Making your own power cards

[eloquentaction]

Originally Posted by Alphastream

Honestly, I've been writing my first 4E mod and I wanted to get some cards done for my PC (who a different player will play so we have 5 PCs) and item cards so i can give them cool treasure. I love your design, but I have mentally kept myself from installing it because I know I won't finish the mod if I do.

Now that the bulk of the work is done, I'm gonna do just that. And yes, I would love a tutorial on the MSE file itself. I read about the unzipping part, but I haven't done so nor delved into it. It would be useful to have the wiki at least explain what is going on. It would also let people know that they can change cards even if the text is not easily editable in the card.

Thanks, Hirahito! No slight meant, just giving props to what I've been able to get to so far!

It's cool. I have both Items / Magic Items / Mobs and Initiative cards all on my to-do list. Just a matter of time.

I'll try and finish Druid up today and start working on my cards. My free time dropped significantly for the next 3 weeks as I have my kids clambering for attention.

Damn them! ;-)

-- Hirahito

[praxedes]

Hi folks- I'm new o the forums and LOVE the powers cards. Ander00 has done amazing work adding in all of the powers. Because I like pretty things I have added in some more detailed background art to his sterling work. I haven't altered the content or anything (not that clever) but I've changed the png files for the main backgrounds. I didn't do all of them, jus tthe default cards. If they're popular, I'll happily complete the set. Again, all praise to Ander00 for the originals- hopefully this won't offend him

The zip file is here: http://www.box.net/shared/h7r1l6ps0k and contains all the original stuff as well. Enjoy!

Apologies for image size- I don't know how to do that thumbnail thing!

[Onderzeeboot]

I see Ander00 is still updating post 568? I'm missing the at-will powers Melee Basic Attack and Ranged Basic Attack found in the PHB on page 287. Maybe they can be added to the file? Keep up the great work, I've already got my party hooked on the concept of power cards

[praxedes]

You know you can add them yourself by copying an existing card in MSE and re-typing the text, then saving your set- at least, that's how I've been making magic items

[Netminder69]

I have created two sets of the Wizard illusion spells from Dragon #364 in the Ander style and the Hirohito style. I also have Ander style cards for the Warforged race and paragon paths and the Pack Master paragon path.

They are on my website: www.dungeoncrawl.us.

[guybrush]

Originally Posted by eloquentaction

Guybrush -

Awesome job on the WIKI.

Thanks for the feedback! Good to see others have chipped in, too; that's what Wikis are for, after all!

One note, though - it's not entirely necessary for them to put the complete card sets in their own directories. Most of ours can coexist peacefully since we've renamed the .mse-game. Mine, for example, is differentiated by DnD4h.mse-game. Since none of the other sets use that, it can coexist peacefully.

Okay, great. I was wondering about that - I think I was still using an old version of your cards when I originally wrote the article, and it did seem to overwrite some of the Ander00 files I was using at the time. All the stuff about using different directories has come from other authors.

I still dream of developing a standard D&D.mse-game file for 4E power cards, but I understand everyone's busy figuring out what works best for them. I would imagine the majority of current designs have a large degree of overlap in the schema, though - after all, they're all modelling the same information from the same source!

[beowulfe]

On the Ander's set, how do I edit the file to add in new races/classes? Since there is a drop down box with the races/classes listed, how can I add new ones to that list?

[eloquentaction]

Originally Posted by guybrush

Okay, great. I was wondering about that - I think I was still using an old version of your cards when I originally wrote the article, and it did seem to overwrite some of the Ander00 files I was using at the time. All the stuff about using different directories has come from other authors.

I still dream of developing a standard D&D.mse-game file for 4E power cards, but I understand everyone's busy figuring out what works best for them. I would imagine the majority of current designs have a large degree of overlap in the schema, though - after all, they're all modelling the same information from the same source!

Yep - I'm learning as I go along. Sorry for that hassle.

I have gone through my set file and I'm making an effort to 'standardize' on the following fields:

name: -- Name of the card
name2: -- Optional. Used by Hirahito as complete source (e.g.
Fighter Feature)
image: -- background image
super type: -- word listed Class. (like: Fighter)
NOTE: Ander has these two reversed
sub type: -- word listed Type. (like: Attack / Utility)
level: -- Level of the power - Hirahito will put nothing on skills/feats
descriptors: -- word listed Frequency and flags on one line.
frequency: -- word listed Frequency (like: Daily)
flags: -- Arcane, etc. Hirahito - moved my keys: field to this
NOTE: I will not be comma separating
source: -- Source of this feat (like: PHB / MM, etc.)
source2: -- Optional. Hirahito - using this for another text box (top)
rules text: -- contains the rules.
flavor text: -- flavor text. Needs to be <i-flavor>ed.
action icon: -- the icon for the action type. NOTE: THIS HAS NOT
BEEN STANDARDIZED. Most sets are different.
range icon: -- the icon for the range. NOTE: NOT STANDARDIZED.
box label#: -- Labels for the boxes. NOTE: NOT STANDARDIZED.
Ander uses ATTACK: for the first box label, I use box label1:
Ander has box label2 & 3. I have box label1-7.
box contents#: -- Contents of the boxes. NOTE: NOT STANDARDIZED.
As far as I know, no one else stores the contents of the
boxes.
background: -- Ander has a lot more options than most. Red/Green/Black
is standard. Ander and I have Blue/Silver/Gold. Ander also
has a bunch of oranges, etc.
action: -- Hirahito only. Spelled out action (Free / Standard, etc.)
range: -- Hirahito only. Spelled out range.
rangevalue: -- Mercutio and Hirahito. Has the range value.
burstvalue: -- Mercutio and Hirahito. Has the burst value.

This is the new standard I'm moving to. It's a mix between my current set, Ander's set and Mercutio's set.

It's up to you to try and get them to conform! ;-)

I should be putting out the new set within the next few days.

-- Hirahito

[eloquentaction]

[quote=meandog;4390350]

Originally Posted by eloquentaction

Sorry Meandog!


Here are two examples. The first is my set at default, the second is with some of the options selected.

Man that is alot of options, and really cool. So your idea was to use these side boxes to write in your characters attack and damage? What other things would you put in them?
Thanks

Well, I looked around and saw some of the cards had as many as 5 attacks (though most were typically 3 attacks). Plus, a lot of the cards had things like 'and you push the target 2 + your Dexterity modifier squares'.

So I wanted to be able to have an Attack ( +6 vs. Reflex ) / Damage ( 2d8 +4 ) and so on and so forth.

Basically, any info you'd need for that card.

I really wish MSE had negative regions; areas where it would wrap text around a box, say. But it doesn't (or at least I can't find anything like it).

My next version is just a clean up.

The biggest changes will be in the data in the set itself.

-- Hirahito

[eloquentaction]

Here's the basic card template for Monsters in my set...

Let me know what you guys think.

-- Hirahito

[Mercutio01]

I like that hirahito. I kind of like what I did with setting the cards landscape, but I can see where setting them portrait makes sense.

[Black Plauge]

Hirahito, to wrap text around something you need to make use of mask images in MSE. I've not used them myself (no need at this point) but it can be done.

[eloquentaction]

Originally Posted by Black Plauge

Hirahito, to wrap text around something you need to make use of mask images in MSE. I've not used them myself (no need at this point) but it can be done.

Hmmmm... I thought that was for images only.

I'll try that with my next build and see if I can get text to wrap around things.

Thanks for that tip, Plauge!!

-- Hirahito

[eloquentaction]

Originally Posted by Mercutio01

I like that hirahito. I kind of like what I did with setting the cards landscape, but I can see where setting them portrait makes sense.

I saw what Plauge and you did!! I doubt I can get something as good, but I'm going to throw some ideas out there and see if anyone likes them.

I'm trying a lot of things for this version as well.

Did you and Plauge happen to see the messages about semi-standardizing on the same type of MSE game file? I'm going to go ahead and do it. And I know your guys game file is close to mine (or at least it used to be).

-- Hirahito

[darkInertia]

Originally Posted by praxedes

Hi folks- I'm new o the forums and LOVE the powers cards. Ander00 has done amazing work adding in all of the powers. Because I like pretty things I have added in some more detailed background art to his sterling work. I haven't altered the content or anything (not that clever) but I've changed the png files for the main backgrounds. I didn't do all of them, jus tthe default cards. If they're popular, I'll happily complete the set. Again, all praise to Ander00 for the originals- hopefully this won't offend him

The zip file is here: http://www.box.net/shared/h7r1l6ps0k and contains all the original stuff as well. Enjoy!

Apologies for image size- I don't know how to do that thumbnail thing!

I like the detail you added to the cards; I would like to see a dark black border around the entirity of the card however (it helps make cutting the cards out easier). In addition, In the main box, I think the embossed border would look better if you didn't place it on the top of the card (right above Encounter - Martial, Weapon, e.g.).

[tristan_tewksbury]

Originally Posted by eloquentaction

Well, I looked around and saw some of the cards had as many as 5 attacks (though most were typically 3 attacks). Plus, a lot of the cards had things like 'and you push the target 2 + your Dexterity modifier squares'.

So I wanted to be able to have an Attack ( +6 vs. Reflex ) / Damage ( 2d8 +4 ) and so on and so forth.

Basically, any info you'd need for that card.

I have modified the cards to read as "[WisAtt] vs. Reflex" or "2d8+[WisMod]" and then setting up the fields to hold the values for the card, allowing me to write in the current values in pencil so I don't have to keep printing the cards. Works well for me

[tristan_tewksbury]

Originally Posted by eloquentaction

Here's the basic card template for Monsters in my set...

Let me know what you guys think.

-- Hirahito

Very nice! I like it quite a bit. Any chance of other colors?

[wagenejm]

Praxedes: I liked the backgrounds you made, except you didn't include one for the orange2, which is the one my group prefers to use for magic items. The rest is great though.

[eloquentaction]

Originally Posted by tristan_tewksbury

Very nice! I like it quite a bit. Any chance of other colors?

I've got the standard Red/Green/Black/Blue/Silver/Gold backgrounds already.

This was a leathery one I put together specifically for critters.

Do critters need more than one?

-- Hirahito

[eloquentaction]

Originally Posted by tristan_tewksbury

I have modified the cards to read as "[WisAtt] vs. Reflex" or "2d8+[WisMod]" and then setting up the fields to hold the values for the card, allowing me to write in the current values in pencil so I don't have to keep printing the cards. Works well for me

I'm doing something similar. I'm changing my set creator C# program to look for HIT:, ATTACK: and similar 'markers' in the text. It will then auto-fill the box label and box content tags in each of the cards.

Most people are doing their card sets by hand, but that's just too much damned work for me; I'd much rather program a computer to do it. That way, if something is wrong, I just go correct it in my SpellSource.Txt file one time and then re-run the program to re-create my set.

Hey, I'm a programmer - I'm born lazy.

I'm thinking of putting my C# proggy up on the web so other programmers can mutate it at will.

-- Hirahito