Pathfinder Creature Parser - Alpha release

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by madman

Here is Bestiary 3,

Thanks Trenloe For the parser, this would have taken weeks without it.

Chris

---

Brilliant! Thanks for doing that madman - I started, but only got as far as "B" before I stopped - still copy/paste jaded from Bestiary 2.

Now, how many people have a PDf of "Tome of Horrors Complete" and would like to split up copying and formatting the monster statblocks for input to the parser?

When copying and pasting there is the additional work adding the heading text for each creature (Offense, Defense, etc) as these are just seperator lines in the PDF.

Then, the "Reusing the Monsters in This Tome" section at the back states that we have to put 1 entry for each monster we use in the OGL statement. The example for 1 monster given is:

Quote:

---

Adherer from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Authors Scott Greene and Clark Peterson, based on original material by Guy Shearer.

---

So, if people are copying and pasting monsters, we'll need them to do a line for each monster in a seperate file for the OGL statement. You can see examples of this in the OGL statements in most Paizo modules and adventure paths - they frequently use creatures from the old 3.5E Tome of Horrors and have to make similar statements for each creature.

Anyone like to help out? If so, select one or more letters of the alphabet and work on those creatures - let us know what you're working on so no one doubles up. Then send the 2 text files (1 creature statblocks and 1 OGL statements) to me and I'll combine into one big module. Or, smaller ones if it is just too big!

I wish I could find a way to be able to share all the Tokens I have made for the Pathfinder Stuff.

Damn Copyright Laws!

Chris

Have you changed the parser to allow the stat block changes?
Edit: NM I read your post to the end


I would happy to do 1/2 or a third.

Chris

Ok I am starting With the Korred Page 398. This is going to go a lot slower.
Good thing I have A macro Pad to do the copy/paste and headings

Chris ((Madman©))

I must be?

Big Thanks for this PF Parser, Trenloe. Downloaded it on my laptop and also to my desktop.

I tried it on "City of Golden Death" module.

My laptop which runs Windows 7, seems to have trouble parsing. The Special Abilities keep showing up in weird spots.

My desktop which runs XP ran a parse on the entire "City of Golden Death" flawlessly.

When the PF Parser installed on my desktop it had to download and install .Net Framework 4 Client. I am wondering if you think that my laptop might be screwing up because it doesn't have an up to date .Net Framework install ?

The other question is where do I put the token folder and the db.xml and definition.xml that is created for the tokens ? This token feature add on is very cool.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wbcreighton

Big Thanks for this PF Parser, Trenloe. Downloaded it on my laptop and also to my desktop.

---

No worries. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wbcreighton

My laptop which runs Windows 7, seems to have trouble parsing. The Special Abilities keep showing up in weird spots.

My desktop which runs XP ran a parse on the entire "City of Golden Death" flawlessly.

When the PF Parser installed on my desktop it had to download and install .Net Framework 4 Client. I am wondering if you think that my laptop might be screwing up because it doesn't have an up to date .Net Framework install ?

---

It may be the .Net framework, but I would imagine you'd have more issues than just special abilities.

Did you use the exact same text file for the parse on each PC? The only think I can think of is that it is slightly different - or it was saved with a different character encoding.

I run Windows 7, so it can't be that...

Perhaps run the problem parse with logging enabled and send me the .fpf and .log file created in the same directory as the text statblock file.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wbcreighton

The other question is where do I put the token folder and the db.xml and definition.xml that is created for the tokens ? This token feature add on is very cool.

---

It has been coded to have tokens in the .mod file. In the directory that contains the statblock text file (and the resulting .mod file) there will be another directory with the name of the module specified during the parse.

1. Go into there and there is a token directory.
2. copy your token image files into the token directory with the naming convention mentioned in post #1 and the readme file.
3. Zip up the whole module folder (from within the folder so that it doesn't have the high level directory).
4. Rename the .zip file to .mod.
5. Copy to your FG directory.

I'm looking at the 2 text files and no they aren't the same.

One issue is related to this:

SQ fiery death (1d6 fire damage, Reflex DC 11 half )
Gear broken chain shirt, helmet, broken scimitar
Special Abilities
Light Fortification (Ex) Whenever a sneak attack or critical hit is
scored against a gold-clad creature, there is a 25% chance that
the extra damage is negated and damage is rolled normally.

as apposed to this:

SQ fiery death (1d6 fire damage, Reflex DC 11 half )
Special Abilities Light Fortification (Ex) Whenever a sneak attack or critical hit is
scored against a gold-clad creature, there is a 25% chance that
the extra damage is negated and damage is rolled normally.
Gear broken chain shirt, helmet, broken scimitar

It works when the Gear line breaks up the SQ line and the Special Abilities. Otherwise the Special Abilities gets lumped in with the SQ.

In the other instance:

Languages Draconic
SQ favored terrain (swamp +2), hold breath, track +1, wild
empathy +4
Combat Gear waters of the Whispering River (5 doses;see page 8); Other Gear bracers of armor +1, javelins (3),
masterwork morningstars (2), 31 gp

compared to:

Languages Draconic
Special Abilities
SQ favored terrain (swamp +2), hold breath, track +1, wild empathy +4
Combat Gear waters of the Whispering River (5 doses;see page 8); Other Gear bracers of armor +1, javelins (3),
masterwork morningstars (2), 31 gp

I put the Special Abilities line in the second instance, but the instance that didn't have the Special Abilities header works. It thinks that the S.A. header is part of the language line.

Very minor examples indeed, especially considering it was the first file I tried.. The parser is a real help. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wbcreighton

I'm looking at the 2 text files and no they aren't the same.

---

I've deliberately designed the parser to try and parse 99% of Paizo PDF create statblocks by just doing a copy/paste into a text file. Sometimes you need to check the copy/paste as heading in particular sometimes get spaces in them (due to font/highlights not translating directly to text). So, usually you don't need to change the order of the text that results from the copy/paste - were you having issues?

I'm guessing you are parsing the Golden Skeletons for the SQ Fiery death example? I can just copy/paste this out of the PDF - but in my example "Defense" comes out as "Defe nse" and I just remove the space - that is all I do. As metioned in post #1 the main headings are key in the parsing, so make sure they copy/paste OK. In fact, just make sure all headings copy/paste OK - but it is more common for the headings and creature name to have spaces in them as these are usually highlighted or use a different fonts in the PDF that can cause copy/paste issues.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wbcreighton

One issue is related to this:

SQ fiery death (1d6 fire damage, Reflex DC 11 half )
Gear broken chain shirt, helmet, broken scimitar
Special Abilities
Light Fortification (Ex) Whenever a sneak attack or critical hit is
scored against a gold-clad creature, there is a 25% chance that
the extra damage is negated and damage is rolled normally.

as apposed to this:

SQ fiery death (1d6 fire damage, Reflex DC 11 half )
Special Abilities Light Fortification (Ex) Whenever a sneak attack or critical hit is
scored against a gold-clad creature, there is a 25% chance that
the extra damage is negated and damage is rolled normally.
Gear broken chain shirt, helmet, broken scimitar

It works when the Gear line breaks up the SQ line and the Special Abilities. Otherwise the Special Abilities gets lumped in with the SQ.

---

I have designed this parser to adhere to the statblock standard detailed in the introduction of the Paizo Bestiary - and to follow the order detailed there.

The problems come in with NPCs in modules - where they have tactics and gear entries. For gear entries treat them as treasure in terms of where they appear in the stablock - after Organization and before Special Abilities.

Special abilities should always be the last entry in your statblock. AND, don't confuse Special Qualities (SQ) with special abilities - SQ comes between Languages and Environment.

Basically, the parser steps through each expected heading in order. So, when you put gear after special abilities the parser found "gear" before it checked for "special abilities" and so assumes that the whole line from after SQ to the end of gear was the "gear" line.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wbcreighton

In the other instance:

Languages Draconic
SQ favored terrain (swamp +2), hold breath, track +1, wild
empathy +4
Combat Gear waters of the Whispering River (5 doses;see page 8); Other Gear bracers of armor +1, javelins (3),
masterwork morningstars (2), 31 gp

compared to:

Languages Draconic
Special Abilities
SQ favored terrain (swamp +2), hold breath, track +1, wild empathy +4
Combat Gear waters of the Whispering River (5 doses;see page 8); Other Gear bracers of armor +1, javelins (3),
masterwork morningstars (2), 31 gp

I put the Special Abilities line in the second instance, but the instance that didn't have the Special Abilities header works. It thinks that the S.A. header is part of the language line.

---

See my explanation above re order of parsing. The parser looks for SQ as the next heading after languages and so it lumps "special abilities" into the language text.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wbcreighton

Very minor examples indeed, especially considering it was the first file I tried.. The parser is a real help. :)

---

Glad you find it a help.

The big thing is not to rearrange the headings from those detailed in the creature statblock. I'm guessing you may have had issues with the copy paste adding a space in "defense" as this would break the parsing - and you tried to fix the wrong thing?

Check the "gotchas" listed in post #1. :)

A good place to look is the .fpf file created in the first step of parsing - this creates a standard format of all of the headings and it is usually obvious by looking at this file where the problem has occurred in your text file. If not, enable logging and look in the .log file - this may help pinpoint where issues occur.

But, the golden rule is just copy/paste from the PDF and check of erroneous spaces - don't try to rearrange the headings (unless it is obvious they don't conform to the statblock standard).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Trenloe

I'm interested to hear why they are different? So, usually you don't need to change the order of the text that results from the copy/paste - were you having issues?

---

Good question. No cut and paste issues.

Quote:

---

I'm guessing you are parsing the Golden Skeletons for the SQ Fiery death example? I can just copy/paste this out of the PDF - but in my example "Defense" comes out as "Defe nse" and I just remove the space - that is all I do.

---

Same here. Every Defense line in this module comes with a space in Defense.

Quote:

---

Special abilities should always be the last entry in your statblock. AND, don't confuse Special Qualities (SQ) with special abilities - SQ comes between Languages and Environment.

---

I think this was the source of the problem. I must have inserted a Special Abilities line, and the problems flowed from that.

Quote:

---

But, the golden rule is just copy/paste from the PDF and check of erroneous spaces - don't try to rearrange the headings (unless it is obvious they don't conform to the statblock standard).

---

Which is what I did on the second computer, judging by my review of the 2 files. I didn't insert any Special Abilities lines and it worked fine.

Thanks for the super detailed response.

Bump to go back to page 1