How big will my character sheet be?!

[ReeboKesh]

Hey guys,

I was looking at the Keep on the Shadowfell preview pregen characters and was wondering, these new powers and abilities require decent write-ups for them as presented on those pregen character preview cards.

So my questions are what will the character sheets look like if you need all this info at your fingertips? Does WOTC expect that people will memorize all their characters powers?! Will there be power/ability cards with all the info on them or will every combat be bogged down by players having to look up the power they're using that round?

This isn't just for spells but for everything from Cleave to Backstabbing! OK at 1st level you have a handful of unique abilities but how many do you have at level 20? or 30?!

I am really concerned not only for the players but for the DM that will need to flip between pages for monster abilities or transcribe all that info himself for the session he's running.

Thoughts?
Reebo

 

[MortalPlague]

Keep in mind that they have to print the entire power for these pregens since we don't have the books yet. It would be like printing out the entire feat block for a 3rd edition sheet rather than writing 'Power Attack'. I'm sure that for an actual character sheet, you could write down the name of the power and a real quick blurb about what it does.

 

[ReeboKesh]

MortalPlague I'm sure you could but now you need the powers/ability effect, the secondary effect if any, the save type etc. We've only seen a handful of powers but imagine if there are more to come with the write-up of say the Acid Arrow spell!
Reebo

 

[MindWanderer]

For my RPGA Beguiler, I made a simple document in landscape format with each spell, 2 lines each, with the relevant attributes (range, etc.) and a brief description. If you use shorthand, and memorize some very generic rules (e.g. Divine Challenge), I'm sure you can fit all your powers on a single sheet of paper without too much difficulty.

 

[djdaidouji]

I don't see the harm in having a small notepad in which to jot down your powers. Unless you're starting at a high level, chances are you'll only have a few powers to note down before the first session, and you won't be adding anything new for a while.

After using a power from level 1, you start remembering what it does. For a 3.5e example, I can tell you that a rogue's level 1 sneak attack deals +1d6 damage, and I don't even own the PH.
Things like saves and stuff are usually logical. You wouldn't be attacking their will defense with a cleave power.

All in all, I don't see any difference in sheet size from 3e to 4e. And worst case scenario, make yourself some power cards.

 

[ForbidenMaster]

One of the best ways to keep track of your powers is with power cards. The D&D Character Record Sheets package contains not only character sheets, but also perforated cards to write your powers (and magic items) on. These cards contain spaces for all the important info. Here’s a playtest version of what the cards looked like; it’s what I’ve been using for awhile now. Although this is more of a work in progress, it gives you the general idea of how the information is broken out.

The cards have spots for all the information in a power entry, and an “Additional Effects” section at the bottom. In this section, you can include things like the Arcane Reach feat, which lets you fire a close arcane attack from a square other than your own.

Personally, I like to put my cards in sleeves (Magic: the Gathering sleeves are shown in these images) and mark my attack and damage (with critical damage/damage with sneak attack listed separately) with a wet-erase marker. That way, I can update my numbers whenever I need to.

There are a couple ways to keep track of your powers. You can keep your cards in a hand and discard them as you use them. I prefer to set mine up on the table, more like a game of Magic. If I use an encounter power, I flip the card upside-down until the end of the encounter. For a daily power, I flip the card around inside the sleeve so I know it’s expended when I come to the session next week.
--Logan Bonner

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ex/20080425a

 

[FadedC]

One might reasonably assume that the actual character sheets will not need to contain things like flavor text for the powers and races.

 

[Jack Colby]

The official character sheets come with power cards you can fill out.

Edit: Beaten!

PS: There's no way I'm copying the same info over and over and over again onto blank cards, or asking my players to. I'm making cards that I can print and hand out whenever a character gains a new power.

 

[Thasmodious]

Worst case, counting powers from magic items and other, yet unknown sources, you'd need maybe two or three good pages at the most to detail everything out. We've already seen samples from Neceros (sp?) and WotC that the basic character, all but powers, can fit fairly easily on one landscaped sheet, so two more for all your powers doesn't sound bad at all.

And Wizards is going to put out cards (blank ones) in the Character Sheets accessory. They will probably later put out card sets like the spell cards or previous editions, unless the GSL leaves that to third party publishers to do.

 

[ReeboKesh]

Well that answers those questions. Thanks guys!
Reebo