Extension to Make NPCs UI similar to PCs UI?

[Zacchaeus]

You have to be fairly precise when targeting inside the CT, You need to mouse over the icon for the NPC or the player portrait for the PC on the extreme left of the NPC or PC line until you get the hand icon and then do the CTRL-click. It is easier to do the CTRL-clicking on tokens on the map rather than in the CT.

If this is still not working for you then it is likely either the theme you are using (if you are using a non-official one) or an extension which is interfering. Try in a new campaign without extensions or themes and if it works start adding back in whatever you are using until the problem recurs. You will then have found your culprit.

[damned]

While complex NPCs will take up a lot of screen space in the CT while they are active - its restored as soon as the next actor is active, it is info that the GM needs, its in a short precise format which I think is pretty easy to use.

Targeting by NPCs absolutely works. I always use targeting. While the PC is doing their thing I set up targeting on the next NPC(s) so that when its my turn Im efficient (like I want the players to be!).

The CT is not designed to provide an overview of the combat - it is designed as the GM tool to run combat.

Adding additional weapons or effects when syntax is an issue I generally duplicate something that is already on the sheet/tracker and edit that.

For AC effects Id tend to just increase their AC.

Possibly the issue is less with the CT and more with how to add additional info?

[Mad Nomad]

As an update, getting more familiar with some of the advanced combat tracker stuff has helped. Thanks for those who pointed that out. On further reflection, it seems the largest issues I still have are really related to creating or custmoizing NPCs, though others do remain. And I think my proposal would shift from having a PC character sheet for NPCs to instead a desire to have the control and editing of NPC work more similarly to that of PCs. It's not so much aboutcloning the PC sheet exactly.

I don't think anythign is likely to ever come of this, but just incase it's ever useful for future versions of FG or extensions I'll just document them here as a final thought.

Reasons for more PC like behavior and UI for NPC for 5e...

- Easier to add or customize the attacks of NPCs.
For PCs you can easily use the built in UI to add new attacks or spells or bonuses, damage types, or add effects to those attacks. With NPC UI, it is much more difficult.

- When creating NPCs you can not drag a spell to them and have it work like you can with a PC. This is because they are not buuilt like PCs with spell save DCs and such. So if I want an NPC to have 10 spells, I have to manually edit the text of each spell to make it work, changing the english so that they have a DC. If they worked liek character sheets, I could simply change their global DC.

- NPC sheets can be harder to read
With NPC that have abilities and spells, they can be very long, hard to quickly find things. The PC Ui allows for collapsing sections and using the shield icon to refer to spells and abilities. This would be nice in NPCs. At same time, I probably wouldn't want to have a bunch of tabs on the npc sheet like the pc sheet since many are not needed. But collapsing the NPC sheets and using the shielf icons more would be nice.

- WHile not always good to direct combat from an expanded NPC card, it would be much easier to do so if it worked more like a PC card. With similar combat action buttons rather than finding the hightlitable text in the paragraphs.

- Consistancy in the way thigns work, where to find various stats etc

[Zacchaeus]

As I think was pointed out above you should not need to refer to the NPC sheet during combat. All of the NPC actions are on the Combat Tracker and whilst it doesn't use buttons it's just a matter of double clicking on the attack, damage, saving throws, effects etc. You can click on the shield icon on the CT beside any of the actions or traits of an NPC to get a description of what that action or trait does, so I'm not sure what you mean by the NPC sheets being harder to read.

If the NPC can cast spells then you can automate the population of the actual spells into the NPC sheet. Additionally with the correct wording FG will work out the attacks and spell save DCs where those are present in the spell/ The trait should be named 'Spellcasting' and the wording should be as follows:

The [NPC] is a nth-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is [ability]. The [NPC] has the following spells prepared.
Cantrips (at will): <spell name>,<spell name>
1st level (4 slots): <spell name>, <spell name>
2nd level (2 slots): <spell name>, <spell name>

It is important that the wording is exactly as above including the punctuation. All spell names should be in lower case separated by a comma.
If the NPC has innate spellcasting abilities then replace the heading with 'Innate Spellcasting' and replace the 1st level, 2nd level etc with 3/day, 1/day or whatever the NPC rate of casting is.

This is how NPCs get their spells, saving throws etc. Before the Spellcasting trait was automatically parsed like this then it was as you describe above. NPCs required spells to be dragged in and then the Save etc had to be worked out for each spell. If you are editing a spellcasting NPC you can replace the spellcasting ability, level and spells and the mechanics will be preserved.

I agree that customising an NPC is more about replacing existing text with new text rather than drag/dropping items. However it's easy enough just to copy a trait or feature from one NPC to another so the typing bit is minimised.

As for consistency; remember you are the DM so you only have to worry about NPC attacks etc and all of the NPCs are consistent on how the information is displayed on the CT. Once you know how or where that info is displayed it doesn't matter how it's done for a character sheet.