Beserker
Conductor
Dark Swordmage
Elementalist

More custom 4e classes can be found here.

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A centralised location for the application. A single, online database that can be updated quickly and the changes reflected instantly to all users. A cloud-based storage system so all your characters are available no matter where you are. Support for multiple platforms. These are the things the new CB promised.

Sadly for Wizards, not only was the reception to this news overwhelmingly negative, the launch itself did not go smoothly. Not at all.

According to feedback from users on Wizards’ forums, the online builder is slow, crashes constantly, delivers character sheets 100s of megabytes in size and has less homebrew support than the old CB. Commentary suggests that users of the new CB don’t feel like customers, but beta testers.

Perhaps the most controversial change is that you must have an active D&D Insider subscription to use the online CB. So unless you pay every month, you can’t use the Builder. Essentially, it’s a big F-U to transient subscribers.

It would be fair to ask then, given the relative maturity of the old Character Builder, why Wizards felt the need to move it all online? Why go through the agony of yet another product launch, complete with teething issues, bugs, missing features and the wrath of customers?

To cash up.

Sure, the new approach has benefits for players, but the strongest arguments for the online CB favour the business. No piracy and assured funds via subscriptions.

So, what if I like the old Character Builder?
You’re in luck, actually. For the time being, anyway. First, some background.

Silverlight runs on .NET. The Character Builder also uses .NET. In addition, both use Windows Presentation Foundation (or WPF) for their user interfaces. WPF is an alternative and pseudo-replacement for Windows Forms, the default UI library for .NET Windows applications.

What this means is that a majority, if not all, of the backend code – the stuff that does the heavy lifting and is the most time-consuming to implement – could be ported to a Silverlight app. Heck, as both platforms can utilise WPF, some of the frontend could be ported too.

Say what you will about Silverlight, .NET and C#, these tools can be used to build responsive apps. Microsoft’s XNA Framework, which is used for games development on PC and Xbox 360, has C# as its favoured language. A game is probably one of the most demanding applications you can write, requiring constant optimisation and an eye of time-sensitivity.

I’m not saying .NET is perfect, but it’s not junk either. As the saying goes: Don’t blame the tools.

I should also mention Microsoft is not abandoning Silverlight – it’s hogwash. (Bad) Journalists love to quote out of context, and that’s what happened at PDC. Here’s a blog post from Microsoft addressing the confusion:

The purpose of Silverlight has never been to replace HTML, but rather to do the things that HTML (and other technologies) can’t, and to do so in a way that’s easy for developers to use. Silverlight enables great client app and media experiences. It’s now installed on two-thirds of the world’s computers, and more than 600,000 developers currently build software using it. Make no mistake; we’ll continue to invest in Silverlight and enable developers to build great apps and experiences with it in the future.

The post admits the company’s strategy has “shifted”, but all this means is that it’s recognised that HTML5 is gaining momentum, and a lot of major players are supporting it. Go against this would be silly.

So… why Silverlight
Along with being the path of least resistance, going online-only with the CB and using Silverlight as a frontend addressed two significant issues in Wizards’ online and software strategy. The first was the lack of multiplatform support; Silverlight runs just as well on Windows and Mac.

The second, and likely what sealed the deal for Hasbro, Wizards’ parent company, was eliminating piracy. As long as the CB could exist offline and fully-functional, there was little either company could do to prevent users from copying the hell out of it.

And, eventually, adding our own content.

Sticking with the offline Character Builder
The CB’s assemblies are obsfucated with a commercial app called {smartassembly}. While this makes it incredibly difficult to discern the inner workings of the application, it didn’t stop one enthusiastic user from prying apart its innards. The result? CBLoader, an application that not only extracts the raw ruleset as XML, but can inject a custom ruleset into the program when it starts.

The silly thing is that CBLoader uses the CB’s own exposed routines to accomplish this – specifically those from a satellite library called ApplicationUpdate.Client.dll. Such is the insecurity of .NET. At least offline.

Now that Wizards has stopped updating (and I’m guessing supporting) the offline CB, CBLoader should work from now until forever. Already people have started putting together unofficial updates. Last time I checked, Dark Sun, Essentials and a couple of the latest Dragon mags are available. How long this community effort continues is dependent on a number of things; the offline CB has extensive modularity in its rules database, but major new features, such as Essentials and Dark Sun themes, will be difficult to replicate faithfully as the executable remains off-limits. Fortunately, a degree of support for these was included in the last official update (October, 2010).

There’s nothing stopping someone from coding a new offline frontend, however, if this situation eventuates.

Tracking down CBLoader and the unofficial updates is trivial. If you’ve been disenfranchised by Wizards’ new software strategy, you don’t have to stop using the offline CB just yet.

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Actually, I’m just going to point you in the general direction.

Disclaimer: I, in no way, condone or support reverse-engineering the Character Builder or its associated libraries. I also cannot condone redistribution of any Wizards-owned IP or content.

The greatest failing of the official 4e Character Builder from Wizards is its weak support for homebrew and custom content. For such a powerful and mature tool, it’s an incredible shortcoming. In addition, the recent (and second) delay to the September refresh of the CB highlighted the fact that players are at the mercy of Wizards for rules updates. Without WotC’s regular software support, the CB quickly falls out-of-sync with new books and Dragon/Dungeon magazines. For those on the cutting edge of the game, it’s fairly crippling.

Recently I came across a Google Code project called cbloader. It’s a fairly simple C# application that decrypts the “combined.dnd40.encrypted” file, extracts the rules database from it and writes it out as XML. You can then use the app to instruct the CB to use the XML instead of the encrypted file for its ruleset. This XML is completely editable. At any time you can redirect the CB back to the encrypted file, so you can have a modified database and the original running in parallel.

In essence, it allows you to update the CB yourself, or put in proper custom rules fully supported by the application. With colours and bonuses and all.

Obviously, if players could add their own content to the CB (including the official stuff) there would be little reason for them to purchase the monthly updates, except for major rule changes (such as with Essentials and the September CB refresh). That, and saving yourself the hassle of typing in all the new content, which is significant.

I’d like to clarify that I am not at all associated with cbloader – it’s just something I came across. If you’d like to take a look at it, go right ahead. I can tell you now, out of the box, it won’t work, and I don’t feel comfortable explaining how to fix it.

I will say that anyone with reasonable experience with programming, particularly C#, and some familiarity with reading and writing to process memory should be able to get it operational quickly, after which it will do exactly what it says on the tin. As for manipulating the XML itself, well, that’s another can of worms entirely.

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Sorry to all the English-only speakers out there… v0.7.0b doesn’t contain a great deal for you. Here’s the changelog anyway – something might take your fancy:

* Added first implementation of localisation support – different languages can be chosen by selecting one of the relevant flag icons at the bottom of the main program window. It is highly experimental and it is not recommended to upgrade to version 0.7.0 unless you plan to beta test localised text. Localised text is stored in the Locale subdirectory (English.txt, French.txt, Italian.txt, etc). Text may not be perfect and some text may still be in English even when a different language is selected. Please contact logan@playwrite-blog.net regarding corrections

* Powers and classes created in one localisation are not compatible with other localisations

* Language data is now stored in power and class XML

* Powers and classes with custom data (power sources, effect types, etc) will now load correctly

* Updated PDFsharp to v1.31

Probably the big takeaway is that classes and powers are not compatible between different versions of the toolkit. I should also mention the Italian translation was made with Babelfish, so it’s no doubt a bit rubbish.

If there’s anyone out there who’d like to translate the program into their mother tongue, just dip into the Locale subfolder of the 4e Power Toolkit folder. You’ll find an English.txt file with the program’s English text. Use this as a starting point to create your own localisation file. Once you’re done, just email me at logan (at) playwrite-blog (dot) net with the file and the language it’s for, and I’ll include it in the next build.

Thanks to Xavier Hunault-Pérusse for the French translation.

Download the 4e Power Toolkit 0.7.0b

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Shadows and darkness – both are your tools, the incantations you have learned grant you all the powers of the Umbral Realm, all shadows are at your beck and call. Through years of study the realm of the dark has opened your eyes to the eternal bleak eternities and the reflection of all. Each time you cast a spell, you know that shadows are encouraging your words and that they wish to do your will. Your soul is forever held by the Arch Shades, whether the good or the malign.

And here’s an example of one of the powers:

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v0.6.0 also removes the minimum size on the creator windows, allowing the program to be used on small screens, and I’ve fixed a problem that would prevent secondary and tertiary attacks from appearing on power cards. Otherwise, v0.6.0 is a lightweight update… but one you can’t do without!

You can download it from here, and all custom classes and powers can be seen at dnd.playwrite-blog.net.

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Gunslingers are ranged fighters who wield alchemical implements called “guns” and “pistols” and “rifles” to hurl projectiles at their foes (although there are some who use one or two crossbows). Their weapons do great damage at long range as well as close-quarters, but come to a disadvantage when it comes time to reload, given their early and experimental nature. Some Gunslingers take the time to make alchemical bullets, with special abilities, such as fire or acid. Gunslingers prefer to slide around the battlefield, keeping their enemies at a distance.

The Gunslinger [4e Custom Classes]

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There are many different styles of shapeshifting to be seen. One is the literal bodily alteration where the body physically changes, this is the path of which you chose. Your spells hamper your enemies and strengthen your allies. When pressed you shift form and stirke at your enemies with newly gained claws, and breath of fire. Ever changing and adapting, this is your magic, this is your life.

And a sample power, copy-and-pasted directly from the Power Toolkit:

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It also helps that rubbing out stuff doesn’t leave a mark… unless you use white-out on your monitor. If this is the case, generating 4e characters is the least of your concerns.

For those of you who scoff at the idea of using a computer to help with a pen and paper game, sure. I get it. The old school method has an obvious advantage: all you need, at the minimum, is a pencil and a piece of paper. This sort of minimalism appeals to a wide range of people, mostly because it’s cheap. I like cheap.

Unless your memory abilities are herculean in nature, you’ll need a 4e PHB too. You can subsequently add a character sheet and dice, in that order. There’s also something real about writing out your character, as if you’re carving their very psyche with graphite. This slow, methodical process also allows one to reflect on their choices, and you could argue that a stronger, more rounded character is the result.

The disadvantages, however, are numerous. Writing out a character takes time – time that a lot of players (and a few DMs) fail to take into account when starting a new campaign or levelling a character. The game comes to a grinding halt as stats are allocated and powers, feats and skills are chosen. Throw in newbies and those six hours alloted for fun, excitment and general orc-slaying are wittled to a paltry four or less. The potential for human error also lurks around the edges of every formula, and what should be a +4 to hit becomes +2, +6 or nothing at all.

In the case of levelling, you have to manually – and carefully – transfer items, treasure and other tidbits to your new sheet. It’s easy for the occasional gem or Resounding Mace +1 to slip through the cracks and, before you know it, an entire warehouse of silver candelabra is inadvertantly left to rot on a discarded character sheet or to exist only as rubber shavings underneath a couch cushion. On a PC, you can just load your character, hit a button and everything is sorted for you.

It’s hard to argue that in terms of efficiency, accuracy and ease, a PC character generator is leagues ahead of its real-world, pencil-driven counterpart. Once this realisation occurs, the question stops being “if” but “which”. To make that question as simple as possible to answer, I’ve taken it upon myself to dabble with five 4e character generators and rank them based on portability, ease of use, stat calculation, reliance on the PHB and cost (if any).

#5: dnd4e’s Fillable PDF Character Sheet
http://dnd4.com/dd-4th-edition-character-sheet

Overview: A Portable Document File (PDF) of the 4e character sheet with editable fields. Some fields have logic behind them to calculate stats, hit points and other values.

Requirements: Windows, Linux or OS X. Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader or Foxit. Photoshop if you’re hardcore.

Good: It’s basically a genuine 4e character sheet. Everything is positioned how it should be, and printing can be done without hassle. It represents the least amount of technology one could inject into a character sheet – your mouse/keyboard becomes a pencil and the PDF paper. Acrobat Reader is free to download and use, so portability/compatiblility is not an issue.

Bad: Adobe’s Portable Document Format is not known for its ability to dynamically alter on-screen values. The capability is there, but its clunky and doesn’t always work how it should. Without the full version of Adobe Acrobat or an alternative like Foxit, making changes to the internals isn’t happening either. You’ll still need the PHB to look up powers and there’s nothing stopping you from making an illegal character. The fillable PDF makes it quite clear that, to take proper advantage of a computer’s aid, more technology has to be involved.


#4: Wizards of the Coast’s Character Builder
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/insider/characterbuilder

Overview: A character sheet built for Windows using .NET 3.5 Framework. Complex logic and a large database of feats and powers lets you make do without a Player’s Handbook.

Requirements: Windows and .NET 3.5 Framework. Maybe Linux and Mac with Mono.

Good: Currently in beta, the Character Builder is shaping up to be the best, easiest and most visually appealing way to generate and level characters. Almost everything is automatically calculated, a database provides quick reference to powers, skills, feats, class descriptions and other bits and bobs, and you can go as far as to add house rules and reformat the standard character sheet. When you’re done, you can save the character off for later editing, and printing is right there as well.

Bad: You have to pay for it, which is beyond ridiculous having already spent a wad on the PHB, DMG and MM. It’s also in beta and the “free” version only allows characters of levels 1-3. So you can make new characters, but levelling is out of the question. It should also be noted that Windows is the only supported platform, so OS X and Linux users are out of luck. It might work with Mono.

Beyond the proprietary save format Characters are saved in XML and can be printed via the bundled viewer app. There’s no HTML or text file export, which is almost suffocating, and wouldn’t be hard to add giving the file format. Installing a PDF printer isn’t a big deal but, really, for the price this functionality should be in-built.

The Character Builder is not an online component of D&D Insider, so you won’t have to pay a subscription to generate and level characters once the final build is out. You will however need a subscription for updates.

If paying for something that ought to be free appeals to you, then whack another two points onto the score. The rest of us will continue to wait for WotC to pick up its game while we use free alternatives that are almost as good.


#3: Pfhoenix’s Character Sheet
http://dnd.pfhoenix.com/downloads.php

Overview: A character sheet built for Windows using .NET 3.5 Framework. Complex logic and a large database of feats and powers lets you make do without a Player’s Handbook.

Requirements: Windows and .NET 3.5 Framework. Maybe Linux and Mac with Mono.

Good: Adding a power or feat gives you access to a massive, graphical database of what I can only assume is all the current 4e content. It’s on the awesome side of, well, awesome and must have taken a significant amount of effort to compile. So, massive kudos for that. Hit points and defenses are calculated automatically once all the required data is in place, and drop-down boxes allow you to easily select your race and class. The interface is straight-forward and you can save characters as XML files for editing later or print them out in proper sheet form. Well-rounded and the second-most visually appealing.

Bad: A Windows app that needs .NET 3.5 is about as portable as a grand piano. Okay, it’s not as bad as VB6, but it’s not best-case. I haven’t tested the program in OS X or Linux with Mono, so I can’t say whether it works. All I can say is your experiences may differ. The program also doesn’t stop you from whacking in a billion feats at Level 1, and the Validate feature doesn’t do much of anything. I also noticed a bug with the Print Preview where the skill list is obscured by checkboxes.

From a coding perspective, it would be nice to have access to the database. I know a lot of applications I could use it in…


#2: Sheepy’s Javascript D&D 4e Character Generator
http://dnd.pfhoenix.com/downloads.php

Overview: A Javascript-driven, web-based generator that uses checkboxes and radio buttons.

Requirements: A recent web brower with Javascript support. So, all of them.

Good: From a technical standpoint, Sheepy’s is the most impressive of the lot. It has a massive database of powers and feats, and can tell when you’re eligible for something or not; making an illegal character is close to impossible. The finished sheet includes brief descriptions of your abilities, so you don’t need the PHB to run it through a game. If you want to take the generator on the road, it can be saved to your hard drive for use offline. Best of all, it doesn’t care what operating system you’re using, as long as it has a browser with Javascript support.

Bad: Characters cannot be saved for levelling or editing, requiring one to reenter all their data. The only export function is a text file – supremely flexible but it’s no character sheet. Finally, rituals are not supported, but it’s so minor it borders on irrelevant. It’s also the only generator other than WotC’s that doesn’t present itself as an editable sheet, which may confuse newbies. Otherwise, it’s pretty hard to fault, and my default choice when I don’t have #1 available.

If Sheepy’s had a save function and HTML export, it’d be tied for first place.


#1: dnd4e’s Excel Character Sheet
http://dnd4.com/dd-4th-edition-character-sheet

Overview: An Excel spreadsheet with formulas to calculate statistics and locked pages that contain powers, feats and other information.

Requirements: Windows or OS X. Microsoft Excel.

Good: Auto-calculates statistics, contains a bunch of locked sheets with powers, feats, racials and other details that are referenced when appropriate and you’re free to tweak behind the scenes by revealing the hidden data. It’s a good combination of functionality and flexiblity. If you happen to use a laptop as an electronic character sheet during games, you can even add a worksheet to keep a record of your items, treasure, hit points and encounter/daily power usage. I should know, because it’s exactly what I do during my regular sessions. Your character, in its entirety, is contained within a single file for a single program. Printing is the definition of easy, and it comes out looking almost exactly like a genuine character sheet.

Bad: If you don’t have Excel this just isn’t an option. If you do have Excel, it’s still possible to screw up the formulas so values stop auto-calculating. It doesn’t take much to create an illegal character either. I should admit I’m a bit bias as I do have Excel, and Sheepy’s would probably be my #1 choice if I didn’t have it.


Conclusion: I should stress that none of the above tools is a bad choice – they’re all better alternatives than a pencil and paper. If you just want to save a character in electronic form, you could get away with the editable PDF. Personally, I prefer the one that combines power with flexibility and ease of use, and that just happens to be the Excel spreadsheet.

The big takeaway? Use whichever one is easiest for you!

On the horizon: PCGen is the default free tool for generating characters for 3.5e (and a bunch of other systems). There’s no support for 4e at the moment for various reasons, but I expect it’ll become my app of choice once a 4e dataset is available. Keep an eye out for it and use one of the above in the meantime.

Contenders: If you’ve found a good electronic character sheet, and it’s not listed here, be sure to let us know about it!

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A handsome (and big) screenshot can be found here.

It’s crazy how much I’ve packed into version 2. It’s a rewrite, basically. Oval rooms join the plain old square ones and the resize function is less fiddly. The canvas performance is magnitudes faster, and there’s a semi-real time preview map if you don’t mind a small performance hit. All the program’s windows can now be maximised.

The canvas is now 2048 x 2048 pixels, and you can scroll around it by holding down the right mouse button and dragging the cursor.

The app is smart enough to check for new versions too, so you’ll never be out-of-date.

The HTML templates included with the executable allow you to customise the output. There are special tags embedded in the templates that you can move around to get the pages looking exactly how you want them to. I’ve got a very basic set of templates built into the program, so feel free to tweak.

Version 2 is not compatible with maps made in versions prior to it. If enough people request it, I’ll code an import feature, but you should be able to manage. That, or you’ll explode. Please don’t though!

A few features didn’t make it into this version: room linking being the major one. It’s next on the implementation list, as soon as I figure out a nice way of doing it.

Special thanks to At-Will for providing me with some incentive.

Considering the amount of work that’s gone into this, I’ve got it down as a beta. If you find any bugs or have suggestions, please post them in the CrawlNotes forum.

Download CrawlNotes v2.0

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I’ve always found flowcharts terrifying from a professional standpoint, but now I have a reason to be scared of them in all facets (and realms) of life.

Note: I realise Nyarlethotep doesn’t eat investigators – Cthulhu does. But let’s just run with it.

Best RPG flowchart. Ever. [Greywulf's Lair]

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