D&D 5E 5th Edition character generator

[AaronOfBarbaria]

I think 5E runs great without needing one. Thats kind of a litmus test to see if a tabletop rpg is too complex for its own good. Do I need a generator to make character creation painless enough to actually do it? If the answer is yes then I can safely put that game into the "not worth it" bin and move on.

5E as it stands works great with just a fillable pdf, of which there are many to choose from. If it ever get gummed up with enough crap to require a generator then I won't be playing any more.

I agree with you... even though I do have a few games that fail the litmus test you describe as far as I am concerned that I still love and play, but that is mostly because there is nearly zero chance of needing to build another character before the full run of the game has been played through.

And to share an anecdote, just the other night I built 4 D&D 5th edition characters using nothing but the books and a fillable PDF character sheet (levels 6, 7, 10, and 13) in less time than it took me to build just my last 4th edition character while using the character builder (level 13).

 

[Sacrosanct]

I think 5E runs great without needing one. Thats kind of a litmus test to see if a tabletop rpg is too complex for its own good. Do I need a generator to make character creation painless enough to actually do it? If the answer is yes then I can safely put that game into the "not worth it" bin and move on.

5E as it stands works great with just a fillable pdf, of which there are many to choose from. If it ever get gummed up with enough crap to require a generator then I won't be playing any more.

I don't know if you recall or not, but a while ago during the playtest, I created a halfling barbarian in 5e. On an index card. So yeah, for me being able to create a PC easily without needing any software is a must for me. I don't always have a computer handing. Especially when I want to create NPCs quickly

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I guess we are derailing the thread, but I also do like that you can very easily use a blank sheet of paper to make a character. Noting stats and your proficiency bonus and you can play. Some few abilities need to be noted, but those are easily remembered. The "very few big bonuses instead of a lot of small ones" agenda makes life very easy.

 

[psychophipps]

There was very good Android 5th Ed character app. Unfortunately it wasn't official, had enough copywrite infringement to slow down China, and ended up getting pulled. I still have it on my tablet but lost it on my phone last time I replaced it.

 

[Baumi]

The Android Version of "Fifth Edition Character Sheet" should be available again .. as far as I know (I have IOS, where it also exist):

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wgkammerer.testgui.basiccharactersheet.app

But I don't like it to much, since it doesn't have any Spells included .. which would have been the most important aspect for me (referencing in Play is annoying).

 

[Nylanfs]

...and development on PCGen has stopped. Anyone else going to develop one?

I'm going to be talking with the rest of the BoD about the situation soon. I have approached WotC multiple times and keep getting told to wait for the "new license". Which is probably going to exclude software (again).

PCGen supports 5e just fine as is, we just can't release the data without positive permission from WotC.

 

[ClockworkNinja]

I'm curious. What (primarily) are you looking for in a character generator? I typically create my characters (especially NPCs) by jotting down a few numbers on a notepad. Are you looking for something to make pretty characters, or something that will manage inventory, or something to manage spells known/memorized (this is the one task which is pretty tedious in my method)?

Not sure about others but the main draw of a character generator for me is the "all in one place" convenience of it. If I want my wizard to learn a cantrip, I don't want to have to check through the PHB, Elemental Evil players guide, and the sword coast adventurer's guide (plus whatever resources are added later) in order to find out what cantrips he can learn. Nor do I want to copy a full paragraph by hand.
I want it all in one single, easy to read list where I can add the full text of the spell to my character sheet with a single click.

Easy-to-use UI is vitally important and where existing products like fantasy grounds fail utterly ("click and drag the little book icon to see more options" How could a new user possibly know to do that? Why Do I have to initialize each class "pack" separately? Oh god I'm buried under too many windows why does every button open a new window?)

* The main value add of the character generator I'm envisioning, relative to every other character generator out there, is that I would include a quick table at the bottom of your DPR vs. every AC in the game, and of the DPR of every to-hit from +0 to +20 against you.

While that might be nice to have, it's not really what I'm looking for and honestly feels a bit metagame-y. You could probably just post a table of that in the character-optimization forums and call it a day.

If what you want isn't too hard I could make one for you and throw it up on a web page*, but I cannot and will not do "pretty" character sheets with lots of formatting and borders and pictures, etc.

[TL;DR]
What about a searchable database that can be copy+pasted into an existing form-fillable PDF character sheet? The "compendium" tool from 4e was a great resource and would fulfill like 90% of what I want from a complete builder.

 

[ClockworkNinja]

I'm going to be talking with the rest of the BoD about the situation soon. I have approached WotC multiple times and keep getting told to wait for the "new license". Which is probably going to exclude software (again).

PCGen supports 5e just fine as is, we just can't release the data without positive permission from WotC.

Maybe if an incomplete but mostly usable build were somehow accidentally leaked online it might force WotC's hand?

 

[bedir than]

I don't know if you recall or not, but a while ago during the playtest, I created a halfling barbarian in 5e. On an index card. So yeah, for me being able to create a PC easily without needing any software is a must for me. I don't always have a computer handing. Especially when I want to create NPCs quickly

I've got a notecard Cleric (Knowledge) as well as a Human Monk survivalist (uses the Magic Initiate Feat to cast goodberry, tell the weather, etc). Both are AL legal. I'd need a small notepad to track resources during play (HP, ammo, spells), but I love that I don't need much to play. Yes, both list all spells and equipment. And yes, both would need a second card as they enter tier 2 and higher levels of play.

 

[Chris Simpson]

I'm going to be talking with the rest of the BoD about the situation soon. I have approached WotC multiple times and keep getting told to wait for the "new license". Which is probably going to exclude software (again).

PCGen supports 5e just fine as is, we just can't release the data without positive permission from WotC.

I hope you can support 5E, I will be watching.