A few annoying eTools things

[ControlFreak]

I decided to use eTools to prepare for my Wednesday night game and here are some of the things I found:

1) The party will face both Average Salamanders and Noble Salamanders. However all stat blocks show only "Damage Reduction," while the Average Salamanders get 10/+1 and the Noble Salamanders get 20/+2. Even when I created them as a character (added 3 levels of warrior), the Damage Reduction box on the character sheet was empty.

2) Additional attacks with melee weapons (+12/+7) aren't shown with each weapon, only when the BAB is displayed itself.

3) Critical hit info isn't shown in Stat Block and Improved Critical and Keen aren't stacked correctly on a character sheet.

4) When creating a Salamander "character," I couldn't add 3 HD of Outsider, I was forced to add a Class (I used Warrior). Also, I couldn't add nothing .. I had to add at least 1 level of some sort to the creature before I could get into the character editor (and through that get to the character sheet).

5) Speaking of Noble Salamanders ... they are given a +3 Longspear 1d8+3 instead of a +3 Huge Longspear 2d8+3. I guess this one shouldn't be too hard for me to change though.

6) Skills don't seem to come out the same when generating a Noble Salamander as they are in the book. Most are correct, but Craft (Metalwork) and Bluff are both off by 2. Looking at the .rac file doesn't help me to understand how to fix this since all skills are set to 0 there except Craft (Metalwork), which is set to 4.

7) Maybe it's just me, but I coulnd't find an easy way to combine the stat blocks of 2 Average Salamanders and 2 Hell Hounds on the same page. Even better would be for me to easily add 3 HD to all of the above and then print them together.

That's it for now .. these all just came up when I tried to prepare for Tonight. I'll probably stick to the old way for now, but I still think that eTools will ultimately be the answer (along with the PDA stuff that's in beta).

ControlFreak

 

[Therigwin]

You don't use the character editor to add HD to monsters.

That is the monster editor. Try that and it should be ok.
(The one that has a picture of a monster without the dice.)

And it sounds like you were using the random character generator (the helmet with the dice) rather than the character editor. The character editor allows you to fully customise, where the character generator uses the defaults from the NPC tables in the DMG.

Hope this helps you figure things out.

 

[ControlFreak]

I actually used the character generator for 2 reasons. One was access to the additional information on the Character sheet, hoping (incorrectly) that it would solve some of my problems. The other is becuase the PDA Beta currently works only with exported .chr files, and I was hoping to use my PDA tonight.

Otherwise, everything I mentioned was a problem wtih both the monster and character generator except for the adding HD thing, and since there's no character sheet for monsters, that's the only way to get at one

ControlFreak

 

[bitz]

On the skills, make sure they are holding the Metwork Tools to get the +2 (might be why... I bet there is a -2 modifier in there on the char sheet). Common problem we all run into.

As far as Bluff, I believe that is part of the Synergy bonus bug. Many of the monsters that Eric and I have built from Monsters of Faerun had this problem.

Changing the weapon should be easy enough.

If you want to add 3 HD of Outsider, then just use the Advancement to get there. But, since you want to use the Char Sheet, you will be forced to create a new Salamander Race with the Extra HD and go straight to the Char sheet after that.

Hoefully, someone with some skill in XLST can built a monster character sheet soon. =)

 

[bitz]

The +7/+2 missing on the sheet is a bug. It shows in the Char sheet, but not the printout.

 

[Caliban]

E-tools doesn't advance the CR when you increase the HD, and it doesn't have an option for you to change the CR if you think it should be different (due to extra items or increased stats, for example).

I equipped a character with Bracers of Archery, and the damage bonus wasn't reflected in the weapon stats.

Others as I encounter them.

 

[ControlFreak]

E-tools doesn't advance the CR when you increase the HD, and it doesn't have an option for you to change the CR if you think it should be different (due to extra items or increased stats, for example).

I equipped a character with Bracers of Archery, and the damage bonus wasn't reflected in the weapon stats.

Others as I encounter them.

I don't have the DMG in front of me, but do Bracers of Archery give a damage bonus at all ranges, or just within 30'?

ControlFreak

 

[Caliban]

I don't have the DMG in front of me, but do Bracers of Archery give a damage bonus at all ranges, or just within 30'?

ControlFreak

I think it's only within 30'.

 

[ControlFreak]

I think it's only within 30'.

If so, my guess is that's why it was left out of the bonus. If a bonus only applies in certain circumstances it probably isn't printed.

ControlFreak

 

[Caliban]

If so, my guess is that's why it was left out of the bonus. If a bonus only applies in certain circumstances it probably isn't printed.

ControlFreak

There should be an option to have it show you the breakdown for all the to-hit bonuses and damage bonuses with a specific weapon or attack. That way you can make sure it's adding everything you think it shouldk, or figure out what it's not adding in and why.