Super NPC Frustration for Pathfinder...

[paladinpariah]

So I have Herolab and it's ridiculously robust at making Pathfinder characters, monsters, you name it.

Fantasy Grounds doesn't seem to have any decent ways to turn these into usable NPCs'. I found one method on this forum which utilized Herolab's textblock output for NPC conversion, and it nearly broke my FG. I had to undo all of the things it told me to do to set it up.

Is there a quick simple way to import NPC's into FG? Watching people instantly make 5e characters while everything has to be manually entered with Pathfinder is like starving at the window of a restaurant. Very frustrated...

[darrenan]

It is more involved than 5e, no doubt.

There are two different options for parsing text-based stat blocks (from HL's "Output Hero Statblock..." menu item) into NPCs. There is an external creature parser utility which consumes a text file (which can contain multiple stat blocks) and emits a module which you can open in FG. There is also an extension that you can use within FG to parse individual stat blocks. You can find the former as a stand-alone sticky on the PF/3.5 forum, and the latter is found in the stickied list of extensions in the same forum. I find that the HL statblocks need a bit of minor cleaning up before they are compatible with the creature parser utility, I haven't used the in-FG extension much so I'm not sure what issues exist with that approach.

Finally, you can use the Fantasy Grounds custom output ("Save Custom Output..." menu item, select Fantasy Grounds) and then import into a character using the external character conversion utility that is included with FG for free. This gives you a character, not an NPC as you requested, but it is still an option nonetheless. I have used this when I know I'm generating an NPC that might accompany the party indefinitely and level up along side them, character sheets are just easier for this kind of modification than the NPCs sheets (my opinion anyway).

[damned]

I think Ken L has a Pathfinder Monster Parser too...

[paladinpariah]

Could it be just as simple as using them as a PC in the combat tracker and switching their "face to angry"? Herolab does a decent job of converting to a PC in FG.

[paladinpariah]

Could it be just as simple as using them as a PC in the combat tracker and switching their "face to angry"? Herolab does a decent job of converting to a PC in FG.

[damned]

have you looked in the pathfinder forums?
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?34199-CreatureGen-Extension-Import-Stat-blocks-on-the-fly-with-populated-spells
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?15531-Herolab-to-FG-PC-Import-Tutorial
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?20522-Pathfinder-Creature-Parser-V2-Beta-Version

[paladinpariah]

One of the reasons why I posted this is that I tried the v2 parser and it had a lot of problems.

One, getting it to work is pretty complicated.
Two, those complexities must've led me to create some kind of error because I corrupted my campaign files and had to recover them.

I appreciate the links and will try the other things you recommend. After spending close to $200 on Herolab and FG, I'd really like to find a simple solution that doesn't require me to spend time not building my campaign.

[Trenloe]

One of the reasons why I posted this is that I tried the v2 parser and it had a lot of problems.

One, getting it to work is pretty complicated.
Two, those complexities must've led me to create some kind of error because I corrupted my campaign files and had to recover them.
I'd be interested to know what the issues you had were. Could you post the .txt file you used in the parser?

[paladinpariah]

I wish I could help. I think I deleted everything.

I also hope you don't think I was trying to impugn your parser. I just wish I had the skill to get it to work easily.

[Trenloe]

I also hope you don't think I was trying to impugn your parser. I just wish I had the skill to get it to work easily.
It doesn't take "skill" as such... There's slight editing of the HeroLab output required, which is detailed in post #2 of the parser thread. Then run the edited text file through the parser. It creates a Fantasy Grounds module which you can just open in your PFRPG campaign. It shouldn't corrupt anything, so I'm concerned how that happened.

Perhaps you could practice on a basic low level NPC and get that working?

[paladinpariah]

I tried doing that and I'm not sure what I did wrong.

Will try it again and post the text file I use in case I create the same error again.

I appreciate the advice.

[paladinpariah]

So I finally was able to try this again. The holidays were brutal in terms of my schedule.

Here is the text from the textfile I used. I tried to follow the instructions as best I could:

Heimheln CR 1/2
XP 200
Human fighter 1
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +0
AC 22, touch 11, flat-footed 21 (+9 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 13 (1d10+3)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee longsword +8 (1d8+6/19-20)
Str 22, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +7; CMD 19
Feats Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Skills Acrobatics -6 (-10 to jump), Bluff +3, Intimidate +6, Sense Motive
+1
Languages Common
Other Gear full plate, heavy steel shield, longsword
(SP) Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to
your damage.

Here is the list of errors the parser gave me:
Reading data file: C:\Users\Jeremy\Documents\Hero Lab\portfolios\Heimheln.txt
Logging to: C:\Users\Jeremy\Documents\Hero Lab\portfolios\Heimheln.txt.log
Formatting creature stat block: Heimheln CR 1/2
Error in FormatDataFile, Message: startIndex cannot be larger than length of string.
Parameter name: startIndex
Formatting creature stat block: LG Medium humanoid (human)
Processing creature: Heimheln
Processing creature:
Error in ReadWriteFormattedCreature, Message: The empty string '' is not a valid local name.
Error in btnStartParse_Click, Message: The Writer is closed or in error state.
Module file created: C:\Users\Jeremy\Documents\Hero Lab\portfolios\Heimheln.mod
Module file copied to : C:\ProgramData\Fantasy Grounds\modules\Heimheln.mod
Parsing ended - check text above for errors.


Here is the error FG gave me when trying to open the module:
Database Error: A XML parse error occurred processing file Heimheln:db.xml - Error on line 0: Error reading Element value.

I hope this helps in trying to diagnose what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks again for the tips.

[paladinpariah]

I tried doing it without separating the lines (since that wasn't in the instructions). When I loaded the module, it actually created an NPC, but the NPC had no data. This one also crashed FG completely.

Heimheln CR 1/2
XP 200
Human fighter 1
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +0
AC 22, touch 11, flat-footed 21 (+9 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 13 (1d10+3)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee longsword +8 (1d8+6/19-20)
Str 22, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +7; CMD 19
Feats Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Skills Acrobatics -6 (-10 to jump), Bluff +3, Intimidate +6, Sense Motive +1
Languages Common
Other Gear full plate, heavy steel shield, longsword (SP)
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.

[darrenan]

That stat block is missing all of the section headings (offense, defense, statistics, etc.), those are required. The following worked for me:

Heimheln CR 1/2
XP 200
Human fighter 1
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +0
defense
AC 22, touch 11, flat-footed 21 (+9 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 13 (1d10+3)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
offense
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee longsword +8 (1d8+6/19-20)
statistics
Str 22, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +7; CMD 19
Feats Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Skills Acrobatics -6 (-10 to jump), Bluff +3, Intimidate +6, Sense Motive +1
Languages Common
Other Gear full plate, heavy steel shield, longsword (SP)
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.

[Trenloe]

Hi paladinpariah you need to make sure that the statblock has the correct headings in it. Any parser (including the Pathfinder Creature Parser) can only work within a specific data format. Post #2 of the parser thread outlines what the parser needs: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?20522-Pathfinder-Creature-Parser-V2-Beta-Version&p=169001&viewfull=1#post169001

The key thing is that there are no none of the main headings in your statblocks:


Stat block titles
The Parser mainly relies on the stat block main titles to correctly read the data correctly. Make sure that when you copy/paste the creature that the main titles are on a line by themselves, no space in front and no spaces in the title (I've seen spaces appear when copying some creatures). The titles are:

Defense
Offense
Tactics (if present)
Statistics
Ecology (if present)
Special Abilities (if present)

Please take time to read the first few posts of the parser thread and make sure that the statblocks your using conform to the format expected. There is an example statblock text file included with the installation download that shows a bunch of good examples that work out-of-the-box with the parser.

Spending 15 minutes familiarising yourself with what's required will save you time in the long run (and a lot of frustration). A lot of people use this parser very successfully and count it as an indispensable tool in running Pathfinder games, so it's worth spending a small amount of prep time to make sure the statblocks you use are in the right format.

In the case of the "Heimheln" example you posted in post #13 all you have to do is put the main headings into the statblock as follows:

Heimheln CR 1/2
XP 200
Human fighter 1
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +0
Defense
AC 22, touch 11, flat-footed 21 (+9 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 13 (1d10+3)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Offense
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee longsword +8 (1d8+6/19-20)
Statistics
Str 22, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +7; CMD 19
Feats Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Skills Acrobatics -6 (-10 to jump), Bluff +3, Intimidate +6, Sense Motive +1
Languages Common
Other Gear full plate, heavy steel shield, longsword (SP)
Special Abilities
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.

This parses fine and opens in FG as follows:
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=17165

[paladinpariah]

One of the instructions for Herolab was to take out the entire line of dashes, which have the section headings. Thank you for clarifying that as I think I can now make really good use out of this tool.

[Trenloe]

One of the instructions for Herolab was to take out the entire line of dashes, which have the section headings.
The Instructions were: "Remove the --------- lines around the section titles. (remove the whole line)"

Hhhmmm, are you now saying that the section headings in the HeroLab output are now on a single line? When I wrote that instruction they were on three separate lines: Line of dashes, then the section heading, then a line of dashes. Has that changed?

[paladinpariah]

It wouldn't copy and paste it this way onto the forum, but in notepad this is what it looks like:

Heimheln CR 1/2 XP 200 Human fighter 1 LG Medium humanoid (human)Init +6; Senses Perception +0--------------------Defense--------------------

Makes it seem like the "---" is part of the same line that says "Defense". This is what got me confused when I read the part of the instructions that says delete the whole line of "---".

[Trenloe]

Looks like the format HeroLab exports in now doesn't display well in Windows Notepad. I'd recommend getting NorePad++ (free) and using that as your text editor, it will display the export files from HeroLab correctly. Get it here: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

EDIT: NotePad++ will also allow you to change the encoding of the text file (it looks like HeroLab now exports in UTF-8) to ANSI (Menu option: Encoding -> ANSI). This might show that there are some problem characters (for example: HeroLab outputs a strange character rather than a "x" for the weapon critical multiplier - which will need to be changed to a normal "x").

[paladinpariah]

Thanks... that should be super helpful...

[paladinpariah]

So I used a parsed NPC mod and I'm now getting this error:

Script Error: [string "scripts/data_library_35E.lua"]:8: attempt to compare number with string

I also cannot add NPC's from my library to my list of NPC's any longer. At least I can't drag the "dragon square" from the library to the NPC list. If there's another way to do it, please let me know. It's not too debilitating because I can still drag NPC's from the library directly into encounters. I can't seem to unlock any NPC's to edit them, however, which won't cause me huge problems, but is annoying.

Would love to know what I did wrong and your help before has been invaluable.

Thanks!

Here is the text from the parsed file that I used:

Josephus CR 13
XP 25,600
Human inquisitor of Iomedae 14 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 38)
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +9; Senses Perception +21
Aura divine presence (30 ft., DC 21, 14 rounds/day)
Defense
AC 30, touch 11, flat-footed 29 (+11 armor, +1 Dex, +8 shield)
hp 126 (14d8+14)
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +13
Defensive Abilities fortification 75%, stalwart
Offense
Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee heavy shield bash +10/+5 (1d4+4) or
holy avenger +17/+12 (1d8+6/17-20)
Special Attacks exploit weakness, greater bane (14 rounds/day), judgment 5/day (2 simultaneous)
Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +18)
7/day—touch of glory (+14)
Inquisitor Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +18)
At will—detect alignment, discern lies (14 rounds/day)
Inquisitor Spells Known (CL 14th; concentration +18)
5th (2/day)—dispel evil, righteous might, unwilling shield[APG] (DC 19)
4th (5/day)—denounce[APG] (DC 18), detect scrying, divination, hold monster (DC 18)
3rd (5/day)—battle trance[ARG] (DC 17), blinding ray[ARG] (DC 17), blood biography[APG] (DC 17), blood scent[ARG], deeper darkness
2nd (6/day)—blessing of luck and resolve[ARG], confess[APG] (DC 16), consecrate, enthrall (DC 16), follow aura[APG], zone of truth (DC 16)
1st (6/day)—bless, burst bonds[APG] (DC 15), command (DC 15), detect evil, divine favor, expeditious retreat
0 (at will)—bleed (DC 14), brand[APG] (DC 14), detect magic, guidance, light, read magic
Domain Glory
Statistics
Str 19, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 10
Base Atk +10; CMB +14; CMD 25
Feats Improved Critical (longsword), Improved Initiative, Improved Shield Bash, Intercept Charge[ACG], Outflank[APG], Power Attack, Precise Strike[APG], Saving Shield[APG], Shield Focus, Shield Wall[APG], Step Up, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Skills Acrobatics -3 (-7 to jump), Diplomacy +17, Heal +21, Intimidate +24, Perception +21, Sense Motive +28, Spellcraft +17, Survival +21
Languages Common
SQ monster lore +4, solo tactics, stern gaze +7, track +7
Other Gear +5 heavy fortification agile breastplate[APG], +5 cloudburst heavy steel shield, holy avenger
Special Abilities
Detect Alignment (At will) (Sp) Detect chaos, evil, good, or law at will.
Discern Lies (14 rounds/day) (Sp) Discern Lies at will
Divine Presence (30 ft., 14 rounds/day, DC 21) (Su) Allies in 30 ft gain sanctuary with enhanced DC. If attack, ally breaks aura for self, creator breaks for everyone.
Exploit Weakness (Ex) With a crit, ignore DR, suppress Regen, and take advantage of vulnerability.
Fortification 75% You have a chance to negate critical hits on attacks.
Greater Bane (+2 / 4d6, 14 rounds/day) (Su) Make the weapon you are holding a bane weapon.
Improved Shield Bash You still get your shield bonus while using Shield Bash.
Inquisitor Domain (Glory) Granted Powers: You are infused with the glory of the divine, and are a true foe of the undead. In addition, when you channel positive energy to harm undead creatures, the save DC to halve the damage is increased by 2.
Intercept Charge When opp charges ally with feat, mv up to speed to get in way of charge.
Monster Lore +4 (Ex) +4 to Knowledge checks when identifying the weaknessess of creatures.
Outflank Increase flank bonus by +2 if flanking ally has same feat. If you crit, ally gets an AoO.
Power Attack -3/+6 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Precise Strike +1d6 precision damage for melee attacks if you and an ally with this feat flank the same target.
Saving Shield As an immediate action, add a 2 shield bonus to an adjacent ally's AC.
Second Judgment (5/day) (Su) Variable bonuses increase as the combat continues.
Shield Wall +2 to shield bonus if adj ally with same feat has a tower/heavy shield or +1 for smaller shields.
Solo Tactics (Ex) Count Teamwork feats as if your allies had the same ones.
Stalwart (Ex) If you succeed at a Fort or Will save for reduced effect, you take none instead.
Step Up When a foe makes a 5 ft step away from you, you can move 5 ft to follow them.
Stern Gaze +7 (Ex) +7 to Sense Motive and Intimidate.
Touch of Glory +14 (7/day) (Sp) Grant +14 to a CHA-based skill or ability check.
Track +7 Add the listed bonus to survival checks made to track.

[Trenloe]

So I used a parsed NPC mod and I'm now getting this error:

Script Error: [string "scripts/data_library_35E.lua"]:8: attempt to compare number with string

I also cannot add NPC's from my library to my list of NPC's any longer.
Script errors and blocked functionality suggests code/version mismatches. Look at the main three causes here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?34865-v3-2-x-Issues-Problems-after-updating-Random-script-errors-etc

[paladinpariah]

Thanks for the fast reply. Will check that out.

[paladinpariah]

Unfortunately none of those solutions worked. I think that campaign itself is corrupted because I have full functionality with other campaigns. I still get the error message in other campaigns, but it's probably because I'm using 5e modules in a PFRPG ruleset having modified my .pak.

The problem started happening when I loaded the module that contained the parsed NPC I included in a previous post. I had this problem another time when I used a badly parsed NPC. That time, I got an error message that told me the the campaign had rebuilt itself or something and that seemed to solve the problem. I wish I knew exactly what the error message said...

[paladinpariah]

For some reason I can now edit NPC's again, but I still can't add them to the NPC list from the library. This is very weird.