Elemental fillable character sheet for online gaming

When playing online, I generally use ICVTT or similar simples VTTs, using paper and pens for any information that I want to keep on hand. Some players seem to prefer to have their character sheet on the screen, so, I generally make some fillable character sheets that they can use alongside the program, in another tab.

I have recently discovered Elemental, a universal RPG with a balance of detail and simplicity on the spot for what I want for scenarios for which I do not want to learn new rules system, or for scenarios using a system I do not like. 

So, I made some charsheets. Here is how the result looks like. Read further to find the files for your own use.

There are two ways to use those files:

- simply open the pdf file directly in your browser (I use Chrome) and fill it, noting any changes during play and saving the result at the end of the session (don't forget to save).

- or, if you want to replace the illustration by the portrait of the character, you can open the odt file with LibreOffice or OpenOffice and modify the image before exporting the pdf.

Nothing complicated with few easy steps to follow. Here is how to do that:

1- Simple PDF charsheets, without illustrations: open and use

This is a no-brainer. You open the pdf file (with Chrome or any other program that let you modify and save modifications to a pdf file).

If you are using an online VTT in a browser (like ICVTT or Owlbear Rodeo...), you can open it in a tab alongside your VTT display. 

PDF ELEMENTAL CHARSHEET IN ENGLISH

2. Charsheets with character illustration, open the ODT file and export to PDF

From that image, you can see that there is a space for an illustration of the character, which means that there is an image field in the odt form (obviously).

To fill that image field with an image of your choice (more or less square images are going to work best, other proportions will work though).

Open the odt file with Libre Office :

- odt file of the charsheet in Libre Office -

Check that you are not in design mode (Form Menu > Design Mode):

Double click on the illustration field and choose an illustration, ideally more or less square (to avoid empty space padding the image, but it will work with any proportions of image).

Export as pdf form (File > Export as PDF):

In the PDF option window that opens itself, verify that the button "Create PDF Form" is checked

And that's it. If you open the pdf form in a tab alongside your VTT page, you have a charsheet as accessible as those imbedded in other VTTs.

ODT EMPTY ELEMENTAL CHARSHEET

I hope you'll find those files useful. Let me know if there is anything wrong or unclear.

Happy gaming.

A review of the old Traveller scenario Uragyad'n of the seven pillars.

I have some very fond memories of it. And some nostalgia issues. 

I made a lot of sideway tokens and background battlemaps to play it. I pushed the style clearly into pulps or dieselpunk atmosphere, because of the Lawrence of Arabia association.

Anyway, you can download all the assets that I produced (as usual: IA generation, Photoshop modifications and export). You'll find a link in the description of the review.

Maybe add some battlemaps turned into isometric, and you'll have more assets to play than most gamemasters are generally preparing.

I recommend the use of the ICVTT  to play. 

Those VTTs like Foundry are too cumbersome (Foundry particularly which expect you to have "setting the VTT right" as your hobby instead of roleplaying).

Whilst I recommended Owlbear Rodeo in the past, it has succumbed to the features bloat that programmers seem incapable to resist (not to mention the obligation of using their cloud to store your assets for playing, instead of your hard drive, limiting what is available during the game), a sad demise indeed for what was the finest VTT at one time in the past. 

I am more ambivalent about Roll20, which has the fine feature of the rollable table token, but still has not understood that when you import a token, it should keep its proportions (or even size) instead of being squashed in a square. It is also a bloated VTT, but most of that can be simply ignored (which makes it better than Foundry).

Lots of people are using Artificial Intelligence to enhance their Tabletop Roleplaying experience ! But they tend to limit its use to illustrations.

Combining assets made by Artificial Intelligence programs with Virtual Tabletop Applications can make a tremendous boost to games. And not online, but mostly in face to face sessions !

Rules do not matter, it works for every atmosphere by choosing an appropriate style. Have a look at all the exemples in the video !