Problem with cantrip creation

[nlmacdonald]

I've tried creating cantrips in the Pathfinder editor. I've both copied existing spells and started blank. I check Wizard and Sorcerer for class availability. The spell shows up as a choice for Sorcerers, but not for Wizards. Any time, I try to "Test Now" I end up getting an error -> "Specified thing is actively in use. All references must be deleted before changes an be applied."

I searched the forums and found some suggestions:
1. "Compile Data Files" from the HL Develop menu. And then "Quick Reload Data Files". This compiles successfully, but the cantrip still doesn't show up in the Wizard's book.
2. Check "Don't include Free in Spellbook". Still doesn't appear in the spellbook.
3. Option Button on spellbook to Ignore Physical Spellbook. I don't see this option.
4. Bootstrapping the spell to a Mechanic. Is there an existing mechanic that would be used? I looked at existing Mechanics and they seem to be optional rules.

Is there some special options that must be selected for Cantrips to work for spellbooks. I change the level of the spell and it works, I change it back to 0 and I get the weird error message above and lose the spell in the book.

Thanks

 

[Mathias]

That error on Test Now means you've already bootstrapped it from a mechanic - once you use a mechanic, you need to use the "quick reload data files" option from the Develop menu (keyboard shortcut ctrl-r), and can no longer use Test Now, because Test Now can't handle modifying things like mechanics that are en-massed to a character, and modifying a spell bootstrapped by a mechanic counts as modifying the mechanic - it's a change to the database of available content for your character that can't be made while the database is in use.

 

[nlmacdonald]

Thanks for the reply Mathias. I did read the following "http://forums.wolflair.com/archive/index.php/t-21774.html" forum entry. I've used "> Develop > Compile Data Files" and followed this with "> Develop > Quick Reload Data Files".

The spell entry doesn't have any bootstraps. Cantrips may be bootstrapped in the background by the HL editor, but its not due to some selection I made.

The spell is visible in the spellbook if I change the spell level to 1 through 9, but when I change it 0 it disappears from the book. Its appears that he compile process is ignoring this resource.

 

[Mathias]

Go ahead and post the .user file of your spell, because there's something else going on here.

 

[nlmacdonald]

I wasn't sure how to attach files in the forum. I've included the code from the user file.

<thing id="spJOTFaPhSc" name="Falngard&apos;s Phantom Scribe" description="You can animate a pen or quill to write. The surface upon which the quill will write can be designated by the caster. To animate the pen, the caster must focus and verbalize what the pen would write. The pen can transcribe 100 words a minute and would use the ink that is material component of the spell. The caster can pause in dictating at any time and resume as long as there is time left in the spell." compset="Spell" summary="Makes a pen write at your command.">
<fieldval field="sLGMythic" value="Your rope can extend and attack a target anywhere within the spells range. Add your mythic tier to the Armor Class, hardness, and break DC of the rope, as well as the concentration DC of a creature entangled by the rope that attempts to cast a spell. The rope gains hit points equal to your caster level plus your mythic tier."/>
<fieldval field="sTarget" value="One rope-like object, length up to 50 ft. + 5 ft./level; see text"/>
<fieldval field="sDuration" value="1 min/level (D)"/>
<fieldval field="sSave" value="None"/>
<fieldval field="sResist" value="No"/>
<fieldval field="sCompDesc" value="A bottle of ink"/>
<fieldval field="sFocusDesc" value="A pen or quill"/>
<fieldval field="sCompCost" value="8 gp"/>
<fieldval field="sFocusCost" value="1 sp"/>
<usesource source="sHouseRule" parent="UserParent" name="House Rule Content"/>
<tag group="sCastTime" tag="Action1" name="1 action" abbrev="1 action"/>
<tag group="sClass" tag="cHelpSor" name="Sorcerer" abbrev="Sorcerer"/>
<tag group="sClass" tag="cHelpWiz" name="Wizard" abbrev="Wizard"/>
<tag group="sComp" tag="S" name="Somatic" abbrev="S"/>
<tag group="sComp" tag="V" name="Verbal" abbrev="V"/>
<tag group="sComp" tag="F"/>
<tag group="sComp" tag="M"/>
<tag group="sDuration" tag="PerLevel" name="Level-based" abbrev="Level-based"/>
<tag group="sLevel" tag="0"/>
<tag group="sResist" tag="No" name="No" abbrev="No"/>
<tag group="sSave" tag="None" name="None" abbrev="None"/>
<tag group="sRange" tag="Touch"/>
<tag group="sDuration" tag="Minute"/>
<tag group="sDuration" tag="Dismiss"/>
<tag group="sDuration" tag="Concent"/>
<tag group="sSchool" tag="Transmutat" name="Transmutation" abbrev="Trans"/>
<tag group="Helper" tag="NoAutoBook"/>
<tag group="Helper" tag="CoreCampOK"/>
</thing>

 

[Mathias]

You've got a source set, but it's House Rule Content, not a specific book. You've made sure that your test character has that box checked in their configure hero settings?


You've added the Helper.NoAutoBook tag, which is the checkbox labeled "Don't include free in spellbooks", so right now, this spell is not supposed to be added to spellbooks automatically - this is a spell that the user should manually add to spellbooks. Was that your intent?

 

[nlmacdonald]

I was playing around with different settings to see if I could solve the problem. My intend would be to make the spell unavailable until found or purchased.

 

[Mathias]

Then you've got the correct setting for that. Have you verified that the correct source is turned on for your test character? Once that's checked, the spell should not show up by default in spellbooks, but should be available to add to them.