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View Full Version : How do you store your character sheets?



Whiplord
2007-07-15, 09:12 PM
We all use them, but I know for a fact we all treat and store them in varying ways. How do you keep your character sheets?

Do you use a folder, clipboard or binder? Do you prefer to just fold them up and carry them in your pocket? Do you haphazardly spill pop and pizza over your sheets, or do you protect them to the point of storing them in page protectors?

I personally have gone through several things. For awhile, I carried them around with me, now I use a clipboard, and I'm even considering moving to a binder with page protectors. How about you all?

Dhavaer
2007-07-15, 09:15 PM
D&D characters, mostly in RPG Web Profiler. Modern characters as MSWord files, along with some of the D&D ones, although I did once alter a sheet to be a .jpg file (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e100/Dhavaer/YorikoCharSheet.jpg).

Maerok
2007-07-15, 09:16 PM
Tattoos. :smallbiggrin: That'd be hardcore.

horseboy
2007-07-15, 09:20 PM
Wally world sells these clip boards that the back is a plastic tote like thing. I keep my character and his certs in one.
My RM character I keep in the box set, and I run pretty much everything else, so no characters there.

CockroachTeaParty
2007-07-15, 09:25 PM
Tattoos. :smallbiggrin: That'd be hardcore.

Or brand it to the flank of your warhorse, which you ride to sessions.

Xuincherguixe
2007-07-15, 09:26 PM
Generally just as text files.

Sometimes even just plain text files.


If I was feeling particulary badass? As objects (programming language thing, easiest way to explain it is beefed up version of a variable)

Krimm_Blackleaf
2007-07-15, 09:34 PM
I have a very large leather notebook with a zipper absolutely stuffed with random characters sheets, character creation notes, character sketches and blank sheets. It's getting rather full, too.:smallfrown:

Gavin Sage
2007-07-15, 09:41 PM
The actual paper ones I found fit fairly nicely inside my PHB. Typically on the class entry for easy reference if I have to argue a rule.

Of course I rarely have more then one sheet and tend to destroy it with marks by the end of the campaign so I don't need a lot of storage for them. I can always recreate the character out of my head at a later date.

Boris_the_Fat
2007-07-15, 10:32 PM
ok, ill be the computer-geeked one.

I only use e-tools generator, so i carry them with me on my tablet pc. I create my game from there and even rolls the treasure from there. have most of the books, too.

I roll real dices, though, cause you cant throw a computer on a wall if your rolls sucks... or if youre good, everyone calls you a cheater.

(e-tools)
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20020607a

TheOOB
2007-07-15, 10:35 PM
I have a nice sturdy clipboard I take to every D&D session, and I usually just keep my sheet in there. Otherwise I have an acordian binder with all my loose papers.

JackMage666
2007-07-15, 10:47 PM
I don't do anything too special with my character sheets, except one thing - I print them on Cardstock rather than plain paper.
Makes them more sturdy, and you can erase more times and it'll still hold up.

Amphimir Míriel
2007-07-16, 12:17 AM
I am a bit of a fascist DM when it comes to Character Sheets... I keep the entire party's sheets on my binder and I give them back at the beggining of every session... after I copy their Init Bonus, AC, HP, Attack bonuses and Spell Slots into my notebook

I quickly calculate xp at the end of every session, ask the players to add it to their current total and then I ask them to give me their sheets back.

Yiel
2007-07-16, 12:31 AM
My character sheets are bundled up inside the big sketchbook I bring to each session. Probably not the best way to keep them, but once a sheet gets a little too weak to stand up to any more erasures, I transfer everything over to a fresh sheet.

skywalker
2007-07-16, 01:05 AM
My friend does the whole "accordion folder" thing. He's the main DM and everyone else tends to be very lazy, so he winds up with everyone's character sheets(except mine) in the accordion thing. Unfortunately, he does not organize them at all, so it doesn't really work out.

I myself have been trying various (free) methods of computer-based generation and have almost decided to bite the bullet and buy one, looking into e-tools rather heavily. Most of the time, I forget my computer at home and wind up creating my character from memory onto a sheet, because I was away from home when called about the (impromptu) gaming session, so all my books and sheets are at home. If I know about the session beforehand, I carry my sheet jammed in the front of the book the class is in(PHB2 for duskblade, ToB for swordsage, etc.)

Since I dont' buy core, I stick the paladin in the BoED :smallbiggrin:

Fhaolan
2007-07-16, 01:15 AM
Clipboard for the current characters, folders for old characters.

Usually I have them in an electronic format as well. I've got my own xml document format for D&D characters that gets run through a xsl format to print out. It doesn't display that nicely on a screen, but it prints properly on most printers.

My main reason for doing it that way is that I keep all the construction information in the xml, so I can roll back the character if necessary or prove how I arrived at the point I did if there is a chargen dispute. I haven't had one of those in awhile, but I used to have to roll back characters quite often in older editions when level drains were a bit more common and more severe. So I just got used to the idea and have always kept the full chargen record of each character since.

Emperor Tippy
2007-07-16, 01:49 AM
I play with a bunch of geeks and we all have laptops or tablet pcs so we all store ours electronically. One of my players wrote a nice little program that pulls data from each sheet on each computer and basically runs combat for us. (he has way to much free time).

nerulean
2007-07-16, 05:21 AM
I bought a load of slimline clippy folders (holds about 20 pieces of paper before it explodes) for projects and was then made to staple everything together to turn it in, so I have a surplus of thin, clear-fronted folders that fit in any bag that'll hold a PHB.

The order in the folder goes: picture of current character at the front where it can be seen, current character's sheet, sheets being drawn up for upcoming campaigns, old sheets, pizza menu. That last one is important.

Swooper
2007-07-16, 05:40 AM
My group keeps all relevant papers for each campaign neatly filed in a folder (or, wait, would you call that a binder? I'm not sure, English is my 3rd language... two cardboard sheets with flaps to hold the sheets in place, and elastics over the corners to close it), stored by either me or another player. Our regular DM is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too disorganized to be trusted for sheets. He doesn't even have his own dice. :smalleek:

The Prince of Cats
2007-07-16, 05:44 AM
I use paper and shove it in a folder. I DM so often that I go through a lot of character sheets (each major 'boss' has a sheet) and don't have a laptop to take to sessions. I should get a laptop, I could even justify it to my wife, but I have never got round to it.

Kurald Galain
2007-07-16, 06:11 AM
Word documents.

I dislike standard sheets, they're too cluttered. I tend to e.g. only make a field for some kind of bonus if I actually have said bonus.

AslanCross
2007-07-16, 06:14 AM
I keep my party's sheets in a clearbook, but they're just kinda stuck in there and not really protected in the individual sheets. (The clearbook was recycled from an old project submitted by one of my students, hehe) Other stuff kept in the said clearbook are area maps and stuff.

My campaign logs, map notes, stat blocks and stuff are all in my laptop. I use OneNote to organize them all.

Ravyn
2007-07-16, 08:09 PM
Manila folder for physical sheets (along with game notes and character sketches). Online characters are done primarily in Word, unless there's a compatible chargen/information program, and then I use that.

Maerok
2007-07-16, 08:15 PM
I've never played a physical game of DnD. :smallfrown: The first mortals to do so will be locked up for eternity so that I can always play DnD!!! Muahahaha.

But if I did, I'd prefer to print them out and keep them in a binder. I'm a bit sentimental about my better characters, and even basing one off another really ruins the duplicate. For online, I use thetangledweb.net or E-Tools or PCGen.

de-trick
2007-07-16, 08:15 PM
I use a doutang with plastic protectors for major campaigns( to cheep to get a binder) or just a doutang without page protectors, a plastic bag with my minis and my leather dicebag,( insert player's handbook friend needs to get me)

kjones
2007-07-16, 08:23 PM
Cuneiform on clay tablets.

Leveling up's a bitch, though.

Anxe
2007-07-16, 08:42 PM
The character sheets of a campaign are given to the DM in my group until that campaign is done. Then they're given back to the players. I keep my old character sheets in folder with all of the notes from that campaign. I keep my players sheets with the campaign notes in my D&D box.

Bosaxon
2007-07-16, 09:13 PM
I keep a hard copy in my PHB and a soft copy in an excel spreadsheet. When I level, I alter the spreadsheet and print off a new copy.

Quirinus_Obsidian
2007-07-16, 09:44 PM
ok, ill be the computer-geeked one.

I only use e-tools generator, so i carry them with me on my tablet pc. I create my game from there and even rolls the treasure from there. have most of the books, too.

I roll real dices, though, cause you cant throw a computer on a wall if your rolls sucks... or if youre good, everyone calls you a cheater.

(e-tools)
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20020607a

I also like to use the computer to generate and work on my character; but when it comes to the game, I print them out on heavy stock and go from there. I use a homebrowed character generator based in Excel (although we are working on getting it all into Access; it would run a lot faster). I kinda do both; while I am at the sessions I would go over some character ideas and take notes. I have said notes for about 10 different characters; just have not had the time to flesh them out.

On some crappy computer dice rolls, I sometimes do feel like defnestrating (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=defenestrate)my computer. For generating ability scores and hit points, I like to use this dice roller (http://www.irony.com/mailroll.html). Yon DM can verify the roll has not been fudged too.

Prustan
2007-07-17, 05:29 AM
I have three places for my sheets - Physical sheets in a semi-neat pile on a nearby table, personal characters created with PCGen, and online characters stored with 3E Profiler.

PlatinumJester
2007-07-17, 06:19 AM
Crumpled up in my pocket or chucked somewhere near my computer.

TheAlmightyOne
2007-07-17, 06:30 AM
I have to type them up for the whole group so we just print off updated nes for each session

Keld Denar
2007-07-17, 07:34 AM
I just implimented a new character sheet storage system for my Living Greyhawk characters. I got a couple white 3-ring binders from work, got some heavy duty sheet protectors (box of about 200) and my character sheet goes in there. I also keep all of my ARs (adventure records) back to back in the binder for easy reference. The nice thing about the heavy duty sheet protectors is that you can write on them with dry erase markers, like the ones you use for a battle mat. That way, you can keep track of hp, temp ability and combat mods, and even take small notes right on the character sheet, and then wipe it clean at the end.

To differentiate between the character binders, I printed off a couple of oots that are appropriate for my characters. The spiked chain ogre one for my spiked chain fighter, the "team cleric" one with Durkon and Hilga for my cleric, and the one where V casts sleep (not really) for my new wizard. That way the binders are easily identifiable, and people I sit at a table with are usually amused.

Talya
2007-07-17, 07:45 AM
D&D characters, mostly in RPG Web Profiler. Modern characters as MSWord files, along with some of the D&D ones, although I did once alter a sheet to be a .jpg file (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e100/Dhavaer/YorikoCharSheet.jpg).



QFT. What's this "paper" stuff you guys speak of? I don't even use books, everything is scanned into PDF format.

EntilZha
2007-07-17, 09:48 AM
I have found HeroForge to be a great way to create and store characters electronically, and I just print one out whenever I need one. It doesn't make a lot of difference what I do with the sheet (unless I forget to bring it, lol), I'll just print out another one when I level him or her up prior to the next session.

Matthew
2007-07-17, 11:40 PM
I am a bit of a fascist DM when it comes to Character Sheets... I keep the entire party's sheets on my binder and I give them back at the beggining of every session... after I copy their Init Bonus, AC, HP, Attack bonuses and Spell Slots into my notebook

I quickly calculate xp at the end of every session, ask the players to add it to their current total and then I ask them to give me their sheets back.


Clipboard for the current characters, folders for old characters.

Usually I have them in an electronic format as well. I've got my own xml document format for D&D characters that gets run through a xsl format to print out. It doesn't display that nicely on a screen, but it prints properly on most printers.

My main reason for doing it that way is that I keep all the construction information in the xml, so I can roll back the character if necessary or prove how I arrived at the point I did if there is a chargen dispute. I haven't had one of those in awhile, but I used to have to roll back characters quite often in older editions when level drains were a bit more common and more severe. So I just got used to the idea and have always kept the full chargen record of each character since.

I pretty much combine these two methods.