Updated (2019 not 2004/2011) information needed for nearly everything

[GameSeneschal]

Greetings,

I am almost as new as they come to this, and bought into FG rather zealously. Over the last 2 weeks I am barely any further than where I was before, because information is D&D specific or just plain out of date.

For example, after wasting time with all the instructions to turn a Hero Lab character into a FG character; I learned that I only had to do a FG export (.hlfg created by using the "save custom output" option in the file menu) file and import it with the FG Character Converter (located in C:\Users\OWNER\AppData\Roaming\Fantasy Grounds\utilities . It was quick & easy without the "change the file type" nonsense from an outdated post.


My current search is for how to get FG to recognize the familiars/cohorts that some PCs have as part of their Hero Lab portfolio. If anyone knows the current way that works please share.


Lastly, I would like to ask everyone to please post the most recent ways to do things in FG that have changed since Pathfinder became a part of FG. Just be sure to look through other posts to avoid duplicating information in the replies to this thread.

[Zacchaeus]

A tall order I fear, given how many changes that FG has had over the years. The best place to start is the user manual which you can get to from the links on the start screen and then there's the Wiki - also linked from the start screen and also the patch notes and you guessed it also linked in the start screen.

You may also want to pop over to the official FG Discord or join the FGCollege; both those places can provide almost instant help. There's also a lot of information in the sticky threads at the top of each forum. And there are plenty of videos linked from the Wiki too.

As far as HeroLab is concerned a search does take you to a post from 2011 which certainly provides some old information but in post #3 it is corrected and there's another link in that thread as well directing the user to the more up to date instructions.

As to your question about followers, apart from Savage Worlds, which allows you to add followers to a player character no other ruleset does. You'd either need to create these as PCs or as NPCs under the players control.

[damned]

Hey GameSeneschal

Parts of the platform are updated every single week. Major updates happen typically 3-4x a year. The forums, videos, etc are always going to be challenged by the state of continual improvement.

Pathfinder was a full and complex (but not commercial) ruleset on Fantasy Grounds long before 5E arrived! It was the flagship ruleset for a long time.

[GameSeneschal]

It seems to me that Specific things like importing PCs (and their NPCs in a way that FG recognizes as their pet/cohort/etc), NPCs, Enemies, and other fairly required operations should be something that at the very least gets an annual thread to update forums to have easily located information on the relevant topics. Since the thread would be a catch all each year for the most current information, it would make finding many things much easier for people in general.

[Zacchaeus]

Are you talking still about specifically importing from HeroLab or just generally?

[Andraax]

It seems to me that Specific things like importing PCs (and their NPCs in a way that FG recognizes as their pet/cohort/etc), NPCs, Enemies, and other fairly required operations should be something that at the very least gets an annual thread to update forums to have easily located information on the relevant topics. Since the thread would be a catch all each year for the most current information, it would make finding many things much easier for people in general.

Thank you for volunteering to do this. I look forward to it.

[GameSeneschal]

Are you talking still about specifically importing from HeroLab or just generally?

For myself the things that are the same for everyone, and those specific to HL are what I am interested in. However, my intent is to have the thread be equally useful for people that opt for resources other than Hero Lab.

Thank you for volunteering to do this. I look forward to it.

Once I actually learn things, and am able to follow the changes going forward; I would not be opposed to beginning the annual thread with as much as I personally could think of. Since it is not something that is being done yet, I am asking for the community to come together and create the first compilation here.

[damned]

Hey GameSeneschal

As you have surmised there is a wealth of info out there and not all of it easy to find.
Community driven stuff tends to be exactly that - driven by community members who want something themselves.
An Annual thread sounds like it could be a great resource.

At this stage we are in a bit of quicksand.
The three different people who have chimed in on this thread know a fair bit about Fantasy Grounds but none of us runs Pathfinder (I dont think Andraax does anyway) so cant really offer you any starting point on what things a Pathfinder GM would want to know that are specific to pathfinder.
And you, being new, dont yet know what it is that you want to know.

So our start is going to be slow!

Have you looked at the User Manual?
It is the best starting point I think.
Then if you have specific questions that are more Pathfinder related start asking specific questions and you will slowly build up a set of answers that can form the basis of the new Annuals.

Would that be a fair spot to start from considering where we are at?

[Andraax]

Once I actually learn things, and am able to follow the changes going forward; I would not be opposed to beginning the annual thread with as much as I personally could think of. Since it is not something that is being done yet, I am asking for the community to come together and create the first compilation here.

You can start it and put in notes as you discover how to do things. This way it will build organically over time. There is a "tips and tricks" thread around here somewhere that was done the same way, with multiple people contributing. Then, at the end of the year, you summarize in the first post.

[LordEntrails]

GameSenchal, I did something similar when I started with FG. i.e. I wanted to know more about module creation best practices and found a lot of the information out of date or in a format not conducive to me. So I put together the best practices (in my signature). It was a good thing for me learning, plus it gave back to the community. Of course, I suspect it is now out of date in some areas, but since I don't get complaints I haven't updated it recently.