Excel Character Generator for DCA/3E

[Shadowchaser]

Many great ideas are thought up in the shower. So are many mediocre ideas. I'm trying to decide which this is:

What I want to do is add a "Power Examples" sheet to my workbook. In it, you would be able to select from Powers built by other people in order to get examples of how other creative folks made power arrays.

For example, Thunderclap is no longer in 3E as a Super-Strength power feat. Instead, you would have to build it using Affliction, Burst Area, etc. But someone new to the game (or someone lazy like me) might not figure that out. Wouldn't it be nice to have a Powers Example page to go, select "Thunderclap" from a pull-down menu, and see how someone else built it?

I'm not trying to use this to set standards for powers or stifle creativity... I'd like people to be able to show off creative uses of power combinations. And I'm not saying that there would only be only "Thunderclap". I'd like to see alternate variations so people have a variety to choose from. Someone might want to use different conditions to represent the same type of power.

So, my question becomes... good idea? Bad idea? Not something I should include on a CharGen sheet?

(Oh, and for anyone who would submit an example power, I'd make sure they were credited. A "by-line" for the power, so to speak).

Hmm, this could be useful, I don't know. I think I'd focus on keeping things simple and direct. If you're talking about making some powers and effects choosable from the Powers page without having to first enter them on the Components page, that might be helpful. Some of the effects (Like Immunity) are pretty self-explanatory, and having to 'enter' them twice is a little bit of a chore. So, maybe having some pre-generated "effects" like "Life Support" and "Commlink" or things of that nature might be helpful... but it might also involve a lot of work..?

[grimmshade]

Is purchasing Office the only way to get this to work? Seems awesome, but I have no need of Office beyond this.

[charlieluce]

Is purchasing Office the only way to get this to work? Seems awesome, but I have no need of Office beyond this.

Reportedly it works fine in Open Office, which is a free open-source application.

http://www.openoffice.org/

[scc]

I wouldn't mind having some powers to choose from. I am really happy with the yes/no option on extras, flaws, and flats. Thanks for that. I haven't tried the new version yet. Sounds good though.

[CelticREI]

Just noticed that it doesn't have the option of being the Base Power but also Dynamic. Ye would have to put it in the Flat's. Not sure if ye would want to change it or just put a note to add +1 to the Flats calculations if it is Dynamic and Base.
Edit: Also it has any Dynamic Alt-Effect connected to the previous one, even if the previous one isn't Dynamic its self. I'm making Blink from Exiles and I have her with a Reflex teleport, Deflect teleport and normal (the base) teleport being Dynamic, but the others are just Alt's and this is what it gave me

"Teleport Array:
*Blink*: Teleport 10 [Blink's normal Teleport; Accurate, Easy, Extended; Change Direction, Change Velocity, Turnabout]
Portal *Blink*: Teleport 7 [Opens a 6' portal for others to go through.; Accurate, Easy, Extended, Portal; Change Velocity], Reflex *Blink*: Teleport 10 [Teleports when attacked to dodge it; Reaction(Attacked); Change Direction, Change Velocity]
Mass *Blink* (""Rabbit Hunt""): Teleport 6 [Massive Evac-type teleport; Accurate, Area(Burst) 2, Easy, Extended, Selective; Change Direction, Change Velocity]
Attack *Blink*: Teleport 8 [Teleports people into the air, or space; Attack, Easy, Extended, Increased Range], Deflect *Blink*: Deflect 10 [Opens a small portal to take an attack and redirect it to someone else; Reflect, Redirect]
Stun *Blink*: Affliction 10 [Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated; Cumulative]
Death *Blink*: Weaken 10 [Teleports people into pieces; Improved Range, Incurable]
(63 pp)"

The way it prints out it looks like Portal *Blink* and Reflex *Blink* are Dyn-Alts and Attack *Blink* and Deflect *Blink* are Dyn-Alts
Looking *really* good by the way. I was planning on making an excel sheet but I think instead I'll just help ye make yours even more awesome hehe ^_^

[Austinwulf]

So far look amazing!

Question on skills: I realize skills are 1 for 2, so the math isn't complicated, but have you considered putting something in so people would know if they have an extra skill point to place, or does that seem like a waste, since all you need to is look if the skill total is odd or even?

[Shadowchaser]

Is purchasing Office the only way to get this to work? Seems awesome, but I have no need of Office beyond this.

I've been using the freeware version, "Open Office" (see the link above). It works fine, except for not being able to use the 'Clear Sheet' macro (Office macros don't carry over to Open Office). Since that's the only macro on the sheet, and Ski has agreed to start posting the updated sheets 'Blank' already, there's no real worries there.

[Shadowchaser]

So far look amazing!

Question on skills: I realize skills are 1 for 2, so the math isn't complicated, but have you considered putting something in so people would know if they have an extra skill point to place, or does that seem like a waste, since all you need to is look if the skill total is odd or even?

Actually, if you look at the math on the Skills page, there's a total of 'Ranks' and 'Points' seperately. If the ranks is odd-numbered, you know you have a half-point unspent.

[Zaqaz]

I'm bookmarking this thread. Kudos on the quick and reliable updates, Ski, and thank you for your creation of such an invaluable tool for people who, like me, either can't wait for or afford the HeroLab generators.

I'll be keeping a very close eye on this.

[grimmshade]

Thanks guys! D/loading Open Office now.

[Ski]

Just noticed that it doesn't have the option of being the Base Power but also Dynamic. Ye would have to put it in the Flat's. Not sure if ye would want to change it or just put a note to add +1 to the Flats calculations if it is Dynamic and Base.
Edit: Also it has any Dynamic Alt-Effect connected to the previous one, even if the previous one isn't Dynamic its self. I'm making Blink from Exiles and I have her with a Reflex teleport, Deflect teleport and normal (the base) teleport being Dynamic, but the others are just Alt's and this is what it gave me

The way it prints out it looks like Portal *Blink* and Reflex *Blink* are Dyn-Alts and Attack *Blink* and Deflect *Blink* are Dyn-Alts
Looking *really* good by the way. I was planning on making an excel sheet but I think instead I'll just help ye make yours even more awesome hehe ^_^

Good catch. I would have never caught that main power + dynamic thing. I think that you are right in that adding a note about making it a flat +1 might be best for now.

As for the Dynamic Alt-Effect connections... hrmmm. I'm going to have to add some logic to it. Maybe some kind of true/false that lets me check if the previous power was dynamic and combine them together. If there's a break between dynamics, a new line would be added.

I am thinking about completely revisiting the power (and custom equipment) output anyway. The problem is that the power system is so darned customizable it's hard to get printable output formulas that can take everything into consideration.

Thank you for catching that. I'll add the note for version 1.12.

[Ski]

So far look amazing!

Question on skills: I realize skills are 1 for 2, so the math isn't complicated, but have you considered putting something in so people would know if they have an extra skill point to place, or does that seem like a waste, since all you need to is look if the skill total is odd or even?

Shadowchaser is exactly right. I put the ranks up there in the calculations just so you can do this.

There's a lot of talk about house-ruling skills. Some people think they are too expensive at the current 2-for-1 ratio. I think I am going to add the ability to customize the costs.

One suggestions that I saw was combat skills costing 2-for-1 and non-combat skills costing 3-for-1. That makes me think that I need two fields (one for the combat and one for non-combat). If the fields are blank, the sheet will assume the default of 2-for-1.

Has anyone else been following the skills-cost threads closely? Have there been other house rules that I might be interested in adding?

[CelticREI]

Good catch. I would have never caught that main power + dynamic thing. I think that you are right in that adding a note about making it a flat +1 might be best for now.

As for the Dynamic Alt-Effect connections... hrmmm. I'm going to have to add some logic to it. Maybe some kind of true/false that lets me check if the previous power was dynamic and combine them together. If there's a break between dynamics, a new line would be added.

I am thinking about completely revisiting the power (and custom equipment) output anyway. The problem is that the power system is so darned customizable it's hard to get printable output formulas that can take everything into consideration.

Thank you for catching that. I'll add the note for version 1.12.

Have ye thought about making a bit more like Hero Lab prints it out?
*Custom Name* - *Power Name* [Alt/Dyn, #pp/rank]
I.E (And I'm using my Blink example for this one.)

*Blink* - Teleport [Dyn, 2/r] (Accurate, Easy, Extended, Change Direction, Change Velocity, Turnabout.)
Reflex *Blink* - Teleport [Dyn, 5/r] (Reaction(Attacked), Change Direction, Change Velocity.)
"Rabbit Hunt" - Teleport [Alt, 8/r] (Accurate, Area(Burst) 2, Easy, Extended, Selective, Change Direction, Change Velocity.)
Javelin Throw - Ranged Damage [Normal, 3/r] (Penetrating.)
(Note: I made up Javelin Throw just now to have a Normal power in there.)

That way ye just put it so it always prints out on a new line for each power. Ye know if it's Dynamic or Alt or Normal.

As for the Base + Dynamic issue, ye could always just have the first (and only the first) in the Power Array page have the option of Dynamic Base. Where it would have the normal cost +1 and tack [Dyn ] instead of [Normal] in the example above.

Let me know what ye think ^_^

[Shadowchaser]

Thanks guys! D/loading Open Office now.

Good luck with it! I've found it very much worth the price of admission. Which, of course, is zero dollars.

[Zaqaz]

Good luck with it! I've found it very much worth the price of admission. Which, of course, is zero dollars.

I hope that's an example of getting more than what you pay for.