I've built a little DM tool in excel that uses a custom system (it's based on the Phantasy star IV game from genesis).
It's a tool that allows you to manage your game as a DM (and if you have some vba knowledge, it might be edited to work for other systems like d20 for D&D and Pathfinder for example but it will need a bit of work!!), I know it's rather useless for most people as it uses a custom and unknow rule system but I tried to comment it as much as I could (and as I said if you have vba knowledge you may edit the sheet any way you please, the code is not locked
just send me an e-mail ^^).I'm posting this here as it also contains a built-in heroquest dice roller (including special colored dices).
The tools now allows for D&D 4th & 5th edition (WIP)
Links:
https://www.enworld.org/resources/zios- ... ment.1564/
http://www.mediafire.com/file/8bq33ropp ... s.rar/file
Readme:
What is this?
Last modification: 08 June 2020 (changelog at end of file, please read!)
Link to the tool: http://www.mediafire.com/file/8bq33ropp ... s.rar/file
Link to optional pictures: https://www.mediafire.com/file/owuq01gc ... s.rar/file
Links to my other tools for RPG (templates for magic set editor):
http://www.mediafire.com/file/cjfo05t0s ... i.rar/file
http://www.mediafire.com/file/0ujrco2ys ... i.rar/file
This tool is provided as is, I’ve put quite some time in it (I'm only a beginner in VBA but anyway I'm quite proud of it). The code is not password protected so you can check that there is no malicious things in there…
I made this sheet for my own pleasure so don't comment on "hey you use shitty tabletop rules" or "this mechanic is broken", after all code is open so change what you don't like! If someone build something better and/or for another system I’d like to see it, you’re free to do whatever you please, just give credit for the original work!!
This sheet was made to help me DM things easily with a custom rules system for my kids (if some of you know the Phantasy Star IV game on genesis) but with some tweaks in the code, can accommodate to D&D or other tabletop RPG rules (you will need a bit of vba knowledge though). The sheet then evolved and a second one was created for D&D 4th edition. The sheet is perfectly useable for other systems as well if you use it only to store campaign infos and data or use the random generator and dice roller. Now a 5th edition version is currently available as a WIP.
New version scheme: Starting from the end of 2019, the version now use the English date as version number (YY.MM.DD). Readme is not updated as often as before and some added features and bugfixes may not be listed here. See full changelog at the end of this file!
How to use the sheet:
The battle sheet is the main sheet you'll need to use. Every macro of this workbook is there, so be sure to use the buttons!!
The Main menu allows you to do many things like level up, rest, setup skills, powers and equipment for your characters, add/remove monsters or party members, edit objects from the database, edit your campaign, etc...
If you don't know what you're doing, YOU DO NOT NEED TO EDIT A SHEET MANUALLY!!!!
The only exception I can think of is the “Table data” sheet more on that later! An editor is now included for random tables too!
The Combat manager, well help you to manage combat. The “Main menu” is also accessible from here to allow you to edit things on the fly, adding monster or changing equipment during a battle for example. The data/stats are refreshed as soon as you exit the main menu and return back to the combat manager. You can switch between “Combat manager”, “Dice roller” and “Campaign view” screens and have all of them open at the same time. Others forms like the main menu and the various editors have to be closed to do anything else.
The Dice roller, well is a dice roller, also includes Heroquest dices with colored variants!
The Save/Load menu allows you to save a party or an encounter with a description (each with 100 slots who would need more than that?) to load for later use, allowing you to switch between multiple party/campaign by using the same sheet (useful if you put some time to add new data to the database as everything will be available whatever the campaign/party you’re using!)
The Campaign editor/viewer allows you to keep track of your campaigns (you can store up to 16384 campaigns with up to 1638 no limit of chapters per campaign short of hitting the row limit!). It can be set up to display a scrollable map/picture for each chapter, add important descriptions for each chapter, and access up to 10 links to external documents and/or programs at the campaign level. The links are set in the editor but are only active from the viewer, if you click a link in the editor you will be given the choice to erase it. Same goes for pictures if you click on a picture path name you will be given the choice to remove it.
Note: Only the path of the pictures/links are stored in the sheet to avoid too large file size. When you select your file from the editor the full path will be stored but the sheet will look at multiple places for your file (to allow for easier portability for example on an USB stick). The sheet looks first for the full path, then for the sheet/data/ path, then at the sheet root path. So to keep your pictures/links available you can set whatever path from your desktop computer when setting up the sheet for example and then just copy the pictures/linked files with the sheet on a USB stick to use it later on another computer.
Using the “Battle sheet”:
From the main menu, you can first use the “Database Editor” to add/edit/delete characters, monsters, items and powers from the database. This will be the first step to customize the data for your needs!
From there, you can use the “Encounter Editor” to add/remove characters and monsters from the current encounter sheet (“Battle sheet”), “Equipment”, “Stats/Gold”, “Powers/Skills” editor will allow you to customize further the various characters from the encounter.
The “LevelUp” and “Rest” menus will allow you to level up characters, and rest the party.
Last, the “Random Generator” will, errrrr, generate random things… It requires you to set up random tables though.
Note: Only the “Database Editor” will change the data from the various data sheets! “Equipment” and “Power/skills” editors can edit things in the database too if you select the corresponding option button, otherwise all other editors will change the characters on the “Battle sheet” only! You must always save/apply the changes you make for an entry if you want to select/edit another one and keep your changes, otherwise if you select another item, values will be reset to those previously saved!
Note: For the “Fantasy” sheet, classes are fantasy one, based on characters from the PSIV video game, as are rules mixed with others parts here and there. It’s a bit of a mess, but I want to make the sheet to adapt to more styles…
The “Table data” sheet:
This sheet is used to generate random things (anything that you may think of in fact) with the random generator found in the main menu.
To add a new list or edit an existing list, you can simply use the integrated database editor from the main menu. There’s no limit to the number of items you can add to a list (unless you hit the row limit that is greater than 1000000!)
For example:
ExampleList
Monomate//5
Antidote//1
-->This list would be named “ExampleList” in the generator and Monomate may drop 5 times more than Antidote.
Note about the compendium menu:
Currently the viewer parse data from xml files, and thus need an additional library (Microsoft xml v6). If you encounter a crash while trying to view an entry it means you’re using an older version than mine and it can be solved by clicking “view code” in the developer tab, then select “ToolsReferences”, uncheck “Microsoft XML, v6.0” and check “Microsoft XML, v3.0” and it should work. The tool also use the Microsoft vb script regular expression library.
Afterword:
The sheet is built using Office 2013 x64. It “should” be compatible with other versions down to 2007 (not 100% sure about that though). The code is almost complete, almost anything may be edited without even touching the sheet, save some random tables (for the solo generator). There may be some bugs but I use it almost daily in a play by post session and do not encounter any crash!
NEVER TOUCH THE GREYED OUT CELLS IN "BATTLE SHEET", "PARTY DATA", "MONSTER DATA" as they contain formulas!!!
Note1: This is NOT a character sheet designer, I mean if you want to build a character, you’ll have to put their stats manually from a user form. It’s a tool to help DM keeping the data at hand for everyone around the table, not a character creation tool!
Note2: When loading, the sheet will modify the excel option "decimal separator", but will restore your default value when you close the workbook.
Note3: Sometime, hyperlinks added through the campaign editor may cause an error and refuse to open the file. If you have this problem you can use the file “RéinitialisationHypertexteOffice.reg” and add it to your registry, hyperlinks will then work for all your office documents.
Excuse mixed french/english in the sheet most of it is in english but hey, I've got bad habits when doing things for my own entertainment
I’ll probably translate it fully later (or add the possibility to translate strings)! I tried to add some tooltips for the different buttons in english (but some are still missing).Notes about the D&D 4th edition version: For now some things are not done automatically, but are WIP.
Current list is: two-handed melee damage adjustment of +1 must be entered manually, skill check penalty from armor must be entered manually, movement penalty from armor must be modified manually, ammunition for ranged weapons are not tracked, ammunition for ranged weapon only use base weapon damage, AC stacking with items is not prevented (no differentiation in AC type), some status bonuses and penalties must be entered manually(1), Implement and proficiency bonus must be entered manually, multiple currency not accounted for now (only gp), missing critical hits, missing delay/ready action, missing healing surges and action point tracking, missing recharge type powers, and probably other few things…
(1) Only cover, concealment, marked and ongoing damage must be tracked manually!
This list may seem huge, but I’m going to improve the sheet and implement more features!
The sheet is a bit of a mess and contains things that are not from 4th edition (I could have made them hidden but I’m a bit lazy) as I want the sheet to be easily customized for another system with only a few tweaks (after all d20 is always d20, only data usage change between editions but underlying mechanics remains similar). That way one (or myself if I get to this point) can change the sheet with ease to work with Pathfinder/Starfinder or 3.5/5th editions. You may found some unused functions in the various vba modules…
Technical digression [PS4 sheet only]:
For those interested without digging into the code:
Contrary to the PSIV game, there are 6 “base” stats rather than only 4 (For = Strength, Con = Constitution, Dex = Dexterity, Agi = Agility, Int = Intelligence, Men = Mental/Wisdom). I’ve done that to have an easier time converting the sheet to D&D rules.
Other 4 stats are derived from the base (Att = Attack, Mag = Magic power, Def = Defense, Mdf = Magic defense)
Strength improves damage (whatever the weapon) and chance to hit/critical in melee.
Constitution improves defense, thus reduce damage taken
Dexterity improves chance to hit/critical at range
Agility improves the chance to avoid being hit and contributes to initiative
Intelligence increase tech/magic damage
Mental increase magic defense
The various stats column in the sheet are as follow:
“Stat name”: The total stat that is used with formula (the greyed out cell)
“B-Stat name”: The base (natural for monsters) stat, the one that increase by leveling up
“E-Stat name”: The bonus/malus from equipped items
“M-Stat name”: The temporary bonus/malus from spells (always reset to 0 when you start the combat manager)
Factor is the element resistance for the character (I’ve added 24 of them just for completeness)
The main formula used for hitting things is:
1d100 + (offense stat + bonus) x factor – (defense stat + bonus) vs target/critical value
The main formula for damage is:
Min damage = ((offense stat + bonus) x factor – (defense stat + bonus)) x (100 - variance)
Max damage = ((offense stat + bonus) x factor – (defense stat + bonus)) x (100 + variance)
Minimum damage is set to 1 unless factor is set to 0 or negative. A negative factor will reverse the effects (boost will damage and damage will boost), a factor of 0 will negate damage/effectiveness of the attack.
Skills:
Skill check formula is (skill rank + stat *1/4 + bonus) vs opposing skill against a target value
If you choose “NoSkill” value is set to 0, it means it only checks for selected skill against target value.
Initiative:
Roll between 1 and half the best character’s agility from the sheet and add the number to agility (thus a character with twice the agility of another one should always be first). Ties check against agility stat, then dexterity stat, then roll 1d100.
File history:
v1.0: initial release.
v1.1: corrected minor bug in monster editor, minor changes in some Userform layout.
v1.2: improvement for the various editors, added character and stats editor, improved readme, dice roller and combat manager now show in non-modal form, allowing you to switch between the two with both open.
v1.3: removed inability to exit Userforms by using the regular close option (you can now quit by clicking on the “X”), experiments with resizing Userforms with various screen resolutions (those that are on laptops will have problems otherwise), added some tooltips.
v1.4: corrected a bug with combat manager not initialized as it should the first time it was run, cleanup of vba code making the file smaller, disabled again exit from Userforms by using the “X” button as it could cause unexpected (though small) bugs it should not be a problem anymore with the resizing with smaller resolutions.
v1.5: added option to select multiple targets at once for an action in the combat manager, minor bug correction in various menus.
v1.6: caught a bug that could crash a macro while refreshing dead monster stats, ability to edit character class with editor (even though you can level up by choosing another one you’re free to do so).
v1.7: added ability to sort data tables through editor menu (“misc” tab), added a basic campaign editor/viewer with map/picture display, added more tooltips to the various menus, allowed the dice roller history to scroll if text is getting too long.
v1.8: added ability to add a full directory as hyperlink (choice when set up between file or directory), added external module to import pictures as png without crashing the macro, added ability to link pictures to characters and monsters in the editor, added picture display in the combat manager next to info display, minor bugs correction (the bug that was crashing the sheet while checking dead monster was still there :/), greatly improved the speed of the macro that check for dead monsters after an action (it was slow if there was dead monsters about 2-3s, now is almost instant).
v1.9: added “halve action value on failure” option to the combat manager, checking the option “action has critical range” allows for critical failure too (set at 10% of critical success target value), reversed the action formula (it’s still the same, just rolling higher=better now), a natural roll of 1 is always a critical failure/failure, a roll of 100 is always a critical success/success, more detailed message box for the result of an action, added option to check for skills, power/skills editor and equipment editor now also works for database entries, made sheet easier to share on another computer by checking for alternate path for hyperlinks, pictures and maps (The sheet will first search the file or directory in the set path, then search in \data\pictures for pictures, \data\maps for maps and \data\docs for hyperlinks, starting from the workbook location. If all fails it will last search at the root of the workbook location. This allows the sheet to be used on an usb stick with the links still working by putting the files with the workbook), removed some unused values, additional tweaks here and there.
v1.10: corrected a critical bug with power/skills editor, new design for power/skills editor.
v1.11: small correction to attack formula, correction with damage formula for negative/null factor, minor bugfixes.
v1.12: code optimization, minor bugfixes.
v1.13: added “filter only available powers” in combat manager and power editor, minor bugfixes.
v1.14: PRNG now use Mersenne twister (vba translation by Jerry Wang) instead of vba built-in PRNG, implemented a Heroquest dice roller (because I play Heroquest too sometimes).
D&D sheet was introduced here!!
v2.0: corrected a very minor bug in code, removed unused variables from code, added party perception check in combat manager, and finally added a second sheet tweaked for D&D 4th edition (WIP for now, expect some bugs!!). D&D sheet only: ammunition can now be tracked automatically when using a ranged weapon, added corresponding equipment slot, better descriptions in combat manager.
v2.1: as always fast update after the first release, corrected some critical bugs in hit and damage formulas, implement and proficiency bonus are now added automatically when making an action that include them, damage formula now accounts for critical hits, much better descriptions for attack and damage rolls, the D&D sheet “should” now be at least useable!
v2.2: improved macro speed when deleting individual characters from the sheet with encounter editor, corrected a bug in power editor, corrected implement not adding damage, some status effects now add their bonus automatically, level up menu more adapted to D&D style, added secondary attack on failure to handle reliable powers, skill check penalty from armor/shield is now applied automatically.
v2.3: added “Delay” as an action type, creature added/removed with main menu when combat manager is open are now automatically added/removed from initiative list, added ability to add skills and feats through database editor (feats are just for display and/or reference), minor bugs corrected.
v2.4: added ability to edit random tables directly from the database editor, added error checker if invalid values are entered in database editor, corrected a bug in character editor (fortitude and reflex stats were inverted).
v2.5: replaced initiative and information labels in combat manager with scrollable textboxes (in case the text becomes too long for the box), added some of the DD4 sheet improvements to the PS4 sheet, corrected some new bugs.
v2.6: added a language selector with French/English choice (more translations may be added by looking at the sheet “Translation data”, just add a column after the two already there with your language name and translated strings below, if a string is not translated it will default to the original string in the worksheet [mixed English/French], note that translation is not completely done for now and tooltips/comboboxes will probably remain in their original form), corrected damage so that hp can go negative up to bloodied value, added a “Quick Notes” button.
v2.7: corrected a bug with encounter editor (a character and a monster could have the same name and could mess with the way name are handled by the code), more strings translated.
v2.8: added “About” tab, added backpack listing to the equipment menu, more error checking for quick encounter editor, corrected an error in the skill check and ability check formulas, added a very beta feature in MapTool import (it “should” allow to import tokens from a MapTool campaign file with a little setup: add a property called “DM-Tools” to your NPC tokens property sets in MapTool campaign preference, associate this property with a string referencing a monster in the database of the spreadsheet and save your campaign file).
v2.9: import from MapTool will now display the name of the map where the token is located to help choose which token you want to import, corrected a bug in the campaign file parser (token/object that have been edited at least once even with an empty “DM-tool” string would appear in the list).
v2.10: import from MapTool are now sorted by name and by map, tokens marked as “Dead” won’t show in the list, character editor now displays a full character summary to get an overview, possibility to add gold individually using pp/gp/sp/cp, skill list in information display now includes ability/level bonuses and armor penalty and always display at least the perception skill (even if character has no ranks), two handed weapons now add +1 damage automatically, recharge powers for monsters are now handled automatically, tracking of healing surges and action points, reminder for ongoing damage, status immunities, and possibility to add a tooltip for almost anything in the database (characters, creatures, items, powers and feats). Tooltips allow for copy/paste a full stat block and will be displayed when your mouse hover over the picture of a character in the combat manager. It allows to go through each power, item and feat the character knows and display information about them too! And as always bugfixes (many of them)!!
v2.11: added a basic stat block parser in monster editor (very basic for now, will only parse Name, Level, Hit points, Ability scores, Defenses, Initiative, Speed and XP value) that will work with English pdf, corrected some minor bugs with database editor and tooltip display, added an autosave option (can be disabled) that will save the workbook every time you save a change in the database editor.
v2.12: started hidden modifications to allow for 3rd edition/Pathfinder conversion, added a reminder to combat manager that allows to set notes to popup at a later round (by typing in the form “round:note”), improved performance of some frequently used functions (and removed some limits in the same time, now loading menus and editing data even with more than 25000 items in each database won’t take more than a few seconds), added an option to setup backup equipment for characters allowing to quickly switch a weapon during combat, updated manual with more recent screenshots.
v2.12b: OK not really an update, but having some time to lose (and inspired by the Arena game made on excel) I started to build a game with the PS4 sheet… It’s only in a very beta state but for those who love the universe and turn by turn battles it contains a basic AI, random battles, useable items, etc… No story yet but getting the basic framework done and at least “playable” for the first few levels! Everything is fully compatible with DM-tools and don’t alter the basic functionality of the sheet (it’s just a sort of add-on). Item and monster data must still be added and edited to build something coherent, but it should give a good overview of what’s possible.
v3.0: added DD3 version (very beta for now, still need to convert/implement more features for the sheet to be useable), new form for dice roller that saves custom dice expressions entered (up to 6 custom expressions and 4 custom ranges to roll from), replaced manual damage/healing button in combat manager with manual edit (allow to quickly edit temporary stats bonus and status of selected character, for manual combat handling), handling of sneak attack damage. WIP files included in specific folder (unstable).
V3.2: DD4 version only improvements, bug fixes and tweaks (Note that import power does not work for now!), improved random generator.
V++: Version number now use last modified English date, Translations for worksheet controls and a couple more strings, Ability to edit number of failed death saving throw from combat manager (edit character/target), Reworked some utility functions, Minor bugfixes, Random generator may now read pictures from table in addition to standard text and may now simulate a card draw from a table (by removing picked element) via an option box. HQ and DD3 sheets are “almost” functional now. Ability to set wound, fear and exhaustion levels as a house rule (no effect on stats but act as a reminder that a player is wounded for example if you use that kind of house rule), Ability to add powers that are not in the database to a character (can be useful to track number of uses manually if you don’t use automated attacks and don’t want to enter each power in the database), other minor enhancements…
20.02.08: Quick correction for a bug in the campaign viewer, removed ability to erase essential values from the database (Empty item, Manual attack power, NoSkill skill, etc…), included updated PS4 script file in the package.
20.03.07: Some functions modifications and bugfixes in file linking (version number not changed in sheet!)
20.03.09: Very quick bug catch, Ability to view more than 5 characters and to view enemy group in “Party View” userform
20.03.12: Quick update for encounter management
20.03.17: Added “Game master apprentice” cards support in random generator
20.04.02: New parameters for random table generation allowing to do complete sentences including random elements from tables! Other small improvements here and there and more bugfixes…
20.05.12: WIP sheet for D&D 5th edition included. Contains monsters, spells and items from compendium already imported (monsters with armor are unequipped in the database so AC is only dex modifier, monsters with natural armor have their full AC). Combat manager is NOT up-to date for 5th edition but combat may be handled manually (by editing stats directly from userform!). Many options from previous editions still remain (such as damage reduction, healing surge, action points, etc…) but are not problematic (they may even be useful if you use house rules
). If you get a crash while using compendium viewer check that the file “c:\windows\system32\msxml6.dll” exists in your system directory!). File was built with office 2013 x64, and thus I do not ensure it will be compatible with previous versions of Excel (even if I take care to declare some API functions for 32bits as well as 64bits systems). All others functions such as dice roller, saves, campaign viewer, etc…. should work as previous versions!20.05.17: Spellbook now imported for compendium creatures, correction for the ‘randomize hp” formulas of compendium creatures (removed con bonus from hd), range set for ranged weapons imported from compendium. Still a WIP as battle formula won’t work, but anyway useable to track hp and initiative during battle as well as much more! Added compendium option for 4th edition too (dirty reading from sql files but anyway allow access to useful info from a simple menu).
20.06.08: D&D 5th edition improvements only: all skill modifiers and resistances are now imported for compendium creatures, new and simplified combat manager reading actions and saving throw directly from monsters stat block (if monster has no stat block can still enter numbers manually though) include damage type and resistance (still wip)
All sheets: minor bugfix preventing unwanted crash in equipment manager, added ability to sort and rename chapters from a campaign in campaign editor, new version of campaign editor and viewer with tabs, added ability to zoom map in campaign view (with slider or directly by double click on the map, you may move zoomed map by clicking on a point), new simpler design for encounter manager, added ability to draw “Encounter building cards” in random generator for those who own the product.
Still To-do: ability to edit resistances for 5th edition, level-up algorithm, rework data editor for 5th edition and remove old unused parameters, change status effect to those in use in 5th edition.
WIP: Currently a sheet as system agnostic as possible is under creation. Of course most automatic actions will be removed in exchange to the ability to setup ability scores names (up to 10 primary values, 8 secondary values, 2 pools for points, 16 damage elements and 24 status effects). Will allow for manual tracking of characters as well as the classic dice roller and campaign viewer/editor… Included but really not useable for now, need to update many scripts!! REMOVED as I have to spend my time on too many things for now!
Contact:
You may sent comments, criticism, suggestions, bug report or anything to krevett62@hotmail.com ("about DM-sheet" in the mail subject).
