Minimal boxes. My custom sheets' only boxes are for the ability scores and modifiers (because it's in the middle-left-centre of page 1), while everything else has a maximum of 3 borders so there's space to keep adding stuff to the very edge of the page. I have massive areas for HP and temp HP (and coins and inventory on another page), so I can track all the changes to HP and easily undo mistakes, and so I don't have to erase the tiny coins boxes creating a hole in the page. I have enough space for features and traits with expendable uses so I can start with e.g. 4, and cross them off to mark, 3, 2, 1, 0.
Hi @@brauliomartinez1019 you can delete or edit the text by going to the individual cells. The first weapon is in AK 25. You also see the which cells have text in them in the top left next to the fx symbol. There is a print guide coming soon to help you troubleshoot ass well. Let me know if you need further support and thank you for your patronage. 💙
quick suggestion: use dotted circles: ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ to represent slots that the char haven't gained yet. when the char earns the slot, player can "ink complete" the circle; and "pencil fill in" earned slots as spells are used.
Wouldn't it then be better to pencil in a close square bracket ] to indicate how many you've gained? That way, you can fill in or erase to track how many slots you've spent up to your limit
I do that with all my class skills and abilities as well. That way leveling up is sooooooo simple. Helps my ADHD brain. I'm really good at forgetting to level up.
I agree. The single thing I would like to see is some sort of… dry-erase option for the stats area. Anything non-ability, things like spell slots and HP and inventory, that is constantly changing, may be convenient to be able to dry erase some areas. Just my opinion. 👍🏻
@@ReclaimerMkII slip into a sleeve or otherwise layer plastic window on top. Lift up/pull out for permanent change and write on top for temporary marks and wipe to erase.
@@ReclaimerMkII packing tape works as a makeshift dry erase. If you put one solid piece over the spot, you can write and erase. Try to avoid a seam; they collect marker dust.
As someone who has tested a few variant character sheets I’ve found the default sheet is optimized for new players and not veterans. Putting skills in alphabetical order makes it easier to find the relevant skill with no knowledge of game mechanics. Using columns gives everything a visual hierarchy that helps dyslexic players get a footing and how everything is organized puts all relevant info for a first game on the front page. Or gives more complex information it’s own page such as spell casting.
I like putting the proficiencies with their corresponding stats, but I do have one minor hang up. I know it's controversial, but once in a while I have characters make an ability check using a proficiency and a "mis-matched" ability stat. For example, if the character wants to juggle small, heavy barrels, I might have them do an Acrobatics (Strength) check, even though Acrobatics is typically a Dexterity proficiency. I'll let my players make a case for using a different proficiency or stat, but I don't always feel like the default ability stat fits the specific situation.
@@ShonicBurn These types of checks don't come up very often, which is why it's a minor point. But I have had players do a Wisdom History check. The check involved noticing that something felt off, but they only noticed it felt off because of their background with the culture that built the stronghold. So, it was a Wisdom check based in their knowledge of history and culture.
I have to imagine it takes so much mental power to really rethink a long-standing design like that and hone it down. I haven't appreciated enough those who take subjective points such as "what do players really want on the first page" and "how much room do they need for each one" and turn them into real design decisions. Well done, and a lovely demonstration video! You've converted me : )
this sheet is amazing I have trouble reading character sheets, especially when things are unorganized but this is so clean and nice, I can get see what I need without spending an uncomfortable amount of time looking for specific detail thank you for sharing this
This is great! I absolutely love the idea of putting the skills next to the ability associated with them! Having the descriptions of all your abilities is awesome too - I often print out "action" cards with descriptions of what my character can do. Makes it a lot easier to think about combat rounds that way!
@@annasolovyeva1013 if you are a mix of both or is multiclassing there is no reason to not just use both. Use the sheet for your features and spell cards for your prepared spells
@@danilooliveira6580 Yes. And that's a mess as my list of spells and attacks is too big for the 1st page of character sheet and my dm doesn't like people sorting through paper (you can only glance at one paper and you should come up with instant action or here comes tarrask and eats you). :( Because: silvered rapier as we fight demons, we're on the avernus campaign. Whip as a secondary weapon to deal with some rogues without bringing much attention in Baldur's Gate. Darts, just because why not. I'm also long bow proficient as an elf, so chances are high I get it. Cantrips - our DM allows to cast more of them than the PHB. Spells. Lots of useful spells thanks to being a bard of lore and a hellrider, I can have any spell from palladin and wizard spellists as long as it fits my character by roleplay. Bardic inspiration. Etc! And I should also make sure I have enough spellslots to heal, as we have no priest, so I also pre-reserve them and track them.
Honestly my ideal DND sheet just has a massive section for everything. Literally massive text boxes. I write big and LOVE DETAIL. plus it means I have space to give my characters interesting inventories instead of using the whole box for weaponry
I do absoutely love the sheet design, it is very intuitive and well thought out. Props for that. But I will state a minor critique I have that I feel can be easily resolved with some artistic talent. The reason I loved the 5E sheet over one say such as Pathfinder, is because it didn't feel like looking at a series of boxes with text inside. It felt... well... more artistic to put it simply. Something abou tit allowed me to keep myself more immersed. I know this is weird but hopefully it makes sense. Long story short I love the design, I just wish the boxes and text were stylized a bit more.
I totally feel you Jacob. It was a decision i thought about quite a bit and tried to incorporate some design elements but in the end I made the choice for something that is more customizable.
On the other hand, a more artistic flare can create visual distractions/noise which can make it hard to find what you are looking for. I think this allows for the best of both worlds as a more artistic person can doodle in their own personal flare around the boxes.
@@mavoc3094 I think small changes like how the 5e sheet has a shield where you put the AC makes it easier to find rather than having to remember which of the 30 squares it is in. I agree that if we make every box into its own shape that represents what it does, it will make the whole thing look cluttered. But changing the design of a few of the most important ones would help you to find the one you need the most. I especially thought this with the AC in his new sheet. It is so small and hidden away in the middle of everything.
Lettering is too small for myself, but character sheets are always going to be a matter of personal preference and there are enough D&D character sheets out there that you should be able to find one that suits you, or make one of your own. Your GM won't care as long as he/she can understand what you've got on the sheet, although most good GM's keep track of their players on sheets the GM can use soooo. . . . . A good character sheet for me is going to have all the basic info available on the front page and stuff on the back page and all in large easy to read lettering. It's going to be different for everybody, but thanks for your idea as well.
With this one I'm definitely going for compactness as I wanted to have as much info on the sheet as possible. but you're right everyone's preferences are different. that is one of the reasons I included a singe sheet of it in the download. So you can print it big on one sheet.
This reminds me of the half-page 3 ring binder I use to dm. I'm definitely gonna use this and hole punch it for my binder since it's already the right size. Then I'll have a complete D&D binder instead of a DM binder and a bunch of loose character sheets
In 3.X I did a lot of my RP online, so I built a whole template in Notepad, that I could use, and had that. All the critical stuff was at the top (personals, class levels, HP (and my hit die rolls), ability scores, etc) and I used the nice fact about the 'infinite page' in textfiles to include all the special abilities, each spelled out straight out of the book as necessary, along with the source of the ability (extraordinary, supernatural, spell-like). Things like Darkvision, that are super-common, I didn't spell out, but more interesting ones I did. I had all the skills in a table, with room for ranks, ability modifiers, and room to add assorted modifiers (like skill synergies and tool bonuses). Spells I didn't write out, but I'd include known spells (if applicable), with page and book references, as well as spells prepared. With portable computer technology so ubiquitous, I now generally have my character sheet on my laptop or tablet (which allows me to have a copy of any books handy as well that I happen to own--it's not piracy if you already own a dead-tree copy).
Back in the 70s I also had a chance to re-create my own character sheet. There is no reason to not re-create it. Other than consistency that everyone understands where the information is. You did a very good video on the way you organized
I've been wanting a different character sheet than the normal one for a while! I love to play with the sheets since I use digital ones most of the time and make em look all fancy so this simple sheet will be much easier to spruce up with decals and extra decor!
I believe character sheets should be split in quarters. -Skills -Roleplay -Feats -Inventory That way you can use the army map technique to keep the sheet folded small and still easily access all the information.
The accordion folding design is so interesting, even though it wouldn't work for me, but the sheet itself is such an amazingly usable design!! Totally gonna take inspiration from this when working on my own custom sheet
Character pamphlet. I was about to critique how you wrote a whole damn booklet but then I kept watching and I'm kinda in love with this. The tapped, half fold pages are neat and tidy, space efficient and infinitely scalable. Best character sheet I've seen in over 20 years of ttrpg gaming.
I'm glad you opened with "In my opinion" since I disagree. I rather like the official character sheets. But if this works for you and for others, I see no problem with it.
This is really awesome. As someone who has also found the need for more space but never quite sure how to configure it, i thank you for your contribution to the community.
I've been using that second sheet you showed (with the stat organized skills) for years, i added a backpack sheet I found online and I've been pretty happy. This looks really interesting though, nice sheet
The one my DM and I use has the Proficiency Scores next to the Stats; so much easier then alphabetically. I tend to use the inventory space as an ability reminder thing.
I love it. It’s organized, clean and rather intuitive. The only issue I really have is the separation between casters and martials. Because, in some cases, say an Eldritch Knight fighter or paladins, they have both martial abilities and spells. It would be neat if somehow we were able to both combine bonus actions and the spell list.
Since it's in a google sheet you can customize it any way you want - I just multi classed my fighter to a cleric and added it. If you change it any way share it with me on Instagram @CardboardCleric - I'd love to see it.
i like to have physical sheets more than digital ones, but was severely struggling fitting all the info i needed on a single sheet, so seeing a section dedicated to race and class abilities made me so happy!! cant wait to try this out!
My ideal Character sheet has to be virtual because I write too much and need to be able to expand/modify it easily, but here are my preferences for said virtual character sheet. 1. Ability Scores should be stacked vertically. Each Ability score box should have the score in the top left corner and the modifier in the large space. The top right of the box should have a diamond to mark proficiency in saves. Each score would have a larger box with the relevant skill checks adjacent, with two checkbox equivalents representing proficiency and expertise. 2. All feature and inventory entries should come with parts. A name, a optional short description, and a detail description. You should be able to cycle between showing only the names, only the name and short description, or the name and the detail description. Ability scores, health, and speed should have a context menu that lets you set their normal value, and any temporarily modified value, such as through Aid, longstrider, potion of giant strength etc. Speed should have a scroll functionality for which type of speed displays if the player has multiple (walk, fly, swim, burrow, climb) 3. Ability to add Inventory or Feature boxes. Basically let you split your inventory or features into smaller boxes or add new ones entirely with the properties of an existing box. This way you could have separate boxes for racial and class features, or separate inventories for what is on your person and what is in your bag of holding. You could use a feature one to track status conditions and temporary spell effects as well with relative ease. 4. Attunement slots. 3 boxes (with the option to add more in the case of artificer or homebrew) which hold the name of the items attuned to and can be expanded to quickly find that items description without having to go back and find it in the inventory. 5. Any of the extra detail views should be accessible by holding a specific keybind and hovering over the box, but should also be accessible through a button attached to the box to be mouse clicked.
This is a FANTASTIC idea and I love the execution!! I want to present this to my group to see if we have any ideas on making our own, maybe brainstorm some for other TTRPG systems! Great idea!!
Dude, this is amazing. I'm working on building encounters/short questlines to run DND for some friends that have never played before. The normal character sheet slows the game down so badly everytime a new player needs to make a check (personal experience, and others in my previous group) so this is fantastic. Having the modifiers, saves and skills associated with a stat makes so much sense. Definitely gonna use these, thanks.
Absolutely LOVE this! This is exactly what I needed for so long. I did combined some pages and edited some text and worked perfectly for me. thank you so much for this!
Thank you for making this. I am working on a design myself for various levels of people coming to 5th edition from beginner to expert and I will for sure use this as a baseline and aid.
I made something similar, but never thought of using excel. For my "binding," I bought a hole punch for Tūl disc bound note books. This way I can easily add/remove pages as needed.
Everything looks great! Love the booklet and am very interested in the DM version. Hope to see it soon. I'd also enjoy a video on how you made the little black folder for the booklet! Cheers and looking forward to more creative content like this!
Really cool you let people edit their own sheet to meet there needs! Will probably give this sheet a try next time I'm a player or suggest it to my new players at the table!
Yes of course. D&D is all about collaboration and no two players are alike. Let me know how you like it at your table and thank you for the comments Zach 👍
@@CardboardCleric Starting a new campaign in the next few months and going to explore some variants in the DMG so hopefully see if I can edit the google sheet to include ways to track that info!
If I had to go with paper sheets this would be my first choice. It's so simple with so much room for customization (changing colors/fonts/borders, adding little graphics, etc.)
just made my first character sheet of your design. I love it! Especially how customizable and compact it is. thank you so much for sharing it with all of us!
This is really cool. When I last played in person, I used the second sheet you showed and found it to be mostly an improvement over the standard design. One thing I personally use and both the second sheet and your sheet cut out is the section on personality traits etc so I'd probably need to add those back in should I ever make my own. One thing I really like is the sections for different containers, the current digital sheet I use for most games doesn't really offer that easily as a function but I think it would be really nice especially when in games where encumbrance is used.
I absolutely love this! The design makes so much more sense and is so much more user-friendly. I am excited to get to use it in future games. Thank you for putting this together!
I swear it blew my mind when you flipped over and wasn't expecting this. I thought ''oh that's it'' BUT NO THERE WAS ANOTHER PAGE! AND WAIT EVEN LONGER YOU CAN FLIP IT TO THE OTHER SIDE!'' If I could I would marry. That thing is hilarous awesome.
I always made my own paper character sheets to play with since I didn't prefer the original design, and my group has always (jokingly) teased me for it, but it has been very handy
My thoughts on this are going to portability. You would just need this and your dice, and you could just set up anywhere. The DM cover would come with a screen seen in that could pop up, and has a pokey to store note cards with important info on creatures
Im playing my first dnd campaing and I have a sheet but I'm using a notebook for inventory, story details, charaters, ect which my dm seems to be grateful for There was one time when our dwarf paladin said " I wish we had this information archived "" as we were trying to create a plan And my DM stared at me quickly and we both laughed because that's what I'd been doing the entire time (we've had 5 sessions this was during session 3 or 4 I think) I plan to encourage my friends to also take notes
i think the only thing with this guide would be how to tape it all together after having printed it all out. I may just be having a dumb moment, but i'm currently trying to figure out how to tape this all together and i keep messing up. Other then that though, this character builder sheet was a wonderful idea! groundbreaking even! thank you!
Cool idea, I would mark each page with a red or blue marking on the top depending on which side of the notes are open, so I dont get confused by the binding
I like the sheet idea! I believe I just received some bardic inspiration! I really like how the majority of what a player would need is on page 1 including for the combat and skill checks. I would like to see some spellcasting stuff in there though for ease of access (even though most players use spellcards these days). Not a huge fan of having 3 passives though. I usually limit passives to Investigation and Perception, expecially since Insight will almost always be contested by a Deception check unless it is for a DC that is interchangeable with other skills or the target is being truthful. More passives means less interactions from players, and passive skill averages should generally be a guideline for DMs and not necessarily visible to players. I like the idea of players having questline notes and NPC / PC notes. Also, having a kill count isn't a bad idea either; the DM in me wants to use that kill tracker sometime to have a NPC come after a specific PC for killing someone. There is a lot here that helps DMs keep track of what the PC knows and how they think which is super helpful.
Spellcasters are a fickle bunch 😂 I got an update almost ready but every casting class has unique needs making the design either very generic or overly complicated ... I'll post an update once it's ready.
I'm so happy I only started playing DnD around 2 years ago and that DnD Beyond is a thing nowadays. God bless all you DnD players out there that prefer playing on a paper sheet.
You're right it's amazing we have so many options now. For me D&D is a great opportunity form me to get away from screens - that's why I still prefer paper on the table
I like separating things into the sections I'll use them in -- keep my focus on the combat section of the sheet while we're fighting, the skill section of the sheet while we're traveling, etc. I typically stick the obvious or low-use details off to the side somewhere -- speed only matters if you have something other than the default, height and weight and age etc. rarely come up. My issue so far is that I can't seem to recall my context-dependent abilities until it's past time to use them. "Shoot, I forgot I could X!" So I've started noting those next to areas I'd be referring to in the same situation. Also, I group skills as general physical, mental, and social, so regardless of which trait is in play, I'm looking at all my options at once, and the ones I'm particularly good at are larger and colored and generally top of the list, with the bonus written large, while less useful skills are written small with a small bonus. Makes it easier to spot what I'm after.
Fun thing is, i've always made my own character sheets using old unused drawing notebooks that i collected from childhood. I took on the habit of redesigning things, but with no concern for room saving, as a notebook has many pages and i have several of them. Redesign focused on reorganizing information and drawing cool stuff to decorate. So i walked in this video with a pinch of salt ready, but i must admit... this design rocks. Some part of it is similar to some of what i aimed for, but better! I might steal this... XD
the best dnd sheep is on excel. i made it. you can put any char, of any race, with any feats, with any magic items, with anything. and it's all calculated. it's all correct. No time wasted.
I do this a lot! Each of my characters is organized in a very different way. My bard primarily used spells and skills, so those were front and center. My cleric is organized instead into 'combat' and 'non-combat' spells, actions, and abilities. One of my friends does something similar on DND Beyond, but it's a lot of fiddling to get it to show correctly.
Love this sheet! Tried out at a first session with a new group/campaign. It took me a few minutes to get used to it just because I'm so used to the "normal" sheets. Yes, please give us a video on how to make the cover!
I'd probably put the scores above the modifiers like how it does on one of the sheets you referenced, that way you can have the numbers kind of "cascade downwards" and the eye has to travel less than it does when you have to move up instead of down.
I feel a lot of this is inspired by the journaling community, like bullet point journaling. Good itersection! Might use something like this in the future
Very cool! I always use a digital sheet, but this did get me thinking about analog. If you put some tape on the parts where you have to write and erase a lot (gold, hitpoints, cooldowns that reset daily, etc) you can use dry erase pen and then you don't have to replace it as often.
That’s a really good start, with some great ideas. Though there’s still room for improvement. As a graphic designer, I too was planning on designing an improved character sheet shortly after starting the game, though I felt I needed to learn to play properly first. But then my group found dndbeyond and we just went digital with it instead. But it’s nice to see someone improving the printout. I might return to the project though. This was inspiring.
You're right the design of it could be prettier. To me the priority was on customization. If you'd like to collaborate on a future version feel free to send me a message on instagram
A major problem I find with these sheets is that skills are not *always* tied to those skills. I have had many creative skill checks that have made sense that the party has enjoyed. Blending into a crowd? Charisma (Stealth). Asking around a town for someone who has gone missing? Charisma (Perception). Trying to get hints to a riddle? Intelligence (Insight). On top of that, I find that many sheets exclude the personality traits as, "Wasted Space," when in reality, I find as a DM, they're very important and put there to help people roleplay their characters better. Just my two cents on everything of course. Sure the equipment (Inventory) box is small, but the main sheet definitely has everything *I* need for my players as a DM. Not that this sheet is bad, of course! It works for you and your players, and that's what makes the game great.
I had a lot of the same problems with the character sheet and I used the one with the categorized ability checks for a while before making my own. I spent about 3 days creating a bunch of different tables in a Google Doc to make it look like a typical character sheet, but I could allot space how I wanted.
Yes yes yes. Make a video on how to make the booklet please. That looks so awesome. Thanks for doing this. In the process of leveling up my Dwarf Cleric to level 3 and I'd like to transfer him over to this character sheet. Looks really awesome.
I’ve never understood putting the skills next to the relevant ability. When the dm calls for a perception check for example, I don’t think to go “ok so that’s wisdom skill” I just look at perception. I’m way more familiar with the alphabet than what skills are keyed to which abilities. Some of them are common sense of course but I still think it would actually make it harder for me
What makes the difference to me is less that connection to the attribute but that the individual list of skills is shorter. Instead of looking at an alphabetical list of 18 options I have a presorted list of 5 options max. That does make it faster and easier to give an answer for me. but that's the beauty of custom character sheets - everyone can choose what works for them.
Bear in mind that there is no Perception check. A check is tied to an ability score. You would be asked to make a Wisdom check using your proficiency in Perception -- usually written as Wisdom (Perception) check. You can also be asked to make a Constitution (Stealth) check, for example. In that case, having the skills next to their typical ability score would be confusing.
@@julesponge - Well I just learned something new with that last bit. Thats interesting, and useful for the DM to implement. Usually it’s not thought about much because mosy online tool ties the skills directly to their “usual” ability scores.
I ended up making myself a separate battle sheet, which lists my spells by level and has bubbles for my spell slots that I can fill in as I expend them, as well as concentration markers (I play a bard) it also has a quick list of my different ability modifiers, spell save dc, And speed. It's not pretty but I gets the job done well
I appreciate the thought and effort you put into this and think it's great that it works better for you! Not how I would design it, but it's not as if there is one perfect way to do this.
A variant spell tracking gimmick I use originally comes from Deadlands: you use coloured paper clips to mark how many slots you have left, removing them as you use them up. I normally transfer the used clips to another part of the sheet so that I don't lose them. The colour code I use is red for first, orange for second, etc... all the way up through the spectrum. Doing this means that you don't mess up your sheet with erasures, it gives a little kinesthetic zing when you use your spells and I can really clearly feel how much power I've got left to use.
i like this kinda of character sheet of course there are things about it i would change but i am sure that is something everybody would end up doing to make it fit what they think is more important or just to put something in a place they like better but i think the basics for it are great
What makes a good character sheet for you?
Minimal boxes. My custom sheets' only boxes are for the ability scores and modifiers (because it's in the middle-left-centre of page 1), while everything else has a maximum of 3 borders so there's space to keep adding stuff to the very edge of the page. I have massive areas for HP and temp HP (and coins and inventory on another page), so I can track all the changes to HP and easily undo mistakes, and so I don't have to erase the tiny coins boxes creating a hole in the page. I have enough space for features and traits with expendable uses so I can start with e.g. 4, and cross them off to mark, 3, 2, 1, 0.
Simplicity and compact design
Hello I just purchased this product
But I cant remove the weapons that are writing it and I can't print it and a full page
Hi @@brauliomartinez1019 you can delete or edit the text by going to the individual cells. The first weapon is in AK 25.
You also see the which cells have text in them in the top left next to the fx symbol.
There is a print guide coming soon to help you troubleshoot ass well.
Let me know if you need further support and thank you for your patronage. 💙
@@CardboardCleric thank for your help it work , great product BTW
quick suggestion: use dotted circles: ◌ ◌ ◌ ◌ to represent slots that the char haven't gained yet. when the char earns the slot, player can "ink complete" the circle; and "pencil fill in" earned slots as spells are used.
Good idea.
This is the kind of simple but clever and functional thinking these sort of things thrive on.
Wouldn't it then be better to pencil in a close square bracket ] to indicate how many you've gained? That way, you can fill in or erase to track how many slots you've spent up to your limit
Love this improvised sheet! Yess filler dots woukd be lovely.
I do that with all my class skills and abilities as well. That way leveling up is sooooooo simple. Helps my ADHD brain. I'm really good at forgetting to level up.
I am actually so in love with this design, the folding/brochure thing is incredible, I love the size, it's everything I never knew I wanted.
Thank you Olivia.
Reading this comment first thing in the morning already made my day 🌞
I agree. The single thing I would like to see is some sort of… dry-erase option for the stats area. Anything non-ability, things like spell slots and HP and inventory, that is constantly changing, may be convenient to be able to dry erase some areas. Just my opinion. 👍🏻
@@ReclaimerMkII slip into a sleeve or otherwise layer plastic window on top.
Lift up/pull out for permanent change and write on top for temporary marks and wipe to erase.
@@ReclaimerMkII packing tape works as a makeshift dry erase. If you put one solid piece over the spot, you can write and erase. Try to avoid a seam; they collect marker dust.
As someone who has tested a few variant character sheets I’ve found the default sheet is optimized for new players and not veterans. Putting skills in alphabetical order makes it easier to find the relevant skill with no knowledge of game mechanics. Using columns gives everything a visual hierarchy that helps dyslexic players get a footing and how everything is organized puts all relevant info for a first game on the front page. Or gives more complex information it’s own page such as spell casting.
That's the beauty of it - You can use what works for you and your table.
It just doesn't work so well for me hence the custom version.
@@CardboardCleric same here I use the dyslexic character sheets because they have so much more detail and info even if it's spread over pages.
I like putting the proficiencies with their corresponding stats, but I do have one minor hang up. I know it's controversial, but once in a while I have characters make an ability check using a proficiency and a "mis-matched" ability stat.
For example, if the character wants to juggle small, heavy barrels, I might have them do an Acrobatics (Strength) check, even though Acrobatics is typically a Dexterity proficiency. I'll let my players make a case for using a different proficiency or stat, but I don't always feel like the default ability stat fits the specific situation.
@@atk05003 how many characters need to juggle small heavy barrels?
@@ShonicBurn These types of checks don't come up very often, which is why it's a minor point. But I have had players do a Wisdom History check. The check involved noticing that something felt off, but they only noticed it felt off because of their background with the culture that built the stronghold. So, it was a Wisdom check based in their knowledge of history and culture.
Dude for real just turned his character sheet into a book.
I have to imagine it takes so much mental power to really rethink a long-standing design like that and hone it down. I haven't appreciated enough those who take subjective points such as "what do players really want on the first page" and "how much room do they need for each one" and turn them into real design decisions. Well done, and a lovely demonstration video! You've converted me : )
thank you Kyle - that is really nice to hear. It certainly took some time but it was fun and it's exciting to see that other people appreciate it too
this sheet is amazing
I have trouble reading character sheets, especially when things are unorganized
but this is so clean and nice, I can get see what I need without spending an uncomfortable amount of time looking for specific detail
thank you for sharing this
Design: 10/10
Ease of use: 9/10
Font: 10/10
Letters in the word Intimidation: 11/12
This is great! I absolutely love the idea of putting the skills next to the ability associated with them!
Having the descriptions of all your abilities is awesome too - I often print out "action" cards with descriptions of what my character can do. Makes it a lot easier to think about combat rounds that way!
Really glad you enjoyed it!
Somehow I still forgot about some actions in the last boss fight 😅
for casters spell cards is the way to go, specially because you need to prepare them. but for other classes this is perfect.
@@danilooliveira6580 for a wizard - yes.
For a bard or a cleric with both spells, melee and ranged weapons - hell no.
@@annasolovyeva1013 if you are a mix of both or is multiclassing there is no reason to not just use both. Use the sheet for your features and spell cards for your prepared spells
@@danilooliveira6580
Yes. And that's a mess as my list of spells and attacks is too big for the 1st page of character sheet and my dm doesn't like people sorting through paper (you can only glance at one paper and you should come up with instant action or here comes tarrask and eats you). :(
Because: silvered rapier as we fight demons, we're on the avernus campaign. Whip as a secondary weapon to deal with some rogues without bringing much attention in Baldur's Gate. Darts, just because why not. I'm also long bow proficient as an elf, so chances are high I get it.
Cantrips - our DM allows to cast more of them than the PHB. Spells. Lots of useful spells thanks to being a bard of lore and a hellrider, I can have any spell from palladin and wizard spellists as long as it fits my character by roleplay. Bardic inspiration. Etc!
And I should also make sure I have enough spellslots to heal, as we have no priest, so I also pre-reserve them and track them.
Honestly my ideal DND sheet just has a massive section for everything. Literally massive text boxes. I write big and LOVE DETAIL. plus it means I have space to give my characters interesting inventories instead of using the whole box for weaponry
I do absoutely love the sheet design, it is very intuitive and well thought out. Props for that. But I will state a minor critique I have that I feel can be easily resolved with some artistic talent. The reason I loved the 5E sheet over one say such as Pathfinder, is because it didn't feel like looking at a series of boxes with text inside. It felt... well... more artistic to put it simply. Something abou tit allowed me to keep myself more immersed. I know this is weird but hopefully it makes sense. Long story short I love the design, I just wish the boxes and text were stylized a bit more.
I totally feel you Jacob. It was a decision i thought about quite a bit and tried to incorporate some design elements but in the end I made the choice for something that is more customizable.
On the other hand, a more artistic flare can create visual distractions/noise which can make it hard to find what you are looking for. I think this allows for the best of both worlds as a more artistic person can doodle in their own personal flare around the boxes.
@@mavoc3094 I think small changes like how the 5e sheet has a shield where you put the AC makes it easier to find rather than having to remember which of the 30 squares it is in. I agree that if we make every box into its own shape that represents what it does, it will make the whole thing look cluttered. But changing the design of a few of the most important ones would help you to find the one you need the most. I especially thought this with the AC in his new sheet. It is so small and hidden away in the middle of everything.
The minute I saw you using Google Sheets I was LITERALLY like "YEAH BABY". Gotta love my sheets!!!
There lies so much possibilities in a simple grid structure.
@@CardboardCleric really well done, pal!
I'll be using this among a few other videos as references for my own sheet for my own ttrpg. Thank you
I’ve experimented with similar concepts, but I never thought to make mine an accordion fold for more pages. That’s genius!
Lettering is too small for myself, but character sheets are always going to be a matter of personal preference and there are enough D&D character sheets out there that you should be able to find one that suits you, or make one of your own. Your GM won't care as long as he/she can understand what you've got on the sheet, although most good GM's keep track of their players on sheets the GM can use soooo. . . . .
A good character sheet for me is going to have all the basic info available on the front page and stuff on the back page and all in large easy to read lettering. It's going to be different for everybody, but thanks for your idea as well.
With this one I'm definitely going for compactness as I wanted to have as much info on the sheet as possible.
but you're right everyone's preferences are different. that is one of the reasons I included a singe sheet of it in the download.
So you can print it big on one sheet.
This reminds me of the half-page 3 ring binder I use to dm. I'm definitely gonna use this and hole punch it for my binder since it's already the right size. Then I'll have a complete D&D binder instead of a DM binder and a bunch of loose character sheets
In 3.X I did a lot of my RP online, so I built a whole template in Notepad, that I could use, and had that. All the critical stuff was at the top (personals, class levels, HP (and my hit die rolls), ability scores, etc) and I used the nice fact about the 'infinite page' in textfiles to include all the special abilities, each spelled out straight out of the book as necessary, along with the source of the ability (extraordinary, supernatural, spell-like). Things like Darkvision, that are super-common, I didn't spell out, but more interesting ones I did. I had all the skills in a table, with room for ranks, ability modifiers, and room to add assorted modifiers (like skill synergies and tool bonuses). Spells I didn't write out, but I'd include known spells (if applicable), with page and book references, as well as spells prepared. With portable computer technology so ubiquitous, I now generally have my character sheet on my laptop or tablet (which allows me to have a copy of any books handy as well that I happen to own--it's not piracy if you already own a dead-tree copy).
Back in the 70s I also had a chance to re-create my own character sheet. There is no reason to not re-create it. Other than consistency that everyone understands where the information is. You did a very good video on the way you organized
Thank you Kevin.
Thank you for sharing! I'm working out how I want to arrange my character journal and you've definitely inspired some layout choices 👌
Always happy to cast some guidance 😇 Making a character journal gives you so many options and all of them are exciting
I've been wanting a different character sheet than the normal one for a while! I love to play with the sheets since I use digital ones most of the time and make em look all fancy so this simple sheet will be much easier to spruce up with decals and extra decor!
Never thought about customizing a character sheet. I love they way this looks!
I believe character sheets should be split in quarters.
-Skills
-Roleplay
-Feats
-Inventory
That way you can use the army map technique to keep the sheet folded small and still easily access all the information.
Interesting Thought ... I might have to play around with that.
The accordion folding design is so interesting, even though it wouldn't work for me, but the sheet itself is such an amazingly usable design!! Totally gonna take inspiration from this when working on my own custom sheet
Indeed you can fix any issue of space by just adding more pages..
Character pamphlet. I was about to critique how you wrote a whole damn booklet but then I kept watching and I'm kinda in love with this. The tapped, half fold pages are neat and tidy, space efficient and infinitely scalable. Best character sheet I've seen in over 20 years of ttrpg gaming.
are you...god?? the fact that you take the time to translate this to spanish make me smile man.... thanks
haha no I'm just in service of my deity 😅 The spanish version is actually thanks to a community member
This is incredibly helpful! As a very new player, using the official player sheet was confusing. Tysm!
I'm glad you opened with "In my opinion" since I disagree. I rather like the official character sheets. But if this works for you and for others, I see no problem with it.
This is really awesome. As someone who has also found the need for more space but never quite sure how to configure it, i thank you for your contribution to the community.
I've been using that second sheet you showed (with the stat organized skills) for years, i added a backpack sheet I found online and I've been pretty happy. This looks really interesting though, nice sheet
That's awesome and thank you! let me know what you think if you do try it out.
The one my DM and I use has the Proficiency Scores next to the Stats; so much easier then alphabetically. I tend to use the inventory space as an ability reminder thing.
This actually reminds me a lot of the way DnD Beyond handles their sheet! Well done!
This kinda reminds me of the Sims and how there's a panel that opens up inventory, relationships, info about the sim, their skills, etc
I love it. It’s organized, clean and rather intuitive. The only issue I really have is the separation between casters and martials. Because, in some cases, say an Eldritch Knight fighter or paladins, they have both martial abilities and spells. It would be neat if somehow we were able to both combine bonus actions and the spell list.
Since it's in a google sheet you can customize it any way you want - I just multi classed my fighter to a cleric and added it.
If you change it any way share it with me on Instagram @CardboardCleric - I'd love to see it.
i like to have physical sheets more than digital ones, but was severely struggling fitting all the info i needed on a single sheet, so seeing a section dedicated to race and class abilities made me so happy!! cant wait to try this out!
Happy to hear that you like it 😊
My ideal Character sheet has to be virtual because I write too much and need to be able to expand/modify it easily, but here are my preferences for said virtual character sheet.
1. Ability Scores should be stacked vertically. Each Ability score box should have the score in the top left corner and the modifier in the large space. The top right of the box should have a diamond to mark proficiency in saves. Each score would have a larger box with the relevant skill checks adjacent, with two checkbox equivalents representing proficiency and expertise.
2. All feature and inventory entries should come with parts. A name, a optional short description, and a detail description. You should be able to cycle between showing only the names, only the name and short description, or the name and the detail description. Ability scores, health, and speed should have a context menu that lets you set their normal value, and any temporarily modified value, such as through Aid, longstrider, potion of giant strength etc. Speed should have a scroll functionality for which type of speed displays if the player has multiple (walk, fly, swim, burrow, climb)
3. Ability to add Inventory or Feature boxes. Basically let you split your inventory or features into smaller boxes or add new ones entirely with the properties of an existing box. This way you could have separate boxes for racial and class features, or separate inventories for what is on your person and what is in your bag of holding. You could use a feature one to track status conditions and temporary spell effects as well with relative ease.
4. Attunement slots. 3 boxes (with the option to add more in the case of artificer or homebrew) which hold the name of the items attuned to and can be expanded to quickly find that items description without having to go back and find it in the inventory.
5. Any of the extra detail views should be accessible by holding a specific keybind and hovering over the box, but should also be accessible through a button attached to the box to be mouse clicked.
This is a FANTASTIC idea and I love the execution!! I want to present this to my group to see if we have any ideas on making our own, maybe brainstorm some for other TTRPG systems! Great idea!!
Dude, this is amazing. I'm working on building encounters/short questlines to run DND for some friends that have never played before. The normal character sheet slows the game down so badly everytime a new player needs to make a check (personal experience, and others in my previous group) so this is fantastic. Having the modifiers, saves and skills associated with a stat makes so much sense.
Definitely gonna use these, thanks.
Thank you. I hope your group enjoys it.
Absolutely LOVE this! This is exactly what I needed for so long. I did combined some pages and edited some text and worked perfectly for me. thank you so much for this!
Very happy to know that you enjoy it so much
Thank you for making this. I am working on a design myself for various levels of people coming to 5th edition from beginner to expert and I will for sure use this as a baseline and aid.
I made something similar, but never thought of using excel. For my "binding," I bought a hole punch for Tūl disc bound note books. This way I can easily add/remove pages as needed.
I love the idea of disc bound but where I am they are just not very common but I do always have tape around the house.
Everything looks great! Love the booklet and am very interested in the DM version. Hope to see it soon.
I'd also enjoy a video on how you made the little black folder for the booklet!
Cheers and looking forward to more creative content like this!
Really cool you let people edit their own sheet to meet there needs! Will probably give this sheet a try next time I'm a player or suggest it to my new players at the table!
Yes of course. D&D is all about collaboration and no two players are alike. Let me know how you like it at your table and thank you for the comments Zach 👍
@@CardboardCleric Starting a new campaign in the next few months and going to explore some variants in the DMG so hopefully see if I can edit the google sheet to include ways to track that info!
@@zachwild2178 Let me know how it works out
If I had to go with paper sheets this would be my first choice. It's so simple with so much room for customization (changing colors/fonts/borders, adding little graphics, etc.)
This is so much more practical than the classic sheet! Now I want to design a custom character sheet layout to suit my style...
Go for it! I'd love to see your version of it.
just made my first character sheet of your design. I love it! Especially how customizable and compact it is. thank you so much for sharing it with all of us!
That's so nice to hear! Than You
i actually really like the inventory sketch page. gonna incorporate that for my own sheet
This is really cool. When I last played in person, I used the second sheet you showed and found it to be mostly an improvement over the standard design. One thing I personally use and both the second sheet and your sheet cut out is the section on personality traits etc so I'd probably need to add those back in should I ever make my own. One thing I really like is the sections for different containers, the current digital sheet I use for most games doesn't really offer that easily as a function but I think it would be really nice especially when in games where encumbrance is used.
I absolutely love this! The design makes so much more sense and is so much more user-friendly. I am excited to get to use it in future games. Thank you for putting this together!
I've been making sheets in Excel for years, undervalued tool imo. Super easy to make things look clean (if not fancy).
Yes. absolutely agree
I swear it blew my mind when you flipped over and wasn't expecting this. I thought ''oh that's it'' BUT NO THERE WAS ANOTHER PAGE! AND WAIT EVEN LONGER YOU CAN FLIP IT TO THE OTHER SIDE!'' If I could I would marry. That thing is hilarous awesome.
👍 Now all I can think of is to make a video where I just keep going: but wait there is more 😂
Anyway happy to hear that you like it
I always made my own paper character sheets to play with since I didn't prefer the original design, and my group has always (jokingly) teased me for it, but it has been very handy
My thoughts on this are going to portability. You would just need this and your dice, and you could just set up anywhere. The DM cover would come with a screen seen in that could pop up, and has a pokey to store note cards with important info on creatures
Im playing my first dnd campaing and I have a sheet but I'm using a notebook for inventory, story details, charaters, ect which my dm seems to be grateful for
There was one time when our dwarf paladin said " I wish we had this information archived "" as we were trying to create a plan
And my DM stared at me quickly and we both laughed because that's what I'd been doing the entire time (we've had 5 sessions this was during session 3 or 4 I think)
I plan to encourage my friends to also take notes
haha - a common story. Every table has a lore keeper
i think the only thing with this guide would be how to tape it all together after having printed it all out. I may just be having a dumb moment, but i'm currently trying to figure out how to tape this all together and i keep messing up. Other then that though, this character builder sheet was a wonderful idea! groundbreaking even! thank you!
Cool idea, I would mark each page with a red or blue marking on the top depending on which side of the notes are open, so I dont get confused by the binding
Good idea
So happy I found this. Immediately downloaded it and I can't wait to start being more organized!
I love the simplicity and space options
I like the sheet idea! I believe I just received some bardic inspiration!
I really like how the majority of what a player would need is on page 1 including for the combat and skill checks. I would like to see some spellcasting stuff in there though for ease of access (even though most players use spellcards these days).
Not a huge fan of having 3 passives though. I usually limit passives to Investigation and Perception, expecially since Insight will almost always be contested by a Deception check unless it is for a DC that is interchangeable with other skills or the target is being truthful. More passives means less interactions from players, and passive skill averages should generally be a guideline for DMs and not necessarily visible to players.
I like the idea of players having questline notes and NPC / PC notes. Also, having a kill count isn't a bad idea either; the DM in me wants to use that kill tracker sometime to have a NPC come after a specific PC for killing someone. There is a lot here that helps DMs keep track of what the PC knows and how they think which is super helpful.
Spellcasters are a fickle bunch 😂 I got an update almost ready but every casting class has unique needs making the design either very generic or overly complicated ...
I'll post an update once it's ready.
This is an awesome character sheet. Thank you!
Thank you Tentacle. Happy to hear that you like it.
You've made it even in Polish, my goodness you're so awsome, god thank you, thank you!!! Polish slavs approves your effort in making dnd easier 💪
No worries - it was a community effort. Glad you're enjoying it
Coolest character sheet ever
Fantastically innovative design!
I'm already in love with this design! Very well made and so versatile!
Thank you so much!
I'm so happy I only started playing DnD around 2 years ago and that DnD Beyond is a thing nowadays. God bless all you DnD players out there that prefer playing on a paper sheet.
You're right it's amazing we have so many options now. For me D&D is a great opportunity form me to get away from screens - that's why I still prefer paper on the table
This is the design i've been looking for for so long! Thank you so much
So happy to hear this 💛
I think D&D is very overwelming and the character sheet is a big part of that. This is a real upgrade in my opinion!
I like separating things into the sections I'll use them in -- keep my focus on the combat section of the sheet while we're fighting, the skill section of the sheet while we're traveling, etc. I typically stick the obvious or low-use details off to the side somewhere -- speed only matters if you have something other than the default, height and weight and age etc. rarely come up.
My issue so far is that I can't seem to recall my context-dependent abilities until it's past time to use them. "Shoot, I forgot I could X!" So I've started noting those next to areas I'd be referring to in the same situation.
Also, I group skills as general physical, mental, and social, so regardless of which trait is in play, I'm looking at all my options at once, and the ones I'm particularly good at are larger and colored and generally top of the list, with the bonus written large, while less useful skills are written small with a small bonus. Makes it easier to spot what I'm after.
Dude this is amazing! More people deserve to know about this! Awesome job 👍
Thank You Luigi. Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm glad to know I'm the only one with open contempt for the design of the official character sheet
It's just grown out of older versions ...
Fun thing is, i've always made my own character sheets using old unused drawing notebooks that i collected from childhood. I took on the habit of redesigning things, but with no concern for room saving, as a notebook has many pages and i have several of them. Redesign focused on reorganizing information and drawing cool stuff to decorate.
So i walked in this video with a pinch of salt ready, but i must admit... this design rocks. Some part of it is similar to some of what i aimed for, but better!
I might steal this... XD
Thank you for that compliment - please go ahead and be inspired by it
Such a clever design! Must have taken you ages to put together. Also love the editing on this video.
Thank you - It did take some iterations and there is already a new version in development.
The editing was a lot of fun too :)
I usually play digital because of how confusing the vanilla sheet is, I might actually be able to go more physical with this one. Thanks, CC!
That's so great to hear. Hope you enjoy it
the best dnd sheep is on excel. i made it. you can put any char, of any race, with any feats, with any magic items, with anything.
and it's all calculated. it's all correct. No time wasted.
I do this a lot! Each of my characters is organized in a very different way. My bard primarily used spells and skills, so those were front and center. My cleric is organized instead into 'combat' and 'non-combat' spells, actions, and abilities. One of my friends does something similar on DND Beyond, but it's a lot of fiddling to get it to show correctly.
Love this sheet! Tried out at a first session with a new group/campaign. It took me a few minutes to get used to it just because I'm so used to the "normal" sheets. Yes, please give us a video on how to make the cover!
It's coming
Yes yes yes. Literally so simple for newer players. Thank you so goddamn much.
I'd probably put the scores above the modifiers like how it does on one of the sheets you referenced, that way you can have the numbers kind of "cascade downwards" and the eye has to travel less than it does when you have to move up instead of down.
Sure - whatever makes it easiest for you.
I feel a lot of this is inspired by the journaling community, like bullet point journaling.
Good itersection!
Might use something like this in the future
I did have a phase of bullet journaling in my past so that is entirely possible
Very cool! I always use a digital sheet, but this did get me thinking about analog. If you put some tape on the parts where you have to write and erase a lot (gold, hitpoints, cooldowns that reset daily, etc) you can use dry erase pen and then you don't have to replace it as often.
Oh, that looks extremely satisfying!
You're a good man for this. This will surely help plenty of people!
Glad you think so!
That’s a really good start, with some great ideas. Though there’s still room for improvement. As a graphic designer, I too was planning on designing an improved character sheet shortly after starting the game, though I felt I needed to learn to play properly first. But then my group found dndbeyond and we just went digital with it instead. But it’s nice to see someone improving the printout. I might return to the project though. This was inspiring.
You're right the design of it could be prettier. To me the priority was on customization. If you'd like to collaborate on a future version feel free to send me a message on instagram
A major problem I find with these sheets is that skills are not *always* tied to those skills. I have had many creative skill checks that have made sense that the party has enjoyed. Blending into a crowd? Charisma (Stealth). Asking around a town for someone who has gone missing? Charisma (Perception). Trying to get hints to a riddle? Intelligence (Insight). On top of that, I find that many sheets exclude the personality traits as, "Wasted Space," when in reality, I find as a DM, they're very important and put there to help people roleplay their characters better. Just my two cents on everything of course. Sure the equipment (Inventory) box is small, but the main sheet definitely has everything *I* need for my players as a DM. Not that this sheet is bad, of course! It works for you and your players, and that's what makes the game great.
The needs of players are as varied as their characters which is why this is fully customizable to your desires.
Great practical design (perfect for easy use and lookup).
I had a lot of the same problems with the character sheet and I used the one with the categorized ability checks for a while before making my own. I spent about 3 days creating a bunch of different tables in a Google Doc to make it look like a typical character sheet, but I could allot space how I wanted.
I feel you
Love this design of a character sheet
Thank you Dillon. It's really nice to know this design works for other players.
this is awesome! i've always been looking for better ways to format a character sheet and this is definitely the best i've seen so far!!
Thank you so much Ali 🧡
Yes yes yes. Make a video on how to make the booklet please. That looks so awesome. Thanks for doing this. In the process of leveling up my Dwarf Cleric to level 3 and I'd like to transfer him over to this character sheet. Looks really awesome.
Would be neat to have the health stuff under con to use that space with something that makes sense
I’ve never understood putting the skills next to the relevant ability. When the dm calls for a perception check for example, I don’t think to go “ok so that’s wisdom skill” I just look at perception. I’m way more familiar with the alphabet than what skills are keyed to which abilities. Some of them are common sense of course but I still think it would actually make it harder for me
What makes the difference to me is less that connection to the attribute but that the individual list of skills is shorter.
Instead of looking at an alphabetical list of 18 options I have a presorted list of 5 options max. That does make it faster and easier to give an answer for me.
but that's the beauty of custom character sheets - everyone can choose what works for them.
Bear in mind that there is no Perception check. A check is tied to an ability score. You would be asked to make a Wisdom check using your proficiency in Perception -- usually written as Wisdom (Perception) check.
You can also be asked to make a Constitution (Stealth) check, for example. In that case, having the skills next to their typical ability score would be confusing.
@@julesponge - Well I just learned something new with that last bit. Thats interesting, and useful for the DM to implement. Usually it’s not thought about much because mosy online tool ties the skills directly to their “usual” ability scores.
It looks nicer and it’s easier to tell at a glance which ability score it is since it’s next to it rather than being in faint text.
I find it useful to think about what sort of check might be needed without my DM having to tell me
I ended up making myself a separate battle sheet, which lists my spells by level and has bubbles for my spell slots that I can fill in as I expend them, as well as concentration markers (I play a bard) it also has a quick list of my different ability modifiers, spell save dc, And speed. It's not pretty but I gets the job done well
That sounds awesome - I'd love to see an image of it
Oh sheet!
This is an awesome sheet!!!
I also made some improvisations.
But this....
I applaud you.
👏
Thank you Oleg! 😄
great design! I like it and I'm going to use for a few things.
Great job! Was happy to buy this design.
Awesome! Thank you!
"..with all the possible known runes, because i know i will know them in the future..."
Very optimistic of you.
I appreciate the thought and effort you put into this and think it's great that it works better for you! Not how I would design it, but it's not as if there is one perfect way to do this.
I love how you point the paper with your middle finger 🙂
A variant spell tracking gimmick I use originally comes from Deadlands: you use coloured paper clips to mark how many slots you have left, removing them as you use them up. I normally transfer the used clips to another part of the sheet so that I don't lose them. The colour code I use is red for first, orange for second, etc... all the way up through the spectrum. Doing this means that you don't mess up your sheet with erasures, it gives a little kinesthetic zing when you use your spells and I can really clearly feel how much power I've got left to use.
Love that idea
i like this kinda of character sheet of course there are things about it i would change but i am sure that is something everybody would end up doing to make it fit what they think is more important or just to put something in a place they like better but i think the basics for it are great
The beauty is that because it's based in Google sheets anyone can customize it to fit their needs