't create the problem where it keeps trying to add to the value every time the program re-calculates that character.

Not sure if it is significant, but the script I used included a " +" sign and the line you reference above the "+" symbol is absent.
Again my understanding of scripting miniscule at best.
I figure if nothing else I can use the preset 40 point buy native to the program and only spend 34 points.
This all a result of the person running the new campaign being a min/max player and knowing those two points from 32 to 34 offer stronger characters.
Anyway I appreciate the imput from everyone.
Thanks.

[Mathias]

A += B is a shortcut in Hero Lab's programming language for:

A = A + B

So, I'm suggesting that instead of

A = A + B

use

A = B

[Diceman]

Originally Posted by Mathias

A += B is a shortcut in Hero Lab's programming language for:

A = A + B

So, I'm suggesting that instead of

A = A + B

use

A = B

ok, so I removed the "timing" field value of 10000 and used your suggested script.

So now I created a 32 point buy character and assigned points until I was two points over (34 total and the amount I was attempted to use). after that I applied the custom adjusted point buy in the adjust tab.
Bingo, validation issue disappeared !!

So by using a 32 point buy option , and applying the point buy adjustment after I spend 34 points can now create 34 point buy characters without validation issues.

Again thanks to everyone for the input!

Diceman