D&D 5E The Clean Sheet

Gretkatillor

First Post
The Clean Sheet is a 5th Edition character sheet that can be used both as a digital and as a physical sheet. It's compact (two pages can be enough), easy to use, flexible, and uncluttered. This post will help you get the most out of the sheet.

For the lastest (beta) version, check out the sheet's Github repo. I'm no longer actively working on the sheets, but I'll gladly accept the improvements of others.



Quick tips

  • Choose a layout you like. Pages 2-4 have a dropdown menu on top that provides options.
  • Hover over fields to see their tooltips. Tooltips often provide detailed information based on your input. For instance, once you pick a class, the tooltip will show info such as hit dice, skills, and starting equipment.
  • Stats of known weapons, armors and shields are calculated automatically. Change their name, for instance with an *, to switch to manual input in all fields. Comments in parentheses are ignored for this purpose.
  • You can indicate advantage/disadvantage/special by clicking in the right upper corner of many fields. A small plus, minus, or asterisk will appear.
  • Use the latest standalone version of Acrobat. Other readers don't play well with this sheet.
  • Make sure JavaScript is enabled: Preferences --> JavaScript --> Enable Acrobat JavaScript
  • Hide ugly borders and markers: Preferences --> Forms --> Show focus rectangle/Show text field overflow/Show border hover (all off)


How to make a character in 10 steps

  1. ROLL the dice and apply the results or use point buy (enable STATS to see the current point buy value).
  2. Choose a race and click ADD TRAITS.
  3. Add the race’s ability score increase (see race tooltip).
  4. Choose a background and a class.
  5. Select saving throw and skill proficiencies using the class and background tooltips.
  6. Fill out your hit point maximum using the tooltip.
  7. Choose armor and weapons based on the starting equipment of your class (again, see tooltip).
  8. On page 2, add items to your inventory with ADD ITEMS AND SPELLS, ADD ITEMS, ALL OF THE ABOVE. Manually add any other equipment granted by your class.
  9. Consult the Player's Handbook and fill out your class features and spells (you can use the above button for adding whole levels of spells).
  10. Fill out additional info such as alignment, age, and personal characteristics.


Classes

You can select two classes using the drop-down menus. The tooltip of the second class will show you the requirements of and proficiencies gained by multiclassing into that class. Enter the class level directly after the name of the class, for instance "Barbarian 3". The character level in upper right corner will be updated automatically. If you enter no class level, the sheet will assume that you have one level in a class.

Your character level, proficiency bonus, hit dice, spell slots, and number of prepared spells will be calculated for you using the multiclassing rules in the Player’s Handbook. You can also enter more than two classes by typing in their names and levels, for example:

"Fighter 5, Arcane Trickster 2, Ranger 2"
"Wizard (Abjurer) 5, Druid (Circle of the Land) 4, Rogue 2"

Any known classes and levels will be detected, which in this example creates a 20th-level character. All class levels (even those of unknown classes) will be added to your character level. All known spellcasting classes will be taken into account for calculating spell slots.



Armor

Selecting a known armor automatically updates the type, base AC and Dexterity cap. If your Constitution and/or Wisdom modifier contributes to your AC, you can select that using the drop-down menu next to the Dexterity cap. A general AC modifier can be entered after "Other Items Feats".



Weapons

If you enter the name of a known weapon, its details (attack, damage etc.) will be completed automatically and kept up-to-date. For easy reference, the weapon list also contains all cantrips that deal damage, such as Fire Bolt. If you type in the name of the cantrip, make sure to add the governing ability, for example "Fire Bolt, Intelligence".

When determining proficiency for auto-calculation, the sheets checks the WEAPON buttons on page 1 (button right) and, if necessary, scans the OTHER PROFICIENCIES & LANGUAGES fields for the weapon’s name.

If you want to manually edit a known weapon’s stats, chance its name by so that its not in the list. This will make the auto-calculation for that weapon stop and enable manual input. Example:

"*Longsword"

If you have a magical weapon, you can add the bonus like this:

“Longsword +2”
"Longsword +5 (stolen from Bob the Troll)" (will still auto-calculate, since comments in parentheses are ignored)

Seperate modifiers to attack and damage can be added like this:

"Longbow +2A +1D" (will calculate with an extra +2 to attack and +1 to damage)

Finesse weapons, including monk weapons, will use Strength or Dexterity, whichever is highest. Loading and some special weapons have an asterisk next to their attack value to alert you. The damage of breath weapons, cantrips and monk weapons is calculated according to your class/character level. The half-orc bonus to critical hits is also taken into account. Versatile weapons have two entries: normal and two-handed:

"Longsword" (1d8 base damage)
"Longsword, two-handed" (1d10 base damage)



Skills

Click the circle next to a skill once to indicate proficiency (light grey), or twice to indicate expertise (dark grey).



Inventory

The sheet calculates the total weight of your items and coins. You can add "*" to the name of items that you do not carry (e.g. "Mule*") to have their weight excluded from the total. You can switch to the variant encumbrance rule using the blue button on top of page 2.

The tooltips of the fields for coins will update with info on their total value and weight.

You can add items from page 1 (armor, weapons etc.) as well as complete item packs using the button ADD ITEMS AND SPELLS, ADD ITEMS.



Spellcasting

Spell slots, number of spells prepared, spell recovery and sorcery points are calculated using the classes and levels entered one page 1. The special rule for the warlock’s Pact Magic is taken into account. To enable spell recovery of a Circle of the Land Druid, enter your class as "Druid (Circle of the Land)". If you have both normal and warlock spell slots, an asterisk indicates which are the warlock's. See the tooltip for details.

In addition, the tooltip of each spell slot shows how many spells you know per spellcasting class and per level. The spellcasting ability is set to that of your highest caster, but the tooltip shows the spellcasting stats for every ability.



Spells

If you enter the name of a known spell, its details (level, components etc.) will be completed for you. The spell name's tooltip shows its school and classes that can use the spell. Look at the tooltip of the description* for more information about the spell's effects. Furthermore, one asterisk in the components field indicates that spell has a costly material component; two asterisks indicates that this costly component is consumed in the casting. In all cases, the spell's material components are described in the tooltip.

The ADD ITEMS AND SPELLS button allows you to enter one or all spell levels of a class at once. For example, you can select ADD SPELLS, PALADIN, ALL SPELLS to enter all paladin spells in one go. This may take a few seconds. The sheet will only use visible blank spots, so the sheet's current layout determines where the spells will appear.

You can sort you spells using ADD ITEMS AND SPELLS, MAINTENANCE, SORT SPELLS. This function is mostly aimed at wizards, who frequently add spells at different levels and may want to tidy their list. The function will sort all your spells, first by level, then by name. It ignores to which classes the spells originally belonged and create a new headers for each spell level. It also removes any duplicate spells.



Portrait

You can add a portrait to your sheet. One the second page, use the PORTRAIT drop-down menu. Click the frame and add an image. Only pdf images are supported (a limitation of the pdf format itself), but there are free tools to convert jpgs to pdfs. The top portrait has an 8 x 13 ratio, the middle one a 11 x 13 ratio.



Other features

  • In general, the sheet will only display what can be calculated at a given point. For example, skills are not shown until you have entered the associated ability scores. In some cases, the sheet will tell you what’s missing.
  • You can manually override parts of the sheet’s auto-calculation with the MANUAL buttons on top of page 1.
  • The after selecting a known race, the age, height and weight tooltips show the typical values for that race.
  • The hit dice tooltips contain info on their use.
  • The death saving throw tooltips tell you how these checks work.
  • The documents title will change to your character’s name and level once you save it.
  • You can switch to the variant encumbrance rule using the button on page 2.
  • If you want a perfect pencil & paper version, try the skill HINT button on page 1.
  • You can select multiple armor/weapon proficiencies in one go by clicking the highest one (e.g. click heavy armor to switch on light and medium as well).
  • If you are encumbered, the total weight will be displayed with a bold font. Check the speed tooltip for some of the effects.
  • Similarly, if you have enough experience points for a new level, the amount will be displayed with a bold font.


Known issues

Adding all spells of class may take a while, especially when the sheet is full. If this is a problem, you can always add the levels one by one. Similarly, clearing all spells may take quite a while. Sometimes one or two spells linger, in which case you'll have to clear again.

If the sheet becomes unresponsive, you can try ADD ITEMS & SPELLS, MAINTENANCE, RE-INITIALIZE.



Thanks/credits


  • Southjersey and Aurora Sinclaire are adding new content to the sheet
  • Morepurplemorebetter’s spell descriptions were the basis for those in this sheet, as he kindly allowed me to work with them. Thanks! You can check out his (spell) sheets here.
  • MadIrishman’s great 3rd Edition sheets where the inspiration for this sheet. MadIrishman was nice enough to let me take his design for a spin. Check out his designs here.

Thanks to all those who provided feedback!
 
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asorel

First Post
This is more of a pipe dream than anything else, as I can't see it happening without a major overhaul of the layout, but I'd like to have a slot for a character portrait without sacrificing the spell table on the second page. Again, I understand that this impossible to do without tearing everything down and starting anew, and I by no means expect to see it in a future edition. But we can all dream, can we not?
 

Gretkatillor

First Post
I'd like to have a slot for a character portrait without sacrificing the spell table on the second page.

I could create an optional layer for a (quite tall) portrait over the left column of the inventory. So, top-left on the second page. That's quite easy to do. Minor problem: unless I tailor the script, any weight values already entered in that column would still count toward the weight total.
 

asorel

First Post
I could create an optional layer for a (quite tall) portrait over the left column of the inventory. So, top-left on the second page. That's quite easy to do. Minor problem: unless I tailor the script, any weight values already entered in that column would still count toward the weight total.

That would be excellent, thank you. If it came down to a time constraint, I would prefer that work be put into items of functionality, such as Jack of All Trades, rather than cosmetic items. Then again, everyone else and I are getting this content for free, and aren't in much of a position to give demands.
 

Gretkatillor

First Post
Well, I'm looking for suggestions, so feel free.

Because each new version requires me to redo a lot of steps, it's best for me to make as much adjustments (cosmetic and functional) as possible at once.
 

Jerig128

First Post
This sheet is AMAZING. Exactly what I'd been looking for, and to see you know the MadIrishman is even better because I was so hoping to find a sheet in his style.
Since the character background is so important now to 5e for the purposes of inspiration and such, are there plans to include spots for those? As well, are you going to do the neat thing where the stat associated with a modifier box is written inside lightly as a reminder? Will there ever be a non-fillable form for just printouts?
What is the Experience Points box intended function with spots for 4 different entries?
Would it be possible to have a spot for "Advantages" - things that you always have the advantage on (like against saving throws for poisons)? (is that "special defenses"?)
Rather than "effect" on damage, would "type" be a better word? Also, why a crit box? and why the range box so small?
Since you have the full page of spells as page 3, would not the spell caster info go there as well and allow for page 2 to have expanded item slots? Maybe even a listing for gear worn verses in your pack?
My apologies if I've overloaded you - I truly am excited for this and you've done a wonderful job so far. I tried doing something like this in MI's style and I failed horribly on the graphics part, but I got a lot done in the planning part. Let me know what you think about ideas.
Keep up the great work man!
Thanks!
 

asorel

First Post
This sheet is AMAZING. Exactly what I'd been looking for, and to see you know the MadIrishman is even better because I was so hoping to find a sheet in his style.
Since the character background is so important now to 5e for the purposes of inspiration and such, are there plans to include spots for those? As well, are you going to do the neat thing where the stat associated with a modifier box is written inside lightly as a reminder? Will there ever be a non-fillable form for just printouts?
What is the Experience Points box intended function with spots for 4 different entries?
Would it be possible to have a spot for "Advantages" - things that you always have the advantage on (like against saving throws for poisons)? (is that "special defenses"?)
Rather than "effect" on damage, would "type" be a better word? Also, why a crit box? and why the range box so small?
Since you have the full page of spells as page 3, would not the spell caster info go there as well and allow for page 2 to have expanded item slots? Maybe even a listing for gear worn verses in your pack?
My apologies if I've overloaded you - I truly am excited for this and you've done a wonderful job so far. I tried doing something like this in MI's style and I failed horribly on the graphics part, but I got a lot done in the planning part. Let me know what you think about ideas.
Keep up the great work man!
Thanks!

I've just been using the "Features, Feats and Notes" section of the sheet for keeping track of background. I actually prefer this to having sections labelled respectively for personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws, because that sort of labeling is what makes so many other character sheets 4+ pages long, and rather cumbersome to use. This one keeps the length to 2 pages, 3 if you need an entire page for spells. By the same token, this is why I enjoy having the casting abilities info on the second page. If I'm playing a class that only needs the shortened area for spells provided on the second page (which is to say, pretty much any casting class except for Wizard and perhaps Cleric), I'd like to have all of the pertinent info for spell bookkeeping on that page as well.


Edit: Regarding the XP section, the large top box is for keeping track of XP arithmetic. The one on the left is for your current XP, and the one on the right the amount required for you to gain a level.
 

Jerig128

First Post
The way I see it, lock in the most value for the most available space. You just said that the sheet is 2 to 3 pages for the lesser spellcaster/ larger spellcaster. Why not keep it 2 to 3 pages but default to 3 for all spellcasters? that way pages 1 and 2 work for everyone in all ways, with clear spots for everything that has a name, and large organizational spots for items, traits, abilities, equipment, notes, all that good stuff. Then page 3 is the "I also cast spells" page with all the spellcasting info and probably larger boxes for the spell slots used (akin to the hitpoints box)
 

asorel

First Post
The way I see it, lock in the most value for the most available space. You just said that the sheet is 2 to 3 pages for the lesser spellcaster/ larger spellcaster. Why not keep it 2 to 3 pages but default to 3 for all spellcasters? that way pages 1 and 2 work for everyone in all ways, with clear spots for everything that has a name, and large organizational spots for items, traits, abilities, equipment, notes, all that good stuff. Then page 3 is the "I also cast spells" page with all the spellcasting info and probably larger boxes for the spell slots used (akin to the hitpoints box)

That could work, if you're fine with having 3 pages. I'm not sure what the general opinion on the forums is, and the design should ultimately be decided by public opinion, but, for my party, two pages is considered something of an upper limit. More than that starts to feel cumbersome, and we would prefer to avoid it unless it is absolutely necessary, as is the case with the Wizard. Even in that case, I feel that the use of the third sheet would be somewhat limited. The smaller spells section still has 38 slots in it, which is enough to hold all of your combat spells, and the most-often used utilities. The third page would be home to the situational spells, that see decidedly less use than others.
 

Gretkatillor

First Post
Glad you like the sheet, Jerig! I'll try to address all your comments:

Like Asorel said, the big "feats, features & notes" box on page 1 is intended for personality info as well. I'm working on adding optional (!) labels for bonds, flaws, etc. as grey text within the box. If you need more space for these things, you can also enable the extra notes on page 2 (instead of the smaller spell list). It's in the layers menu.

There is a big round checkbox for inspiration on page 1, left of the Performance skill.

There is a version of the sheet made for printing as-is, called "v3 auto-calculation disabled". That one already has ability hints for skills and some other things; I might expand this a bit in the next version. You can enable the hints in the normal, auto-calculating version as well, again via layers.

The four xp boxes are there so you can enter xp from several sessions, which is then added up automatically in the "total" field.

I'll consider "type" and the size of the range box (I agree it's rather small). The crit box is quite useful, I think. For instance, my half-orc deals 1d8+3 on a normal hit, 3d8+3 on a crit because of his race skill, which is easy to forget. Magical weapons can also do special things on crits. And crit range can change (fighter skill).

"Special defenses" will be renamed "resistances, immunities & other special defenses", so it should be clear what should go there. As for indicating (dis)advantage to other things, that's a good idea, but I'll have to find out how to make appropriate fields/tags without cluttering the sheet. (I was already looking at how to better represent disadvantage to Stealth, since that's especially common.) Perhaps shading a particular field?

I can see your point about moving the spell stats to page 3, but that's really meant as an optional page for advanced casters only. I want players of all classes to be able to use just one double-sided page for their character, at least when starting out. And if you play a non-spellcaster, just replace the spell-casting stuff on page 2 with extra lines for notes etc., so that no space is wasted. I think I'll post a version with this arrangement as a default, so that it's easier to make use of it.

Let me know if you have more ideas!

This sheet is AMAZING. Exactly what I'd been looking for, and to see you know the MadIrishman is even better because I was so hoping to find a sheet in his style.
Since the character background is so important now to 5e for the purposes of inspiration and such, are there plans to include spots for those? As well, are you going to do the neat thing where the stat associated with a modifier box is written inside lightly as a reminder? Will there ever be a non-fillable form for just printouts?
What is the Experience Points box intended function with spots for 4 different entries?
Would it be possible to have a spot for "Advantages" - things that you always have the advantage on (like against saving throws for poisons)? (is that "special defenses"?)
Rather than "effect" on damage, would "type" be a better word? Also, why a crit box? and why the range box so small?
Since you have the full page of spells as page 3, would not the spell caster info go there as well and allow for page 2 to have expanded item slots? Maybe even a listing for gear worn verses in your pack?
My apologies if I've overloaded you - I truly am excited for this and you've done a wonderful job so far. I tried doing something like this in MI's style and I failed horribly on the graphics part, but I got a lot done in the planning part. Let me know what you think about ideas.
Keep up the great work man!
Thanks!
 
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