Item classification

[Myrdin Potter]

I have been creating items like a mad man over the past few weeks (bringing over a treasure table book into FG). I have a few questions on the item creation fields within FG (I do all my creation inside FG, not par5e. I do use Word to strip out extra LF from cutting and pasting from PDF).

I know there are a few categories that unlock additional functionality - the different weapon types - that are important in the parser to build actions and combat tracker functionality. The other categories seem to come from the SRD (PHB) equipment table categories and from the DMG treasure table categories.

Do these categories (type and subtype) have further functionality in the game? Or are they just flavor text?

I will go onto the suggested change site and request that the type, subtype and rarity fields be get like the group fields. So it will be a drop down lost that you could expand. Saves typing and typos.

[Zacchaeus]

Apart from Weapon and Armour they have no special significance as far as FG itself is concerned. You can put anything in there, including types which don't exist in the PHB or the DMG.

In the library the Type is used to sort the items by type and the Magic Item Forge uses the type to determine what magic items can be paired with what other items (so weapons with weapons armour with armour etc)

[LordEntrails]

... (I do all my creation inside FG, not par5e. I do use Word to strip out extra LF from cutting and pasting from PDF)....
You can also do a CTRL-J on selected text and FG will remove extra line breaks for you.
Also, rather than use Word, I would suggest (if you want something other than FG) Notepad++. It's free and doesn't include all the extra invisible characters that Word does.

[Myrdin Potter]

I will try ctrl-J but I can replace all the extra LF and insert the LF in two search and replaces. Then I have a cleaned up word file so when I mess up I do not need to redo it. And I do mess up quite often.

NP++ has left me cold so far. Not comfortable with the program compared to Word.

[LordEntrails]

NP++ has left me cold so far. Not comfortable with the program compared to Word.
As long as you're not having problems with the hidden characters (I think FG knows to pull them out). Then stay where you're comfortable :)

[kp9911]

Fg does indeed pull them out. The only problem I have seen so far is with certain characters such as &

[Myrdin Potter]

In Word, I cut and paste from the PDF. Then I add in $ or some other character that is not being used where I want a LF and then I do a two pass search and replace to strip out all LF and then to insert the ones I want. the text entry is pretty fast, over all. I ahve 400 story entries done and I am working on the 5th set of 500 now.

The item data entry into the campaign is very slow (2 - 3 items per treasure parcel) because no fields auto populate. If I made an item module in some outside tool, then I would need to copy every item into the campaign to have a local copy.

I decided to do all the story entries for all 10 tables first and then slowly create the items and parcels. The tables with just the story have most of the functionality, just not all the automation (parcels).

To give you an idea of how many items this is, here is one entry from this good supplement (The Mother of All Treasure Tables) - one entry as an example is fair use:

"Against the wall you see a sturdy, dark walnut headboard for a grand bed [284 gp]; the rest of the bed is missing. The center of the headboard would rise at least a cubit above the level of the bed, and the two corner posts are higher yet. The posts are a combination of tightly turned spirals and graduated knobs, while the center board is a solid piece rising in two grand swirls to an elegant set of knobs in the center. This carving looks like it was done by a master. On the floor below it sits a two-tiered box made of the same polished wood [14 gp]. The lower section is rectangular, about a foot long, a handspan wide and a hands-breadth deep. It is carved with elaborate knotwork patterns and sits of four small, round feet. Attached to the top of this is a smaller box only about a finger-length deep that looks like a tiny trunk. Inside, wrapped in a piece of silk [1 gp] is a sturdy gold pin in the shape of a butterfly [378 gp]. It is elaborately engraved and the spots on the wings are gems: four small round green pieces [peridot] and two larger oval ones, in a tawny gold color [amber]. The top of the lower box, with the upper box attached, simply lifts off to reveal the contents: a small mass of coins [41 gp, 267 sp, 418 cp]. [The small trunk is not permanently attached to the lower box; with some effort, it will slide off the long way, revealing a small hidden space which holds a scrap of wool (2 sp) wrapped around a single large amethyst, 250 gp] [Total 999.08 gp]"

That is 6 items to be created from this one table entry alone. I bolded each item to make them stand out.