We'll have to wait and see. They mentioned they want to complement the game, not replace the entirety of its original feel.
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In the Light, we gather to empower our brother. In its grace, he will be made anew. In its power, he shall educate the masses. In its strength, he shall combat the shadow. And, in its wisdom, he shall lead his brethren to the eternal rewards of paradise.
We'll have to wait and see. They mentioned they want to complement the game, not replace the entirety of its original feel.
I believe the evolution of D&D is starting with DDB. I love my paper and pencil games, soooooooo much. (Hence all the "O's" is the word so there...lol) Yet, times have and are changing. Technology is growing at such a fast pace that it's not going to be long before we are playing D&D in VR. Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but how cool would that be??? The option to participate in this game and run it as you wish should be a priority. If this app lets me have access to my player's characters...oh damn! But if not, I am still impressed by what they have released so far. But we will see...waiting is always the hardest part...lol
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"...Debts must always be paid, sometimes in more than blood and gold. But this is Ordo Ursa," Ren places his hand on Erakas's chest, right where the Dragonborn's heart is. "Right here. And it always has been and always will be. Don't ever forget that. Because I won't."
Serandis Mendaen (Aereni Elven Rogue/maybe one day Wizard)- Project Point Playtest
I'm going to preface by saying that what I say has almost entirely been said before but I want to affirm the suggestions that really speak to what I want as both a player and DM.
My play group is a mix of people who constantly have their laptops open and the strictest of pen/paper/dice only and I want to let people play however they best want to. So I echo the request for both a static version to be updated and used between sessions that keeps fully rested stats without any buffs/debuffs but also for the live version that easily tracks spell slots expended, bardic inspirations used, current hit points, AC, buffs/debuffs, etc. I would also like a DM's cheat sheet of each player that can be, but is not necessarily linked to the players sheet. This should include things like spell save, passive abilities, AC, and current and maximum hit points that can be updated in combat as things change.
Someone earlier in the thread chain had a brilliant idea for a printable character sheet that was elegently simple but includes scannable codes to open full rules for each section and then for individual abilities. As an expansion (and probably more on the DM side of things) I'd love the ability to print off a magical item with a simple description that the player can then scan to open the full rules to.
Another thought I had was for character sheets to be class specific automatically for certain things. For instance, if I'm a barbarian, I don't need a spell save dc or list of spells. If I'm a druid with Wildshape (as already mentioned) I need access to what that all entails.
I really like the idea of tracking consumables and for spells to check you inventory for required material components and visually graying out spells that are unable to be cast due to lack of materials. I would love if that could be customized because I house rule that if the material costs under 5 gold, I don't require the players to track it and I just assume they have it available to them.
When I run a group and they are willing, I force a rather extensive backstory process including a written summary of how they got where they are that generally gets to be a few pages long at least. They send that to me for comments within the universe I've created, I offer suggestions, make some notes about things they were involved in that they don't know the full details about, and then they make some changes. I would love it if there were a back story section that was linked to the DM who could easily view, make edits, and add information that only the DM could view. Sort of similar to Google Docs because as my players get a better feel for who they want their characters to be during play, I want to give them some leeway to change small elements in their back story.
On a similar vein, I've found a lot of my characters make drawings of things that I would love to be able to incorporate in any character sheet. Just a place for them to upload an image either digitally created or scanned for their character but also in the notes section. More than one of my players takes notes either both visually and in language or exclusively visually. When we get to DM tools for campaign management, I'll want similar features for quick image storing, reference, and the ability to make small edits.
That's what I got so far! I love what I've seen of the system so far; I'm very pleased with how intuitive and easy to use it is.
There are a lot of different ideas of what the proper role of a game played with DDB should look like: a full VTT, a heavily automated game that can forego physical dice and paper, or DDB primarily as a reference for the traditional experience. Each use-case will really demand different things. AFAICT, a full VTT is not being contemplated, which is probably a good decision because trying to compete with FG and Roll20 right out of the gate when they have many years' worth of a headstart is probably a fool's errand (and probably in bad faith of the licensing deal since it would splinter the customer base willing to pay for official content on those platforms). So we're talking about degree of automation for an assumed in-person game. The other axis of consideration is the fact that this needs to be both desktop- and mobile-friendly.
Even at low automation, the most useful features have to do with accessing/editing fields of the char sheet, and sharing information between players and DM. A modular character sheet, with a default arrangement based on class, is one way to ensure that what the user considers the most relevant information is readily available. Another, non-mutually exclusive way is to have a "combat view" that fronts the most important combat elements and tracking for limited resources, while leaving other statistics on other pages. My ideal, bond, and flaw don't really need to take up just as much space as my special action list in a combat, y'know? For the most traditional gamers, these need to be printed: screens, especially for players, just invite problems.
The other component of even a minimal character sheet, would be the ability for the DM and maybe other players to see/manipulate it. This borders on campaign management, but I think a "DM's view" sheet would also be valuable: this would largely, if not entirely, mirror the "combat view" above, with easy reference of those statistics and abilities the DM actually needs to be aware of during combat, as opposed to your Performance bonus. Different levels of access to one's character sheet might include "view only," "editing with particular permission" (e.g., if the DM wants to put an item on your equipment list, the player may want to accept things like that line-by-line), and "full permission" (where the DM can edit it as freely as you can). That could be broken down on a per-field basis (e.g. I want the DM to have full access to my hit points, but not my equipment list) with reasonable defaults. Re: Notes - Talk of a note-passing feature is all well and good, but it fully fits under campaign management, not character sheets.
A more automated, p&p-less resource, OTOH, is a little more aggressive, and something I think more would be willing to shell out for. Here I want to click/tap on my weapon attacks and have the roll formula come up, complete with damage, with another option to roll immediately and get a result. Conditions, bonuses, penalties, spell effects, etc., affecting my character should be automatically applied. The easiest way to do this is to have it be applied by the PC or NPC applying it, and that takes a bit of a framework, but not a complicated one. Without going full VTT, all it needs is a "table," which is just a server, an instance if you will, which contains the PCs and whatever NPCs the DM has activated. Then, when the Cleric casts Cure Wounds, she selects the target, and the effect is automatically reflected on that PC's sheet. Likewise, when the Wizard casts Fireball, either the Wizard or the DM selects which targets are affected, and those targets are prompted to roll their DEX save (which could be set to automatically roll to save time), and the effects are automatically reflected on their sheet. Now, while you could automate those saves, you wouldn't want to, because part of that prompt would be the option to use resources like the Lucky feat or the Uncanny Dodge ability that are use-limited or take up a reaction or something. Basically, the "table" consists of the creatures in the scene, and whoever is acting (and/or the DM) selects the targets and clicks to roll; the targets are prompted to roll or otherwise respond, if applicable, and then the effects are automatically reflected on their char sheets. What about persistent but geographically limited effects like an aura? The creature who is creating the aura or the DM can select which creatures are currently affected by the aura, and deselect those that, e.g., move out of range. The end goal here is for all the tracking of bonuses and ammunition and HP and feat uses and spell slots, etc., to be done for you, so that you can just focus on deciding what to do and doing it. It's not a full VTT because it doesn't have a map or minis, and therefore information about geography has to be manually tracked (including flanking, high ground, etc., if applicable), but once you input that, the math itself is all handled perfectly and instantly, and automatically applied to the other characters at the table. What about for those who want to roll their own physical dice? Just have one button for the program to roll for you, and one button to enter the roll result (the natural roll result; again, the math is handled for you).
Now, as far as things to make using the char sheet easier/better:
1) The layout used so far is workable, so long as you put the most relevant information in the minimized version, e.g. the actual damage dice rolled in addition to the damage type (with an asterisk or other symbol to denote that it may change based on spell slot used, for instance), and what a successful save does in addition to what save is required. I would be OK if this format was also used for weapon attacks and special actions, etc. They truncate to various sizes pretty well, so you could have weapon/special attacks in one column and, say, spells in another. However, that makes it a digital-only, no printing affair. So you'll either want a printable option that uses a different format or just contains the expanded versions on a separate page, or you want the character sheet to just not use that format at all.
2) Mouse-over is hugely useful, but not available on mobile, so make it an opt-in option for desktop users and make sure the basic relevant information is in the minimized version of spells and attacks and such anyway, so that it's still useful on mobile (also, you need to rearrange the order of the details so that damage/effect is the first one after the spell name so that when it is truncated on mobile the most useful information is still there). But even mousing over non-action statistics like AC should show you how it is derived (Armor + DEX mod + shield + whatever else), and perhaps tapping on mobile would bring up a box with the same info (tap outside the box to close). If you made everything work in the same minimized/expanded format as what's already up, that might work, it's just that AC and Ability Scores and such will not be long, horizontal boxes, they'll just be boxes or even just the numbers, that you tap on to expand the derivation information (and the relevant bits from the compendium briefly describing what those numbers do.) The current format, where expanding a box pushes the other boxes down, may not work well for that: you may just want a new text box to appear on a new layer above the character sheet. So maybe the current format isn't super appropriate for a character sheet.
3) One section a 5e character sheet needs that no official one currently uses is a list of options for your Bonus Action: anything that can fill that Bonus Action needs to be in one list so you're not constantly forgetting things. In fact, that's an idea for the automated combat stuff above: when the initiative tracker (that I am assuming will exist and interact with all of this) moves to your turn, an optional guide appears that sets out 1) what conditions and effects you are under, and 2) the actions available to you, including movement (which would not be interactive because no VTT, it would just tell you how much movement you have this turn), Actions (including each weapon, possibly each spell since this isn't intended to be used for high levels), and Bonus Actions. This "guide" can always be a click/tap away, even if the user opts out of its automatic appearance. That's the very fringe of a "character sheet" idea, though.
Someone earlier in the thread chain had a brilliant idea for a printable character sheet that was elegently simple but includes scannable codes to open full rules for each section and then for individual abilities. As an expansion (and probably more on the DM side of things) I'd love the ability to print off a magical item with a simple description that the player can then scan to open the full rules to.
Thanks! :-) It would be really awesome if the DM were able to print these newly discovered items as bar codes
It would be neat if the DM were able to print these newly discovered items as just bar codes so that the arcana players could perform an "Identification Spell" through the app. They could roll their arcana check, then if successful, be allowed to scan the code and identify the item. In addition to identifying the item, they can then give the item to any player through the app by choosing to "Send to Player," to which it would then show up in that player's inventory. Heck, if you wanted to go all out - as an option, make the Identification Spell a mini game in the app - like having them draw magical glyphs on the screen. I suppose you could game-ify a lot of things throughout the app if they wanted to. Obviously, make it an option so players who don't like that sort of thing can just do the dice roll and get on with it.
How about a walk through guide for newbies to Dungeons & Dragons. I am sure there are new players who feel overwhelmed at the rules at first glance. If you had a tutorial run through the sheet it would encourage new players to stay.
It may also be wise to think of this of coming from a DM perspective who wants to have new players, but finds there are simple rules references which could be explained on the character sheet.
I think that providing some standard stock images for characters may make the character sheet even better! Maybe have 2 or 3 stock images per gender/race.
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How about a walk through guide for newbies to Dungeons & Dragons. I am sure there are new players who feel overwhelmed at the rules at first glance. If you had a tutorial run through the sheet it would encourage new players to stay.
It may also be wise to think of this of coming from a DM perspective who wants to have new players, but finds there are simple rules references which could be explained on the character sheet.
Hence, maybe a novice, adept and advanced sheet.
These are just ideas popping into my head.
I think a good interactive walk-through of the character sheet is something that is sorely, sorely lacking in D&D today, and would help new players immensely. Ultimately, the game is about deciding what your character would do; the mechanics of how you do those things are kind of secondary, but feeling confident in those mechanics helps new players engage with the game's depth and really take ownership of their experience, which makes it more rewarding. I wholeheartedly endorse this idea.
I think that a video of a person walking through the steps of creating a character, as well as other essential tasks like taking an action, would be highly beneficial to those who learn best through video content. The Player's Handbook is an excellent resource, but it has to leave off excessive explanation in order to stay concise. A video walk-through or something similar would be great for getting the details right. Of course, nothing beats having a veteran player explain things to you in person, but not all players have access to veterans, so I definitely do endorse the idea of a walk-through.
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I think that a video of a person walking through the steps of creating a character, as well as other essential tasks like taking an action, would be highly beneficial to those who learn best through video content. The Player's Handbook is an excellent resource, but it has to leave off excessive explanation in order to stay concise. A video walk-through or something similar would be great for getting the details right. Of course, nothing beats having a veteran player explain things to you in person, but not all players have access to veterans, so I definitely do endorse the idea of a walk-through.
Videos do exist, though their production quality could stand to be higher. I usually send neophytes to this character creation walk-through and this gameplay walk-through (in two parts). And I think that gets most of the way there, but I think there's still a significant difference between watching someone do it and actually having to make the connections and walk through the process of deciding what to do, finding a thing on your character sheet, finding the die to roll, rolling it, and getting a result yourself that cements the skill of doing so.
I think that keeping the character sheets somewhat minimal - by only including a character builder, image selector, and of course, the interactive walk-through, is the best option. Part of the fun of Dungeons and Dragons is that you get to write to your character sheet and be proud of how your character progresses!
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I love the widget-syle character sheet idea. Maybe combined with the group-style idea it would be possible to add little overview tabs of the PCs to a virtual DM screen? Just displaying things like HP, AC, status?
Designated places for Rages, Channel Divinity, Ki points and other such abilities.
Another thing that would be really nice is having modular sheets, to be able to add a favorite spell chart, or a javelin counter, or a spell slot chart on the front of the sheet.
We'll have to wait and see. They mentioned they want to complement the game, not replace the entirety of its original feel.
I believe the evolution of D&D is starting with DDB. I love my paper and pencil games, soooooooo much. (Hence all the "O's" is the word so there...lol) Yet, times have and are changing. Technology is growing at such a fast pace that it's not going to be long before we are playing D&D in VR. Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but how cool would that be??? The option to participate in this game and run it as you wish should be a priority. If this app lets me have access to my player's characters...oh damn! But if not, I am still impressed by what they have released so far. But we will see...waiting is always the hardest part...lol
One part of me loves what you are saying, and another part hates it. In one way D&D should become more able to use technology to its advantage (obviously there will always be those who do not wish to use it and will stick with the old ways (in a good way)), but the other part of me believes that that is where the beauty lies in D&D. That it doesn't need technology to have survived as one of the best games of all time. obviously I do not think that we shouldn't use the technology as a tool (I am on this site after all) but the game should still be based in life. It is just like how a DM needs to balance roleplay with action. For each group the balance will be different, and there will be some extremes where you use only one and not the other at all, but to keep the game the best that it can be you should be able to use part of the technology without having to use all of it, and you should be able to pick and choose the parts you would like to use.
I would hope at least when we see the characters sheets is a spell list for spells you can know vs. ones you currently have prepared, along with details if you click on them
I know you've been here all along and all, but could you quit hacking my turrets... it's making my hard work not pay off...hahaha
All I really want is the features already on the apps available for phones now (walks through character creation options, and tells me what to do when I level), plus consistently up-to-date content (my app has no kenkus) and spell-lookup for adding to list. The rest is all icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. I see a lot of awesome suggestions in this thread that I'd like to see, but I just want to be able to hand my phone to a noob and have them build their character without taking all day. Also, I *am* that noob and appreciate not having to flip from my race to my class because I don't remember what happens when I level... not to mention then having to double check the difference between when I get new spell slots and when I get to learn new spells. I like having that in a book for when I'm planning a character, but when I'm playing I'd like it to just tell me what to do next.
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We'll have to wait and see. They mentioned they want to complement the game, not replace the entirety of its original feel.
In the Light, we gather to empower our brother. In its grace, he will be made anew. In its power, he shall educate the masses. In its strength, he shall combat the shadow. And, in its wisdom, he shall lead his brethren to the eternal rewards of paradise.
"...Debts must always be paid, sometimes in more than blood and gold. But this is Ordo Ursa," Ren places his hand on Erakas's chest, right where the Dragonborn's heart is. "Right here. And it always has been and always will be. Don't ever forget that. Because I won't."
Serandis Mendaen (Aereni Elven Rogue/maybe one day Wizard)- Project Point Playtest
I'm going to preface by saying that what I say has almost entirely been said before but I want to affirm the suggestions that really speak to what I want as both a player and DM.
My play group is a mix of people who constantly have their laptops open and the strictest of pen/paper/dice only and I want to let people play however they best want to. So I echo the request for both a static version to be updated and used between sessions that keeps fully rested stats without any buffs/debuffs but also for the live version that easily tracks spell slots expended, bardic inspirations used, current hit points, AC, buffs/debuffs, etc. I would also like a DM's cheat sheet of each player that can be, but is not necessarily linked to the players sheet. This should include things like spell save, passive abilities, AC, and current and maximum hit points that can be updated in combat as things change.
Someone earlier in the thread chain had a brilliant idea for a printable character sheet that was elegently simple but includes scannable codes to open full rules for each section and then for individual abilities. As an expansion (and probably more on the DM side of things) I'd love the ability to print off a magical item with a simple description that the player can then scan to open the full rules to.
Another thought I had was for character sheets to be class specific automatically for certain things. For instance, if I'm a barbarian, I don't need a spell save dc or list of spells. If I'm a druid with Wildshape (as already mentioned) I need access to what that all entails.
I really like the idea of tracking consumables and for spells to check you inventory for required material components and visually graying out spells that are unable to be cast due to lack of materials. I would love if that could be customized because I house rule that if the material costs under 5 gold, I don't require the players to track it and I just assume they have it available to them.
When I run a group and they are willing, I force a rather extensive backstory process including a written summary of how they got where they are that generally gets to be a few pages long at least. They send that to me for comments within the universe I've created, I offer suggestions, make some notes about things they were involved in that they don't know the full details about, and then they make some changes. I would love it if there were a back story section that was linked to the DM who could easily view, make edits, and add information that only the DM could view. Sort of similar to Google Docs because as my players get a better feel for who they want their characters to be during play, I want to give them some leeway to change small elements in their back story.
On a similar vein, I've found a lot of my characters make drawings of things that I would love to be able to incorporate in any character sheet. Just a place for them to upload an image either digitally created or scanned for their character but also in the notes section. More than one of my players takes notes either both visually and in language or exclusively visually. When we get to DM tools for campaign management, I'll want similar features for quick image storing, reference, and the ability to make small edits.
That's what I got so far! I love what I've seen of the system so far; I'm very pleased with how intuitive and easy to use it is.
There are a lot of different ideas of what the proper role of a game played with DDB should look like: a full VTT, a heavily automated game that can forego physical dice and paper, or DDB primarily as a reference for the traditional experience. Each use-case will really demand different things. AFAICT, a full VTT is not being contemplated, which is probably a good decision because trying to compete with FG and Roll20 right out of the gate when they have many years' worth of a headstart is probably a fool's errand (and probably in bad faith of the licensing deal since it would splinter the customer base willing to pay for official content on those platforms). So we're talking about degree of automation for an assumed in-person game. The other axis of consideration is the fact that this needs to be both desktop- and mobile-friendly.
Even at low automation, the most useful features have to do with accessing/editing fields of the char sheet, and sharing information between players and DM. A modular character sheet, with a default arrangement based on class, is one way to ensure that what the user considers the most relevant information is readily available. Another, non-mutually exclusive way is to have a "combat view" that fronts the most important combat elements and tracking for limited resources, while leaving other statistics on other pages. My ideal, bond, and flaw don't really need to take up just as much space as my special action list in a combat, y'know? For the most traditional gamers, these need to be printed: screens, especially for players, just invite problems.
The other component of even a minimal character sheet, would be the ability for the DM and maybe other players to see/manipulate it. This borders on campaign management, but I think a "DM's view" sheet would also be valuable: this would largely, if not entirely, mirror the "combat view" above, with easy reference of those statistics and abilities the DM actually needs to be aware of during combat, as opposed to your Performance bonus. Different levels of access to one's character sheet might include "view only," "editing with particular permission" (e.g., if the DM wants to put an item on your equipment list, the player may want to accept things like that line-by-line), and "full permission" (where the DM can edit it as freely as you can). That could be broken down on a per-field basis (e.g. I want the DM to have full access to my hit points, but not my equipment list) with reasonable defaults. Re: Notes - Talk of a note-passing feature is all well and good, but it fully fits under campaign management, not character sheets.
A more automated, p&p-less resource, OTOH, is a little more aggressive, and something I think more would be willing to shell out for. Here I want to click/tap on my weapon attacks and have the roll formula come up, complete with damage, with another option to roll immediately and get a result. Conditions, bonuses, penalties, spell effects, etc., affecting my character should be automatically applied. The easiest way to do this is to have it be applied by the PC or NPC applying it, and that takes a bit of a framework, but not a complicated one. Without going full VTT, all it needs is a "table," which is just a server, an instance if you will, which contains the PCs and whatever NPCs the DM has activated. Then, when the Cleric casts Cure Wounds, she selects the target, and the effect is automatically reflected on that PC's sheet. Likewise, when the Wizard casts Fireball, either the Wizard or the DM selects which targets are affected, and those targets are prompted to roll their DEX save (which could be set to automatically roll to save time), and the effects are automatically reflected on their sheet. Now, while you could automate those saves, you wouldn't want to, because part of that prompt would be the option to use resources like the Lucky feat or the Uncanny Dodge ability that are use-limited or take up a reaction or something. Basically, the "table" consists of the creatures in the scene, and whoever is acting (and/or the DM) selects the targets and clicks to roll; the targets are prompted to roll or otherwise respond, if applicable, and then the effects are automatically reflected on their char sheets. What about persistent but geographically limited effects like an aura? The creature who is creating the aura or the DM can select which creatures are currently affected by the aura, and deselect those that, e.g., move out of range. The end goal here is for all the tracking of bonuses and ammunition and HP and feat uses and spell slots, etc., to be done for you, so that you can just focus on deciding what to do and doing it. It's not a full VTT because it doesn't have a map or minis, and therefore information about geography has to be manually tracked (including flanking, high ground, etc., if applicable), but once you input that, the math itself is all handled perfectly and instantly, and automatically applied to the other characters at the table. What about for those who want to roll their own physical dice? Just have one button for the program to roll for you, and one button to enter the roll result (the natural roll result; again, the math is handled for you).
Now, as far as things to make using the char sheet easier/better:
1) The layout used so far is workable, so long as you put the most relevant information in the minimized version, e.g. the actual damage dice rolled in addition to the damage type (with an asterisk or other symbol to denote that it may change based on spell slot used, for instance), and what a successful save does in addition to what save is required. I would be OK if this format was also used for weapon attacks and special actions, etc. They truncate to various sizes pretty well, so you could have weapon/special attacks in one column and, say, spells in another. However, that makes it a digital-only, no printing affair. So you'll either want a printable option that uses a different format or just contains the expanded versions on a separate page, or you want the character sheet to just not use that format at all.
2) Mouse-over is hugely useful, but not available on mobile, so make it an opt-in option for desktop users and make sure the basic relevant information is in the minimized version of spells and attacks and such anyway, so that it's still useful on mobile (also, you need to rearrange the order of the details so that damage/effect is the first one after the spell name so that when it is truncated on mobile the most useful information is still there). But even mousing over non-action statistics like AC should show you how it is derived (Armor + DEX mod + shield + whatever else), and perhaps tapping on mobile would bring up a box with the same info (tap outside the box to close). If you made everything work in the same minimized/expanded format as what's already up, that might work, it's just that AC and Ability Scores and such will not be long, horizontal boxes, they'll just be boxes or even just the numbers, that you tap on to expand the derivation information (and the relevant bits from the compendium briefly describing what those numbers do.) The current format, where expanding a box pushes the other boxes down, may not work well for that: you may just want a new text box to appear on a new layer above the character sheet. So maybe the current format isn't super appropriate for a character sheet.
3) One section a 5e character sheet needs that no official one currently uses is a list of options for your Bonus Action: anything that can fill that Bonus Action needs to be in one list so you're not constantly forgetting things. In fact, that's an idea for the automated combat stuff above: when the initiative tracker (that I am assuming will exist and interact with all of this) moves to your turn, an optional guide appears that sets out 1) what conditions and effects you are under, and 2) the actions available to you, including movement (which would not be interactive because no VTT, it would just tell you how much movement you have this turn), Actions (including each weapon, possibly each spell since this isn't intended to be used for high levels), and Bonus Actions. This "guide" can always be a click/tap away, even if the user opts out of its automatic appearance. That's the very fringe of a "character sheet" idea, though.
Also a druid in one of my games. I too agree with this. I would really like this to be implemented.
How about a walk through guide for newbies to Dungeons & Dragons. I am sure there are new players who feel overwhelmed at the rules at first glance. If you had a tutorial run through the sheet it would encourage new players to stay.
It may also be wise to think of this of coming from a DM perspective who wants to have new players, but finds there are simple rules references which could be explained on the character sheet.
Hence, maybe a novice, adept and advanced sheet.
These are just ideas popping into my head.
I think that providing some standard stock images for characters may make the character sheet even better! Maybe have 2 or 3 stock images per gender/race.
Roll CHA to see if you can persuade your friend to roll CHA for you.
Carcywin Nuluck, Beyond this Earthly Realm - PbPI think that a video of a person walking through the steps of creating a character, as well as other essential tasks like taking an action, would be highly beneficial to those who learn best through video content. The Player's Handbook is an excellent resource, but it has to leave off excessive explanation in order to stay concise. A video walk-through or something similar would be great for getting the details right. Of course, nothing beats having a veteran player explain things to you in person, but not all players have access to veterans, so I definitely do endorse the idea of a walk-through.
Roll CHA to see if you can persuade your friend to roll CHA for you.
Carcywin Nuluck, Beyond this Earthly Realm - PbPYour suggestion for class specific character sheets is spot on.
I think that keeping the character sheets somewhat minimal - by only including a character builder, image selector, and of course, the interactive walk-through, is the best option. Part of the fun of Dungeons and Dragons is that you get to write to your character sheet and be proud of how your character progresses!
Roll CHA to see if you can persuade your friend to roll CHA for you.
Carcywin Nuluck, Beyond this Earthly Realm - PbPI love the widget-syle character sheet idea. Maybe combined with the group-style idea it would be possible to add little overview tabs of the PCs to a virtual DM screen? Just displaying things like HP, AC, status?
Designated places for Rages, Channel Divinity, Ki points and other such abilities.
Another thing that would be really nice is having modular sheets, to be able to add a favorite spell chart, or a javelin counter, or a spell slot chart on the front of the sheet.
The big thing for me is I'm going to be comparing it to Fight Club 5 and whether or not I will be able to take it offline at all.
Do not expect people to be smart, but do not allow them to be stupid. If there is one thing I have learned it is this.
"Roll for kink."
My homebrews - Naturalcrit
I just realized that I quoted the wrong comment, but I think you all still understand what I am saying.
Do not expect people to be smart, but do not allow them to be stupid. If there is one thing I have learned it is this.
All I really want is the features already on the apps available for phones now (walks through character creation options, and tells me what to do when I level), plus consistently up-to-date content (my app has no kenkus) and spell-lookup for adding to list. The rest is all icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. I see a lot of awesome suggestions in this thread that I'd like to see, but I just want to be able to hand my phone to a noob and have them build their character without taking all day. Also, I *am* that noob and appreciate not having to flip from my race to my class because I don't remember what happens when I level... not to mention then having to double check the difference between when I get new spell slots and when I get to learn new spells. I like having that in a book for when I'm planning a character, but when I'm playing I'd like it to just tell me what to do next.