book keeping for dummies

[SiderisAnon]

Do you come up with all your descriptions for potions, weapons, etc or do you have some kind of description generator?

For descriptions, it's a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

A lot of magic items I create out of my imagination. There are also quite a few where I found an interesting image to use and then created the description to match the description. I generally only use the random generators when I'm stuck for ideas, looking to go outside my usual "style", or when I'm making a stack of items at once and am running out of creativity. However, my new game is going to feature a lot more potions, so I expect to use the generator type more often. (Though I always tweak things to fit my own sense of style.)

I posted a Seventh Sanctum link above that is a sword generator. I mined that for ideas when creating the two masterwork weapons on the cards I posted. They've got a potion description generator there too that I'm going to try out for the next batch of new potions I create.

Common items are easy: I just put in a very basic description, either something copied from the SRD or something I create to describe the item. I figure there doesn't need to be anything really detailed on the normal item, plus it helps make masterwork and magical items a little more special.

 

[Erywin]

Do you keep your previously created item cards digitally? Or are they all just one of a kinds? I was telling Blarg about this and we might be interested in trying something very similar. He really loved the idea of binders for each character, plus he has some of the Gamemastery Item Cards that we could use for the really important items

 

[SiderisAnon]

Do you keep your previously created item cards digitally?

I keep them all electronically. I have numerous files that contains cards and items. For common items, like a bag of holding or handy haversack, I may go back and reprint the cards to add more. For potions, especially healing ones, I've had to print multiple times -- though I pretty much have enough of those "in stock" now that I don't have to print more. For more unique items, like specific magic weapons, I'm unlikely to ever reprint because I keep the cards after the campaign and so I can always reuse them.

Having built up a stock, it makes my life as a DM so much easier. For instance, I have a collection of +1 rings of protection with different descriptions. This is one of the most common magical defensive items around in my game. I always have more to give a bad guy, and then the players can choose whichever description appeals to their character. (I've had players trying to match the gems set in various magic items, for instance.)

 

[Erywin]

I keep them all electronically. I have numerous files that contains cards and items. For common items, like a bag of holding or handy haversack, I may go back and reprint the cards to add more. For potions, especially healing ones, I've had to print multiple times -- though I pretty much have enough of those "in stock" now that I don't have to print more. For more unique items, like specific magic weapons, I'm unlikely to ever reprint because I keep the cards after the campaign and so I can always reuse them.

Having built up a stock, it makes my life as a DM so much easier. For instance, I have a collection of +1 rings of protection with different descriptions. This is one of the most common magical defensive items around in my game. I always have more to give a bad guy, and then the players can choose whichever description appeals to their character. (I've had players trying to match the gems set in various magic items, for instance.)

Soo totally awesome, Blarg and I have been chatting about this alot over the last few days. I was wondering if there was a chance you could make the files available for others to use? This is such a totally cool idea and you must have alot of items built up over the years.

Cheers,
E

 

[SiderisAnon]

I was wondering if there was a chance you could make the files available for others to use? This is such a totally cool idea and you must have alot of items built up over the years.

The problem is that many of the cards use images that I do not have proper rights to. I used clip art for a number of them, which I could redistribute, but many of the images were things I found on the web, borrowed from other applications, or scanned from gaming material. For instance, I created most of my early cards using the images that game with the old Second Edition CD that had all the books and had a character generator. (The generator had images for the equipment on your character that were in a directory.)

I'll look through some of the older files and see what kind of effort it would take to determine which images I could use and which I would have to remove. (Basically, the user would have to insert their own.)

If I were willing to put files up, anyone have any suggestions on file hosting? At the moment, I don't have any way to post files.

 

[SiderisAnon]

Follow-Up

This is a follow-up to my previous post.

I was looking at posting the blank forms from Adobe so that people could fill them in and stick in their own artwork. However, I just found out this evening through a quick test that the free Adobe reader will let you fill in information but it will not let you save your work. So, if you filled in a card, you would lose it when you closed Adobe. Apparently you need a full version of Adobe to fill in cards. (Though you could use cards already filled in.)

How many people are interested in the blank cards and actually have Adobe so that you could fill them in? Feel free to contact me directly.


I may still post some filled out cards when I have time to review the artwork, but I've been too busy this week to take that time yet.