Two of my friends in my gaming group have purchased Hero Lab.
I am considering doing so as well. I have seen some of what it is capable of by watching my friends make characters. I have heard lots of positives about it over the years by being a member of these here forums.
What I am interested in now, though, are it's failings, drawbacks, and limitations.
Please help enlighten me before I make a final decision on whether or not to purchase it.
Also, does it allow customization of the output character sheet? I would love it if it allowed me to print out characters in the same layout format that the NPC gallery in the Gamemastery Guide uses.
|
Customization of output: it's a no atm.
but it is planned for their next release (and will be open to end-user own customization, so you can load the design of a friend if you find it nice.
I find their editor really powerful as well as simple.
the main drawback is the price if you want PF + all extensions.
however, with the editor, you can create your own feats/class/... so you don't need to pay for the add-ons if you are willing to do them yourself.
they have a nice follow-up of bug & requests on their forum.
Vris
|
Also, does it allow customization of the output character sheet? I would love it if it allowed me to print out characters in the same layout format that the NPC gallery in the Gamemastery Guide uses.
You can use the statblock output option which will generate a sb which looks pretty much like the Paizo one.
You can use the statblock output option which will generate a sb which looks pretty much like the Paizo one.Also, does it allow customization of the output character sheet? I would love it if it allowed me to print out characters in the same layout format that the NPC gallery in the Gamemastery Guide uses.
Could you provide me with a sample screen shot per chance?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
You can out put in Plain Text, HTML, BB Code and Wiki Text.
This is a stat block in BB code
KYLAR THE AXE CR 1/2
Male Half-Orc Cavalier 1
NG Medium Humanoid (Orc)
Init +0; Senses Darkvision (60 feet); Perception +0
--------------------
DEFENSE
--------------------
AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 15. . (+5 armor)
hp 12 (1d10+2)
Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0
--------------------
OFFENSE
--------------------
Spd 20 ft.
Melee Dagger +5 (1d4+4/19-20/x2) and
. . Gauntlet (from Armor) +5 (1d3+4/20/x2) and
. . Greataxe +5 (1d12+6/20/x3) and
. . Handaxe +5 (1d6+4/20/x3) and
. . Unarmed Strike +5 (1d3+4/20/x2)
Ranged Crossbow, Light -1 (1d8/19-20/x2)
Special Attacks Sword's Challenge +1/+1 (1/day)
--------------------
STATISTICS
--------------------
Str 18, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 15
Feats Power Attack -1/+2, Swap Places
Traits Bellis Axe Master, Killer
Skills Acrobatics -4, Escape Artist -4, Fly -4, Handle Animal +6, Intimidate +8, Stealth -4 Modifiers +4 Ride while riding your bonded mount., Sword's Skills
Languages Common, Orc
SQ Animal Companion Link (Ex), Orc Ferocity (1/day), Tactician (Swap Places) 3r (1/day) (Ex), Weapon Cord
Combat Gear Greataxe, Handaxe, Dagger, Crossbow, Light, Bolts, Crossbow (10), Scale Mail; Other Gear Backpack (empty), Bedroll, Blanket, winter, Caltrops, Case, map or scroll (empty), Holy symbol, wooden: Kurgess, Rope, hempen (50 ft.), Sack (empty), Sunrod (3), Tindertwig (3), Weapon Blanch, Silver, Weapon Cord, Whistle, Signal
--------------------
TRACKED RESOURCES
--------------------
Bolts, Crossbow - 0/10
Dagger - 0/1
Orc Ferocity (1/day) - 0/1
Sword's Challenge +1/+1 (1/day) (Ex) - 0/1
Tactician (Swap Places) 3r (1/day) (Ex) - 0/1
--------------------
SPECIAL ABILITIES
--------------------
+4 Ride while riding your bonded mount. (Ex) Cancel your armor check penalty of -4 while riding your mount.
Animal Companion Link (Ex) You have a link with your Animal Companion.
Bellis Axe Master +2 trait bon to confirm critical hits with axes.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.
Orc Ferocity (1/day) 1/day, when brought below 0 HP but not killed, you can fight on for 1 more round as if disabled. The next round, unless brought to at least 0 HP, you immediately fall unconscious and begin dying.
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Swap Places You can trade places with an ally with this feat during your movement.
Sword's Challenge +1/+1 (1/day) (Ex) +1 to damage target, -2 AC vs. others when used, +1 to hit while riding your mount.
Sword's Skills +1 (Ex) +1 to Sense Motive opposing Bluff.
Tactician (Swap Places) 3r (1/day) (Ex) Grant the use of your Tactical feats to your allies within 30'.
Weapon Cord Attached weapon can be recovered as a swift action.
Created With Hero Lab® - try it for free at http://www.wolflair.com!
- You need to be online because of the license/DRM
- It's been awhile since I used it (and I used it for M&M rather than PF) but I recall being frustrated with the GUI--wanting more control over resizing panels and how certain things were displayed. It's quite possible they have updated this since then.
- The initial $30 price unlocks 1 core game for which it is licensed. Unlocking other game systems (e.g., Savage Worlds, World of Darkness, etc.) costs an additional $20 or thereabouts, and add-ons to a given game system costs $15 or thereabouts (some people circumvent this last one by making their own datasets). "Locked" systems are in a demo mode which limits character creation options and does not save sheets, and there are of course no demos of add-on datasets. Opinions vary widely on whether these prices are worth it--but regardless, it is something the consumer should be fully aware of before purchasing the software (and the same goes for the other things I mentioned).
- You need to be online because of the license/DRM
I think you only need to be online to register it. Once it is registered I believe it functions okay without an Internet connection.
As someone else noted, customized output of the character sheet has been requested frequently and is supposed to be coming in the next release which is supposedly coming soon.
The biggest downfall is the price is a little high in my opinion, but with that said it has worked well for my needs, though I don't buy as many supplement packs simply because of the price.
What I am interested in now, though, are it's failings, drawbacks, and limitations.
I'm using the disclaimer "[obvious]" because there may indeed be a way to do these things, but I haven't found it after multiple attempts; the failing, drawback or limitation could be mine rather than HeroLab's.
There's no [obvious] way to equip a character with, say, 13 arrows. You get 20.
You get to specify which container your goods are in (belt bouch, backpack), but there's no [obvious] way to specify your mount or its saddlebags as a container for your gear; you'd have to equip the mount with those items.
Weapons and armor with multiple qualities have those qualities truncated in the editor; +3 glamored shadow studded leather armor will appear as +3 glamored sh or some such thing rather than wrapping onto another line.
- You need to be online because of the license/DRM
No you dont.
If you pull down an update or buy a new module afterwards it asks you to re-register and for that, yes you need to have an internet connection (and we're assuming that you have one at that point becasue, you just would have just pulled down and update or a new module...).
But otherwise under most normal usage you dont need to have an internet connection and can use it standalone.
Hero Lab also has numerous bugs that they never seem to fix. Monster CR does not take into account monster’s role when adding PC levels, rage prophet PrC has several bugs, bonus’ from some cleric domains/subdomains stack or do not stack when they are supposed to, to name a few. My group used Hero Lab enthusiastically for a while but with all the small bugs we are starting to hand write again.
Positives of Hero Lab:
1) Customizable and you can share your custom creations with your group or others
2) Software keeps track of just about everything for you and lets you know if your not following the Core Rules (and some common house rules)
3) It lets you know if you are duplicating something unintentionally. Several times I have taken a class, archetype, or prestige class that grants a specific bonus feat but I end up still choosing the feat. The software lefts me know that I'm duplicating my work.
4) House rules are very easy to incorporate
5) Often catches minor things that are missed by players. Things like the skill bonus feats at 10 ranks, CMD, CMB, and saving throw adjustments as your stats adjust during play
6) You can make adjustments on the fly. You can apply the effects of feats, abilities, spells, and magic items and turn them off when not needed or in use.
7) You can apply the effects of temporary ability adjustments on the fly. If you are poisoned, you can just apply the -4 Strength penalty (or whatever it is) and the software makes the appropriate adjustments.
8) Customer support is great. They give you heads up to things that are coming. They let you know why some decisions were made on how things work. They even come to the boards to answer questions or help you with customizing. Some of the coding can be a bit confusing at first (it was for me anyway).
9) Animal companions, mounts, and familiars are pretty easy to use and don't require separate files. They are attached to the character.
10) The cost for additional material is rather inexpensive.
Drawbacks to Hero Lab:
1) There is still a lot of 3.5 descriptions floating around. To be fair, the priority is adding new content from Paizo.
2) Not everything is added and released at the same time. For example, Ultimate Magic is going to be released in chunks. For people like me, that's not much of an issue. For someone else that could be a problem. You only have to pay for it once and you will get the updates as they come at no charge.
3) Initial cost feels a little steep but it was worth it in the long run.
4) Character sheets are not yet customizable and you are limited to 3 lines of explanation for feats and abilities.
5) Weapon print outs are confusing at first and you can't organize them. This may change with the new version.
6) Some things don't show up on the sheet. For example a +1 flaming longsword would have damage that reads 1d8+1. It doesn't remind you to add the +1d6 fire damage. Fortunately a community download does allow for this.
7) Searching for some things is a little difficult if not impossible sometimes. If you know how it works, you can search quickly most of the time.
8) Customization for some things can be very confusing. Fortunately there are people who can help you.
That's about it for now. I love the program. You just need to treat it like any other software and work with its strengths and try to work around its weaknesses.
Hero Lab also has numerous bugs that they never seem to fix. Monster CR does not take into account monster’s role when adding PC levels, rage prophet PrC has several bugs, bonus’ from some cleric domains/subdomains stack or do not stack when they are supposed to, to name a few. My group used Hero Lab enthusiastically for a while but with all the small bugs we are starting to hand write again.
I always had good response getting bugs I reported fixed.
- You need to be online because of the license/DRMNo you dont.
If you pull down an update or buy a new module afterwards it asks you to re-register and for that, yes you need to have an internet connection (and we're assuming that you have one at that point becasue, you just would have just pulled down and update or a new module...).
But otherwise under most normal usage you dont need to have an internet connection and can use it standalone.
My mistake. As I'd said it's been a long time since I used it. I remember always having to get online, but maybe that was because a bunch of updates kept coming out, and I kept logging in to get them.
Minor thing, but it won't let me add my own ethnicities. I don't run Golarion, so the ethnicity list is all Greek to me.
It also limits my capabilities with regard to creating custom monsters. By custom I don't mean pick something from the Bestiary and add a template to it. I'm talking about weird things like crossing a giant scorpion with a four-armed elf. Not uncommon in my campaign. Maybe it's possible in Hero Lab, but I haven't figured it out yet.
Not a complaint, really. As a software developer I'm not sure how I would provide this capability either.
I just started using it a couple of weeks ago and I LOVE IT! The time it saves during character creation (PC/NPC/MONSTER) for me is great. I haven't spotted any bugs yet, but if I do I will report them ASAP.
The only negative for me is the character sheet print out. i *love* making PC's using it- its just so much faster, especially if you aren't exactly sure what you are going to make and decide to change something later.
Gnome bard? no problem. Oops- make that human. No problem. Half-orc afterall? Sure, no problem.
It reminds you what you need to add and subtract after you make a choice- so you can go from gnome to human to half-orc and still end up with the correct number of feats and skill points at the end of the day.
Unfortunately the character-sheet print out is absolutely awful. I literally make a character in HL then print out a "normal sheet" from elsewhere and fill in the information with the ole pencil. I really, really wish they'd make the "character sheet" more like.. a character sheet. It has too much of some things, not enough of others, and is just plain weird in other ways- all depending on what character you are making.
In fairness I haven't tried to print one out in awhile, it could be that they've fixed most of it.. but.
Every character has "unarmed" printed, and there is still no way to have it tell you your full bonuses for wielding a weapon 1 handed, two handed, 1h+shield, and a bow all at once. At least not without it fielding a ton of errors and screwing up the math.
If, however, you are wanting to use HL at the table from a laptop or such and are using HL *as* the sheet instead of printing from it, it seems to do alot better. Its just terrible to use at home, print out and bring the print with you.. Just yuck.
-S
1) The lack of full descriptions for spells and spell like abilities. This was the biggest let down for me because there is only a partial description of the effect (typically damage) but there is no per level effects calculated, or area of effect or range. Considering the cost of the product it is not unreasonable at all to have this flushed out.
2) The lack of description for abilities when trying to choose archetypes for a class and wizard specializations (possibly domains too). It's frustrating when you want to make a quick character to have to bust out the book to read through all the abilities of an archetype or specialization instead of the program actualy showing the details in the side panel.
I still like to use the program though, but those are the most glaring issues for me.
1) The lack of full descriptions for spells and spell like abilities. This was the biggest let down for me because there is only a partial description of the effect (typically damage) but there is no per level effects calculated, or area of effect or range. Considering the cost of the product it is not unreasonable at all to have this flushed out.
2) The lack of description for abilities when trying to choose archetypes for a class and wizard specializations (possibly domains too). It's frustrating when you want to make a quick character to have to bust out the book to read through all the abilities of an archetype or specialization instead of the program actualy showing the details in the side panel.
I still like to use the program though, but those are the most glaring issues for me.
Not to say that this isn't a negative, but I generally open up the PRD or d20pfsrd.com to look up the undescribed items right on my screen instead of going to the bookshelf. The undescribed abilities seem to be mostly from the APG and thus newer content; I don't know if they intend to go back and add in descriptions in later updates once they've got all the coding for the mechanics done. I know that's the way it used to be with e-Tools: description was lower priority than just getting the mechanical updates out. Of course, with e-Tools, they never actually got around to the descriptions, either....
Check under the options. I don't have it in front of me, but the same checklist that allows you to activate pathfinder supliments also has a bunch of custom outputs down the list. Deleting the Unarmed output is easy.Every character has "unarmed" printed, and there is still no way to have it tell you your full bonuses for wielding a weapon 1 handed, two handed, 1h+shield, and a bow all at once. At least not without it fielding a ton of errors and screwing up the math.
It's at the bottom of the list, under Output Options. Just check "Hide Unarmed (in weapons)."
Maybe I'll wait till the update. Once it allows me to create a statblock that looks like this, than I will be completely sold.
Also couldn't figure out how to apply poison to a weapon. Try making a dark creeper, load up his inventory with dagger and poison, and figure out how to apply the poison to the dagger so that it shows up under his melee stats.
If someone knows how to do this, please advise.
|
I am a big supporter of HeroLab, but you need to remember it does not replace your books.
It helps you manage your character, but is not a replacement for knowing what your character can do.
An example of this is that the spell descriptions often have some key words missing (such as the type of bonus the spell grants - competence, morale, etc.).
Just don't buy it thinking you don't need the books. That's all.
And it has a bit of a learning curve - I think a nice tutorial should come with it (such as how to create your first character... I think they rely on the forums a bit too much in this area).
|
I use Hero Labs, do find it useful (more on this later), but I do have a couple gripes with it as well.
The number one problem for me is the interface, which I find clunky and very year 2000 in style. I think merely logging into Hero Labs exemplifies this issue, with the repeating blue background that looks like it came straight from a year 1997 website. You're stuck with the layout of the windows as you can't move or resize them, and the tab order on the main character sheet has the same problem (you cannot hide them or reorder them into something more logical). Often I'll find myself frustrated with the location of an item, find it hard to find, or just outright upset with the interface (journaling and PFS PA, I'm looking at you). Now of course, perhaps Hero Labs is capable of doing these things that I'm taking issue with; however, if the interface is really that counter-intuitive that it's difficult to figure out how to do things, that in itself is probably at the heart of the issue. All of this though is a personal issue and your mileage may vary.
My second complaint is the price. Frankly, I find the cost of Hero Labs outrageous. I've complained about this in the past though so I won't go into it here. I keep paying for new add-on's though, so I must either be crazy or figure it's worth it somehow. Frankly I think it's just akin to a CCG addiction and I'll get over it someday, but for now I'm stuck in the "gotta have that next license, that one trait is SO worth it!" mentality.
My third issue is that I find the output rather ugly and I'd love for custom output options. This fortunately should come out in the next release, so it's less of an issue as it used to be.
My final issue has nothing to do with the product, it has to do with the users. I said before I find Hero Labs useful, which is true. Even outside of my complaints above it does help conceptually outline how I want characters to look long-term. My problem though is that the Hero Labs folks are human, believe it or not, a fact a lot of people tend to forget. They make mistakes, transpose numbers in their tables, and occasionally screw up. Yet every person I've talked to who uses the application automatically assumes that it's 100% correct and gets frustrated when I (as a GM) challenge what Hero Labs says. Bugs appear on the sheets all the time, but nobody ever bothers to hand-validate their character's numbers, which means that those errors tend to creep up in games without anybody noticing (longsword in two-hands dealing 2d6 damage, I'm looking at you). Sure, chances are good that Hero Labs will do a better job configuring an eidelon than a human, but I wish that it weren't taken as gospel. Relying on the character builder only means that players aren't learning how to build their own characters, which I think is a skill all role-players should have. This though is hardly a complaint about the software, but rather how it tends to be used.
Of course all of this is my opinion. You may find it to be the best thing since sliced bread. More power to you. I'm just not as enamored I guess.
Not to say that this isn't a negative, but I generally open up the PRD or d20pfsrd.com to look up the undescribed items right on my screen instead of going to the bookshelf. The undescribed abilities seem to be mostly from the APG and thus newer content; I don't know if they intend to go back and add in descriptions in later updates once they've got all the coding for the mechanics done. I know that's the way it used to be with e-Tools: description was lower priority than just getting the mechanical updates out. Of course, with e-Tools, they never actually got around to the descriptions, either....
I completely agree that D20PFSRD is great for referencing spell descriptions, but if you're paying $60 to have the program and the reference material then I expect to have a complete spell description.
There is rumor that an update is on the way with the full spell descriptions so I am looking forward to that!
I just see the price of HeroLabs and I cant bring myself to use it.
I tried PCGen as an alternate but its still in development.
So I just stick to using my notepad and customer character sheet. weeeeeE!
That is one thing that transferring them to paper by hand let me do. Check the math, check the .. well, everything.
"hey, why is this skill a +4 bonus?" and such. Maybe it belongs and maybe not, but when I'm done I know the answer :) Its also a handy way to find bugs to report.
"hey, HL doesn't list this as a class skill!" or whatnot.
-S
The single biggest problem with Hero Labs is the fact that all you see while DM'ing are laptops...and your players playing scrabble or spider solitaire...haha!
It is really a great program though, but if I would rather my players came with sheets of paper and dice, rather than just the laptop. I like the sound of the dice on the table, and I still call it pen and paper gaming....but that is just my preference.
herolab is great.
Saves hours of creating monsters and npc.
With the editor you can also build your own monsters form scratch.
Though the initial cost of buying it is somewhat steep i have never felt that it was a waste of money.
The single biggest problem with Hero Labs is the fact that all you see while DM'ing are laptops...and your players playing scrabble or spider solitaire...haha!
It is really a great program though, but if I would rather my players came with sheets of paper and dice, rather than just the laptop. I like the sound of the dice on the table, and I still call it pen and paper gaming....but that is just my preference.
That is not a problem with herolab. You can use it to make the character and then put it away. It might be a sign the players are not that interested or the DM needs to step his game up.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
|
I enjoy Hero Labs, and it does make my job as a GM easier. That being said, you want its failings. Here are a couple.
The layout and format of the program really needs to be improved upon. The use of tabs isn't bad, but the "quick veiw" windows on side are difficult to read at first, often useless, and distracting. I often close all of them and just use the tabs for the information I need. I rather have a character stat block or character sheet in the area where the quick view windows are.
The learning curve is a bit much at first, and the user guide isn't friendly. The guide is also online, so you will need internet access if a question on how to use the program comes up.
The program does not have a function (that I know of) that allows you to view the break down of the different formulas. If you want to know why you have a CMD of 30, you are on your own in figuring it out. My GM calls for a break down often, and so I often have to move through the different tabs to find what is giving bonuses or penalties. Luckily, if you know the basics the process isn't so hard.
The program is not perfect, and there are mistakes. 9 times out of 10, the mistakes were mine, as I forgot buffs or abilities were in use at the time and thought the stats were unmodified. Every so often though the program doesn't do the math right. The biggest thing to check is your CMD, most problems I have had were with that. If you know what the real number should be, and why, report the issue and then use the adjustments tab to correct it until the problem is fixed in an update.
The character sheet stinks, and it takes forever for my computer to load it up and print it out.
The price is a bit steep, but I honestly think it is worth buying at least the basic package.
I have an older laptop, and the program really slows things down. If I need to open another program, I expect a good amount of lag all around.
|
|
My second complaint is the price. Frankly, I find the cost of Hero Labs outrageous. I've complained about this in the past though so I won't go into it here. I keep paying for new add-on's though, so I must either be crazy or figure it's worth it somehow. Frankly I think it's just akin to a CCG addiction and I'll get over it someday, but for now I'm stuck in the "gotta have that next license, that one trait is SO worth it!" mentality.
Actually while the price is not the best thing I have encountered with Hero Labs, II do understand the need for it. The one thing that some people do (Not you Ryan in particular) is to price everything out and then think that is the final price and yes while it "is" the final price... it does NOT have to be paid all at once or even have to buy ALL the packages of data that Hero Labs puts out for Pathfinder.
A person CAn buy just the Core system and the APG and be done with it and spend nothing more then $39.99. :)My third issue is that I find the output rather ugly and I'd love for custom output options. This fortunately should come out in the next release, so it's less of an issue as it used to be.
I agree and look forward to the customized output that they are coming out with.
My final issue has nothing to do with the product, it has to do with the users. I said before I find Hero Labs useful, which is true. Even outside of my complaints above it does help conceptually outline how I want characters to look long-term. My problem though is that the Hero Labs folks are human, believe it or not, a fact a lot of people tend to forget. They make mistakes, transpose numbers in their tables, and occasionally screw up. Yet every person I've talked to who uses the application automatically assumes that it's 100% correct and gets frustrated when I (as a GM) challenge what Hero Labs says. Bugs appear on the sheets all the time, but nobody ever bothers to hand-validate their character's numbers, which means that those errors tend to creep up in games without anybody noticing (longsword in two-hands dealing 2d6 damage, I'm looking at you). Sure, chances are good that Hero Labs will do a better job configuring an eidelon than a human, but I wish that it weren't taken as gospel. Relying on the character builder only means that players aren't learning how to build their own characters, which I think is a skill all role-players should have. This though is hardly a complaint about the software, but rather how it tends to be used.
I totally agree they are human and make mistakes and this is why I peruse the forums at the Lonewolf (Hero Labs). But I have to say that, yes I do double check numbers all the time and do not rely solely on Hero Labs as both the GM and as a Player. I do tend to rely on it more and more lately especially since I know most of it's flaws.
Oh and By the way Ryan... the Longsword does not do 2d6 damage with 2 hands... but 1d8 + 1 and 1/2 str damage. It does do 2d6 damage as a large weapon though and 1d4 as a tiny weapon. Can you show me where in the Core Rules book or the PFSRD where it says it does 2d6 damage as a two handed weapon? :)
-jon
|
|
I just see the price of HeroLabs and I cant bring myself to use it.
I tried PCGen as an alternate but its still in development.
So I just stick to using my notepad and customer character sheet. weeeeeE!
What price are you talking about? the $29.99? That is for the Core Rules system. It is 9.99 for the Advanced Players Guide. So you are talking about basically 39.99 total for the Core Rules Book, ALL the Adventure Paths, The Game Mastery Guide and all of it's NPC's as importable stock creatures/characters. And the Inner Sea World Guide.
If you want the Bestiaries you will pay 24.99 for them. Which if you do not do any GMing then they are not as important. Also if you want the Companion line and the Chronicles line then yes they are 19.99 each as a full package for both the companion and 19.99 for the chronicle line.
Again this is not that much of an issue unless you feel you need them. Then you can buy them as individual packages or all at once. But just remember that you do not have to buy them all at once. So instead of worrying about the final price... buy it slowly over time and it is not nearly as bad as an all at once price point. (This make any sense?)
|
|
Oh and By the way Ryan... the Longsword does not do 2d6 damage with 2 hands... but 1d8 + 1 and 1/2 str damage. It does do 2d6 damage as a large weapon though and 1d4 as a tiny weapon. Can you show me where in the Core Rules book or the PFSRD where it says it does 2d6 damage as a two handed weapon? :)
You misread my snarky jab at HeroLabs. I know the longsword does 1d8, HeroLabs used to say it did 2d6 when used as a two-handed weapon. I had to call a player on that one, who as I mentioned before, wouldn't believe that HeroLabs was wrong. This issue has since been fixed.
|
|
Oh and By the way Ryan... the Longsword does not do 2d6 damage with 2 hands... but 1d8 + 1 and 1/2 str damage. It does do 2d6 damage as a large weapon though and 1d4 as a tiny weapon. Can you show me where in the Core Rules book or the PFSRD where it says it does 2d6 damage as a two handed weapon? :)You misread my snarky jab at HeroLabs. I know the longsword does 1d8, HeroLabs used to say it did 2d6 when used as a two-handed weapon. I had to call a player on that one, who as I mentioned before, wouldn't believe that HeroLabs was wrong. This issue has since been fixed.
Ahh ok, I can see where that would be a problem! :) Having a player believe that software can't be wrong is well... just plain crazy considering that software is made by the same flawed humans that can make a mistake as much as the next :)
|
|
I just see the price of HeroLabs and I cant bring myself to use it.
This.
If I didnt do Society play, and therefore have to have any books I want to use material out of with me at the time, and just did ahome games, then maybe Id consider it, as I wouldnt neccessarily HAVE to have the books.
The idea of paying an additional $40 to get the Core and APG is just ridiculous to me. I could use that to buy a whole other hardcover book!
I just stick to my pencils, paper sheets, and pile o books. Creating a character that way feels, somehow, more natural to me. I dont mean cause Im used to it, opposed to my limited usage of HeroLab, but when Im completed, I feel I know the character better than if I just plug stuff in on a computer. It was the same way when I tried the character builder for 4e.
@ Mister Slanky: Ive had that same problem as a GM where the player gives a sort of 'Its not my fault, HeroLab did it" kind of look or answer. Really, really annoys me.
|
I really like Hero Lab. I think the price is worth it. But the things I really don't like is no customize print out, the spell print outs don't have page numbers for easy refernce, and there is no place to put gems/ jewlery other treasure in with money. You have to manually put those in as jounal entries.
|
|
I really like Hero Lab. I think the price is worth it. But the things I really don't like is no customize print out, the spell print outs don't have page numbers for easy refernce, and there is no place to put gems/ jewlery other treasure in with money. You have to manually put those in as jounal entries.
Actually if you go under the "Gear" tab you can create a custom container, a Custom valuable/Item such as gems or jewelry as you mentioned. They brought this in to the software a little while ago. It is rather nice to have. You no longer have to use the Journal for this.
While I know this is the Paizo forum, does anyone know if it supports Gestalt characters from the Unearthed Arcana in 3.5?
While I know this is the Paizo forum, does anyone know if it supports Gestalt characters from the Unearthed Arcana in 3.5?
HL doesn't support Gestalt as is with the Pathfinder package, but I believe there are some threads on the Lone Wolf boards which discuss it further. (I have not read them as I have never touched the Gestalt rules).
My only 'problem' with HL so far is my inability to use the editor. I keep stumbling around and just have no luck.
That's the same problem I have as well. I feel like I should be able to figure it out but I just...haven't.
|
The single biggest problem with Hero Labs is the fact that all you see while DM'ing are laptops...and your players playing scrabble or spider solitaire...haha!
We started to have this problem at our table, but instead of solitaire it was people constantly digging through gaming related websites when they were supposed to be slinging dice. Eventually we decided to eliminate the temptation by unplugging the wireless when game started. So we still have the laptops, but not the internet based distractions.
|
|
The Editor is not a user friendly part of Hero Labs, it is more made for those that can code.
One of my biggest complaints to Lone-Wolf has been the Editor and my wish they made it more user friendly and intuitive.
Amen, brutha! While I've come pretty far in learning it, it's mostly come from finding something similar in the code and jury-rigging it. Any time I want to enter an ability that adjusts numbers, I groan. And the tutorial doesn't go into anything that needs bootstraps at all.
The pricing doesn't bother me, the small errors don't bother me, the table full of laptops doesn't bother me. But bootstraps make my head hurt...
|
|
I like HeroLabs a lot. It saves me time as a GM and player, and allows me to make character changes very easily. I particularly like how it can apply the effects of spells and conditions to characters during play (e.g. Adjusting STR when Bull's Strength is cast).
I think the price is very fair considering the work required to program and update, and considering the number of hours it saves me in character development.
I'm looking forward to the option to adjust the character sheet format. I'd prefer for the whole feat or class ability to print out, not just the first three lines.
|
Contributor
|
The Editor is not a user friendly part of Hero Labs, it is more made for those that can code.
One of my biggest complaints to Lone-Wolf has been the Editor and my wish they made it more user friendly and intuitive.
I have to agree. I would love to be able to enter my own classes, add a ton of monsters, feats, abilities, etc. But the learning curve on the coding is a bit of a barrier. I've done some stuff I'm proud of on HL, but it took me too long to do. I just don't have the time to devote to entering all the stuff I want.
But I don't think that's the fault of Lone Wolf. In order to make a robust program capable of handling the nuances of the Pathfinder or d20 system, you have to be able to monkey with multiple rules interactions. That's very difficult to do in a click-type interface format. Every character-builder out there requires some level of coding ability to do 'everything' you want to do with an element of the rules.
Coding in HL isn't easy. Bootstraps and other aspects are extremely challenging. I've chosen not to spend the time learning the coding well enough to do all the inputs I wanted, but I did enough to get the impression that I could do most anything I wanted, if I put the effort into it.
Ultimately, the flexibility the editor provides, along with the company support, and the fact that they are doing the majority of the rules-specific work for us (through paid data sets and core rules updates), still places HeroLab at the top of my list for this kind of software.
*cast Raise Dead* Rise, rise!!
I've had HL for a few years and have used it to create some. Many of my complaints are the same as others here (namely archaic-esque user interface, format, cost of add-ons, and learning curve).
Normally, when I play a PC, I just print out my PC file from HeroLab and play from those, I have no problem with the sheet format. Yesterday, decided to play from my laptop directly on HL. One realization and a question arose:
Where the heck is all all my "ready to fight" combat stats at on the thing? All the things that get me my combat stats were there in various tabs but the "in play" tab didn't tell me what my total attack was nor my AC. Now, I know my PC and had a print out on the side to refer to but that info was just not able to be found by me.
Thanks in advance for any answers.
Nevermind, I just figured it out, lol.