"Simple" Character Sheet Modifications?

[sagestl]

I'm starting a new campaign in Fantasy Grounds, and use one additional ability score (Luck) in my campaigns. Obviously, that stat isn't supported in the standard FG character sheets. I've looked around in others' posts and, more specifically, in some of the tutorial posts, and it seems incredibly complex to create character sheets.

Given that I'm only wanting to add one stat to the "standard" character sheet, is there any (relatively) easy way to do so? It seems like overkill to spend days or weeks creating a new sheet for one stat; if that's the only option, I'd rather just have my players keep the stat and modifiers handy separate from the application for use as needed. That's not my preference, obviously, but the XML requirements for making such a minor change seem rather daunting to me.

Any feedback or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Griogre]

Given such a minor change I don't think I would bother trying to change your sheet, before 1.06 is released. I would just use a field on the sheet your don't usually need. Non Leathal Damage is a good one as is the 3rd Level box for a triple class character or even the XP needed for next level.

[Paradoxic]

The xml changes are easy. However, all of the forms in FG are two parts. 1 is the png (picture) file that has all the boxes and words and lines. The other is the xml which places input boxes and buttons and all of that onto the image. You can add a luck field to the xml, but then you'd have to edit the charsheet_main.png file to create space for this new stat. The problem there is in having the right picture editor. MS Paint can do PNG files, but it can't handle the 'invisible' settings that go around the character sheet tabs (if you look at the sheet in FG, you can see stuff behind the character sheet inbetween the tabs and all that space below the Spell tab). If you just open it in MSPaint, make changes, and save it again, all the 'invisible' areas will become opaque once more and look rather ugly. Photoshop can keep track of these settings... and I'm sure other programs as well (perhaps someone else knows a good free one? I'd like one myself).

Now, assuming you can figure out the problem above, the rest is easy.

You first have to start a new custom ruleset as per Goblin King's sticky post (or, if you bought the d20-SRD ruleset, you can edit those files directly... just don't go trying to sell them to others with your modifications).

First go into the ruleset's "frames" folder. Find the charsheet_main file, open it in the editor of your choice, and make room for the new stat. It may not be all that easy since the screen is pretty cluttered, but give it a shot. Once you have a place you want to put the attribute, you get to go mess with the XML!

NOTE: All the words on the character sheet are actually in the PNG file. Renaming something from, say, "Strength" to "Str" will not change the line on the sheet that says "Strength".

Go to the custom ruleset directory and open the 'charsheet.xml' file in notepad. Scroll through it until you find the section that includes the current six stats. Cut and Paste one of them and rename it to luck... also make sure you change the coordinates for the input location to match where ever you put the new thing in the PNG file (this may take some trial and error, the coordinates are listed as X, Y, Width, Height). The rest of what you cut'n'pasted has to do with what can be done to the box (if it can be dragged or if its min and max values, etc) and what the next box is if you hit 'tab' (take note of that, you'll probably need to change the box before it's tabtarget next so the tabbing order is maintained). Now, if this is to be just like a stat, you'll need to go into the next sections of the xml file and do all the same stuff for the stat's "damage", "total", and "bonus" sections. These all need the same modifications as the first step did... just change the "numbercontrol name" and "sourcename" and "description text" fields.

Now, I'm sure someone else can clarify this, but the last thing MAY require you to edit your campaign's db.xml file for all the characters already in the campaign (if you haven't started the campaign yet, then this doesn't matter). This file contains all the saved data for the campaign. There is a section of the file containing all the character sheet values. It will need to have new entires for each of the new numbercontrols you made for the luck (stats have 4; the stat, the stat damage, the stat bonus, and the stat total). Again, just find one for, say, Dex... cut'n'paste it into its place in the alphabetical order and change the "dexterity" parts to "luck". However, I don't know if this is required or if FG will simply add the new fields automatically... I'm basically brand new to all of this myself.

I'm sorry if this isn't exactly clear. It makes more sense if you look over the XML. Griogre's point is a good one as well. Taking over another place on the character sheet is a nice and easy way to get around all of this... and almost necessary if you lack a full-capability PNG editor.

[richvalle]

I'm with Griogre, just put it in the Feats, Special Abilities or even under coins.

rv

[DarkStar]

I'm having a new character sheet made. I think most of us realised so far, that Feats and Special Abilities sections on the standard sheet are way to small. 1st level characters tend to take up whole space there (especially feats). What I'm going to do is add three additional tabs: Feats, Special and Notes, the latter for everything that doesn't fit elswhere.

My only problem is that I am totally useless when it comes to graphics. ;) I asked a friend of mine to modify the images and create some new, but he's out of FG community and I'd rather have some 'inside' people help.

Why shouldn't we create the Ultimate Character Sheet? :) If we gathered feature requests from people and someone would provide us with new graphics, this could be done. If not, I will still have those new tabs in some time, but I think it could go better than just that. I can't ask my friend to do everything.

[Paradoxic]

[Edited because I was wrong, heh]

The feat section can hold 14 lines of stuff... which might be a bit small, true.

[DarkStar]

Here's a trick I didn't realize until I looked through the XML: The feats section is actually 20 lines; it just limits the visible list to 6 or so. Just keep typing in feats and hitting enter, you'll eventually see that it scrolls down.

Does it scroll the whole character sheet then? What if a character has so many feats (let's say they are level 12 or something) that the sheet exceeds my screen resolution? ;) It's still a problem if it does.

[Griogre]

MS Paint can do PNG files, but it can't handle the 'invisible' settings that go around the character sheet tabs... Photoshop can keep track of these settings... and I'm sure other programs as well (perhaps someone else knows a good free one? I'd like one myself).

I needed to make some token ring templates and the two lightweight tools I usually use (I'm no artist) IrfanView and Paint don't do transparencies (or at least when it comes to resize/resampling). A free alternative to Photoshop is the open scource program GIMP. https://gimp.org/

[DarkStar]

Well, that's what I've seen before, and since the list disappears beneath the background, it's still pritty useless. I have modified (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4188) the charsheet to have some more place for those things. :)

[Bumamgar]

I always thought the "multiline spacing" attribute controlled how many pixels of space went in between each line of text. ie: if you use a smaller font and want the lines closer together, you'd set "multiline spacing" smaller.

Have I misunderstood the meaning of this control?

[DarkStar]

I always thought the "multiline spacing" attribute controlled how many pixels of space went in between each line of text. ie: if you use a smaller font and want the lines closer together, you'd set "multiline spacing" smaller.

Have I misunderstood the meaning of this control?

I think you understand it perfectly. <bounds /> entity describes the size of a control, what Paradoxic said about 20 lines is untrue. :)

[thedar]

i have a spion in the group and there are skills that need to be added, can I do the same as what was described here?

[Zakarius]

Why shouldn't we create the Ultimate Character Sheet? :) If we gathered feature requests from people and someone would provide us with new graphics, this could be done. If not, I will still have those new tabs in some time, but I think it could go better than just that. I can't ask my friend to do everything.

Imagine having a character sheet (or slightly less than an infinite number of character sheets & matching .XML files) which has a field for every conceivable rule. So far in this thread, one person wants to add a 'luck' stat, others want more space for feats & such, I use vitality and wound points instead of hit points, etc. If a single ultimate character sheet incorporated all of these features, you'd have a character sheet which is 50% empty...

Someone is apparently working on an application which will allow you to select the fields you want to include in a ruleset and then create the graphics & .XML files. However, I can't imagine the graphics for the character sheet will turn out to very appealing -- a lot of design goes into organizing massive amounts of information.

[DarkStar]

If a single ultimate character sheet incorporated all of these features, you'd have a character sheet which is 50% empty...


I was rather thinking of a D&D Ultimate Character Sheet, not Universal sheet. :p Anyway, this post is obsolete by now, I have completed my charsheet mod since then and in three weeks we'll get a new sheet with 2.0, which adds a lot of nice features and will be extendable by LUA.