Custom Spell Effect output blocks

[McTaff]

I am a cleric in our current adventure.

Often, I have to work out exactly what my damage, attack bonus, AC and so on are once I've cast a few spells. The other player in the party that plays a cleric in our parallel campaign tried printed up cards that he has on the table, but due to the physical space limitations we have (small table) it becomes difficult for him.

Obviously it's difficult to do on paper (where an electronic character sheet would easily calculate it on-the-fly), but is it possible for an additional page to have all the possible combinations of cleric spells as applied to the character as an option to print out?

Divine Power, Righteous Might, Divine Favour, Bless/Aid/Prayer, Haste, etc., all have overlapping effects, and a quick reference table for them all would help greatly. I thought a neat little table with each combination of spells with a single modifier for each variable next to it would be good:

Spell 1: Attack bonus +1, Damage +1
Spell 2: Attack Bonus +2, Damage +2, AC -1
Spell 3: Attacks +1, Attack Bonus +4, Damage +4, AC -1
Spell 1 & Spell 2: Attack Bonus +2, Damage +2, AC -1
Spell 1 & Spell 3: Attacks +1, Attack bonus +5, damage +4, AC -1
Spell 2 & Spell 3: ...
Spell 1 & Spell 2 & Spell 3: ....

...and so on, taking into account what stacks and what does not. Obviously, it woiuld pay simply to list them as a modifier as the players gear may change, so keeping as a simple modifier would be easier to deal with. Being a set of possible input variables much greater than the example of three that I've given, it could get tricky to get it to 'play nice' with formatting I guess, but if you can come out with either a single table OR something that the keen player could turn into a system of flip cards or something would be awesome.

Nothing worse than holding up the flow of combat when you're trying to work out exactly what your bonuses are.

Also, if you guys end up with a iDevice character sheet, (iPad, Tablet PC, iPhone) this would be an excellent way to have a spell tracker actually calculate your stats - and an even BETTER addition to Realm Works if it is going to be resource and time tracking.

 

[Sendric]

Couldn't you do this manually with the Adjustments tab? Set what spells are active, then print the character sheet?

 

[Zandari]

The problem with that approach is that you now have fourteen variations of your entire character sheet to shuffle through. I think the OP question is more like a quick summary on (for instance) page 3 of just a few attack strings with the different spell combinations up.

A clunky work around would be to generate weapons that incorporate the various bonuses, but that isn't going to be much fun.

One nice solution would be a way to apply the various adjustments on the adjustments tab, then export a small xml block or something that (call it Variation 1, or something like that) could be printed separately. The output would probably include just the AC block, the saves block, and a couple of primary attack blocks (chosen by the user). There would need to be some sort of title that indicated which spell/feat/maneuver/etc. effects were in place at the time. You could probably fit 6 or 8 or so of these on a sheet, so it would be nice to be able to store those somewhere, then output the lot of them to print.

Quick n' Dirty mock-up:

Larry the War Priest
Variation 1
(Divine Power, Bless, Owl's Wisdom)
AC blah blah
Fort blah
Reflex blah
Will blah
Morningstar +1 blah blah

You don't want to recreate the entire sheet, just a few things that are directly affected by a lot of different spells and effects. Basically combat stuff. You could throw a few of these into a bucket, then output them to a reference sheet.

 

[ShadowChemosh]

The problem with that approach is that you now have fourteen variations of your entire character sheet to shuffle through.

But that would then be correct as your talking about spells that do many adjustments. For example just Rightous Might makes ability changes and size changes. That means pretty much 90% of all the values on the character sheet just changed.

For my players yes they simply print the 1st page but do have 1 to 6 character sheets to flip through based on the spells or Class Abilities active (ie Smite or Rage). At the same time more of them are getting laptops or looking at the idea as they see how easy it is for those using the electronic sheets to make adjustments.

Quick n' Dirty mock-up:

Larry the War Priest
Variation 1
(Divine Power, Bless, Owl's Wisdom)
AC blah blah
Fort blah
Reflex blah
Will blah
Morningstar +1 blah blah

This to me looks allot like a monster Stat Block. HL can do Stat Blocks for any character including applying the different Spell Adjusts. Then you could copy it as text and put a bunch of them into a word document. Give them easy reference names and print. Its at least an idea for the mean time until/if HL puts in a more automated method.

Maybe the custom sheets in v3.7 of HL will have the ability to create a "Spell Adjust" like sheet for easy printing.

 

[Zandari]

ShadowChemosh:

Doing this as statblocks is a great idea, I hadn't really thought of that method, but it is a good workaround.

I use a mini-laptop at the table, so its easy for me to do all this on the fly, but your description of having a separate page 1 printed for all of the different permutations of spell effects gives me the absolute heebie-jeebies. I can hardly stand the fact that I have TWO pages of character sheet to shuffle, hence my love of the electronic version.

How do the statblocks export? xml, I assume? I guess it would be pretty simple to pull the pertinent information from several different statblocks and drop it into a single sheet for reference. I might try that out tonight, and see if I can work up something I like for those rare occasions when I don't have the netbook at the table.

 

[Sendric]

How do the statblocks export? xml, I assume?

You can print it directly from HL, or output it as plain text, html, bbcode, or wikitext.

 

[McTaff]

Couldn't you do this manually with the Adjustments tab? Set what spells are active, then print the character sheet?

The problem with that approach is that you now have fourteen variations of your entire character sheet to shuffle through. I think the OP question is more like a quick summary on (for instance) page 3 of just a few attack strings with the different spell combinations up.

Ed-Zachary. We use pen and paper, so no ability for us to keep adjusting character sheets. Unfortunately, HL is for creating and printing before the game, that's it There is no hitting spell combinations and printing out a new sheet, it has to be a neat solution that fits on one page. I personally draw up a table in excel before the adventure if I have time, but more often than not I do not get time to do it.

A reference table that takes up half a page would be good; being able to slap a ruler across the table and be able to easily read off the changed abilities would be easy and less confusing than fifteen seperate character sheets! HL knows what spells you have, and can also include common wizard spells that are cast on groups (and vice-versa for wizard character sheets), so it'd be a fairly static database.

(Unfortunately I'm unfamiliar with the term 'statblock' as it applies here. The only statblock I ever saw was quite some time ago in D&D 3.0 original software or something, and it looked like a dog's breakfast.)

In the future, when iDevices or other tablet style devices become prevalent in our group, then it'd be easy to have that functionality built into the software.

Obviously one hurdle is that because there are indeed a lot of variables, the table would have a lot of columns, not all of them being used for each combination entry. It'd have to be oriented in landscape.

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Slightly off topic:



As it stands, my character sheet is something like 20+ pages, with lots of information that's not in the original sheet. I had to go elsewhere to find it, or type it up myself; I'd like to be able to print off this stuff inside HL instead of going third-party:

1) The spell memorisation part of HL should be selectable. When I'm in HL, I'm not interested in choosing spells, nor do I want error messages in the "cleric" tab saying I have to do it; I just want the spell list so good ol' #2 pencil and an eraser ought to do the spell lists on the aforementioned pretty pages. Can we have an option to turn the inbuilt spell tracking off, and instead on that page have the spell list there, perhaps sorted in tabs for each level?

2) Spell lists, split with each new level starting on a new page, with check boxes to denote memorised spells. Full description (as listed in PFRPG PG) along with the current information that is already present. When creating your character sheet, it'd be nice to have the option of either printing out the current one, or a detailed one, and with an option for spell tracking check boxes.

3) Domains/subdomains, with description of granted power. Probably better listed above the "Level 0" spells to fill out the page. Current character sheet has little information, when the DM asks what your granted power does *exactly*, it requires you to pull out the PG...

4) All current options, with a description, for the channeling ability. For each feat, a few lines to describe how you can utilise it with your channeling (for example, elemental channel, selective channeling, etc could have a footnote here)

Hope this sort of stuff could make it's way into HL.

- McTaff

 

[ShadowChemosh]

(Unfortunately I'm unfamiliar with the term 'statblock' as it applies here. The only statblock I ever saw was quite some time ago in D&D 3.0 original software or something, and it looked like a dog's breakfast.)

Statblocks are how monsters are shown in D&D and Pathfinder. They are very short on just the info a DM needs to run the creature. Here is an example from d20pfsrd of the Aasimar creature.

HL is currently able to create this by simply going to File->Output Active Hero Statblock. This has like 4 or 5 different formats including plain text.

So as many spells adjust everything on a character you could copy the statblocks to say a 2 column Word Document. Make any changes and print. Should easily get you 4 different character configurations per page.

1) The spell memorisation part of HL should be selectable. When I'm in HL, I'm not interested in choosing spells, nor do I want error messages in the "cleric" tab saying I have to do it; I just want the spell list so good ol' #2 pencil and an eraser ought to do the spell lists on the aforementioned pretty pages. Can we have an option to turn the inbuilt spell tracking off, and instead on that page have the spell list there, perhaps sorted in tabs for each level?

What my current cleric player does is simply add ALL cleric spells to his cleric, HL will list an error but will NOT stop you, and then has HL print the "Spell & Powers" part of his sheet. This way all his spells are available. Then he wraps it in a plastic liner thing so he can use a grease pen to select and cast his spells. Seems to work.

2) Spell lists.....
3) Domains/subdomains...
4) All current options, with a description...

In v3.7 of HL we get to create custom character sheets. My hope is that what you are asking for will all be possible. I am also hopeful that those in the community that do create these Custom Sheets will share them so that others can gain benefit also.


The only thing else I can say is that higher level player almost requires a Laptop or Electronic sheet. My players without one are having a small headache at level 13 trying to remember all the Stacking rules and the type of each Buff spell. The best we have found is Index cards for magic items, conditions, and spell effects. Even more fun when I start to use Greater Dispelling on them to rip off the buffs.

P.S. - Not saying anywhere your ideas are bad. Just trying to help with ideas that HL is currently able to do right this second is all.

 

[McTaff]

Thanks for the help, guys.

I'm hoping that HL will be able to have an iPad/iPhone electronic character sheet app soon to take care of all this, too.

We all know these things take time; I'm cool as both campaigns are level 13 for now