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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Xath" data-source="post: 2901353" data-attributes="member: 17040">OverviewI’ve been using a variety Ema’s character sheets for over 2 years now, and I’ve always been a fan.  That’s why, when he came out with his new dynamic character sheet, I decided to test it and give a review.  I find that all of Ema’s sheets are concise, well laid out, and easy to use.  This product does not disappoint.  Note:  This character sheet is not for those who do not like to read small print.  People with large handwriting will also find this sheet to be cramped.  However, as I fall into neither of these categories, I thoroughly enjoy it and highly recommend it.  Ema's Dynamic Character Sheets and other Character Sheets can be downloaded free of charge at <a href="http://www.emass-web.com/" target="_blank">http://www.emass-web.com/</a>AppearanceThe first step in creating the Sheet Section of a dynamic character sheet is to choose a setting.  The dynamic sheet is currently available in 5 settings: D&D, Dragonlance, Eberron, Forgotten Realms, and Ravenloft.  As with the previous non-interactive sheets, Ema uses colors, textures and images from each of the settings to make an aesthetically pleasing sheet to match whichever core book you happen to be using.  For character sheet minimalists, each sheet is also offered without the background.  Each setting is topped with the setting logo, and the headings for each setting are done in a matching font.  LayoutThe different areas of the Dynamic sheet are well defined by thin black borders.  Every section has a white heading on a black background.  The different sections are spaced so that it is quite easy to find the section, stat, or bonus you might be looking for.  The sections are: Personal Info, Classes, Saving Throws, Abilities, Armor, Hit Points, Skills, Combat, Weapons, Languages, Feats, Equipment, Race Traits, Class Features, Wealth, Carrying Capacity/Movement, and Henchmen/Animals.  The Eberron sheet also has sections for Action Points and Symbol/Dragon Mark.  All of these sections fit on 2 pages and are still legible. Personal Info:  The personal info section is located in the upper right corner of the first page, except in the Forgotten Realms form in which it is in the upper left.   All settings have space for name, player, race, religion, alignment, age, weight, height, size, and gender.  The classic D&D sheet has space for template/type, while the others use that space for a brief description of character appearance.  The Eberron sheet also has a space for character mark.  This section will be the first indication of cramped-ness for those with larger handwriting.  Classes:  The classes section is one of the reasons I first fell in love with Ema’s character sheets.  It has space for six classes/prestige classes, as well as the hit die and base skill points per level for each class.  The bottom of this section has spaces for current experience, xp penalty, and the xp value for the next level.  I love this section, especially when I’m playing characters with quite a few base classes/prestiges. Keeping track and leveling up characters become much simpler with this base information at hand.  Saving Throws:  The saving throws are arranged in a very similar fashion to the traditional WotC D&D character sheet, minus a section for magical modifiers.  The arrangement goes:  Total = Base + Ability Modifier + Misc. + Temporary.  One of the nice things about this sheet is first seen here.  Any time a score or total on the sheet requires an ability modifier, the modifier required is written in light grey text inside the space in which it is required.  It is unobtrusive enough to be easily written over, but can still be seen underneath if you’ve forgotten which modifier applies to a roll.  The saving throws section also includes spaces for spell resistance, power resistance, and damage resistance.  There are also three lines for notes, in case your character has any situational modifiers (such as elves having a +2 to saves against enchantments).  Abilities: The abilities section is fairly standard.  It’s just like the classic sheet, only in the font and style of the setting. Armor:  I’m of two minds about the armor section.  On the one hand, I love the large shield image in the middle of my sheet which holds my armor class and makes it very easy to spot.  On the other hand, the rest of the section is a bit cramped, even for me.  The premise on which this section is based on is very good.  There’s just not enough space to execute it properly.  As stated before, there is a large shield image in the upper left hand of the section which holds the total AC.  To the right of that, there is a two column tally area.  The left column holds the names of what is being tallied, such as base and dexterity.  The right hand column is for the numbers.  There are a total of seven rows, including base and dexterity.  Even with a magically decked out 17th level character, I’ve never needed to exceed more than 7 types of AC modifiers.  The amount of rows is fine.  The only problem is the space in which to write down the items.  The left hand column is the word “dexterity” in 8pt font wide.  That is to say, it is not very wide at all.  This problem is also seen in the rest of the section.  Below the shield and columns are spaces for Flat Footed and Touch AC.  There are also spaces for two other types of conditional ACs, should you require.  Below that is the section to write down your specific armor/shield items.  Each row has a check box next to it so that you know which items are equipped at any given time.  There are spaces for the armor/shield, AC value, max dex, check penalty, and arcane spell failure.  However, if you have Glamered Elven Chainmail +5 of SR 13 and Moderate Fortification, don’t expect to be able to write down much more than “Chainmail” in your Armor section.  You’ll have to write the specifics somewhere else.  There are two lines for notes at the bottom of this section in which you may be able to list some of your defensive special abilities.   Hit Points: This section has spaces for total and current hit points, as well as a line below for notes.  Like total AC, the spaces for hit points are some of the largest on the page, making them easy to pick out.  Skills:  I very much like how the skills section is layed out on this character sheet.  I’ve played with sheets which tally the total skills on the right, but I’ve never been able to get used to those.  Ema’s tallies skills as follows: Skill Name   (c)  Total =  Ranks + Ability Modifier + Miscellaneous.  The (c) is used to mark whether or not the skill is cross class.  I prefer having the ranks to the left of the ability modifiers, though I assume that this is largely a matter of personal taste.  Like the Saves section, in the ability mod. column, all rows have grey text stating which ability applies.  The skills section gives two sections each for craft, perform, and profession; as well as four sections for knowledges.  There are also three blank rows at the bottom of the section for additional skills.  Combat:  The combat section contains spaces for melee and ranged attacks, grapples, initiative, 2 handed attacks, and base speed.  The grapple, speed, and initiative sections are arranged in a similar manner to the classic sheet.  The two handed attack section gives a space to write down the modifiers if your character were to wield two weapons in a __/__ format.  The melee and ranged attack sections are very well organized, although a bit difficult to explain.  In row form, it calculates ability modifier + misc + size mod.  Then with a bracket, it expands into 4 columns for the base attack bonus, with a place to total next to each BAB.  I find this set up to be very easy to read and use.Weapons:  This is the only section in the character sheet that I really do not like.  It has nine rows for different types of attacks, with unarmed strike already printed into one row.  The columns give 5 spaces for attack totals, a space to check mark whether or not a feat applies, a miscellaneous space, a spot for damage, critical, and size/type.  Below that are 3 lines for notes as well as three 30 check-box sections for ammunition. Like the armor section, there is not enough space to write out any details.  The section to write out attack totals is segmented __/__/__/__/__.  While fine for normal attacks, this format is not conducive to weapons which can be both melee and ranged (such as daggers), unless you use two lines to write out each type of attack.  The entire section is very cramped, and adding slashes just decreases the space in which to write out attacks.  In some cases, it can be a very helpful organizing tool, while in most cases I find it just gets in the way.  I also find the ammunition section to be a confusing use of space.  Like the original D&D sheet, each ammo section has 30 check boxes for ammo.  However, standard ammunition is sold in sets of 20.  My feeling is that character sheets should either save space by giving check boxes for one set of ammo, or increase it in solid increments.  20 or 40.  Thirty just wastes space.  Languages:  The languages section is fairly straightforward with a check-box for literacy and three lines to write languages.  Each line can fit two to three languages, so don’t worry about running out of space in this section.  Feats:  I really like the way feats are presented in Ema’s sheets.  All of the settings have all of the standard PHB and ELH feats written out with check-boxes next to them.  They are divided up into general feats, item creation feats, metamagic feats, and epic feats.  There is also a section of 19 blank lines for other feats.  One of the issues I come across with most character sheets is the lack of space for feats.  This is not at all a problem with this sheet.  Even if you play a 20th level fighter/warrior gestalt character, you will still have enough space for all of your feats.  The feats are presented primarily in alphabetical order.  However, feats with prerequisites are indented underneath the feat which is required to take it.  (i.e. Improved Disarm is indented underneath Combat Expertise).  Each of the setting character sheets also includes the feats from their core books.  Equipment: This is probably my favorite section of the entire sheet.  Especially when I get up into high levels, I have difficulty keeping track of what the item slots of the body are and how many items can go there.  This sheet solves that by listing out all of the slots, with spaces next to them for which items are equipped.  There are also two rows for items in-hand and eight rows for readied items.  This is especially useful in combat when determining how long it would take to access a particular item, and stops people from wearing an amulet a necklace and a periapt at the same time.  Below are ample rows for other equipment, with check-boxes to mark whether the equipment is currently being carried.  To the right of the list of items, there is also a column for calculating total weight carried.  Race Traits:  This section has lots of lines for writing down race traits.  Probably more than you will need, unless you have large handwriting.Class Features:  Same as the above, only for class features.  Wealth:  This section not only has segmented spaces for pp, gp, sp, and cp, but it also has a place for gems and other items which are worth gold pieces, so you can keep track of all of your wealth in the same place. Carrying Capacity/Movement:  This section has the standard spaces for min/med/and max load, over head, and push/drag, as well as spaces to show current weight carried, and the resulting check penalties, max dex, and speed reduction from that load.  It also contains spaces to show current run speed and alternative forms of movement.    Henchmen/Animal Companions:  The bottom of the second page contains a small space to mark down basic notes about up to 4 henchmen/animal companions/familiars.  The reasoning for this use of space is somewhat questionable, as the entire third page consists of 4 miniature basic character sheets which much more effectively serve the same purpose.  However, if you do not want a third page to your character sheet, the space at the bottom of page 2 is good enough for the basics.  I find that the third page of Ema’s sheet is not only good for keeping track of henchmen, but also of other PCs.  Each section gives all of the essential information needed to run a character.  So if Joe PC doesn’t show up for a session, the group has enough information to run his character without disrupting the game.  Page 4:  Page 4 is a blank page with the setting background.  I like to use the blank pages for keeping session notes and treasure...I suppose they could also be useful if you wanted D&D setting themed stationary…  The last two pages are blank spell sheets.  I will cover these more thoroughly in my upcoming review of the Spells section of the Dynamic Character sheet set.  ConclusionDespite the lack of space in some sections, I find Ema’s Dynamic Character sheet to be an overall superior product.  It contains all of the information you could ever need for a character, and if it doesn’t, the blank pages offer you plenty of room to expand.  However, I also believe that the character sheets are more oriented towards spell casters than those with a fighting focus.  For a spell caster, you won’t find a better sheet for the price.</blockquote>

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