SRD Spells Database 3.5

[Cyberknight]

Can you store data in a form without having an associated table, however? What I'm thinking is that the database would be fantastic for managing spell lists; if you could put in the number of spell slots your PC had (and also the specific spells you PC knew), then you could build on that information to do all sorts of fun stuff. And you'd want to store that information so that you wouldn't have to re-enter it each time you opened the database.

Daniel

Actually you could create a separate table to store this information.

I will also offer my help in designing. My last job (currently unemployed -downsizing ) was creating Access databases for use by non-db people.

 

[Silveras]

Before you start adding things ...

Speaking as a professional developer who has used Access and other databases ...

before you start adding things, think about what you want.

Pielorinho's suggestions are great. IF you want a database usable for 1 character.

I personally do not recommend doing much calculation in forms, because that means you have to re-invent them if you decide you want the same numbers on printed paper reports. Better to do them in queries that can be used as the source for forms OR reports, or even for something else.

Likewise, before you go adding the tables & columns Pielorinho suggested, decide whether you want to be able to track spell slots for more than 1 creature. If you do, then you will need a table for the creatures you want to track.

Good luck with it, whatever you decide to do.

 

[javapadawan]

I have a Java tool that sits on top of an Access database of spells that can handle quite a few types of the queries mentioned... searching by components needed, spell resistance, saving throw type, school, etc. or any combination thereof. There's also rudimentary support for saving and exporting custom spell lists.

I haven't yet updated my database to 3.5 spells, but if you were interested you could download the program, and take a look at my access database. If yours is set up similarly you could probably overwrite my database with yours and have it work with the program with a few minor modifications regarding field names and such.

The link is in my sig, and I'd be happy to answer any questions or help you out if you'd like.

 

[Pielorinho]

Pielorinho's suggestions are great. IF you want a database usable for 1 character.

Thanks! I'll actually qualify it even further, though: my suggestions are for a single character with only one spellcasting class.

This may be cheesy, but given the amount of space on computers, it wouldn't be too silly to have a different database for each PC, even for each spellcasting cast of a PC.

The alternative would be to add coding to the database allowing the user to track multiple PCs and multiple classes within a single PC. While such a thing would be fantastic, it would make the coding a lot more difficult. Given that I'm almost entirely self-taught on Access, I'm pretty sure that such a project would be beyond my reach .

However, by adding in one additional table and a couple fields in the existing table, I think you could make it a very useful tool for tracking spells for a single PC. Imagine having your laptop at the gaming table when you're faced by a creature with spell resistance. You filter the spell form for spells you have prepared that do not have "Target: Personal" and do not allow for Spell Resistance, and voila! You have a customized spell list for the combat. Or when you fight fighters, filter for spells that do not have "Fort" in the saving throw field. Or filter for spells with the "Fire" descriptor when fighting white dragons. It would be grand.

Edit: It might be interesting to see the architecture of the database. For example, which aspects have you separated out into different tables? It occurs to me that spell level information ought to be in a different table, with a third table describing a many-to-many relationship between them. That would allow for some very sweet queries later on. Same thing with spell descriptors. Were both separated out, it would be simple to search for all Druid Fire spells of fourth or lower level, for example.

Daniel

 

[Bozidar]

It's like this..

Table1: Caster
CasterID (auto number)
Character Name
Class
Level
Spell Stat Modifier (Int mod for wizards, cha for sorcerers, ect)
Specialty Type (only for wizards)
# of Known Spells (total, for wiz, sorc, bard, and others of their type)
# of 0 level spells to cast
# of 1st level spells to cast
Ect.. to 9th level

Table1B: CasterSpecialty (if they have spell focus or anything that gives them a DC bonus to a certain school of magic)
SpecialtyCode
DC Modifier

Table2: CasterKnownSpellRelator
CasterID
SpellID

Table3: CasterFeatRelator
CasterID
FeatID

Table4: CasterMemorizedSpellRelator
CasterID
SpellLevel
SpellID

Table5: Good friggin luck

Table98: Specialties
SpecialtyCode
SpecialtyType (school, domain, damage type (like [fire])
Specialty Description

Table99: Feats
FeatID
Feat Name
Feat Description
Feat Level Adjustment


The point i'm trying to make is that a fully relational database that is flexible enough to do more than one character is going to be tough. You could do it.. but it would be tough.

You could then generate a spell list, as well as a chart for what is memorized. The spell list would include all the proper DCs, and descriptions, so that you didn't have to go book hunting when you were looking for the rules on a spell. It's what i've done for my character.. but it's a lot of work, and even more if you want to do it for more than one character.

Sounds like a fun project.. is anyone paying?

 

[Pielorinho]

It's like this..

Oh, good Lord, no! I'm thinking of something that helps a single spellcaster manage her spells a bit, not something that factors DCs, specialties, domains, or anything else (although domains might not be too difficult). Anything more complicated would probably start reinventing the PCGen-shaped wheel.

Daniel

 

[smetzger]

Dood, I'd like a copy of the database. You can send it to...

Scott dot Metzger at York dot com

Thanks
*:>Scott

 

[Bozidar]

Oh, good Lord, no! I'm thinking of something that helps a single spellcaster manage her spells a bit, not something that factors DCs, specialties, domains, or anything else (although domains might not be too difficult). Anything more complicated would probably start reinventing the PCGen-shaped wheel.

Daniel

if you're looking for something simple just use excel

if you want something complicated that's really usable, use a database, and be prepared to spend a lot of time on it

This is what I have for my spell caster right now.

1) I have that first table.
2) I have a report that lists all the spells she knows, sorted by level, school, then spell name. It gives me the full description of the spell. Formatted landscape, i usually get 3 spells per printed page, including information like adjusted DCs for spellfocus
3) I have her character sheet in excel. I have a push button on a seperate sheet that goes out to the database and gives me the list of all the spells that she knows, in the same order as the spell list.

Then i go figure out what spells i have memorized all on my own.

the hardest part of this is typing in all the spells. it would be more complicated if there were more than one caster, and more so if she were a split-level caster.

 

[Pielorinho]

if you're looking for something simple just use excel

if you want something complicated that's really usable, use a database, and be prepared to spend a lot of time on it

The purposes to which I'd put such a file would be too complicated for Excel to handle easily -- I'm thinking the many-to-many relationship between (for example) spell descriptors and spells, or between spell levels and spells, would prove to be beyond a simple spreadsheet. Unless you have a separate column for each spell descriptor, for example, I'm not sure how you'd sort for a list of all clerical mind-affecting spells.

And definitely databases take a long time (although my knowledge of databases is pretty much confined to what a nonprofit organization needs in a database -- household ties, donation tracking, volunteer opportunities and schedules, donor interests, etc.). I think something like this could be done in a handleable fashion; as the creator has time, more pieces could be added onto it. It might even be something we could all chip in on.

Daniel

 

[Silveras]

A little more complicated

The problem with using 1 db per character is that, when you decide to add a new spell to the list, you have to go into each db and add the same info in the same places over and over.

A solution to that is to separate the shared data (spell lists, descriptors, levels, etc.) from the character-specific data.

In Access, you can create 1 Access db to hold the shared data, then use the Link Tables featue to access those tables from another db (in which you *could* store your character-specific data). Now, the spell list is "shared" -- change it (like, to correct an error, or to implement errata) in one, and it is changed for all.

In that case, I'd suggest you play with the character-specific design until it is set up as you like it, then save that as a template. From the template, you can create a new db every time you need a new character.

Personally, I use Access and SQL Server (Personal edition) for my DMing Data. I use my home-brew Excel-based character sheets for my PCs. For the curious, see the link in my sig.