Requirements for the perfect character sheet

[leporidae]

My dream character 'sheet' would contain the entire character history, as well as detail on all statistics in a universal format. (Probably zipped XML, for which there could be a variety of open source and commercial readers across all platforms). A summary view of the data could be printed out and used for offline gaming - then any updates (level gains, equipment purchase) could be added through a form.

Different views could be used to audit (either by the GM or player) character attributes, and answer historical questions (How much XP did we get for the adventure last May? What skills did I spend points on four levels ago?)

Anyone heard of anything like this?

Currently I use tabbed spreadsheets to track character data, one for a level by level list of character changes, one for equipment and treasure, one for spells, and a neatly printable main page.

 

[glass]

One thing that bugs me (and apparently only me) about every character sheet I have ever seen is they are the wrong way round.

I read from left to right, which means when I see a horizontal series of figures I expect the total to be on the right. But sheet I have seen follows the lead of the official sheet in the PHB and puts the total on the left. Why?


glass.

 

[Staffan]

Claudio Pozas (same guy who illustrated some of the Counter Collections and various other d20 products) has a nice landscape sheet that also meets most of my requirements.

It *is* pretty nifty, and I like that it has the item slots specified, but the feats/special abilities section is anemic. I'm not a graphic designer, but I would remove the "Companion" bit to make room for more stuff (far from every character has a companion).

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

One thing that bugs me (and apparently only me) about every character sheet I have ever seen is they are the wrong way round.

I read from left to right, which means when I see a horizontal series of figures I expect the total to be on the right. But sheet I have seen follows the lead of the official sheet in the PHB and puts the total on the left. Why?


glass.

The obvious reason is to put the skill name (or other item) and the total modifier, which will be used most often, right next to each other. When the item is on the right edge of the sheet, jumping to the rightmost column for the total is simple, but when it is in the middle of the page or on the left side it is more difficult to scan across three or four lines and locate the correct value, and be sure you have not accidentally dropped down one line. Its not really hard but I believe that is why they do it that way.

 

[jeffh]

It *is* pretty nifty, and I like that it has the item slots specified, but the feats/special abilities section is anemic. I'm not a graphic designer, but I would remove the "Companion" bit to make room for more stuff (far from every character has a companion).

I did say it met most of my requirements. That's my main knock against it.

There's one sheet I can't remember the source of that I consider better than the Pozas sheet, with seven or eight column-inches of space for feats and lots of Notes sections. My biggest problem is that it has lots of big dark-coloured areas around the edges, so it's not optimially printer-friendly, especially for inkjet users (they'd probably cost close to a buck per two-page sheet to print on the Lexmark I used to use). It's got a mainly blue and grey colour scheme and an overall look similar to the WotC Star Wars sheet. I hope someone can remember the name of it - the hard drive I have it stored on is being repaired so I can't post it here or even give the exact filename.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

For me, character sheets have two similar but ultimately conflicting purposes.

- Firstly, it is a tool used to create a character. Even insignificant details such as hair colour and obscure religious preferences become important as you try to visualise and create every aspect of your character. To me this is important.

- Secondly however and in the long term, you want a sheet that you can look at and get the pertinent information from in an instant. The clutter of the afore-mentioned "creation use" of the character sheet becomes a distraction. Simplicity in the end trumps exhaustive pages of detail.

On a side note, would any one be interested in creating an "Enworld Approved" character sheet - most likely using this thread as a basis? I have certain skills with adobe illustrator and other stuff that might come in handy if people were interested. There's a lot of very good suggestions on this thread already that would be fun to try out.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Agback]

Give me legibility, or give me death!

Hear! Hear!

And while we're getting professional, let's gather all the information used in combat onto one page, so that players aren't flipping pages and searching for numbers in the middle of what is supposed to be fast-paced and exciting.

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

requirements

1. That whatever I am looking for is "right there" when I need it.

2. That the information I need is not crowded by all the information I don't need at that moment.

You did ask for my requirements for perfection.

 

[glass]

The obvious reason is to put the skill name (or other item) and the total modifier, which will be used most often, right next to each other. When the item is on the right edge of the sheet, jumping to the rightmost column for the total is simple, but when it is in the middle of the page or on the left side it is more difficult to scan across three or four lines and locate the correct value, and be sure you have not accidentally dropped down one line. Its not really hard but I believe that is why they do it that way.

Ah, that does make sense, but it doesn't work that way for me. I guess I'll just have to keep hoping that someone out there with graphic design skills thinks the same way I do. :\


glass.

 

[Ant]

jeffh, I think I love you.

I'd also ask for plenty of space in the Weapons area. I've found clearly and explicitly noting each variation on how a weapon can be used (one-handed or two-handed, as a double weapon or as a regular two-handed weapon, with/without rage etc) is a real boon, particularly for new or maths-phobic players. This can take up considerable room on a character sheet for a weapons-laden barbarian, for example.