PCgen Vs Etools ??? Please explain

[deathbecomesus]

I have spent a lot of time tonight looking at the Code monkey site and am very close to buying some of their stuff. But can someone please explain how PCGen is different than Etools? What can each do? How are they different? DO I need them both?

Also, My computer skills are pretty average. Are they easy or difficult to download and then use? In fact do you Download it all? Or do they send you a disk?

How about all the Data sets, Does any one really like using those? How do they make your pcgen (or etools ) better?

Obviously any help or thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

I'm no expert on PCGen, but I do have e-Tools and like it quite a bit, so I'll answer what I can.

How about all the Data sets, Does any one really like using those? How do they make your pcgen (or etools ) better?

The data sets are basically just the information (monsters, feats, spells etc) from the various sourcebooks. You can enter it all yourself, or you can just buy the data set (which is a lot easier if you're an average computer user). While I could personally enter the data myself, for 5 or 6 bucks I'd rather just buy the dataset.

Also, My computer skills are pretty average. Are they easy or difficult to download and then use? In fact do you Download it all? Or do they send you a disk?

Like any other program, just download it and install it (it's an executable). The website is a bit confusing at first, but once you find where to download stuff from it's pretty easy to use.

I really like the program, but it is not without flaws. There are several issues that cannot be fixed* with the current implementation due to problems with the way the original program was created by Fluid. Some templates don't work properly, monster advancement has some flaws, CR's don't calculate properly, magical equipment like potions, scrolls and wands has to be "created" each time you start the program if you want to use them, etc. These are annoying issues to be sure, but the program still creates NPC's for me in less time than it takes me to do it with paper, so I still consider it worth it.

*RPG Toolkit will hopefully resolve all these issues and there is supposed to be some kind of free upgrade of purchased e-Tools datasets to the RPG Toolkit format when it finally comes out.

 

[green slime]

I used to like pcgen. I really wanted to for a long time. But their use these days is limited. I gave up after the reformated their datasheets for the umpteenth time, making all my data sheets unusable, again. I have better things to do with my time than spending hours going over the data, and checking that it works. Seems fairly stable otherwise, these days, but I just can't bring myself to put in that effort again.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Moved to the software/ D&D utilities forum!

 

[kigmatzomat]

E-tools is the character generator WotC commissioned for 3e. PCGen is an open-source project trying to work for all d20 games.

Etools is good for fast, simple characters with no house rules or nonstandard gear. The interface holds your hand and makes it easy to build characters.

PCGen is not quite as user friendly but has the advantage of running on multiple platforms and supporting more user modifications. PCGen also has a wide range of non-WotC d20 sources that are not available for Etools.

If you live on Windows and run pure WotC games without much weird stuff, ETools is a good bet. If you use other operating systems or need extra flexibility (homebrewed races, feats, classes, etc) PCGen is the favorite.

I like PCGen, I use it for my games and incorporate lots of house material into it but some players have trouble with it. Of course, not all players would buy ETools or the datasets so it may not be an issue.

 

[kingpaul]

I have spent a lot of time tonight looking at the Code monkey site and am very close to buying some of their stuff. But can someone please explain how PCGen is different than Etools? What can each do? How are they different? DO I need them both?

PCGen is an open source project that requires java 1.4.1 or higher to run. Because of this, it can run on multiple platforms. It is a character generator first, but also has the ability to create magic items as well. It also has a DM companion, GMGen, that you can use at the gaming table to speed up encounters.

eTools is a closed project that Code Monkey Publishing is currently maintaining for WotC. It is Windows only. You can create characters and, I believe, magic items with it.

Also, My computer skills are pretty average. Are they easy or difficult to download and then use? In fact do you Download it all? Or do they send you a disk?

PCGen is a download that is available on multiple SourceForge mirrors for free. Once downloaded, you'll need to unzip the file. Before running the program, you need to make sure that java is installed on your machine; go to java.sun.com to get this (also free).

eTools costs, I believe, $30, and you download that from CMP once you purchase it.

How about all the Data sets, Does any one really like using those? How do they make your pcgen (or etools ) better?

For PCGen, datasets are in flat text files. The download comes with several datasets that are of OGC (Open Gaming Content) in nature, including the SRD, most of the RSRD and most of the MSRD. You can buy WotC based datasets from CMP.

eTools comes with the 3.0 PHB, DMG and MM only. This is stored in Access. Datasets can also be bought from CMP.


Hope that helps.

 

[Ghost2020]

eTools does come in D&D 3.0 and 3.5.

 

[kingpaul]

eTools does come in D&D 3.0 and 3.5.

But it only ships with the 3.0 core books, that's what I was trying to say. Yes, you can buy 3.0 and 3.5 (and soon Modern) datasets for eTools.

 

[Christoph the Magus]

Question about etools 3.5

If I decided to buy the 3.5 datasets, can I can still use etools as pure 3.0? I ask because one of the games I run is a pure 3.0 game, and I'd hate to lose the ability to use etools to prep for that game.

Thanks,

Christoph

 

[kingpaul]

If I decided to buy the 3.5 datasets, can I can still use etools as pure 3.0? I ask because one of the games I run is a pure 3.0 game, and I'd hate to lose the ability to use etools to prep for that game.

Absolutely! Once you purcahse and install the 3.5 core set, you will be able to switch between game modes. So, if you are in 3.0 and want to go to 3.5, you'll need to switch to 3.5, close, and restart, and you're good to go. Same goes if going in reverse.