Use New monster format for Character builder output

[BobTheNob]

Straight up front have to say that I love the new format for monster information. The degree of detail is spot (just enough information without cluttering up) and I especially love the breakdown by action type.

Then something occurred to me...this is what I want in front of my players during combat. My players are so bamboozled by the ever growing size of there character sheet (especially our poor wizard, who is the least D&D savvy in the group) that they, and I, are forgetting alot of things during combat.

If character builder had the ability to present characters in a format similar to MM3 standards (i.e. a nice tight summation) this would be perfect as a "combat crib sheet". We still use the regular character sheets for detail, but the monster format would just be great.

Anyone else feel the same?

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Not sure that will give you enough detail for everything. There are some summary cards I've seen around. Trying to remember exactly but I'd swear there's one around somewhere you can print out. Worst case lay something out and fill it in by hand, it should be pretty easy to do from the full sheet and worst case it changes once a level. Not the best but not too bad. Also take a look around at iplay4e and see what they have. I know you can upload dnd4e files to their site and a do a lot of stuff with them. It is a pretty nice tool. iPlay4e - play 4e Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) online!

 

[Nahat Anoj]

Anyone else feel the same?

Yes. I'm not a fan of power cards anymore. I'd like more compact lines of text, arranged according to action type. "Power strips" as I like to call them.

 

[GRStrayton]

Actually, I made a character sheet in the style of the old Basic game and used it when running a retro 4e game (X1 The Isle of Dread) at a con a few months ago. I have the powers listed similarly to the change in format used for monsters starting in MM3.

If you want to check it out, you can find it here:

Alternative Essentials Character Sheet « Legends & Labyrinths

 

[fba827]

Straight up front have to say that I love the new format for monster information. The degree of detail is spot (just enough information without cluttering up) and I especially love the breakdown by action type.

Then something occurred to me...this is what I want in front of my players during combat. My players are so bamboozled by the ever growing size of there character sheet (especially our poor wizard, who is the least D&D savvy in the group) that they, and I, are forgetting alot of things during combat.

If character builder had the ability to present characters in a format similar to MM3 standards (i.e. a nice tight summation) this would be perfect as a "combat crib sheet". We still use the regular character sheets for detail, but the monster format would just be great.

Anyone else feel the same?

Since even before MM3, I've been making my character sheets (roughly) like that. Though, it's a lot of custom work on my part where I only stick in parts that I'll need. But I can't say my 'template' will be very helpful to anyone else due to the amount of customization....

but my point -- i whole-heartedly agree that it is a good format and should be available.

 

[BobTheNob]

Not sure that will give you enough detail for everything. There are some summary cards I've seen around. Trying to remember exactly but I'd swear there's one around somewhere you can print out. Worst case lay something out and fill it in by hand, it should be pretty easy to do from the full sheet and worst case it changes once a level. Not the best but not too bad. Also take a look around at iplay4e and see what they have. I know you can upload dnd4e files to their site and a do a lot of stuff with them. It is a pretty nice tool. iPlay4e - play 4e Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) online!

I have tried out iPlay4e. Its good, but didnt quite come to the ballgame, you had you core stats in easy reach, but the powers were not "quickly and summarily" presented. Its the crib sheet we need, a tight summary that players can remember.

For instance, players get attacked and the common question is "What can I do", they pick up there characters sheets and start drilling through power card after power card (and with a properly equipped level 12 party we have been playing since level 1, this is alot), whereas with the monster format it would simply be a case of looking at the summised trigger actions.

We use CutePDF to save the character sheets into PDF format then load them up into my friends Ipad. If we had the summary sheet the players just keep the summary sheet in front of them, and when more details are required, we just go to the IPad (for those without IPad or Laptop, just print the Char sheets as well)

 

[nightspaladin]

There was a twitpic post from Newbiedm from Newbiedm.com, during Gen con that showed his dark sun character. It was a monster format. I am sure you can just enter the info in the MB, but you might want to drop him a line and see how he did it.

 

[Ahrimon]

I wouldn't mind something similar to the games day characters either.

 

[ShaggySpellsword]

This is the sheet I use for my PCs. It doesn't do anything fancy automatically, but the format is nice because all of the math is done for me, including common eventualities, like what happens when the foe is bloodied, I'm raging, or when I crit.

Notice that I don't list my feats, or even all of my class features/item powers. Anything I can just automatically put in the math or power descriptions, I do. Otherwise, I just use the character builder to keep track of my level-up options.

I organize my powers according to action type, and color-code them according to use-frequency (at-will, encounter, daily, item).

A number of the other PCs have used this basic outline as a template for their PCs, and have found it pretty intuitive.

 

[nnms]

One player in my group simply took the monster builder and entered in his character's stats as if he was a monster. Seemed to work alright. It's a lot more manual than having the character generator spit it out though.

I'd be more inclined to find a monster that has a lot of different attack types and action types and traits and whatnot, copy it as rich text and stick in in word or openoffice and edit it. Probably be faster than using the monster builder. Pasting HTML directly from DDI would work as well.