Wait...there wasn't a one-page AD&D20 character generation contest?
Oh well, here it is. It ain't pretty but it fucking fits.
To find your bonus to something, just count the number of boxes your relevant ability score is from the thing it's a bonus to (right is a plus, left is a minus)--like if you're a barbarian and need your fortitude bonus, count the number of boxes til you get to your Con score and that's your fort bonus. Like if your Con was 12 that'd be a +3 bonus. If you have to move left that's a minus (and you're kind of a crap barbarian) and if it's in the same box as the word, then there's no bonus. There are some house rules embedded in this thing, too.
13 comments:
42d4x10 gold for druids?
hmmm...that might be a typo, is my feeling....
I mean, er, I have no idea what you're talking about, Jonothan 42d4x10 gold? That's preposterous! Look again!
It's not my system, so I don't know all the problems you're trying to solve here, but this looks pretty good for one page. I think you should forward this and Vornheim to Edward Tufte for his next book. That series has been a bit weak on the D&D front.
(And "Hide from Undead" is really a cleric spell? Hmm.)
I love how you showed the different racial modifiers and the bonus tracking is clever. I love this kind rethinking in general, bravo.
@Spawn of Endra: guessing the Tufte comment is in jest, but on the other hand, I've been loving the focus on *real* usability here. Last time I played D&D, 2nd Ed. was *new*... PD&DWPS is part of my design/sanity reading.
Fighting temptation to lose sleep trying to outdo Zak on this one. :)
@jon
PLEASE DO!
I have half a mind to go: "Look, I proved you can get everything you need for 3.5 (ish) chargen on one page--now here's a contest to see who can clean it up and make it fit together a little better."
@Jonothan, and @Zak, for that matter, yes it's partly in jest, because Tufte would get vexed over the tables not being in Gil Sans.
But from Tufte's "data:ink ratio" idea, where Vornheim has tables that you roll dice on top of, it sounds like no printed space is wasted. I think Tufte would be chuffed, as they say.
Mostly I want to see him devote a chapter to RPGs in a book. We'll see.
Seconded on wanting a Tufte RPG chapter. Also I want more writers of his calibre.
I like the core idea (bonus charts) and how you've simplified things in the game (only Rogues get skills, no kitting out with feats). I don't think it works that well as an actual character sheet (name, etc. at top left). The grid is a good display, but having all the other classes on your sheet is kind of distracting. But it's a great character generator to put stats on a more spacious sheet.
@Roger
Oh yeah, it isn't primarily meant as a character sheet, but I figured with a few strokes it can double as one in emergencies (and there are emergencies. I also think i might be able to develop it into something you could use at cons so people could actually generate characters right there.
Congratulations on your victory, Zak!
It's not my system, so I don't know all the problems you're trying to solve here
Spawn, there was a post here a few days ago about how Call of Cthulhu has this neat two-page spread explaining how to make characters, how D&D4 pretends to have one but really doesn't, and how such spreads are a really good idea.
I'd imagine that post was the genesis of this one.
> I also think i might be able to develop it into something you could use at cons so people could actually generate characters right there.
That would work provided you had a different sheet for each class. The sheet would have the grid for that class, and then only the weapons and abilities and spells that the class could use, and then lots of space to write stats and loot and doodles.
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