D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder Ruleset Guide

This guide walks through the various features implemented within the rulesets for D&D 3.5E and Pathfinder.

Character Sheet

Character Sheet Overview

The character sheet for the 3.5E ruleset is comprised of several individual sheets organized by tabs along the right side. These tabs comprise all of a PC's details. Just click the tab you want to view.

• Main: Classes, abilities, hit points, defenses, speed, senses, and overview of common combat totals.
  
• Combat: Details of initiative, defenses, saves, speed, and basic attacks.
  
• Skills: Skill details.
  
• Abilities: Feats, special abilities (class features), proficiencies.
  
• Inventory: Items, coins, armor effects, encumbrance.
  
• Notes: Character appearance, languages, notes.
  
• Actions: Weapon and spell details

If you open up the modules for the various character options (spells, equipment, feats, ...), you can drag and drop the window links for these sheets onto the appropriate locations on the character sheet to automatically create a new item and pre-fill with the data from the module. (i.e. Drop a spell from the Spells module onto the Actions tab.)

Change Portait

Click on the Portrait field (black bordered box just to right of character name)
Double-click the portrait you want to use.

NOTE: Click the folder button in the portrait selection window to add new portrait files for consideration. Close and reopen portrait selection window to see the new options. Portraits larger than 70x70 are not needed, and may increase portrait upload/download times.

Change Token

Open the Token Box on the tabletop sidebar.
Find the token you want to use.
Drag and drop token onto character token field (small circle in upper right corner of character sheet).
This token will be used when your character is added to the combat tracker by the GM.
NOTE: The tokens available to players is controlled by the GM. By default, when a GM adds your character to the combat tracker, a token will be created automatically based on your portrait. (if any)

Add Weapon or Implement

Add existing weapon or implement

1. Click on Actions tab.
   
2. Drag and drop weapon link onto Actions tab.
   
3. If weapon can be used for melee or ranged, then 2 weapon entries will be created. (i.e. dagger)

Add new weapon or implement

1. Click on Actions tab.
   
2. Add new item to weapon list using right click menu or edit/add buttons.
   
3. Enter the weapon name.
   
4. Change the weapon type to match weapon usage (click icon just to right of weapon name to toggle between melee and ranged).
   
5. Enter weapon details

Weapon Details

1. Click the magnifying glass icon just to the right of the damage view.
   
2. Enter attack ability and modifiers to use for this weapon. Base ability defaults to STR for melee and DEX for ranged. An overall bonus can be added for all attacks, and individual bonuses for up to 4 attacks in an attack set.
   
3. Enter damage dice, ability, modifiers and usage. Base ability and ability multiplier is determined by the weapon usage (Melee 1H, Melee 2H, Melee OH, Ranged No Stat, Ranged Bow, Ranged Sling, Ranged Thrown, Ranged Thrown OH). If a second ability is specified, it is not modified by weapon usage.
   
4. Enter critical range and multiplier for this weapon.
   
5. Enter the damage type of this weapon.
   
6. Enter the property information.
   
7. Enter the range and ammunition information. Range modifiers are not applied automatically, and ammo tracking is manual.

Add Spell Class

Click on Actions tab.
Add spell class to Actions list using right click menu or edit/add buttons.
Enter spell class name and caster level.
Select caster type by clicking on the caster type toggle to the left of the spell class name. The caster types are: Prepared (Wizard), Spontaneous (Sorcerer) and Points (Psion).
Click the magnifying glass icon on the right side of the spell class entry.
Enter the spells per day allowed for each level.
Enter the ability and DC modifier to use for all spells by this spell class.
Enter any spell penetration or concentration check modifiers.
Add Spell

Add existing spell

1. Click on Actions tab.
   
2. Drag and drop spell link onto spell class.
   
3. If dropped onto a spell level header or another spell, the new spell will be added to that level list (regardless of the actual level of the new spell).
   
4. If dropped onto the spell class header, the new spell will be added to the correct level under the spell class, based on the module spell table it was dragged from.

Add new spell

1. Click on Actions tab.
   
2. In the spell class details, enter a value of at least 1 in the allowed spells per level field you want to add a spell in.
   
3. Use list editing buttons or right click on spell level header to add a new spell entry.
   
4. Enter the spell name and quick description.
   
5. Click the spell link to bring up a full spell record to fill out the spell details.
   
6. Right click on spell and choose the appropriate Add Action menu options to add specific spell actions (cast, damage, heal, effect)
   
7. For each action, use the drop down arrows to adjust the details of the actions.

Initiative Rolls

Double-click or drag the initiative total from the Main or Combat tabs on the PC sheet. Set initiative details on the Combat tab.

Attack Rolls

For generic attacks, double-click or drag attack totals from the Main or Combat tabs on the PC sheet. Set basic attack details on the Combat tab. For weapon attacks, double-click or drag the Number of Attacks field or the individual attack fields of the weapon entry on the Actions tab. For spell attacks, click or drag the sword button from the attack action entry in the spell entry on the Actions tab.
Hold SHIFT key to indicate an opportunity attack (also available in the campaign modifiers window as a toggle).
Damage Rolls

For weapon attacks, double-click or drag the dice from the damage field of the weapon entry on the Actions tab. For spell attacks, click or drag the blood button from the damage action entry in the spell entry on the Actions tab.
To roll critical damage, hold the SHIFT key when clicking or dragging (also available in the campaign modifiers window as a toggle).

Heal Rolls

Click or drag the red cross button from the heal action entry in the spell entry on the Actions tab.

Effects Application

Click or drag the running man icon from the effect action entry in the spell entry on the Actions tab.
If the effect is activated via clicking, the targeting mode will be used to determine the target of the effect. If the targeting mode is set to "SELF", the effect will be applied to the PC. If the targeting mode is set to "TRGT", the effect will be applied to any targets specified for the PC. If no targets specified, the effect will be output to the chat window.
To apply targeted effects, hold the SHIFT key while dragging the effect and drop on the creature that the effect should be targeted to. The effect will be applied to the the PC's targets with the the effect specifically targeted to the creature dropped on. This has limited use in the 3.5E ruleset, and is more often used in the 4E ruleset.

Saving Throws

Double-click or drag the saving throw totals from the Main or Combat tabs on the PC sheet. Set saving throw details on the Combat tab.

Skill Checks

Double-click or drag the skill total from the Skills tab on the PC sheet. Set skill details directly on the Skills tab.

Ability Checks

Double-click or drag the ability bonus from the Main tab on the PC sheet.

Resting

Right click on PC sheet, and select the correct rest option. (Short Rest, Overnight Rest)
The GM can choose to have the whole party rest all at once, by selecting the Rest menu option from the combat tracker.

NPC Sheet

See the Basic Guide on Campaign Data topic for basic information on campaign data list management and NPC records.

The NPC record in the 3.5E ruleset consists of 3 tabs: Main, Spells and Other.

The NPC sheet main tab is used for any technical details of an NPC, except spells.

The NPC sheet spells tab is used to manage spell classes, spell lists and spell usage. The spell classes and spell details are identical to how spells are added to the PC sheet.
Spell tracking data is not included with the modules provided with FG, but is instead included on the Other tab.

The NPC sheet other tab is used for any descriptive details of an NPC.

Item Sheet

See the Basic Guide - Campaign Data topic for basic information on campaign data list management and item records.

The item record in the 3.5E ruleset consists of a single list of fields describing the item. The fields available in the record are directly tied to the value of the Type field. If the Type field is set to Weapon or Armor, then additional fields will become available.

To make a weapon or item magical, you can start with the basic version of the item from a library module and perform the following:

1. drag it to your items list window
   
2. edit the item
   
3. unlock the item so you can see all the additional fields
   
4. add magical modifiers and bonuses in the appropriate fields
   
5. re-lock the item

Combat Tracker

Player View

For players, additional information has been added for the health of both PCs and NPCs. The GM can control what level of details is display for PC/NPC health via the 3.5E Options.


GM View

For GMs, additional subsections for CT entries allow for more information to be viewed and used during encounters. Also, the menu has additional party rest, initiative and effect expiration options.

Main Section

• Hit Points: Maximum hit points.
  
• Temporary Hit Points: Current temporary hit point value.
  
• Subdual Damage: Current subdual damage value. If subdual plus wounds are greater than hit points, then wounds will be colored purple and status will be shown as unconscious.
  
• Wounds: Current wound value. Would value is colored based on actor condition and campaign options. (Generally gray for dying/dead, and ranging from green to red for healthy to heavily wounded).

Offensive Subsection

• Imm?: Checkbox to specify whether this combatant has used an immediate/swift action this round. Resets when the actor's turn starts.
  
• Init: Modifier used for initiative checks. Double-click or drag this field to make an initiative roll for this actor. Rolling initiative in this way will override the automatic NPC group initiative option setting. Rollable.
  
• CMB: Combat maneuver bonus. Rollable.
  
• Speed: Speed value of actor.
  
• Attacks: List of attacks for this combatant. Only used for NPCs. If attacks are in the appropriate format, then double-clicking the various portions of the attack object will make attack or damage rolls. To learn more, build an NPC with attacks exactly as stated in the core rulebooks, and drop the NPC in the combat tracker to see the results.

Defensive Subsection

• AC: Armor class.
  
• FF: Flat-footed armor class.
  
• Tch: Touch armor class.
  
• CMD: Combat maneuver defense.
  
• Fort: Fortitude saving throw.
  
• Ref: Reflex saving throw.
  
• Will: Will saving throw.
  
• SR: Spell resistance.
  
• Special: Text used to identify any special immunities, resistances or vulnerabilities of the combatant. Informational only.

Effects Subsection

The effects have been greatly enhanced to support the automatic application of game mechanics when modifiers and conditions are specified in the Label field. See the 3.5E Effects topic for more information on how to write game mechanic effects.

• Active Toggle: Click button to toggle whether effect is on/off. Any modifiers and conditions which apply game mechanics will be disabled when turned off.
  
• Visibility Toggle: Click button to toggle whether effect is player visible. Click to toggle player visibility.
  
• Application Toggle: Click button to toggle how modifiers and conditions which affect game mechanics should be applied. If set to "All", then the effect is always applied (when relevant). If set to "Once", then once the effect is applied to an action/roll, it will expire. If set to "Single", then when each component of the effect is applied to an action, that component will be removed. If no components remain, then the effect will expire.
  
• Label: Specifies the name and/or components of this effect. The label can be used purely for informational purposes, or specific game mechanic conditions and modifiers can be configured.
  
• Duration: Duration is specified as the number of rounds until an effect expires. If the value is zero, then the effect never expires.
  
• Duration Initiative: Indicates the initiative value when the duration will be decremented. The initiative value will default to the initiative of the combatant applying the effect, or the current initiative if source can not be determined.
  
• Effect Set Target Button: Drag icon to desired target of this effect. Certain game mechanic modifiers and conditions can be targeted, which means that the game mechanic effect is only applied when the roll being modified is targeting one of the effect targets.
  
• Effect Targets: Textual display of any targets for this effect. If targets are specified, then this effect will only be applied to rolls made where this combatant and the effect target are both involved. Click on the effect targets string to remove the effect targets.
  
• Effect Source: Textual display of combatant who originated this effect. Click on the effect source string to remove the effect source. Drag any combat tracker name field to this effect to set the source of the effect. This is typically informational, but does adjust some effects (i.e. Marked)

Party Sheet

The 3.5E ruleset adds 3 additional tabs to the party sheet: Main, Skills and XP. These tabs are only visible to the GM. The Main and Skills tabs can be made visible to the players via a GM option accessible in the Options window.

Main Tab

The party sheet main tab is a place to track high-level information about the party, including: Name, Class, Level, HP, Ability Scores, and Defenses.
Additionally, the GM can use this tab to make attack rolls against the party, saving throws for the party or ability checks for the party all at once. Just set the ability and target DC for a party ability check, save type and target DC for a party saving throw check or the attack modifier for a party attack roll.

A visibility toggle in the lower left corner can be changed to determine whether the group rolls are shown to the players. The visibility toggle is only shown if the Show GM Rolls option is turned on.

Skills Tab

The party sheet skills tab is a place to track skill-based information on the party. The Senses field and a Languages summary are also shown for each party member.
Additionally, the GM can use this tab to make skill rolls for the party all at once. Specify the skill to use and the target DC for the party to roll against.
A visibility toggle in the lower left corner can be changed to determine whether the group rolls are shown to the players. The visibility toggle is only shown if the Show GM Rolls option is turned on.

XP Tab

The party sheet XP tab is a place for the GM to track experience information for the campaign.
The top-most list provides a summary of each party member's experience (name, class, level, current XP, needed XP).

The bottom lists allow the GM to track encounters and quests completed by the party during the campaign prior to XP distribution. Encounters can be added by dragging the link from the campaign Encounters list. Quests can be added directly using the standard list editing buttons. To award XP for one encounter/quest or all of them, just right click on the relevant entry or list, then select the Award XP menu option.

Effects

Using Effect Features in Your Game

Effects in the 3.5E ruleset can be very complex, once you decide to take advantage of all of the functionality available. Many features provided in this section can be handled manually by calculations done by the players and GM, just like sitting around the gaming table. It is recommended that you slowly add effect capabilities to your game until the comfort level of you and your players has been reached.

While effects can be entered manually, the effects system was also designed to pull the effect information directly from the power description text by parsing the words. Just enter the text in the exact same format as the core rulebooks, or drop the powers from your own data modules.
The effect system was built to handle 90% of the situations. 3.5E can be a very complex game, as it is built using exception-based game design principles. With all the exceptions that are defined by powers, and the primary focus of the effects support was for the core rulebooks (PHB, DMG, MM); there will be some powers and effects that will not be able to be represented in the current version of the ruleset.

For example, effects that expire on the target's initiative will need to be adjusted manually, since applied effects always use the effect originator's initiative.

Campaign Effects

In addition to the basic label and visibility fields, the 3.5E ruleset adds a few more capabilities. The effect label can contain one or more modifiers or conditions that adjust rolls made by that CT actor. Additionally, an effect expenditure toggle button and duration fields

• Expenditure: By default, an effect is applied to all future rolls until the duration expires. The expenditure button can be toggled to Action, Roll or Singles as well. If set to Action, the effect will be applied to the next relevant action (set of rolls)(i.e. area of effect attack rolls as a set). If set to Roll, the effect will be applied to the next relevant single roll. If set to Singles, each component of the effect will be applied once when relevant, then removed. (See below for effect label components.)
  
• Duration: The duration consists of two fields indicating a numerical value and a unit period (round, minute, hour, day). If the numerical duration is zero (or empty), then the effect does not expire.

Combat Tracker

When an effect is applied to an actor in the combat tracker, in addition to the fields added in Campaign Effects, a few additional fields have been added.

• Active State: By default, an effect is set to always be active (i.e. On). The active state can be toggled to Skip or Off. If set to Skip, the next application of the effect will be skipped, and then the effect will be set to On again. If set to Off, the effect will no longer be applied to rolls, but will remain in the CT.
  
• Duration: When the main duration field is set to Start/End Turn values, an additional field will be shown to track the initiative number when the duration should start/end.
  
• Applied By: The active actor will be used as the source actor of an effect, and shown in the lower right of the effect entry. If no actor is active, then this field is hidden. To set the source actor of an effect, drag the name field of a CT actor onto the label field of a CT effect entry. The source is usually just informational, but may occasionally be used to support advanced effects (such as Marked). Click on the Applied By field to clear the source actor.
  
• Targets: By default, effects are applied to relevant rolls for all targets. However, some effect components can be targeted (such as attack and damage modifiers). A targeting button is shown next to each effect entry, and can be dragged onto a CT entry or CT-linked token to specify that the effect is targeted to a specific actor or set of actors. Additional options to target all allies or enemies are available by right-clicking on the targeting button. The Targets field is hidden unless targets are defined. Click on the Targets field to clear the targets.
  

Effect Label Features

In the 3.5E ruleset, conditions and modifiers can be embedded into the effect label in order to modify rolls made by the actor.

Each description, condition or modifier needs needs to be separated by a semi-colon within the effect label, and these are called effect components. Effect components that do not start with a modifier tag or a condition tag are treated as descriptive text only.

For condition and modifier tables, please refer to the FG Wiki page for the topic, located here[www.fantasygrounds.com]

[nylanfs]

@Brokenhalo, look in the 35e section of the forums. Quite a few of the OGL books were made by users and posted there.

[Smiteworks]

Solace, there is not. We do not have a license to provide any closed/copyrighted material from Wizards of the Coast at this time. You will need to enter the items that you need as you require them if they are not already in the SRD.

[Brokenhalo]

is there any DLC/mod libraries availible for 3.5 and supplement rules...
**looks at a shelf full of 3.5 books** :(

[SirMcJingles]

hey Smiteworks awesome guide thank you for sharing it. to take it a step further anyone who has any questions or wants a quick Pathfinder game check out http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Pathfinder_RPG

[Smiteworks]

Pathfinder Tutorials 1 through 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiuqNB452Oo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW7eySFvPL0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GSY1I0KLb0

[Zarton]

Need a video for doing a character from scratch. Cant seem to drag any icons to help with the generation