Playwrite, the fine wine of game design » 4e power toolkit http://www.theplaywrite.com Fine wine of game design Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:39:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 New 4e custom classes: Dark Swordmage, Elementalist, Berserker and Conductor http://www.theplaywrite.com/4edd/new-4e-custom-classes-dark-swordmage-elementalist-berserker-and-conductor/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-4e-custom-classes-dark-swordmage-elementalist-berserker-and-conductor http://www.theplaywrite.com/4edd/new-4e-custom-classes-dark-swordmage-elementalist-berserker-and-conductor/#comments Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:56:45 +0000 Logan http://www.theplaywrite.com/?p=1091 Some new custom classes have made their way from the 4e Power Toolkit. Whether you’re looking for alternatives to the stock classes or inspiration to help you roll your own, be sure to check them out.

Beserker
Conductor
Dark Swordmage
Elementalist

More custom 4e classes can be found here.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/4edd/new-4e-custom-classes-dark-swordmage-elementalist-berserker-and-conductor/feed/ 0 4e Power Toolkit v0.7.0 beta released, now with French and Italian translations http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-power-toolkit-v0-7-0-beta-released-now-with-french-and-italian-translations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-power-toolkit-v0-7-0-beta-released-now-with-french-and-italian-translations http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-power-toolkit-v0-7-0-beta-released-now-with-french-and-italian-translations/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:51:01 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=835 All those French and Italian dungeon masters who were missing out on the awesomeness of the 4e Power Toolkit – never fear! You too can create your own class and powers with the latest version of the program.

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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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-power-toolkit-v0-7-0-beta-released-now-with-french-and-italian-translations/feed/ 1 4e Custom Classes: The Umbramancer http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-custom-classes-the-umbramancer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-custom-classes-the-umbramancer http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-custom-classes-the-umbramancer/#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:43:51 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=804 The 4e Custom Classes website is host to another interesting user-designed creation – the Umbramancer. While it’s influenced heavily by the Warlock, with a little Assassin flavour, author Maeglin has made it his own. He describes the shadowy death-dealer thusly:

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:

Shade Dance
Umbramancer Utility 2
The clearing is suddenly filled with an amazing array of danacing shadows.
Daily * Shadow, Conjuration, Zone
Minor Action                 Area burst 2 within 10 squares
Target: Each Creature in the Zone,
Effect: You create and area of shadow performing an intricate dance. As a minor action you can move the shadows 5 squares. Any creature entering into the air gains concealment from all other creatures witin the area. Any creature outside the area cannot see any creature within the area. The area lasts until the end of your next turn.
Sustain Minor: The area persists.

You can check out the class in full here, or, if you’d like to make your own 4e classes and powers, download the 4e Power Toolkit.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-custom-classes-the-umbramancer/feed/ 8 Signing off for the holidays http://www.theplaywrite.com/general/signing-off-for-the-holidays/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=signing-off-for-the-holidays http://www.theplaywrite.com/general/signing-off-for-the-holidays/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:39:53 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=801 I’m heading off on a three-week trip to Egypt, Jordan, Dubai and Singapore tomorrow. As a result, you won’t see much action on this site, or on Zafehouse 2.

I know, sad faces incoming.

I’m going to take this opportunity to relax and recharge so I can come back and redouble my efforts on the game and the 4e Power Toolkit. Speaking of the 4ePT, I’ve started work on a localisation manager that should make it a cinch for people to translate the app into other languages. I’ve done about 40% of the groundwork, and hope to have a new version out in January.

As for Zafehouse 2, I’m in the process of adding perks and rewriting the combat engine. The first one was always going to be a prototype, and now that I have a better idea of the direction the game is heading, I can solidify this aspect of the design. The new combat engine and screen will be more interactive, dynamic and pretty, and will introduce a new concept – firing arcs.

But details can wait until 2010. ;) Until then, happy holidays and enjoy the break!

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/general/signing-off-for-the-holidays/feed/ 0 Modern Warfare 2 class creator? http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/modern-warfare-2-class-creator/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=modern-warfare-2-class-creator http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/modern-warfare-2-class-creator/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:00:19 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=744 Lately I’ve noticed a lot of Google searches hitting my blog have been via the keywords “modern warfare 2 class creator”. For obvious reasons, those searches end up at the 4e Power Toolkit, formerly known as the 4e Class Creator.

I haven’t played Modern Warfare 2 yet, but is a class creator something people are desperate for? I’d be happy to investigate building one… though I get the impression people are looking for info on the class designer in the game, rather than an external planning tool. But I can’t be completely sure.

Drop a comment if you have some input, I’d love to hear from you.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/modern-warfare-2-class-creator/feed/ 11 Grab the 4e Power Toolkit v0.6.0, now includes power uploading http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/grab-the-4e-power-toolkit-v0-6-0-now-includes-power-uploading/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=grab-the-4e-power-toolkit-v0-6-0-now-includes-power-uploading http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/grab-the-4e-power-toolkit-v0-6-0-now-includes-power-uploading/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:10:13 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=721 Create custom 4th Edition D&D powers and classes and upload them for the RPG community at large to use! The latest version of the 4e Power Toolkit allows you to do just that. It’s available, right now… so what are you waiting for?

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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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/grab-the-4e-power-toolkit-v0-6-0-now-includes-power-uploading/feed/ 0 4e Custom Classes: The Gunslinger http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-custom-classes-the-gunslinger/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-custom-classes-the-gunslinger http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-custom-classes-the-gunslinger/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:40:33 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=671 A fellow by the name of Mr. Bagelman has uploaded the “Gunslinger”, an interesting ranged martial striker created using the 4e Power Toolkit. Here’s the official description, as well as one of the class’ powers:

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.

Bullseye
Gunslinger Feature
Your target is as easy to hit as the broad side of a barn.
At-Will * Martial, Weapon
Minor Action                 Ranged sight
Prerequisite: Gunslinger class
Target: One Enemy
Effect: You designate one enemy you can see as your target.   Once per round, when you hit your target with an attack, the attack does extra damage based on your level (1d6 Heroic, 2d6 Paragon, 3d6 Epic). If you can make multiple attacks in a round, you can decide which attack to apply the extra damage to after all attacks are rolled.   If you have dealt Bullseye damage since the start of your turn, you cannot deal it again until the start of your next turn.
The Bullseye stays on your enemy until the end of the encounter, until the Target is defeated, or until you designate a different enemy as your Target.

I quite like the idea of a pistol-wielding alchemist type. If you do too, I recommend checking the class out in full.

The Gunslinger [4e Custom Classes]

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-custom-classes-the-gunslinger/feed/ 0 4e Custom Classes: The Transmuter http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-custom-classes-the-transmuter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-custom-classes-the-transmuter http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-custom-classes-the-transmuter/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:30:05 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=600 A new custom 4e class made with the 4e Power Toolkit was submitted today, and it’s packed full of tasty, much like a chocolate croissant or dinosaur kebab. Called the “Transmuter“, this class combines the versatility of the wizard’s utility powers with nifty polymorphing abilities. Here’s the class description:

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:

Ettercap Webspinner Form
Transmuter Attack 5
You take the form a an ettercap webspinner, and in doing so gain its mastery over webs.
Daily * Arcane, Poison, Polymorph, Zone, Implement
Minor Action                 Personal
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you take the form of a medium ettercap webspinner. You retain your statistics, hit points, and defenses, but you have a speed and climb of 5, and resist poison 10. You can use your arcane powers while in this form, and you gain the following melee basic bite attack, webbed terrain attack, and web walker ability.

Melee Basic Bite Attack: Standard action; reach 1; your
level + 7 vs. AC; 1d6 + Intelligence modifier damage, and you make a secondary attack against the same target; Secondary attack: Intelligence vs. Fortitude; ongoing 5 poison damage. Secondary attack is an implement attack.

Webbed Terrain: Standard action; area burst 2 within 10;
once per encounter; Intelligence vs. Reflex; the target is immobilized (save ends). The zone is filled with spider webs and is considered difficult terrain until the end of the encounter.

Web Walker: You ignore the movement effects of webs and difficult terrain related to spider swarms.

You can check out all the powers and details of the Transmuter at the 4e Custom Classes website.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-custom-classes-the-transmuter/feed/ 1 Zafehouse 2 and 4e Power Toolkit updates http://www.theplaywrite.com/general/zafehouse-2-and-4e-power-toolkit-updates/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zafehouse-2-and-4e-power-toolkit-updates http://www.theplaywrite.com/general/zafehouse-2-and-4e-power-toolkit-updates/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:47:27 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=630 Unfortunately I don’t have anything super special to show this week. Instead, I can give you short updates on Zafehouse 2 and the 4e Power Toolkit.

Zafehouse 2: I’m slowly making progress on combat. It’s turned out to be a bigger task than I thought, mainly as I wasn’t happy with the first implementation. It worked much like it did in Zafehouse, except it was handled on a “shot-by-shot” basis so you could take actions between rounds, such as healing, moving and switching weapons. The major difference was the combat log had pretty pictures and a greater ability to break down information.

Anyway, while it worked, it didn’t give the player as much control as I would like. So, I’ve kept the core of the combat code, but now, the combat window comes up with a zoomed-in version of the room, and you can assign the occupants to defend a door, or, handle whatever is happening in the room. Currently, you can assign as many people as you want to fight what’s in the room, but only two people can defend a door (I had a hard time justifying how six people could stand next to a door and unload their weapons without killing each other – remember, these guys are stressed, terrified and exhausted survivors, not Delta Force commandos). I will be re-balancing the game to take this two-man limit into account.

I also plan to re-implement the way windows are handled. As per a suggestion by Coded One, they’ll be added to rooms much in the same way as doors. They’ll be coloured differently and require less supplies to barricade. Zombies will only be able to enter them one at a time (maybe), and the player will not be able to climb in/out of them if they are carrying two weapons. These are just some on-the-spot rules I’ve come up with, so if you have any suggestions as to how windows should be different to doors, let me know.

As an aside, a few weeks ago a game called Fort Zombie was announced. It smelt more than a bit like Zafehouse 3D (and I wasn’t the only one to pick up on the similarity), but a studio was bound to latch onto the idea eventually. :D

Thanks for sticking with me. I’d like to see Zafehouse 2 out in the wild as much as you guys, but these things take time. It’s getting there, just a little slower than I’d like. I promise it’ll be worth the wait.

4e Power Toolkit: I haven’t done anything on the 4ePT for a month now. I’ve been focussed on Zafehouse 2, and it looks like it will stay this way in the foreseeable future. When I do jump back to it, I plan to implement the Race Creator, and add support for uploading races and individual powers, as I’ve come to realise that creating an entire class is quite an undertaking. I’d also like to translate the app to French, as I’ve had a few requests. No promises on when I can get round to it though – I’m kept fairly busy at work doing the whole game designer thing.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/general/zafehouse-2-and-4e-power-toolkit-updates/feed/ 4 4e Power Toolkit: Four flavoursome updates http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-power-toolkit-four-flavoursome-updates/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-power-toolkit-four-flavoursome-updates http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-power-toolkit-four-flavoursome-updates/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:22:16 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=546 If you’re not a regular user of the 4e Power Toolkit, you might be unaware that there’s been four – yes, four – updates to the app since v0.5. I like to address minor bugs and even small features that can be implemented quickly, hence the rapid pace of releases.

Here’s a complete list of changes.

=v0.5.4 beta=
* The “Racial” option in the power type dropdown of the Power Creator now displays the correct output
* Default filenames will now be stripped of HTML tags

=v0.5.3 beta=
* At-Will, Encounter and Daily powers at levels 2, 6, 10, 16 and 22 are now grouped together as Utility powers when exported as HTML in the Class Creator
* The Power Creator will no longer obscure controls when resized
* Powers can once again have ranges without attack subtypes
* Added Beast as an attack subtype
* Racial powers now read as “Racial Power” instead of just “Racial”
* Added No Action as an action type

=v0.5.2 beta=
* Added Daggers, Tomes and Totems to possible implements
* Fixed a crash with PDF exporting

=v0.5.1 beta=
* Changed the width of powers to 3.25in (~298px) to match the size of the PHB format
* Class Creator export dialog now provides a default filename

Not groundbreaking stuff, but there might be a change or two in there that prompts you to take another look at the Toolkit.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-power-toolkit-four-flavoursome-updates/feed/ 0 4e Power Toolkit v0.5 Beta brings custom class uploading, commenting and voting http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-0-5-beta-brings-custom-class-uploading-commenting-and-voting/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-power-toolkit-0-5-beta-brings-custom-class-uploading-commenting-and-voting http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-0-5-beta-brings-custom-class-uploading-commenting-and-voting/#comments Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:32:58 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=511 A searchable database of custom 4e classes made by people around the world? That’s what dnd.playwrite-blog.net aims to be – with your help!

Version v0.5 of the 4e Power Toolkit is the first step towards this objective. Along with a boatload of general improvements, including proper class feature support and feat powers, you can now upload your classes and allow people to comment and vote on your work.

A lot has been crammed into v0.5, so I’m expecting it to be a little rough around the edges. But I have spent the last week bug-testing, and I’m feeling confident.

Here’s a complete list of changes:

* Added class upload. Visit dnd.playwrite-blog.net for more details or try out the feature in the Class Creator

* Added class feature support

* 4EC and 4EP files can now be opened directly by double-clicking on them

* Increased the size of the class modifier dialog

* A few miscellaneous tweaks to various dialogs

* Cancelling a Save dialog for the Class and Power Creator will no longer save a file to the application directory

* “Feat” is now available as a power type

* Switched order of “Keywords” and “Action” modules in Power Creator

* Fixed issues with newlines not being correctly converted and displayed in HTML and XML

* Class Creator and Power Creator windows now resize their controls in a more useful fashion

* Added new version update window with changelog

* Corrected version typo in changelog

* Merged EXE and DLLs into single file with ILMerge

* Added DotNetZip v1.8 (dotnetzip.codeplex.com)

Check out the 4e Custom Classes website (it’s a little empty right now, but I’m sure that’ll change soon), and be sure to download v0.5!

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-0-5-beta-brings-custom-class-uploading-commenting-and-voting/feed/ 4 4e Power Toolkit v0.4.1 Beta released http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-power-toolkit-v0-4-1-beta-released/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-power-toolkit-v0-4-1-beta-released http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-power-toolkit-v0-4-1-beta-released/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:49:31 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=503 Don’t be put off by the point-one – there’s a couple of nice features in this incremental update of the 4e Power Toolkit:

* Added Expand/Hide, Edit, Delete and Save options to powers in the Class Creator
– You can now edit powers directly in the Class Creator, and save powers from a class to a separate file

* Version check module will now timeout, which should speed up program loading when the download server cannot be contacted

* Improved attack range and type options, now includes spirit. Note that selecting ‘None’ for attack range on certain powers will default to ’1′

* Powers can now have names up to 128 characters long, and the power HTML template will correctly display names of this length

* Added effect keywords from Player’s Handbook 2

Of course, v0.4.1 is available from apps page.

Right now I’m working on improving the resolution of the power card PDF output. Unfortunately, it looks like that while this can be achieved, you won’t be able to use custom templates for it – unless someone knows of a good and free HTML-to-PDF library (iTextSharp doesn’t cut it). Custom templates for power card HTML output won’t be affected.

If you’re willing to install PDFCreator, you can always just print the HTML output to PDF!

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/4e-power-toolkit-v0-4-1-beta-released/feed/ 0 4e Power Toolkit v0.4 Beta released http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-v04-beta-released/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-power-toolkit-v04-beta-released http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-v04-beta-released/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:10:57 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=498 Found a few hours to pour into the 4e Power Toolkit. After my brief tangle with integrating 4ePT powers into CrawlNotes, I decided to make the process easier. As a side effect, it’s also cake now to post powers into blogs and forums (where HTML is permitted).

A full list of improvements below:

* Added right-click menu to power preview window. Menu options will show windows for the original source, inline source and image preview. Both the source text and image can be copied from these windows.

* Added new power HTML export options:
– Embedded CSS, when the power will be displayed by itself on a single web page
– Inline CSS, for use in blog and forum posts and CrawlNotes

* Added new power image export options:
– BMP, provided for maximum compatibility with other applications
– PNG, for web use and reduce file size. Note PNG is a lossless format, and should be the one used most of the time

* Changelog window now uses Courier New font for improved readability

* Fixed an additional bug with the Class Creator window that would cause it to scroll when it shouldn’t

* Fixed some error checking quirks with Save/Load dialogs

No need to dilly-dally now! Pick v0.4 up over at the apps page.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-v04-beta-released/feed/ 1 Putting powers into your CrawlNotes printouts http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/putting-powers-into-your-crawlnotes-printouts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=putting-powers-into-your-crawlnotes-printouts http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/putting-powers-into-your-crawlnotes-printouts/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:09:13 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=483 Update: No need to go to all this trouble! The process has been streamlined from version 0.4 Beta of the Power Toolkit.

A handy feature I’d like to build into the Power Toolkit and CrawlNotes. Until I find the time, here’s how you can do it manually:

1) Load your power into the Power Toolkit, and export it to HTML.

2) Open the HTML file in Notepad and look for a line starting with <style type="text/css">. Copy this line, and all the lines below it until you hit </style>. Alternatively, copy the below text:

 <style type="text/css">
    .InternalPowerContainer {
    text-align: center;
    width: 375px;
    margin-left: -10px;
    margin-right: -10px;
    margin-top: -16px;
    }

    .PowerContainer {
    text-align: center;
    width: 375px;
    }

    .PowerHeader {
    height: 18px;
    text-align: left;
    padding-right: 4px;
    padding-left: 6px;
    color: #FFFFFF;
    }

    .At-Will {
    background-color: #669966;
    }

    .Encounter {
    background-color: #993333;
    }

    .Daily {
    background-color: #404040;
    }

    .PowerHeaderLeft {
    padding-top: 1px;
    font: bold 10pt Verdana;
    float: left;
    }

    .PowerHeaderRight {
    padding-top: 4px;
    font: 7pt Verdana;
    float: right;
    }

    .PowerText {
    color: #000000;
    text-align: left;
    padding-top: 2px;
    padding-left: 6px;
    padding-right: 4px;
    padding-bottom: 2px;
    background-color: #FFFFFF;
    font: bold 7pt Verdana;
    }

    .Flavour {
    background-color: #E6E3C9;
    font: italic 8pt Times New Roman;
    }

    .Alternate {
    background-color: #E6E3C9;
    }

    .AlternateNonPrimary {
    background-color: #E6E3C9;
    padding-left: 14px;
    }

    .NonPrimary {
    padding-left: 14px;
    }

3) Open “main.html” (found in the CrawlNotes directory) in Notepad. Paste the text you just copied just below the line that starts with <title>. Make sure the entire pasted region ends just before the line that starts with </head>.

4) Go back to the HTML of your power. Copy everything below </head> (but not the tag itself).

5) Remove the whitespace from the text you copied using this website. Copy the cleaned text.

6) Paste the text into any of the room description boxes in CrawlNotes. When you export as HTML, your power will appear correctly formatted on the page.

There’s no reason why CrawlNotes and the Power Toolkit shouldn’t have better synergy. Something else on the giant list of things to code. :P

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/putting-powers-into-your-crawlnotes-printouts/feed/ 1 The 4e Power Toolkit in action: The Necromancer http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/the-4e-power-toolkit-in-action-the-necromancer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-4e-power-toolkit-in-action-the-necromancer http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/the-4e-power-toolkit-in-action-the-necromancer/#comments Tue, 12 May 2009 06:39:50 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=477 Matt, a user of the 4e Power Toolkit, was kind (and brave) enough to send through a link to his take on the Necromancer class. The output was created entirely within the app (with some tweaking of the class description).

Thanks Matt for showing just what can be accomplished with the program. I desperately want to get the Upload feature of the Toolkit working so there’s a central repository of user-created classes and powers, but I need to do some work on the backend. My knowledge of PHP is a little, well, disappointing, so it’s taking time.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/the-4e-power-toolkit-in-action-the-necromancer/feed/ 4 4e Power Toolkit v0.3 Beta released http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-v03-beta-released/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-power-toolkit-v03-beta-released http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-v03-beta-released/#comments Fri, 08 May 2009 17:27:05 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=472 This is one of a few incremental updates to the 4e Power Toolkit – rather than release a massive update after a long delay, I’ll just get the juicy bits in and push out new versions quickly. Mind you, this is the grand plan. It might be a little less grand in practice.

Anyway, here’s a list of changes:

* Added class modifiers to Hit, Effect, Miss and Sustain boxes. A class modifier can be used to include modifiers to powers based on classes, feats and other factors

* Fixed a bug with the Class Creator window that would cause the scroll position of the left hand window to constantly reset while a power was being dragged

* Added Melee 2, Melee 3 and Melee 4 to possible ranges

* Added scroll bars to a number of text boxes

I know it’s not huge… I’m working on it as I can.

If you’d like to grab the latest version, just head over to the apps page. Again, thanks to everyone who has made suggestions and reported bugs!

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-v03-beta-released/feed/ 2 Getting the 4e Power Toolkit PHB2 compatible http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/getting-the-4e-power-toolkit-phb2-compatible/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=getting-the-4e-power-toolkit-phb2-compatible http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/getting-the-4e-power-toolkit-phb2-compatible/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:58:02 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=462 I’m going to get back in touch with the 4e Power Toolkit very soon, and my priority will be getting it compatible with the changes to powers in the Player’s Handbook 2 (aftereffects, melee 1, 2, etc). To a lesser degree, I’ll address as many bugs as I can, and then review what features still need to be implemented.

Thanks to everyone for putting up with the delay, as well as those who have provided feedback thus far.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/getting-the-4e-power-toolkit-phb2-compatible/feed/ 0 4e Power Toolkit v0.2 Beta released http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-v02-beta-released/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=4e-power-toolkit-v02-beta-released http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-v02-beta-released/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:40:43 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=447 Just over a week since the 4e Power Toolkit was released and close to 1150 people have checked it out already! I’d hate to leave them hanging for an update.

So, I won’t.

Here are the changes you’ll find in v0.2 Beta of the Toolkit:

* Fixed bug with Power Creator that would cause the “Attack type” combo box to fill forever

* Power names may now be 36 characters, up from 30

* Hit, Miss and Effect text now correctly formats carriage returns and multiple spaces

* The Auto-detect target function now uses “creature” and “creatures” instead of “enemy” and “enemies”

* A power card template based on the power layouts in the PHB is available under “Templates\Power cards”

* HTML exported via the Class Creator will no longer add titles for levels or frequencies that have no powers

* Added “Melee or Ranged” option to attack types

* Added NYI text to power card HTML export

* Fixed a typo in the “Classes” help tab

* Added changelog to Help window

Thanks to everyone who’s provided feedback and bug reports so far, every bit of help is appreciated! I’ll look to add the Upload feature next version so everyone can start checking out the awesome classes and powers being cooked up out there!

To grab the latest version, head over to the Downloads section.

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]]> http://www.theplaywrite.com/tools-and-utilities/4e-power-toolkit-v02-beta-released/feed/ 0 Introducing the 4e Power Toolkit: Create your own classes, races, powers and power cards http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/introducing-the-4e-power-toolkit-create-your-own-classes-races-powers-and-power-cards/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=introducing-the-4e-power-toolkit-create-your-own-classes-races-powers-and-power-cards http://www.theplaywrite.com/dungeons-and-dragons/introducing-the-4e-power-toolkit-create-your-own-classes-races-powers-and-power-cards/#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:47:05 +0000 Logan http://www.playwrite-blog.net/?p=429 Forget Word. Forget Excel. Forget the mash of programs you’ve been using to roll your own powers and classes. Now you have a tool that does it all.

First, there’s the Power Creator. This lets you make powers just like the 4e Power Creator before it. Except this has support for Secondary and Tertiary attacks as well as Sustain and more. You can even add your own power sources and keywords using text files.

With a few powers created, you can load them into the Class Creator. Play around with primary stats, proficiencies and other details, and then export it all as a pretty document, presented much like the PHB. HTML is the only option right now, but PDF and text formats are not far away.

Finally, there’s the Power Card Creator. Export your powers as power cards using the template you want. Templates are made in HTML, so they can include images, CSS… whatever you want. There are two included with the program – one optimised for HTML and the other PDF. And yes, you can export the cards to PDF and it’ll format them all nice-like.

So, where can you find these awesome tools? Why, they’re all included in the one program – the 4e Power Toolkit!

It’s beta, so if it crashes or something doesn’t work, don’t get angry. Actually, if the program does chuck a hissy fit, please post about it on the 4e Power Toolkit forum so I can fix it.

The program features an auto-update function, so you’ll always know when a new version is available. For now, get the latest build from the link below. You’ll need Windows XP or Vista and the .NET 2.0 Framework. I apologise for not having a Linux or Mac version – it’s beyond my abilities to even entertain the idea of supporting other platforms.

If you like the toolkit, be sure to have a play with the other 4e apps I’ve put together:
CrawlNotes: A dungeon-planning tool for all occasions
TrackWork: The no-frills initiative tracker

Download the 4e Power Toolkit

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