Orc Pub and the SRD ?

[Bluemanarc]

I don't get this SRD thing, whats it all about.

And why do they not have a decent CB option like 4e ?

I cant understand it.

Are they nobbling Orc Pub the only decent CB to try and put people into the CB on D&D Beyond.

I am trying to get a group of six 12 year olds into D&D and they want to make their own characters with fancy races and now I find Orc Pub has been nobbled.

Does anyone know of a decent CB that is simple and easy for them to use ?

[JellyPooga]

There is this stuff called "paper"; you'll be wanting a white or off-white variety. It's usually pretty readily available. Then there's this wonderful material called graphite that is often used as the basis of a tool called a "pencil", that you can use to make all kinds of marks on an appropriately coloured piece of the aforementioned "paper"; you can even write words and draw pictures. Utilising these items (and an "eraser", which I won't go into here) and one of these new-fangled bits of tech called a "book" (which is usually many sheets of "paper" inscribed with "ink"; a more permanent version of graphite) with the relevent rules in it, you can make aaaallll manner of characters easily and cheaply. The main advantage of the "pencil and paper" character builder is its customisability and complete lack of bugs or glitches; you can implement any house rule or modifications quickly and easily and it only ever crashes if you spill excessive liquid on it or burn it (or otherwise destroy the "paper")...but then again, most computers have trouble when you do those to them too.

Sorry. I don't have an actual answer to your question, but getting kids to use "old tech" instead of getting a program to do it for them is no bad thing.

[DeTess]

Alternatively, you could laminate a set of paper character sheets and use wet-erase (and dry erase for stuff like current HP) markers, making them re-usable and easily adjustable.

There's not really a reason for using a character builder for 5e, as its very simple to build a character, and its generally better to reduce the amount of screens and devices necessary to run a game, as it keeps the attention on what's happening in the game.

There are some games I would sue a CB for, such as shadowrun, but those are the kind of games that require about 4-5 sheets of paper to record everything a character has.

[BloodOgre]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=orc+pub

It allows you to create your own races and subraces.

[Ninja_Prawn]

I don't get this SRD thing, whats it all about.

The SRD (system reference document) is essentially the body of 5e material that WotC gives away for free. If you're publishing under the OGL (open game license), which you basically have to if you want to profit from your work, you can make reference to SRD content only. Mention any WotC content outside the SRD, and you're asking for them to set their dogs on you.

[PhantomSoul]

Alternatively, you could laminate a set of paper character sheets and use wet-erase (and dry erase for stuff like current HP) markers, making them re-usable and easily adjustable.

Building on the laminating option, I quite enjoy using transparencies/acetates: you can just put it in front of the paper and write on the paper (pencil / pen) or on the transparency (wet/dry erase). I find it great to have two layers of transparency; permanent or extra-long-term information (name, ability scores, etc.) goes on the paper, then medium-term information (e.g. exp only changes after a session, or things that only change on level-up) goes on the back transparency, and finally commonly-changing information (e.g. current HP, spell slots, ability uses, whether concentration is being maintained) goes on the front transparency. Nice and easy, and also lets me jot down quick notes to remind me of things I wanted to do on my turn or ask about later, with those notes being easy to promptly remove.

[GlenSmash!]

Oh hey I see you made your own thread about this. That's a good call, we don't want to derail another Thread.


I don't get this SRD thing, whats it all about.

It's the portion of the rules that 3rd parties are allowed to use in the products they create.


And why do they not have a decent CB option like 4e ?

I cant understand it.

Are they nobbling Orc Pub the only decent CB to try and put people into the CB on D&D Beyond.

Correct. They are trying to make sure that anyone using a CB is sending money to WotC. Do you find D&D Beyond more expensive that the 4E CB subscription?


I am trying to get a group of six 12 year olds into D&D and they want to make their own characters with fancy races and now I find Orc Pub has been nobbled.

Does anyone know of a decent CB that is simple and easy for them to use ?

If you want all the options form all the published material you are stuck with D&D Beyond, Roll20, or Fantasy Grounds. While the latter 2 are virtual tabletops, they have perfectly good character builders too.

[Stan]

It's a bit pricey ($35 one time fee gives software and core files for one game) but Hero Lab works well for 5E. You also have to download the fan content. If you do that, you have most the books, unearthed arcana, and a few other things for no additional cost. It does all the math and tracks things like weight and has tools for tracking combat. I used it yesterday to build some mystics.

[GlenSmash!]

My current project is to take pictures of all the class abilities and print them out on Trading card size card stock.

I'll put them in card protector sheets in a binder, and use that as character sheets.

[MaxWilson]

I don't get this SRD thing, whats it all about.

For me, it's a way of looking up information when I'm AFB--or just too lazy to stand up and walk to the other room and find my books. :-)

I never use the SRD in actual play though, only for Internet discussions.

[Jama7301]

It's a bit pricey ($35 one time fee gives software and core files for one game) but Hero Lab works well for 5E. You also have to download the fan content. If you do that, you have most the books, unearthed arcana, and a few other things for no additional cost. It does all the math and tracks things like weight and has tools for tracking combat. I used it yesterday to build some mystics.

The downside with that is that if you don't go through the extra steps to get the community updated pack, you're paying $35 for a character builder that only uses the SRD materials.

[MilkmanDanimal]

I was taken aback by having to re-buy content digitally to fully use the character creator and D&D Beyond, but . . . man, that is just a great, great service. I make characters all the time, just to try things out, do all my maintenance in the online site, and, when running games, just have open tabs with all the monsters I'm using for easy reference. It's phenomenal, and one of the best implementations of "X as a service" I use. I find myself using the online books/compendium just as often as I reach for a physical book, if not more often, and it's the best-designed character creator I've ever used. It's definitely a case where I think I'm getting my money's worth out of it, it just works so dang well for about everything.

[Sigreid]

I was taken aback by having to re-buy content digitally to fully use the character creator and D&D Beyond, but . . . man, that is just a great, great service. I make characters all the time, just to try things out, do all my maintenance in the online site, and, when running games, just have open tabs with all the monsters I'm using for easy reference. It's phenomenal, and one of the best implementations of "X as a service" I use. I find myself using the online books/compendium just as often as I reach for a physical book, if not more often, and it's the best-designed character creator I've ever used. It's definitely a case where I think I'm getting my money's worth out of it, it just works so dang well for about everything.

Fantasy Grounds can be spendy but I flipping love it. Makes everything easy both sides of the screen.

[LordEntrails]

Fantasy Grounds can be spendy but I flipping love it. Makes everything easy both sides of the screen.
See I never understand this. The "books" on FG are the same price as on DDB and both of those are cheaper than Roll20 or MSRP, and the FG/DDB price is pretty close to what you can find the print versions for online (and both are way more functional). With FG you do have to buy or subscribe to a license (starting at $4/mo or $39), but if you want to share your DDB content fully you have to do the same.

I mean I do get that if you want to buy everything, you can spend something like $1500 dollars on FG, but that is hundreds of products from dozens of publishers. It's like complaining at the cost if you tried to buy everything at DrivethruRPG :)

[Sigreid]

See I never understand this. The "books" on FG are the same price as on DDB and both of those are cheaper than Roll20 or MSRP, and the FG/DDB price is pretty close to what you can find the print versions for online (and both are way more functional). With FG you do have to buy or subscribe to a license (starting at $4/mo or $39), but if you want to share your DDB content fully you have to do the same.

I mean I do get that if you want to buy everything, you can spend something like $1500 dollars on FG, but that is hundreds of products from dozens of publishers. It's like complaining at the cost if you tried to buy everything at DrivethruRPG :)

I was fortunate to be gifted the ultimate license one year. Getting the FG copies of all the stuff was a bit spendy, basically the same as buying the books but OMG does it make DMing easier. Especially if you do sandbox like I do. I can build an encounter in under a minute.

[GlenSmash!]

I was fortunate to be gifted the ultimate license one year. Getting the FG copies of all the stuff was a bit spendy, basically the same as buying the books but OMG does it make DMing easier. Especially if you do sandbox like I do. I can build an encounter in under a minute.

Having drag and drop building blocks is a pretty big plus (I assume it's drag and drop anyway).

[Sigreid]

Having drag and drop building blocks is a pretty big plus (I assume it's drag and drop anyway).

Yes. And tracks initiative and resolves monster attacks with a click. Modules have maps with links to the module entry, etc. Starting to feel like a sales job but I didn't expect to like it since I didn't care for Roll20, but I very much do.

[Jama7301]

It's a shame that Fantasy Grounds gave me issues. Had to get it refunded on Steam, since the UI elements weer weirdly sized on my computer, and it had weird slowdowns. I may try it again in the future, but it felt like a program that really needs multiple monitors to shine.

[Sigreid]

It's a shame that Fantasy Grounds gave me issues. Had to get it refunded on Steam, since the UI elements weer weirdly sized on my computer, and it had weird slowdowns. I may try it again in the future, but it felt like a program that really needs multiple monitors to shine.

Won't lie, the screen gets busy and more screen space would help.

[DaveOfTheDead]

I like https://tetra-cube.github.io/dnd/dnd-char-gen.html to generate some ideas. I haven't actually used 100% of what it shows me, but it even generates random personality traits, trinkets, etc.

EDIT: Oh dang, they added the new Eberron stuff.

[GlenSmash!]

Won't lie, the screen gets busy and more screen space would help.

I bought pico projector to display maps down on a whiteboard for my table. I wonder if I can leverage that into a Fantasy Grounds or Roll20 non-dm screen.

[Keravath]

SRD = System Reference Document

These are the base set of rules that are copywritten by WoTC but which are free for everyone to copy and distribute. These are the rules for the base game, most basic races and classes and are sufficient to actually play D&D with. These are also the only rules sets that are LEGAL to distribute by anyone creating tools for D&D. Everything else is owned and licensed by WoTC and this is why you need to purchase a license to access this expanded content on D&D Beyond, Fantasy Grounds or roll20.

D&D Beyond provides free access to their tools using the SRD content.
MPMB's pdf character form provides the SRD content free.
Orcpub provides all the SRD content free.

However, all of these tools also provide the ability to include homebrew content. Homebrew content is content that is typed up or created by the user.

This gets into a gray area if you have purchased the books. If you have purchased the books then you have certain fair use rights for the content. For example, if you create a character it might be legal for you to copy the text of a feat you have onto your character sheet. That is what the content is for in the first place and character sheets provided by WoTC include spaces for that content. Are you allowed to type that same material up and add it to an electronic character sheet for your own use? Maybe? Are you allowed to type up all of the content needed to create your character and make it available for your own use as you create more characters? I don't know I am not a lawyer. There might be an argument that you are using the content to create your characters and you have only made a copy of some but not all of that content you have purchased access to in order to facilitate this ... it might be arguable as fair use.

Can you share your efforts at creating homebrew content? If you own the copyright (i.e. created new content) then there are probably no issues.

There may be some folks who do decide to distribute homebrew created content which is probably a good place to start looking if you want to enhance the capabilities of these character creation tools. However, some of the material may or may not be similar to material that is copywritten by WoTC. Material that is too similar to WoTC copywritten material is probably not legal for distribution and you will need to watch out for that.

[2D8HP]

CB


:confused:

CB?

Citizen band radio?

Breaker, Breaker, Avatar calling Blackwolf, got your ears on Blackwolf?"


character builders


I'm guessing after five other posts GlenSmash! has done the translation.

Thanks GS!

[Stan]

The downside with that is that if you don't go through the extra steps to get the community updated pack, you're paying $35 for a character builder that only uses the SRD materials.

That is totally true. I felt ripped off at first until I realized that I could get everything else by jumping through a few hoops. I already had Hero Lab for Pathfinder, where it's more useful.

[GlenSmash!]

:confused:

CB?

Citizen band radio?

Breaker, Breaker, Avatar calling Blackwolf, got your ears on Blackwolf?"




I'm guessing after five other posts GlenSmash! has done the translation.

Thanks GS!

I a one man google translate am being.

[Jama7301]

That is totally true. I felt ripped off at first until I realized that I could get everything else by jumping through a few hoops. I already had Hero Lab for Pathfinder, where it's more useful.

I got it for World of Darkness and Shadowrun, before branching into 5e, and started tinkering with the homebrew.

[Ninja_Prawn]

:confused:

CB?

I was lost on that one too, to begin with. And I wrote the dang Acronym Explainer! Better go add it in...

[2D8HP]

I was lost on that one too, to begin with. And I wrote the dang Acronym Explainer! Better go add it in...


....Thus, here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/933a2xvk3j03vl3/Acronyms.xlsx?dl=0) is a sortable, filterable spreadsheet with all the terms I could find.....


And you did! :smile:

Thanks!

[McSkrag]

I am trying to get a group of six 12 year olds into D&D and they want to make their own characters with fancy races and now I find Orc Pub has been nobbled.

I am also playing with a lot of kids 8-14 and new players.

Personally I make it a point that they have to do everything analog with books, pencils, and paper because. Most kids these days seem to get more than enough screen time and I think part of the appeal of tabletop is to get them used to doing things analog.

But to make that easier I make quick reference booklets.