D&D 5E ForgedAnvil D&D 5E Character Generator

[Conandar]

Let me start by saying I am no lawyer or even an expert on the subject. This post is merely my own opinion. That being said,...

I believe that the creation of ForgedAnvil's Character Generator is not a violation of the US copyright law. He can make the tool and use it all that he wants. I believe that he can even legally share it with us as long as no money exchanges hands. (Asking for beer money may be a sticking point, as that could be construed as asking for money, even if not directly.) Posting the character generator, which contains copyrighted content, and making it available for download (whether or not money exchanges hands) is definitely a violation and the owner has every right to demand that that activity be stopped. Yeah, it sucks, but it is legally their right. If they were smart, they would reach an agreement with FA and host it on their own site or allow it to be hosted somewhere like Dungeon Master's Guild. IMO this tool has helped far more people enjoy the game than D&D Beyond could ever hope for. Sadly, as smart as lawyers must be, they still can be pretty dense about common sense matters.

 

[smbakeresq]

bummed to find out that I missed this by a couple of weeks. Heard about it on Matthew Collvile's youtube channel.

Yeah. On the first sheet and the second sheet (spell sheet) you can just type over most things. For example, on the spell sheet just select a blank space and type in the spell name, it will show up on page 3 of the character sheets. Add stuff also through the first sheet also, you can type in under Additional Details and Additional Powers, etc. For free typing like under "Additional Details" to insert a carriage return in Excel you need to use Alt+Enter.

On the Custom sheet most of the stuff is on the drop down menus and then you free type the rest.

There is a Guide also. A neat feature is how to use the backpack function to see what your encumbrance would be if you DROPPED the backpack.

 

[Dannyboy7702]

No, I just discovered Matthew's channel as well. It was episode either episode 3 or 4 about running your own game. I have been out of the game for many years and have recently felt the itch to start playing again.

Gotcha.

PM me your email address and I will send you Forge's latest CS version.

 

[Cascade]

I found a place, the SRD is 30, then there is a community (free) add-in that has all of the up-to-date info (I have not noticed any differences in wording to keep the WOTC police at bay, but they must have it as it hasn't been taken down). If you find the Lab of Hero's adventure, you will know what I am talking about.

I see MPMB gets around the SRD by having a set of strings to download separately.
Is that a possible work around here?

 

[GrayGeist]

I see MPMB gets around the SRD by having a set of strings to download separately.
Is that a possible work around here?

I have also downloaded and given my players ample warning that we may switch over to MPMB's generator sooner or later. I was wondering the same thing, can FA move around the conniving WoTC suits the same way?

 

[AnotherCrappyDM]

I have also downloaded and given my players ample warning that we may switch over to MPMB's generator sooner or later. I was wondering the same thing, can FA move around the conniving WoTC suits the same way?

Structurally, it would require a good bit of overhauling. We'd have to remove all the non SRD material in a way that would allow it to be re inserted easily.

The only way I can think of for that is a vba script that essentially re-enters the stripped data into the backbone of the file. We'd have to either have the data in an excel file that copies in the material similar to how the transfer tool works or all that material would have to be coded right into the vba and added that way. Users would have to know how to trigger the script to add the material.

Caveat :I have a tendency to envision an overcomplicated solution to sometimes simply problems. It's a flaw and a feature.

 

[AnotherCrappyDM]

Structurally, it would require a good bit of overhauling. We'd have to remove all the non SRD material in a way that would allow it to be re inserted easily.

The only way I can think of for that is a vba script that essentially re-enters the stripped data into the backbone of the file. We'd have to either have the data in an excel file that copies in the material similar to how the transfer tool works or all that material would have to be coded right into the vba and added that way. Users would have to know how to trigger the script to add the material.

Caveat :I have a tendency to envision an overcomplicated solution to sometimes simply problems. It's a flaw and a feature.

The problem to my own solution is that one of FA's core ideas was that the tool would be compatible with mobile devices. My understanding is this limits vba usage.
If that core requirement was stripped away, then at that point the file could be drastically reduced in size and complexity (for the user) by just doing everything via VBA and utilizing combo boxes.

 

[lycanthropejeff]

Bummed...

I posted about the removal on reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/7z8cjg/forgedanvil_dd_5e_character_generator_is_gone_due/) and kicked a hornet's nest; lots of different opinions and lots of snide comments (I guess that's reddit for you...) I did want to say to Forged that I'm sorry you were forced to take down the sheet. It's an amazing resource that helped a lot of people get started and helped a lot of experienced players deepen their understanding of the game. Thank you for your work! Let's hope this isn't the end...

 

[AnotherCrappyDM]

I posted about the removal on reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/7z8cjg/forgedanvil_dd_5e_character_generator_is_gone_due/) and kicked a hornet's nest; lots of different opinions and lots of snide comments (I guess that's reddit for you...) I did want to say to Forged that I'm sorry you were forced to take down the sheet. It's an amazing resource that helped a lot of people get started and helped a lot of experienced players deepen their understanding of the game. Thank you for your work! Let's hope this isn't the end...

I saw that. My favorite was the grognard lecturing us on old fashioned pen and paper.

 

[lycanthropejeff]

No kidding! Why the hell did they care how we play? So frustrating...