GM question, recording used consumables?

[Benrislove]

If a player uses a potion, wand charges, scroll(s) ect should those be listed under items sold on the chronicle sheet? with a notation for "used"

Or do we track them on chronicle sheets at all?

[noswald]

Since the players don't get to keep anything that is in the scenario, you don't need to keep track of the items on the chronicle sheet. They are "freebies" that the players get to use to help them through the scenario. If they want to keep the items, they have to purchase them on the chronicle sheet. In the case of wands, when they purchase the one at the end of the scenario, they start with full charges (50 or N where N is what is listed on the chronicle sheet.)

[Benrislove]

Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant the items they had purchased off of previous chronicle sheets.

IE: The items they start the scenario with, not the ones they found during it.

[Paz]

As far as I'm aware, it's done on the honour system. No GM of mine has insisted that used consumables are tracked on a chronicle sheet, and I've never made that demand of any of my players.

[Patrick Harris @ SD]

My understanding is that it's up to players to track consumables. Expecting GMs to keep up on every potion and wand charge that gets used at a table of six, while running the adventure, is impractical.

[Benrislove]

Fair enough. I guess I have been a Magic player too long lol.

[noswald]

Sorry I misunderstood. What Paz and Patrick said. :)

[Starglim]

The players should cross consumables and charges used or equipment lost off their character sheets. If they buy replacements, they should record those under Items Bought.

Items can have recoverable conditions (notably, the broken condition) and these go under Conditions Gained unless fixed before the end of the scenario.

[kinevon]

As a player, I tend to mark items used somewhere on my Chronicle sheet, but as a GM I usually stay with the honor system.

Especially since items used can be confused by items found during the game, or the presence of a pregen. If I remember correctly, higher level versions of Kyra come with a Wand of Cure Light Wounds...

[Dezhem]

I keep a tally on the front page on my character sheet; anything I use during a scenario that I bought prior gets crossed off there. When I get home I then adjust as necessary in HeroLab. I print out a new character sheet each level and transfer ongoing charges and such to the new sheet.

As for 'official' methods though, it's really much of an honour system. GM's simply lack the time to keep track of such small details.

[Jiggy]

I keep my character sheets in a plastic sleeve so I can easily mark and erase things with a dry erase marker. For things without charges, like scrolls/potions/alchemist's fires, I cross the item off, and then when I get my chronicle I immediately purchase those items and wipe off the line I wrote. Easy-peasy!

[nosig]

Jiggy wrote:

I keep my character sheets in a plastic sleeve so I can easily mark and erase things with a dry erase marker. For things without charges, like scrolls/potions/alchemist's fires, I cross the item off, and then when I get my chronicle I immediately purchase those items and wipe off the line I wrote. Easy-peasy!

ditto, except I use a wet erase. I'll put the PC character sheet in two sleeves - "front" on the left and "back" on the right as it lays open in my ring binder. Table tent (picture etc.) go in the sleeve in front of my "1st page" and equipment list goes in the flip side of the "back" page - with additional notes in more sleeves after that. Maybe page printouts of special spells or equipment. Then I put in my Chronicals for that PC in more sleeves - most recent in front. I also tend to put a sticky note on the PC somewhere to track additional stuff - notes to remind me to buy something before my next game, etc.. (for example: "buy anti-toxin!", or "Silvered Lt. Mace".)