E-Tools owners, please grade it

[Klaus]

Moonspider:

I agree that the program lacks a lot of functions, but some of the things you want to do can be done.

To create a new race, click on the Create Race button (half-human, half-monster icon with the viking hat). There you can create any race, and that's the only way to create a templated creature. For instance, I had to create a "Human Lich" race for my lich sorceror/blackguard NPC. The downside is that you have to enter the altered stats yourself when creating a race (so a human half-dragon has a +8 Str bonus).

To create a feat, or new equipment, or new spells, or new gods/domains and stuff, click on the House Rules (little house icon) and go from there. But I warn you, some of those functions are very limited/poorly described. I tried creating a feat that allowed the character to add his Int modifier to AC (to mimic a bladesinger, since I can't add PrClasses), but there's no way of adjudicating that, it's not very intuitive.

While flawed, it can do a few things well.

For generating stat blocks, it's perfect, IMHO.

 

[Airwolf]

... <snip> ...

MoonSpider (Sorry that my first post was a whine, but I've been sitting on it for a while)

Welcome to the boards MoonSpider. I hope you are able to find a program to your liking somewhere!


Regards,
Airwolf

 

[The Caped Crusader]

Well, here's the run-down...

This tool works best if you are sticking to the core rule books. If that's all you're using, then when you'll get the most out of it. The farther away from the core books you get, the harder this tool will be to use.

 

[Chacal]

Originally posted by MoonSpider it really bothers me that they won't allow PCGen to roll the dice when creating characters, and I can't get the point buy system to work right.

What version of pcgen do you use ?
I never had problems with the point buy, do you use standard DMG pointbuy or something else ?
I'll be glad to help, and you could probably found assistance in the pcgen yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pcgen

Chacal

 

[MoonSpider]

PCGen and Point buy

I use version 4.2.7 of PCGen, it won't allow me to purchase anything below 10 for the abilities, even though I have the minimum set to 8 on the preferences menu. I just found Tyger's Point Buy calculator http://tyger.xganon.com/programs/pointbuy.html which seems to do the trick, thogh I have to click it to bring the program back up after entering the numbers to PCGen. He has a few other handy programs on his site, especially for Spycraft, which I don't play yet.

Mostly I like PCGen, and check back about once a month to see what's been updated. Thanks for all the hard work being put in by Code Monkeys and all. The customization functions are coming along and I hope to be able to add stuff to my copy soon.

As for E-Tools I didn't see the create Race tab, though I thought that I had tried every button. I either hadn't or hit some of them at the wrong times.I still haven't gotten a Statblock I liked out of it, but I have pretty much given up on it. I hope they have a better program for 3.5 but I'm not counting on it.

I use several books that aren't part of the core WOTC line. I run a Scarred Lands game, and play in a Rokugan game. I know that PCGen doesn't currently have tham either, though I gather PCGen did have Scarred Lands before I started using it.

How is Roleplaying Master for adventure writing? Does anyone have an adventure written with it as an example? If not it might be a good idea to have on the RPM web site, the free adventure alone might draw people in! I haven't tried it out yet, waiting for the new database to be finished, but it looks like it may do what I want. And can it import maps from Dungeoncrafter or Dungeoncrafter 2, it looks like it can, but I just wanted to ask.

Sorry for whining before, it was kind of embarrassing. Thanks for the help. I only get online about once a week or so, so thanks for your patience!

 

[mikey6990]

Moonspider,

RPM does have a sample adventure on the website. You just need to look in the sample reports area. Most all RPM output is called a report. This sample adventure is also distributed with RPM so that you can see where everything in the printout is within the adventure writer.

I own RPM, Campaign Suite, and DM Genie. I suggest you try all three (they all have a demo version) and see which one you like. The main thing I have to say is give RPM a chance. The interface is more confusing and harder to grasp than the other two, but it probably has the most functionality (IMHO). DM Genie is the easiest to use by a UI standpoint, but Campaign Suite is clean and efficient. Campaign Suite also is just a preparation tool, not game-time aid so you won't be buying anything you don't need.

If you have anymore questions about these, just ask.

Mike

 

[Chacal]

Re: PCGen and Point buy

I use version 4.2.7 of PCGen, it won't allow me to purchase anything below 10 for the abilities, even though I have the minimum set to 8 on the preferences menu.

When entering the pointbuymethod in the preferences, did you use the "-" button to start below 10 ?
Perhaps you could post your pointbuymethods.lst (in the system directory).
I'm using standard DMG pointbuy and I can make half orcs NPC with 6 Int and Charisma , or trolls with less than that

Chacal

 

[Luke]

Re: PCGen and Point buy

How is Roleplaying Master for adventure writing? Does anyone have an adventure written with it as an example? If not it might be a good idea to have on the RPM web site, the free adventure alone might draw people in! I haven't tried it out yet, waiting for the new database to be finished, but it looks like it may do what I want. And can it import maps from Dungeoncrafter or Dungeoncrafter 2, it looks like it can, but I just wanted to ask.

There's a sample adventure report here . Its a reasonable demonstration showing adventure details (plot etc), maps, location descriptions and encounters with statblocks.
Its an HTML report, with links so you can jump around the adventure.
Alternatively, you can play in-game, using the maps as Battlemaps, with full in-game support for attcks, skill checks, saves, XP calc etc.

RPM comes with a built-in tilemapper, but others have shown me their RPM adventures with some really nice maps imported from their DungeonCrafter creations. You can import practically any image, and I've seen imported CC2 castle demos that looked really good too.

Regards,

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Hmmmm, looks good to me. I didn't notice the adventure report while I was looking at RPM, but it looks real good. I had sort of the same problem as Moonspider regarding buying a tool for in game use. But it does look like it would do the job.

Like Moonspider I am a big fan of DungeonCrafter,will you be able to import from DC2 when it is finished? I know that it uses a completly different format from DC1, saving each layer seperately.

I tried Campaign Suite, but just couldn't get comfortable with it. (Maybe because I am so comfortable with Word Perfect. I can't help but compare any tool to what I am already comfortable/happy with. Sometimes complacency stifles change.)

When do you think the new database etc. will be in the demo? I think I'll hold off until then before trying RPM out. (I don't want to base my opinion off of dated information.)

The Auld Grump

 

[Luke]

Like Moonspider I am a big fan of DungeonCrafter,will you be able to import from DC2 when it is finished? I know that it uses a completly different format from DC1, saving each layer seperately.

The DungeonCrafter guys actually turn out to be part of the same multi-national company as me. Their progress seems pretty slow, and I offered many months back to abandon my tilemapper and join them in furthering DungeonCrafter. Understandably, they wanted to continue on their own, but it really doesn't affect your ability to use DungeonCrafter images in RPM at all.

You can paste anything from the clipboard into RPM (the old Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V trick). Programs like CC2 or DungeonCrafter typically have a "Save Bitmap" option, and you can also load in files saved that way.
I sometimes do a "touch up" in the simple PaintBrush app that comes with Windows, then paste directly into RPM.

One of the nicest features is to find *any* image on the web that you like (a free map from the Wizards map-a-week for example), and simply right-click on the image in your browser and choose "Copy". The image is then in your clipboard, and you can paste directly into RPM.

With *any* image, at its most difficult, simply do a *printscreen* of any image you can view, and then paste into PaintBrush for tuch ups, or directly into RPM.
Once you get around the concept of copy and paste, or saving BMP files, its *real easy* to use images from any other programs in something like RPM.

When do you think the new database etc. will be in the demo? I think I'll hold off until then before trying RPM out. (I don't want to base my opinion off of dated information.)
[/B]

Its well worth holding off for 3.0, which I'll release by tomorrow night. Testers have been very generous with their time (they're generally quite excited about the new program), going through the new RPM in *much* greater detail than ever before. Though I intended the next version to be more about a switch to a different, incorruptable database manager, its a lot more than. The new version includes greatly enhanced features (especially the genrators/lists), and includes generally thorough testing of all features. If you were one of the people with a computer system that exposed stability problems in the previous version of RPM, this will seem like a completely different program to you.

Sorry about the weeks delay, for those waiting. My real job (the one putting food on the table) had me working 18 hours days for 6 days straight, and I'm only just coming out of the consequential "jet lag" etc now.

Regards,