Bookkeeping powers, actionspoints and hitpoints?

[James McMurray]

I used cards for a while, but there's so much else to track and the stack of cards gets too big when you're a high level wizard.

I'm using this. It's a 1 - 2 page excel spreadsheet with each power listed including effects and page number. The one posted is for an 11th level wizard, so I've highlighted some of the boxes to show memorizeation choices.

I also put conditions, defenses, hit points, skill ratings, and more on it so I don't have to shuffle between sheets. It's now got pretty much everything I'll need for combat from the character sheet, as well as most of the stuff I'll need when not fighting.

I slip it into a clear plastic cover and mark things off with a grease pencil. I tried wet erase markers, but they rub off too easily. Grease pencil stays until you take a paper towel to it.

 

[Obryn]

I use...

* Power cards for the PCs abilities, including things like Second Wind.
* Poker chips for action points
* Alea magnets for marks and conditions

It works out pretty darn well.

-O

 

[James McMurray]

Obryn, did you find the Alea magnets to be worth the cost? we've been looking at those, litko counters, and a few other options. Tonight I'll be going to look for 1" buttons at a Hobby Lobby, but if they don't have anything usable I'll need to decide between Alea's magnetized markers or Litko's printed counters. I like the printed ones because you don't have to memorize what each of 15 colors do, but magnetized seems like it'd be easier to move around the board, assuming the magnets are strong enough that you can grab a mini and it's 3-4 conditions will come with it.

edit: The Alea link for those interested.

 

[Obryn]

Obryn, did you find the Alea magnets to be worth the cost? we've been looking at those, litko counters, and a few other options. Tonight I'll be going to look for 1" buttons at a Hobby Lobby, but if they don't have anything usable I'll need to decide between Alea's magnetized markers or Litko's printed counters. I like the printed ones because you don't have to memorize what each of 15 colors do, but magnetized seems like it'd be easier to move around the board, assuming the magnets are strong enough that you can grab a mini and it's 3-4 conditions will come with it.

edit: The Alea link for those interested.

Ummm... Well, I got them for trade while at Gen Con a few years back. I paid with a couple of foam swords instead of actual cash.

And... In many ways, I love them. In other ways, I hate them.

Love: They're colorful. They're good mnemonic devices. They stack well, being magnets. They have a good amount of weight to them - enough that they can't get blown around. There's a wide variety for a lot of conditions. I think they add to my game.

Hate: They're freaking magnets. If they are in adjacent squares, they will either push or pull each other. Both are annoying. Aligning them to make sure they attract each other (the less annoying possibility) is a PITA. Pulling them apart again sucks, too.

I honestly don't know that I'd pay $70 for a set, unless I made a lot more money than I do now. If they were weaker, it'd help.

The button idea is a good one, except they won't stack very well. Still, it's creative and I have no doubt you'll find plenty of stuff at Hobby Lobby which could fit the bill. (My wife is a craft person, and I'm amazed at the amount of good gaming stuff I can find at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, JoAnn, and the rest.)

I think someone on CM found miniature 1" poker chips. Those seem like another less-expensive and less-annoying option.

-O

 

[bobthehappyzombie]

Those magnets do look the business, but they arn't cheep, how many do you find you need?

I have invested in the cheepskate version.

22mm counters from ebay or here

these guys do stackable counters in all sorts of sizes but you have to buy a helluva lot.

 

[fba827]

I use a seperate sheet of scratch paper for all the variable items.
The character sheet has the numbers as totals (like total hp) etc, but on the scratch paper, I write down a section for
HP
Conditions
Number of Healing Surges
Daily Powers (and then I write down the names)
Encounter Powers (and then I write down the names)
Consumables (like ammo or potions)
Our group uses poker chips for action points, otherwise I'd have a line for that as well.

Then I can just scribble on the paper as needed for the session. At the end of the session I make any notes to the character sheet as needed and then toss the scratch paper in the recycling bin


I see other people at the table using post-it notes on their character sheet in essentially the same way -- one post-it by the HP section to record the ever-changing total, etc.

I've also seen people use those plastic sleeves over their character sheets and then use a fine-tipped erasable marker on the plastic to mark things off as needed and then wipe clean with papertowl when done.

 

[amysrevenge]

In case anyone hasn't found them yet, there are some very nice fan-created power cards here at EN World

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=231186

I particularly like the ones by jfjohnny5

Big Mike
Calgary AB

 

[Oompa]

Hmm..

I have an noteblock, where for every combat i write down the inititiave order on and behind the names the hp, so i can note down new hp behind it..

Before the inititiave number i place an small cross when someone's turn has ended.

Under the list i place who marks who and till what round, i can easily see wich round ends what because i tick off the end of turns..

Under the marks i write down who loses equipment, or gains equipment..

My players have simple indexcards on wich they wrote the powers they have, if they use an power they give the card to me, if its an at will they get it back.. or on the end of the encounter when they rested 5 minutes..

 

[Tony Vargas]

I'm not pleased with my current system of keeping track of which encounter I've used in a fight. Curently it usually means making a erasable mark on my charachter sheet in the fight - and when the fight is over I erase the marks. As I haven't got hold of a good and clear character record sheet that is supposed to support the marking/reasing procedure, it gets messy after a few fights.

This is an age-old problem. Common solutions have been to put your character sheet in a plastic sleeve sheet-protector and mark on that with dry-erase, or simply track hit points and such on a sepparte card or piece of scrap paper (post-it notes stuck to the sheet also work fine).

Anybody tried using some kind of cards for your powers?

The way the powers are written up seems ideally suited to be printed on neato collectible cards (who'd expect something like that from WotC?). Until those come out, index cards could work just fine. Just hold the encounter and daily powers you haven't used yet in your 'hand,' 'play' them when you spend the apropriate action, and discard them (into different piles since encounters refresh sooner than dailies) when done.

Or having magic markers for hit points. Whenever you loose hp you drop them in a bowl in the middle?

That'd be a lot of glass beads, but you could do it. While you could 'count out' healing and damage that way, it might be more tedious than just tracking a number on a bit of scrap paper, it'd also be inconvenient when the cleric asks "how much damage have you taken" since you'd have to count your hit point tokens.

 

[amysrevenge]

The way the powers are written up seems ideally suited to be printed on neato collectible cards (who'd expect something like that from WotC?).

I'm actually finding that form-fillable blank pdfs are more useful.

I'm putting things that aren't precisely "powers" on the cards too. Second Wind, for instance, is pretty much an Encounter Power, so I've made a card for it as if it were. Even things that aren't powers at all - I made up At-will cards for fighter's Combat Superiority and Combat Challenge, and for the dwarf thing to reduce forced movement.

Also, with form-fillable cards you can put in your own numbers if you want.

I can't imagine pre-printed cards to have the same usefullness to me.

Big Mike
Calgary AB