GMs - What are your favorite Hot Keys you set up?

[Answulf]

I recently realized that as a GM, I rarely take advantage of my hot keys. Player hot keys seem pretty straightforward, but for those of you who GM - what hot keys do you find most valuable to use as a GM?

Thanks!

[Nickademus]

For PF, all the Knowledge skills, Sense Motive, and Perception. (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?22381-HotKey-Party-Sheet-Skill-Roll-Extension) Also a link to the main map and a storyboard story that acts like a table of contents. Lastly, a link to the All Spells list since I have more need of that than anything.

Oh, and of course several slots of random dice that I roll constantly just to make my players nervous.

[Zacchaeus]

I use hotkeys for lighting effects (using HoloGnome's Moodlighting extension) and for linking to things like the conditions section of the PHB. I don't use them for anything that I can do from the CT, from the party sheet or from a character sheet. My players usually have initiative hotkeyed but not much else.

But I think this kind of thing depends on how you use your computer more than anything else. I use the mouse almost exclusively and very rarely use the keyboard for anything other than typing. However if you generally use keyboard controls for stuff then you are more likely to use hotkeys.

[darrenan]

"Advance to next actor" button dragged from CT to F1.

[computertrucker]

next actor is a good one.. will have to remember to set that up..

[Answulf]

Ooh yeah - didn't know you could do that.

I was looking around quite a bit on the forums and can't find any decent resource list of "best practice hot keys"...

[Zacchaeus]

Ooh yeah - didn't know you could do that.

I was looking around quite a bit on the forums and can't find any decent resource list of "best practice hot keys"...

This is what I was saying above; there isn't really a best practice since it kind of depends on individual preference and how you tend to use the keyboard/mouse. derrenan's post perfectly illustrates this, since I would never dream of putting the next turn into an f-key since I can use the mouse to click on the next turn button in the CT. But if you use the keyboard then you will look to get things away from mouse clicks and onto keys.

Even if I do set up an f-key I click on them to operate it rather than press the f-key concerned.

[jshauber]

As a GM I wish the roll INIT button could be dragged to a hotkey.

I hide all inits from my players and re-roll new init at the start of every turn. This avoids the I'll step left then you move up and strike before NPC can turn this way choreography. Players never know when they will be acting or when anyone else will for that matter from turn to turn.

[DM|Mag]

Having only run one session, I have my critters attack/damage rolls setup on F1-F10 currently to keep things simple. I for some reason, have been unable to roll from their NPC sheets in the software, so that's been expedient for me. Just setup my encounters, and drag "Zombie attacks! 1d20+8" type stuff to the buttons. I'm sure I'll come up with more down the road though. Between all of the options in FG, when I hookup my cherry red mechanical keyboard and use the macros I can do with that, things will get nutty once I am set up. 100+ hot key/macro's at max capacity if I ever need that many will be ridiculous. I'll likely be adding skill checks next week for basics, perception and stealth and acrobatics for my most common critters.

[damned]

As a GM I wish the roll INIT button could be dragged to a hotkey.

I hide all inits from my players and re-roll new init at the start of every turn. This avoids the I'll step left then you move up and strike before NPC can turn this way choreography. Players never know when they will be acting or when anyone else will for that matter from turn to turn.

jshauber I believe the More5efun has auto-reroll init at end of round option. My 5e GM uses this and hides the NPC INIT.

[damned]

Having only run one session, I have my critters attack/damage rolls setup on F1-F10 currently to keep things simple. I for some reason, have been unable to roll from their NPC sheets in the software, so that's been expedient for me. Just setup my encounters, and drag "Zombie attacks! 1d20+8" type stuff to the buttons. I'm sure I'll come up with more down the road though. Between all of the options in FG, when I hookup my cherry red mechanical keyboard and use the macros I can do with that, things will get nutty once I am set up. 100+ hot key/macro's at max capacity if I ever need that many will be ridiculous. I'll likely be adding skill checks next week for basics, perception and stealth and acrobatics for my most common critters.

NPC attacks should be done from the Combat Tracker.

[Trenloe]

NPC attacks should be done from the Combat Tracker.
Yeah, be careful with doing generic actions in the hotkeys. Even if they are dragged from an NPC, they are not linked to that NPC (i.e. they are hard coded to the hotkey at the time) and will not update/change if the source entry is changed in the NPC (this is the same for PCs - so players remember to updated any PC hotkeys if the base entry in the character sheet changes).

[Zacchaeus]

As a GM I wish the roll INIT button could be dragged to a hotkey.

I hide all inits from my players and re-roll new init at the start of every turn. This avoids the I'll step left then you move up and strike before NPC can turn this way choreography. Players never know when they will be acting or when anyone else will for that matter from turn to turn.

You could turn the option 'show turn order' off. Not quite the same but no initiative information is given to the PCs.

[jshauber]

jshauber I believe the More5efun has auto-reroll init at end of round option. My 5e GM uses this and hides the NPC INIT.

Any idea where to find it or does it go by another name? I just looked thru the 5e and Core extensions and modules and am not seeing it.

[jshauber]

You could turn the option 'show turn order' off. Not quite the same but no initiative information is given to the PCs.

I already do that, they have no clue as to any order at all during combat. Looking for a way to auto-roll all initiatives each round with out having to go into the menu manually.

[damned]

I cant find it either - try this:
Courtesy of ianmward

[Nickademus]

I think More5efun is the name of a brown leather theme for 5e. I downloaded it the other day and it had no code other than the skin.

[damned]

I made the More5efun extension for our 5e GM and I couldnt remember what I stuck in it. It had a slightly different leather desktop, a different dice tower (from before they fixed the dice tower lok for 5e!), a different decal, some different fonts for Whispers because the GM kept missing them, a different decal (before they added some new ones) and I thought I had put the Init code in there but it seems I didnt.... The above extension should do it for you. Its not for everyone - if your players love rolling for Init you might upset them - or let them roll for round one and then it goes random :)

[jshauber]

I cant find it either - try this:
Courtesy of ianmward

Excellent!!!

I will give that a shot. Thanks.