D&D General What character sheets do you use and what do you put on them?

[el-remmen]

I have a homemade sheet I have been updating since 2e days.

Me too.

These days I have different variations for full casters vs. partial or martials and most everything fits on two sides of a page with an option for a third.

I write character abilities in short hand and find actually writing them out by hand helps me to remember and understand them that just copying and pasting does not accomplish. I include page numbers when it actually helps for reference.

 

[touc]

3/4 of my gamers literally put lamination on their default D&D sheets so they can dry erase hit points (and in case anything spills). Our 4th uses D&D Beyond which has only failed us once (internet failure) and is (mostly) great because at a touch of a button he's got spell descriptions, etc. The only downside is he hasn't figured out how to restrict it to the PHB only (it brings up spells and features from supplements).

 

[AlViking]

3/4 of my gamers literally put lamination on their default D&D sheets so they can dry erase hit points (and in case anything spills).

I don't bother laminating, I just put them in clear plastic sheet protectors. Cheaper in the long run.

Our 4th uses D&D Beyond which has only failed us once (internet failure) and is (mostly) great because at a touch of a button he's got spell descriptions, etc. The only downside is he hasn't figured out how to restrict it to the PHB only (it brings up spells and features from supplements).

If you edit the character and go to "home" there's a section at the top Character Preferences - Sources. You can limit to just core rules, although you can't list specific books which would be nice.

 

[Clint_L]

3/4 of my gamers literally put lamination on their default D&D sheets so they can dry erase hit points (and in case anything spills). Our 4th uses D&D Beyond which has only failed us once (internet failure) and is (mostly) great because at a touch of a button he's got spell descriptions, etc. The only downside is he hasn't figured out how to restrict it to the PHB only (it brings up spells and features from supplements).

Tell him to go to “manage character and levels,” then back to the first page (it’ll usually take you to the second page unless it is a brand new character). The first page is “manage settings” and it begins with a whole bunch of toggles. He should toggle off anything except “core rules,” which only includes the PHB, DMG, MM, and the basic free version of the game (which is a more limited version of the same stuff and so won’t be relevant to him or show up).

In particular, tell him to make sure “expanded rules” is toggled off. That should solve his problem.

 

[Stormonu]

I use Beyond on my iPad, personally. The others I play with use the sheets out of the 2014 PHB. Most others I've played with will just write the name of any abilities on their sheet, though I (and the DM) have strongly advised to put the page number next to the ability name.

Back when I used to hand-write my info, I'd write out the abbreviated rules on the sheet itself. Of course, I do have a bit of a cheat in how my writing looks...

(Yes, this is actually how I write everything, over the years I got a lot of positive comments on it, so I recently made a computer font out of it, and I'm using it in my homebrew campaign world document*).

In the past, I've always used the official character sheets, with the exception of 2E, where I preferred the Armory sheets.

* A sample page for the curious:

Spoiler

{/spoiler]

 

[Stormonu]

Here's an actual hand-written character sheet of mine from a MtG campaign from a couple years ago (didn't use Beyond because the race & custom rules weren't available in Beyond)

Front

Spoiler

Back

Spoiler

Spell Front

Spoiler

Spell Back

Spoiler

 

[Charlaquin]

Here's an actual hand-written character sheet of mine from a MtG campaign from a couple years ago (didn't use Beyond because the race & custom rules weren't available in Beyond)

Front

Spoiler

View attachment 426058

Back

Spoiler

View attachment 426059

Spell Front

Spoiler

View attachment 426066

Spell Back

Spoiler

View attachment 426067

Now that’s D&D!

Digital tools are nice, but nothing beats the tactility of pencil and paper, nor the DIY patina of a well-used character sheet. The hand-drawn character portrait is incredibly charming as well. Am I mistaken in thinking your drawing style has some Akira Toriyama influence?

 

[Scott Christian]

I use the sheets from the PHB. Handwrite everything, and for some of the longer abilities, just put the page number of the ability, spell, etc. Then, after each level, I rewrite the entire character sheet. It really helps me remember my inventory, my abilities, and the ideals, bonds, flaws, etc. It also lets me "feel" how much my character has changed over the course of a campaign.