Character Sheets...

[Crissa]

http://pcgen.sourceforge.net/

Okay, is it too much to ask for a character generator that doesn't think it knows the rules better than you? This is really starting to cheese me.

Look, I just want a nice looking sheet with skills and stats on one side, and combat stats on the other. Is that so hard? Isn't that technically easier?

This particular one allows you to buy skills only up to the points for each level - no int bonus, and heck if I can find the first level x4 skills. For some reason I can put 6 ranks into Forgery, but only 3.5 into Move Silently - it says that Move Silently is a cross-class for a Fighter, so apparently 'while you're a fighter' you don't keep your skill points from previous levels? O-o

Do people really play like this?

-Crissa

[AlphaNerd]

I made a human rogue in it just now with a 12 int, and I got 40 skill points ((8+1+1)*4). Of course, I think the interface is pretty hideous, so I'd probably not use it for that reason.

Joshua

[power_word_wedgie]

I'm not sure what is being asked: are you asking whether we allow extra skill points to carry over to the next level? If that is it, then my answer is no: that gaming groups that I've associated with require that all the skill points are expended once you receive then leveling up.

As for other charact sheets, there's The Singing Sheet.

[Crissa]

Where does it show your total skill points? My version is constantly harping at me that I must spend my skill points and it gave me 6+2+2+2 which need to be spent specifically in order - I just want a darn character sheet for my fourth level character. Then again, while it saves what levels things were spent at (why?) and which levels had which hit die (again, why?) it doesn't seem to want to let me spend my bonus skillpoints. Argh.

And PWW, I'm completely unsure where you even got that idea.

But why spend so much time making a sheet generator that then argues that it knows things better than you? Why?

-Crissa

[power_word_wedgie]

1159484806[/unixtime]]Where does it show your total skill points? My version is constantly harping at me that I must spend my skill points and it gave me 6+2+2+2 which need to be spent specifically in order - I just want a darn character sheet for my fourth level character. Then again, while it saves what levels things were spent at (why?) and which levels had which hit die (again, why?) it doesn't seem to want to let me spend my bonus skillpoints. Argh.

Well, some of that make sense depending on how the programmer decided to control skill points. I'm thinking that it's making you spend skill points in that manner because of guarding it for multi-classing. At first level, whatever class you start with is going to have a maximum of 4 for all class dependant skills and two for the others. Then, from there, you're going to increment by one for each level you go up per the class that you select. It's probably their way of controlling skill point for various scenarios using on function of code.

As for the hit die and bonus skill point, I would agree that it doesn't make sense. Probably the way that the code mindset was developed; usually, for organized progression, that way you know that you are a valid character for each level.

And PWW, I'm completely unsure where you even got that idea.

I didn't know that you ment by this: so apparently 'while you're a fighter' you don't keep your skill points from previous levels?

I wasn't sure if you meant spent or unspent skill points.

[Tokorona]

Because to developers, it's sometimes easier to do that, or just to make it more complex so people download it.

Personally, I prefer Campaign-Blog

[Crissa]

PWW, when I selected a skill, and selected 'max ranks' it would put it at the cross-class max, instead of the max, max, which was bizzare. Eventually I got to the point that it let me spend more points than it wanted to, and then wouldn't let me take any of the extra ranks away...

It'd be easier to code it to count up all the skillpoints spent, and just give a warning that you're over. All these generators I've played with today (except the singing one) tried to control things which aren't even in the books. And even if they were, what makes the damn character sheet know better than I what my stats and class combonations are?

Argh.

-Crissa

[User3]

Why not use a piece of paper? Or a text file?

Or do you just want to vent? If so, that's fine. Character sheets can make everyone mad now and then. Just let it all out.

[Username17]

There are definite advantages to everyone using the same format. For one thing, other people can find your Spot Check while you're in the bathroom, and that's convenient when drawing up the situation.

That being said, I have never seen a character sheet that was actually useful to me. Not ever, not once. In a game like D&D or nWoD, where the skills are extremely static you'd think that you could make a sheet that covered everything you ever wanted or needed.

But it's not true. I've never seen a prepackaged sheet that actually had space for all the shit that you need. It makes me sad.

-Username17

[fbmf]

My guess is that everyone custom tailors their Character Sheet Generator to their specific campaign. I know I do.

Game On,
fbmf

[power_word_wedgie]

I think that part of the problem for PCGen is that it is coded by CMP and that it needs a Java package. Four or five years ago, this wasn't a problem since PCGen was the only software that CMP was working on and thus got the focus. Now, they support E-Tools and they're in the process of releasing another package. The issue is that the latter programs are ones that they get money for: PCGen is shareware. Thus, with those economics, the one that is making money is probably the one that will get attention. Hence, they probably put bypass options on the software as a way to allow users to make the corrections for the shareware themselves.

As for programs, I've got E-Tools. It's great t make a few NPCs, monsters, or treasure generation. It doesa good job making a character pretty quickly, but it usually is core with the costs of the data sets. So, really if I use anything, I use something like Singing sheet or a print-out of the WotC sheet and hand write things and scan them in. As for getting everything onto one sheet, I take advantage of the two pages on one side option since I like t look at small text anyways. Even then, I resign myself to having maybe 75% of what I need at my fingertips; the rest I will look up when needed or else the sheet gets too verbose.