Whiskeyjack wrote:So, I've completed two characters on the spread sheet. I'm definitely liking it.
Here are a couple of other things I've noticed.
Greetings and Salutations. Well, I'm glad you're liking it. Due to the previous topic a little higher up, I don't intend to touch the Character Sheet (or any NPC Sheet) for probably at least another month. That'll give time for the Open House rush to settle and see if Palladium does get back to me, as well as give me plenty of time to consider options (including potential changes).
I will respond to the rest of the comments with my viewpoint. This is not to argue. My goal is to provide ideas you may not have considered, and/or if I'm missing the point (quite possible) to hopefully find clarification in further discussion. A lot of the time I just have trouble understanding what other people are trying to say, though I am genuinely trying.
Whiskeyjack wrote:ISP doesn't calculate for you, you have to manually enter it. I may have screwed this up typing stuff where I wasn't supposed to though.
Which sheet are you looking at?
I ask, because I just checked the copy I use in my account, and it works fine. I'll note, I did not download a copy from my site, so it's possible I uploaded a faulty (or outdated) copy, but I don't think that's the case. A quick walkthrough.
1. As I.S.P. is only if you're a Psionic (and only 25% of some races are, and 0% of some other races are), it's not on the main page as a default.
2. The place you would enter it is on the "Worktable" sheet. This is located below the "Save vs." table. A placed this a bit further down since not everyone will use it, and I don't think there's any consistent formula for how I.S.P. is calculated (so you kind of have to do it on a case-by-case basis). The final cell for I.S.P. should be locked, as it's the total. If you've unlocked the page and deleted this formula, you can either download a fresh copy or enter "=SUM(C45:G45)" into the field (no quotation marks).
3. I.S.P. is again calculated on the "Magic & Psionics" sheet. This value should be calculated from the Worktable, and displayed in the "Base" cell. If you've deleted the formula next to Base, then you can fix it by entering "=total_isp" (no quotation marks).
4. "Remaining" I.S.P. is calculated by using your Base subtracted from "Used" (you have to keep track of that part manually, as it represents how much I.S.P. you've already used on your various psionics). If the formula for Remaining is missing, you may enter "=K4-N4" to fix it (no quotation marks).
If you mean something else, then I believe I've missed it. Please let me know.
Whiskeyjack wrote:Where the primary Combat Equipment section is, I think it would be better to have it listed as a WP area. So instead of right hand/left hand, just allow space for 5 WPs for people to have all their combat stats up front.
I agree with having all your W.P. upfront. Which is why in my sample NPC (not the NPC Sheet, as that's a bit different, but those I've uploaded using the Character Sheet format) I include the W.P. in the regular Skills section. So, for example, for Level 4 W.P. Sword, I'd type "W.P. Sword (+2s, +2p, +1t)." I describe this method in the Instructions tab, under #3. W.P., because of the way I decided to do them in an attempt to avoid conflict with Palladium, have to be done manually anyways. Even at level 15, with the NPC I made so far I haven't run into a space issue yet doing the W.P. this way. Note: I have a method that would auto-calculate your W.P. bonuses too, but I figured Palladium would frown on too much information so I avoided it in the general Character Sheet (but a version can be found in my NPC Sheet).
Now, as an individual, I also like all my bonuses in one place. This is actually the reason I created the Right and Left hand sections (I've renamed them "Primary" and "Secondary/Alt" in my versions of both the Character Sheet and NPC Sheet, but I'm not sure if I've uploaded that version to the site). When I fill those fields, the Strike, Parry, Damage, and other Fields are the total result of all my bonuses. So, it adds the Strike bonus from Hand to Hand, high P.P., W.P., as well as any weapon specific bonuses. So, if for example, I have a +1 Strike/Parry Kobold sword, and I'm a level 4 knight, the bonus would probably look something like: Claymore, Strike +5, Parry +6. This is my W.P. and Hand to Hand Expert added together with the Weapon bonuses.
In my experience, most players will have a favorite weapon, and even a back-up weapon (or two weapons if using Paired Weapons). So this field was to let them see at a glance their TOTAL bonus. As a player (as well as a G.M.), I dislike having to look at three or four different sections of my character sheet to do the math. By having one spot for them to be added up all together, any time I use my favorite or secondary weapon, I know what my bonuses are by looking at that one field.
If you're using the fields differently, consider the method I mentioned above. If you've tried that method and think it's poorly executed, I'm okay with that too. Maybe we can figure out a way to help make it better. If I'm entirely missing the point, again, let me know. However, that's my hesitation to getting rid of the Primary Equipment section. However, I made this sheet for others, and if this method/section only works well for me then maybe this space could be better used.
Note: In my NPC Sheet, this section is streamlined so you don't have to do any work at all. But in the Character Sheet, because of the compromises I made in an effort to avoid stepping on Palladium's toes, it's not as fluid.
Whiskeyjack wrote:Similarly, the Armour secion of it could be expanded to say three lines to allow for natural, a suit, as well as a shield. That would make it easy to keep track of the damage on each.
This might mean the equipment section needs to be reduced by a few lines, but I think there is plenty of space there.
First, I classify a Shield a weapon (it has a W.P. after all), not armor. Setting that aside ...
I could, in theory, add the Armor section as well as the W.P. as you requested above. However, I think we have different opinions of how much room that'll take. To do that, I'd need to delete some of the Notes from the first page. I kind of like having it there, because I sometimes like using a single page character and I like including a few notes, but this isn't a deal breaker for me either. Replacing a few (or all) of the Notes lines from Page 1 is something I think is workable.
To clarify, by "need," what I mean is that my design of the Character Sheet is to fit on one to two pages (two to four if you're using Magic/Psionics). Basically, the front and back of a page. I generally consider Page 2 of the main Character Sheet as "Optional." Now, I did realize that on a different computer the pages are off alignment as well, so I'm not sure how it appears on yours, nor am I sure how to make this consistent for everyone.
For additional equipment (beyond the Primary Combat Equipment), I'd (as an individual) just include it in the Equipment section on Page 2. I contemplated making a "Combat" worksheet, where things like W.P., Primary Equipment, extra weapons and extra armor, special combat moves, etc. could all be found. Because including everything for combat actually takes up a lot of room. I had decided against it, but do you think that's something worth reconsidering? Or do you think one of the above solutions (or even a new one) will work better?
Whiskeyjack wrote:All in all, I think you did an incredible job on the sheet. None of the issues I ran into would be a deal breaker for me to not use it, as they are easy enough to work around with the note sections.
I'm glad you're enjoying and that none of the issues are deal breakers. With that said, I'm still giving thought to how to make everything work. If some of my reasoning has flaws or other problems, please let me know. Again, I'm looking for open discussion. Thank you for your time and input, please have a nice day. Farewell and safe journeys for now.