Latest E-Tools Patch

[kingpaul]

PCGen will do templates. However, if you want a template that is not programmed in, you will have to manually do it by coding it yourself (not the easiests of tasks).

One addition to this statement. There is a Y! Group dedicated to helping people code their own Lst files. The group is called PCGenListFileHelp.

 

[ruemere]

PcGen & Templates

Coding templates in pcGen is easy for anyone willing to use a template editor (built into pcGen) or do some manual typing. Basics of manual typing took me less than an hour to learn (basically, I have copied SRD material over, changed names and added it to pcGen dirs).

One disclaimer though: pcGen is not a no-brainer program. You must be willing to do some research (especially, if you are going to hand code stuff).

Regards,
Ruemere

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Say, could you be sure to test combos of natural armor, etc. to make sure improper stacking isn't occurring? The tests I used:

Equip an ogre an amulet of natural armor and make sure it doesn't stack with his own thick hide.

Equip a character a suit of chain mail and bracers of armor and make sure they don't stack.

Working on a review copy ...

It doesn't appear to check stacking bonuses. An ogre with a breastplate, amulet or natural armor, and bracers of armor received the AC bonuses from all the items in addition to his own.

If you have other requests feel free to post ... the program's huge and I want to give it a good workout for the review.

Edit: Anyone know how to create a multi-classed NPC without having to go to the character editor and level up each level?

Edit 2: Is there a way to restore the original files? Playing around with the house rules I managed to delete Correlon Larethian. Probably a Freudian slip; guess the elves didn't need a god anyway ...

 

[EricNoah]

Bummer about the AC stacking issues. It's something I started bringing up about a year and a half ago and it never got addressed.

Multiclassed Characters: I don't have the patched version so I'm speaking of what I know from the unpatched:

You should be able to create multiclassed characters right on the main character creation screen. Example: click barbarian, click add, click druid, click add and now you've got yourself a Barb1/Druid1.

You can't do this method with PrC characters because you need to meet prerequisites before adding PrC levels. So make the character who could take this class, then give him some XP so he levels up, then you can add a level of PrC.

Restoring original files: Other than re-installing, you would want to download and use Davin Church's ET Helper to import and export custom data from the database. You'd have to find someone who hadn't deleted the entry and have them export it and send it to you. This would assume that you had a copy of ET Helper that was updated for eTools 1.2, which I don't believe Davin has released yet. But the whole issue brings up a question: how were you able to delete "core" data?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Bummer about the AC stacking issues. It's something I started bringing up about a year and a half ago and it never got addressed.

Yeah, there's a number of other issues I'd like to see improved -- like equipping magic ammunition, actually identifying specialist wizards on their char sheets, and the like. Ironically, as far as char generation goes, there are a number of things that HeroForge (or Jamis Buck's NPC generators) does significantly better.

You should be able to create multiclassed characters right on the main character creation screen. Example: click barbarian, click add, click druid, click add and now you've got yourself a Barb1/Druid1.

Yep, figured that out for creation -- what I was trying to do was to use the random generator to generate a multi-classed NPC -- I don't think it can be done. You either generate the NPC partially with one class, then add the others, or start from scratch. I'm trying to save time by having the program calculate feats, skill points, etc for me (something JB's generator does quite well for M/C NPCs, though it doesn't do the equipment and weapons that Etools does).

You can't do this method with PrC characters because you need to meet prerequisites before adding PrC levels. So make the character who could take this class, then give him some XP so he levels up, then you can add a level of PrC.

What made that particularly obnoxious is that you can't back up to correct a mistake. I was building an arcane archer to test the PrCs, and missed the BAB requirement by one (wiz3/Ftr4) -- but I couldn't go back and change a level of Wizard to Fighter to correct (either start over, or add another level of fighter). HF can handle error correction like this with a mouse click.

Restoring original files: Other than re-installing, you would want to download and use Davin Church's ET Helper to import and export custom data from the database. You'd have to find someone who hadn't deleted the entry and have them export it and send it to you. This would assume that you had a copy of ET Helper that was updated for eTools 1.2, which I don't believe Davin has released yet. But the whole issue brings up a question: how were you able to delete "core" data?

One ill-placed mouse click in the house rules section, go figure.

The program's got general error recovery problems (sad to say I've got education and training in usability evaluations for both hardware and software systems, so these things tend to jump out and smack me). I reinstalled over the original install -- but didn't correct the problem. I had to remove the entire program, then reinstall it, to correct it, but I did get it fixed.

Sigh ... more playing. There are some nice features; the lack of certain items and some nitnoid interface problems irk me though.

Note to software developers: Red text on Black backgrounds is NEVER a good interface design decision!

Any other items anyone wants tested?

 

[Davin]

This would assume that you had a copy of ET Helper that was updated for eTools 1.2, which I don't believe Davin has released yet.

*Poof!* Ok, it's out now.

I reinstalled over the original install -- but didn't correct the problem. I had to remove the entire program, then reinstall it, to correct it, but I did get it fixed.

I would also have assumed that a reinstall would have fixed that for you. But if you'd like to shortcut that repair in the future, just keep a copy of the Database.mdb file somewhere. (If you'd like, my ET Helper program can make that easier for you, thanks to Eric's suggestion long ago.)

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Thanks Davin.

I've installed ET Helper -- useful program that -- and squirreled away the original database just in case.

Played around with the editor, too, trying to simulate 3.5 variant classes. It's a neat tool -- but I got fatal errors every time I tried to save my variant classes.

 

[EricNoah]

If you e-mail him those error messages, you'll find he's VERY responsive.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

No need. I shut the program down, restarted, and now no errors. I swear, one of these days I'm switching to Linux.

Now I at least have a (tentative) 3.5 Ranger!

 

[Davin]

Now I at least have a (tentative) 3.5 Ranger!

A word of warning on those alternate classes -- the class special features (the abilities you gain at specific levels) don't always work. While ET Helper does put them in the database properly, E-Tools 1.00 was built to treat many of them as simple "notes" and determine the actual features gained by "hard-coding" in the program. Until such time as CMP gets a chance to fix those places to use the database instead, you should test anything you put in there that's supposed to have an E-Tools effect (like the ability to choose a favored enemy, for instance) to make sure it will do what you asked.

Otherwise, enjoy!

(If your Ranger would like a challenge, create a new material called "Wet Noodles" to make his armor and weapons out of.)