Character Builder - Compact Power Format?

[Dausuul]

While I find the character builder to be in general an excellent tool, I do have a few issues with it. One is the limited support for house rules, but that's a matter for another thread. The other big one is the "power cards" format.

I like having my powers all printed up on the character sheet, with all the effects laid out and the numbers precalculated. My problem is that I don't use power cards (tried 'em, didn't like 'em), and I don't like the power card format. It's a pain trying to find the power I want to use - the layout is not at all helpful if you don't plan on snipping up the sheet into cards - and my character sheet goes on for pages and pages.

I'd like a character builder option that would print up the powers in a compact format, designed to be used on the character sheet instead of cut into cards. A lot of the nuts and bolts (e.g., breakdown of bonuses) could be omitted, along with the extra white space required by the cards, and the powers laid out alphabetically in a neat two-column format similar to that in the rulebooks.

Does anyone else feel the same? Or am I just talking crazy here?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, you could not print out the power cards at all, but that probably doesn't solve your issue.

I dislike how much space they take, too. I always print two pages on one sheet of paper to avoid printing out that much.

One of my players has created his own character sheet (with word or excel) and managed to put even higher level characters onto a single page. But each sheet is "hand-made", so to speak, and it certainly doesn't interact with the character builder.

 

[Blackbrrd]

I agree wholeheartedly that there should be a way to get a short format for the cards. I made one in my Excel sheet. (It's in my signature). I works quite well and you can trim some powers down to a single line and get all the character powers on one sheet.

The only problem I have is that all the items have powers as well, and you need a sheet for those too.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

"It might be nice, but not a big deal."

I don't cut my cards out. I use protective sheets and a wet erase marker or grease pencil to mark what I've used. I like having the power laid out like it is in the book. It also saves page-flipping by having the entire power text available. But I wouldn't be against an option that laid it out differently. I just wouldn't use it if the full power description isn't printed.

 

[Obryn]

I essentially put together this, exactly, for my Fighter when he levels. I list everything on a single page, with descriptions, and check them off when they're done. It's a lot more compact than carrying around a few pages of power cards.

My players love power cards, so they use the heck out of 'em. I really don't like them, myself.

-O