char_sheet_front-1904-demo1.png

As you see I haven't quit figured out what do with the bottom half yet.

Explanation!

Abilities.

The big box is for your ability modifier; the small ellipse under the bix box is for your ability score (e.g. 16).

The "eye" shape in the upper right is for your saving throw bonus; the "badge" shape under that eye is for your ability check bonus.

Speed.

Speed is going to go on the inventory sheet next to the encumbrance budgets since you have four different speeds depending on what you carry/drag.

Order of columns.

I'm gonna move the defense/HP/light box over to the right. You pencil/erase that area all the time and you don't want to risk smudging the rest of the sheet while doing that. If you're right handed.

I didn't think of this until now, after I had already exported this image.

Defense.

You have two "shield-shaped" areas.

This is for things like Mage Armor and equipping or unequipping shields.

Put the most common/normal defense for you in the big one to the left, and then an alternate one that you sometimes toggle to in the smaller one. Then you can check when you're in that mode.

For more weird configurations like "I'm in my pajamas instead of my armor but I do have my shield" that's easy enough to calculate on the fly. Just ask me or Samo, we'll help.

Light.

Put in "bright" and "dim" distances of your most commonly used light source and then check the box when you're actually holding the torch / lamp / glowing shield in a way that you can control where it shines.

Spell attack bonus, spellcasting modifier, and spell save DC.

Laratha, you asked for those things.

Darling, it's gonna mess with multiclass characters since they have multiple instances of those things.

Instead, please just use one of the gray attack lines for it. (I added two more, there were three now there are five.)

Write "Spells" under NAME, your spell attack bonus under ATK BONUS, and then you can write your spell mod if you want.

The issue is… your spell casting modifier is just a way for the spells to say "your wisdom modifier" (if you're a cleric) or "your intelligence modifier" (if you're a wizard). Putting in the same info at many places on the sheet can lead to things getting out of sync as we level up. (For example, you remember to update your proficiency modifier but forget to update your spell attack bonus, which changes with it.)

That's been one of the reasons I wanted to ditch the skill system; changes used to ripple all over the character sheet in a domino effect when we used it.

We don't use spell save DC (if we need one for PvP purposes just add 8 to your spell attack.)

Question 1!

Can I remove the tiny little words "save" and "check" to make the sheet more beautiful, or is it too confusing to not have them?

Question 2!

Should I put a little check mark next to the attacks that means currently "holding"? Or on the weapons on the inventory sheet?

Question 3! The 5e character sheet has never listed the number of attacks you have but I'm not sure how to do that especially in a way that makes sense w/ someone who uses both weapon attacks and spells. Any ideas? Or just "never mind it's fine we remember how many attacks we have"?

Question 4!

What do I do with the bottom half? Putting in a slot grid is a given. I def don't mind that different classes have their own version of this. (One for fullcaster&multi, one for halfcaster, one for thirdcaster and one for non-casters&witches/locks.)

I've been looking through your sheets in the "Chult dom" compartment in our campaign paper folder and you seem to be using the "Features & traits" area; some for writing up your features and traits, others to do what I do and put a photo of my character in there and then refer to the book for what features & traits I'd have at my level.

I also have an idea that it could be cool to expand the TIBFs all the way down to the bottom. It's always so cramped writing those.

And those three things would fill it up and the problem would be solved.

Buuut… thinking a bit more ambitiously….

we have three things we want to keep track of, right?

All the stuff that's on this sheet;

All the stuff that's on the inventory sheet;

And all the spells we know (if we have spells).

I kinda want to try to find some way to juggle those three pages worth of info down to two pages…. (And then still have a separate page for henches, followers & animal forms just like today.)

The box that's currently labeled "ATTACKS & SPELLCASTING" could be redesigned to somehow merge with the "Medium things" belt/shoulder strap from the inventory sheet. And, full caster classes don't usually carry so much stuff they could sacrifice some of their (usually unused anyway, like the 1→2→3 Big Things backpack doublestrap, and the extra pouch/ack) for more room to write spells?

Aaaand… that's it! Now I'm gonna wrap it up for today and go play video games & drop tabs & pop tags!

Please look at the WIP image in the first post and give me your takes on the four questions!

If you don't feel like doing this (b/c who wants homework on a spring day) the default answer is that you love & trust me and will obey my weird character/spell/inventory sheet decisions without complaint!♥♥♥

But if you do care about the layout of the sheets—which are, after all, our most useful tool at the table, second only to ordinary water (with a few spoonfuls of LSD)—please let your thoughts be heard!

TIBFs?? The Persionality traits section could use a bigger one as you get 2 of thees and is almost always full. Diffrent sheets for full and halfcaster is one way to go but you can simply use smaller numbers and like 1/2 and so on in the slots. The light slot is a much needed one as i always forget what the diffrent light sources i have got. Keeping the save and check names might be a good thing as its new. Missing a feat or a place to put a Spell list in. But it can be a open one that you can draw in if you like or write a background. Number of attacks are a feat so would be solved by having a field for all the feats.

TIBF are Traits Ideals Bonds Flaws♥

I came up with an idea: that next to each attack there can be a number? Like,

2 Sword +11 3d6+4

Idk, it's not really been a problem As you say, it's a class feature and there's gonna be a space for them

Yee you can write it in the gray boxes to for the weapons. Having 5 posible slots for weapons will help alot also, as I usaly print my Spell DC and Spell Attack values around there. And having like 2-3 weapons whit spells as a ranger fills them up. Temp HP could maybe change places/size whit HIT DICE as you get more use of that if you make a multiclass whit diffrent hit dices.

Yeah I agree that temp HP is pretty rare and that the box doesn't need to be as big. I guess they made the box big originally because they wanted a lot of space for calculations, tally marks, scratching out etc

This is how they look right now character_sheets_1904.pdf

Made room for relationships character_sheets_1907.pdf