Post/Author/DateTime	Post
rungsglas 10-28-07, 03:18 PM	I'm a new player, so obviously I love gathering lots of 'stuff', but coming from a PC RPG background the paperwork is overwhelming. any suggestions for a n00b?
Prator_The_Golden 10-28-07, 03:21 PM	Well, you can write down shorthand, if you prefer. Or you could have several sheets of paper for different item types you carry. Unfortunately, paperwork is a necessary part of D&D. There really isn't any way around it, unless you would prefer to type up your character sheets instead.
PantherFern 10-28-07, 03:49 PM	Just using binder paper works fine for me. If you've really got a lot of stuff, separate it out into 3 sheets or so: 1 for coin, gems, art object - purely currency or decoration; 1 for weapons, ammo, armor, clothes; 1 for "gear" - rope, flint, torches, potions, mirrors, food, pots/pans, and all the other stuff you end up carrying around. It's kind of like tabbed inventories in crpgs so may be a bit easier for you. I try to avoid too much shorthand because if we go a couple weeks between sessions or whatever, or if I've written something down and don't need to look it up until several weeks or months later . . . I don't know wtf it is. 3xAF might seem quite obviously to be 3 Alchemists Fires right now, but might not be so by December.
Ultima0071 10-28-07, 05:01 PM	Either type it or write it. There is no foolproof way around it. The only other option is getting someone else to write it for you. But that's just weird. :ahem:
steenan 10-29-07, 11:03 AM	There is also a method our party use. It requires more preparation on DM's side, but saves both playesr and the DM a lot of bookkeeping headache. We have separate cards (the size of small playing cards) for all important items and smaller ones (about half of this size) for gems and set amounts of gold. Whoever has the card, has the item. This way, we don't have problems with items mysteriously vanishing or multiplying (which happened before, because of not always precise notes).
_Jayne_Cobb_ 10-29-07, 11:07 AM	One method I have found useful is to use index cards, one for each bag, pouch or storage device you have. Makes it really eay to keep track of what is where and for the DM to determine what may have been lost, damaged or stolen if the need should arise.
goawayugh 10-29-07, 11:32 AM	One method I have found useful is to use index cards, one for each bag, pouch or storage device you have. Makes it really eay to keep track of what is where and for the DM to determine what may have been lost, damaged or stolen if the need should arise. I like this. I may try it...
MrCustomer 10-29-07, 02:18 PM	Well, take some lined paper in a notebook and write categories down with various columns beside them, for example: Description Location weight/quantity etc Potions: Wands: Bags: Weapons: etc In the back of the Magic Item compendium is a chart with slots for all the magical items a person can wear, I recomend you use that (it's downloadable in the wizard's webpage I beleive) to keep track of the items you are wearing.
DrMorganes 10-29-07, 02:26 PM	Depends on the resources you have available to you. Many gamers I know use their laptops and use a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel to maintain their characters. The tabbed nature of an Excel spreadsheet makes it easy to keep information organized, and the mathematical nature of the program means it does all the work for you! If you're stuck using paper, I strongly recommend NOT using the official character sheets. They're a pain in the arse to read, have finite space for notes, and are generally difficult to read. I encourage my players to keep each character in a 1" three-ring binder. This allows you to organize the character record in a way that makes sense to you. At a minimum I suggest the following sections: Overview. The nuts and bolts: ability scores, max HP, AC, total skill modifiers, name, race, gender, etc, etc. Combat. Detailed information on your combat capabilities: BAB, attack modifiers broken down for each weapon, total weapon damage, notes on your favorite tactics, maneuvers, stances, etc. Skills. The detailed breakdown of your character's skills: skills trained, detailed breakdown of check modifiers, notes on alternate or enhanced uses (c.f., Complete Adventurer) Spellbook. For arcane casters, this records ALL of your known spells, with notes on what they do, how long they last, Save DCs, damage, etc., all updated to reflect your current caster level. For divine casters, just limit yourself to the spells you use most frequently. Equipment. Your "master list" of all your stuff, what it's in, where you carry/store the container, notes on special abilities, etc. Advancement record. Each time you gain a level, make notes on what you gained: what class was taken, how many skill points you got, what skills were increased with those points, your feat(s), and any special class-related abilities. This makes your life substantially easier should you ever have the misfortune of level loss. You can simply "roll back" your changes and be ready to go! Notes. Record anything that happens here: what ammunition you used, potions drunk, scrolls read, damage taken and healed, treasure gained, treasure sold, NPCs met, conversations had with those NPCs, etc. Use this to update relevant sections of your character sheet between sessions. Yes, it's a pain to maintain - but them's the breaks. If you have access to a computer, keep your master copy electronically and simply print updated hard copy as necessary.