Changing Skills for SRD Classes / More Skill Questions

[RayPrancer]

I'd like to change the skills so that Jump is a class skill for Rangers (as it is in my PHB - though may not be in the SRD), and to add the new skills I've created as class skills where appropriate - especially the ones that are Craft, Knowledge, Perform and Profession skills.

Here's a list of skills I'm using that weren't taken from books (with names as entered):

kEmb Craft (Embroidery)
kLandscape Craft (Landscape Painting)
kPortrait Craft (Portrait Painting)
kCribbage Gaming (Cribbage)
kPoker Gaming (Poker)
kMahJong Gaming (Mah Jong)
kFortuneTe Perform (Fortune Telling)

I'd like to set the Crafts as class skills for any class that gets "All Crafts", the Perform for Bards and any class that gets "All Perform" and the Gaming for the Bard, plus Mah Jong for Wizards and Cribbage for Halflings. I'm also going to set them for some other classes, but can do that through the helper tick boxes.

 

[Mathias]

For the craft and perform skills, why re-invent the wheel? Unless you need to use those for specific class abilities or feats, why not just use the Craft: Other skill, and enter Embroidery as the "Enter Choice" field?

To make something a class skill, the easiest way is to go to the "In-Play" tab, "Click to add in-play adjustments" button, and select "Class Skill", and enter the skill you want in there. You could even use Knowledge: Other to represent the gaming skills.

If you do want to add those permanently, read through the help file's tutorials - those will show you how to work with the elements of HeroLab.

In short:
adding a skill to a class:
Go to the class helper panel.
New (Copy) - select Ranger, and write down that its ID was "cHelpRgr"
click the class skills button, add jump.
give your new class helper a new ID, and put cHelpRgr into the "Replaces Thing ID" field
"Test Now!"

Adding a new skill:
go to the skills tab
New (Copy) - select an existing perform or craft skill to work with, or something with the same attribute as the gaming skills (I'd guess you've used INT, so select a knowledge skill)
re-name it, give it a new ID, and change the text.

There is not currently an option to add new skill categories like Craft and Perform. You'll have to add each gaming skill seperately to anyone who gets it as a class skill. May I suggest you use Knowledge: Other as your template - that way, since the "Unique" flag isn't checked - you'll create Gaming: Other as your only gaming skill, and the user can enter the form they're familiar with.

 

[RayPrancer]

Thanks, that's solved the problem with the Ranger.

What I was trying to do with the custom Craft and Perform, as I intend to use them a lot, was work out a way to tell HL that when the "All Craft SkillS" or "All Perform Skills" are Cheked then I want the class to have those skills. (I don't really want to go in and manually add them to the entire NPC Bard popultion, as I'm using HL as an NPC generator). With the Gaming skills, it doesn't matter so much - it's just a matter of repeating the Ranger method for Bard and Wizard. (And I assume using the "In-Play" tab for the Halflings, since that's all classes).

 

[RayPrancer]

Reason for request

I've just discovered the Skill Category box, that does what I was wanting to do.

However, when clicking the Test now to change it's add manually status, I'm unable to do so, if we have to have HL open to run the Editor, it would be nice to be able to have no hero in memory (essentially the same as the close feature on things like word). This came up because I mistakenly didn't have them set to "must test manually"

 

[Mathias]

For Halflings, races can have class skills, too, if you wanted to make the change permanently.

 

[RayPrancer]

For preference, I'd like to add it the Halfling and to all "Counts as Halfling" races (although if necessary it shouldn't take that long to do individually as I'm only using one custom Halfling race plus the ones from HL).

 

[Colen]

RayPrancer wrote:
>
>
> I'd like to change the skills so that Jump is a class skill for Rangers
> (as it is in my PHB - though may not be in the SRD)


Oops - it should have been a class skill. I've fixed that.


> , and to add the new
> skills I've created as class skills where appropriate - especially the
> ones that are Craft, Knowledge, Perform and Profession skills.
>
> Here's a list of skills I'm using that weren't taken from books (with
> names as entered):
>
> kEmb Craft (Embroidery)
> kLandscape Craft (Landscape Painting)
> kPortrait Craft (Portrait Painting)
> kCribbage Gaming (Cribbage)
> kPoker Gaming (Poker)
> kMahJong Gaming (Mah Jong)
> kFortuneTe Perform (Fortune Telling)
>
> I'd like to set the Crafts as class skills for any class that gets "All
> Crafts", the Perform for Bards and any class that gets "All Perform" and
> the Gaming for the Bard, plus Mah Jong for Wizards and Cribbage for
> Halflings. I'm also going to set them for some other classes, but can do
> that through the helper tick boxes.


Any Craft or Knowledge skills will automatically be Class Skills for any
class that has "All Craft Skills" or "All Knowledge Skills". You
shouldn't have to do any work for that, as long as you set the category
of your new skill to be "Craft" or "Knowledge" in the editor. Ah, after
reading through some other emails you found this yourself.



--
Colen McAlister (colen@wolflair.com)
Chief Engineer, Lone Wolf Development
http://www.wolflair.com/

 

[Colen]

RayPrancer wrote:
>
>
> I've just discovered the Skill Category box, that does what I was
> wanting to do.
>
> However, when clicking the Test now to change it's add manually status,
> I'm unable to do so, if we have to have HL open to run the Editor, it
> would be nice to be able to have no hero in memory (essentially the same
> as the close feature on things like word)


We'll be working on improving the functionality of the "Test Now!"
button in future releases (for example, making it try to remove and
re-add any instances of the current thing instead of making you delete
them yourself or create a new portfolio).


Thanks,


--
Colen McAlister (colen@wolflair.com)
Chief Engineer, Lone Wolf Development
http://www.wolflair.com/