Pathfinder Character Sheets and "Show as Token Action"

If this has been discussed somewhere, i'm sorry! I didn't go all the way though the forums looking. So, I love the new PC character sheets and NPC stat blocks for Pathfinder. However, is there a way to select rolls that are set up from the sheet as "Show as Token Action" Before the sheets, I was writing macros for NPCs, so initiative, perception, each weapon they had (atk and dmg), their saves, and any other special rolls for them were set up in the abilities tab, then set as show as token action. So I didn't have to open anything for these basic rolls. Just click on the token and select what I wanted to do. However, now if I use the NPC stat block, I have to open the sheet for every roll. I don't have a huge monitor, and leaving the sheet open doesn't work well. And the sheet being collapsable is nice, just would like to avoid having to open and close it, and navigate it, every turn. I like having all the info in one place with the stat block, I just wish I could easily draw from the NPC sheet, to make macros to be set as "show as token action" for my most used rolls. Any advice on how to do this would be awesome! I'm still a little green with macros, so maybe there is something I just don't know yet. Thanks!

Sam is currently hard at work with a new and improved Pathfinder sheet, which will (in addition to numerous other advancements) make it much easier to set up appropriate token actions. It won't be 100%, as the player/GM will (due to certain restrictions in the system) have to actually create the token action buttons, but the actual setting up of said buttons will require a minimum of effort, as the macros are hidden behind buttons in the sheet, and all you'll need to do is point the token action at the appropriate button. Ok, that looks like gibberish at first, but trust me... when you see what's coming, it'll make perfect sense. I'm not sure how close this is to release, but from what I've seen it won't be long now. -Phnord

That is encouraging. I can't imagine the work that goes on behind the scenes on these things. I'm super thankful for the efforts and looking forward to the update. =o)

So the thing about the NPC stat block, is that the NPC buttons are completely different from the PC buttons. The NPC buttons all send their results to the GM only in GM whispers. If you don't care about hiding results from your players then you can use the PC button calls no problem. The new sheet will still function like this for legacy reasons but like Phnord said, it'll make repeating section buttons much easier to use (and you can also thank him for that stroke of brilliance).

I'm thankful for all the sheets. My players loved using them this past friday! I'm still new to learning how the sheets can function with the macros. Is there an easy way for my PCs to set up macros that can be Token Actions for attacks? It sounded like their may be. Is there another thread or post somewhere that covers how to? The only thing I can think of now is to write a macro that pulls each part of the equation. Pulling their BAB, + the ability bonus + adding any masterwork or magical bonuses. If thats the best way to do it, no prob, just wondering if there is a simpler way. Any place to find tips on this, specifically related to the Pathfinder sheet?

The upcoming sheet will have an easy way to set up attacks as macros... it's a big part of the update. You'll just have a macro that points to a button which in turn points to the specific weapon setup, and you make that macro a token action, and boom - instant weapon button. Or whatever. It will work with a LOT of things on the new sheet, including feats, items, and other things. Currently, yes, your way is the best way. In a few days (hopefully) that will no longer be the case. Praise'd be Sam! Hooray! -Phnord

Ok, gottcha, thats part of the coming update =o) YAY, thats is going to be awesome!!!

I know the sheet was updated recently. Out of curiosity has turning the attack buttons ect into token actions been added yet? and if so is there maybe someplace I can read up on how to do it? Both myself and my players have been trying to figure it out and we are at a total loss.

For each section of repeating fields, which has buttons, there is a corresponding section of buttons for that field nearby: The long row of (in my case, 20, but you probably have 26) buttons up top is the target for your token actions. Hovering over one will give you its name. In this case, you see the name of the first button (Button 0) is %{repeating_weapon_0_attack). That is your target, and what goes into the Ability field. The buttons, 0-26, are pre-designed to call each repeating field. They're numbered starting at 0 for programmer reasons. To determine which button you want, count each weapon field until you find the one you want, then subtract one from that number, and that's the button you want. So, the first weapon is button 0. The second is button 1, the third is button 2, and so on. Remember that as you add/remove weapons the number may change. So, if I had only one weapon, it would be in repeating field one, which is actually field 0, which corresponds to Attack Button 0. Got it? Good! Make ABSOLUTELY SURE that you have a value in EVERY FIELD. If the value is zero, put in a zero; for Mwk (Masterwork) checkbox, check it on and off again (unless of course it's supposed to be on). The macros will not work if any field is left untouched; you must be sure to save a value in every single spot, even if that value is zero, or the program will be left looking for something that it can't find and therefore will send back error messages. Now, each repeating field has its own activation button within it... unfortunately, due to the limitations of the programming language's implementation here, these buttons cannot be directly accessed from 'outside' the character sheet. This is why the "Attack Buttons (1-26) exist; they repeat the functionality of the 'interior' buttons. Test your weapon using the 'interior' button to make sure it works. If not, go through and make sure you've filled in every field. If it works, you're ready. In the attributes section of the journal entries, put: %{selected|repeating_weapon_#_attack} where # is the appropriate number of the BUTTON, not the weapon (remember the button is weapon # - 1). Obviously, for feats, spells, items, etc. the button will have a different name. Don't forget to add SELECTED to the code given, or it will return an error. Edit: alternately, you may put in the character's name, but I find Selected is a more versatile solution. Save your work, make sure you check the 'token action' box, and you should be good to go! -Phnord

thanks Phnord, it works great. One final question. I notice if you just click the button next to the attack you get a nice neat roll ie.. 1d20 + 5 etc... but if you use the attack buttons above attack you get all the 'floor' stuff. Is there anyway to change this or will it be updated in the future or is it just stuck like that due to programing?

This, too, is caused by the same limitation to the programming which requires the elaborate work-around known as "Buttons", as described above. I'm not an expert on the matter, but this is my take on what's going on: The system stores 'repeating fields', ie the various weapons or feats, in a different manner than it stores regular attributes. In addition, because of this, certain things in the repeating fields section are treated inherently differently than things stored elsehwere. In particular, a few of the fields in the repeating section are calculated by pulling other values together. The greyed-out value shown as 'attack',for example, is the sum of the various other fields in the section, as well as some other stats like the strength bonus and the like. This particular field, due to those limitations, cannot be used (functionally) outside the repeating section itself; it simply doesn't exist as far as the external system is concerned. So, for Attacks, INSIDE the field it's a simple matter to calculate: This, plus That, plus The Other, plus Strength Bonus, = total attack bonus. OUTSIDE the field it's a little more complicated: This, plus That, plus The Other, plus (X+(Y-Z)/A) or whatever the bonus calculation is. This has to be re-calculated in the external roll, and therefore looks a lot more complicated even though it's using the same functions as found elsewhere. Now, the nice thing about this whole setup is that it's actually really easy to customize... if you look closely, you'll see a version of the code that's 'inside' the buttons. It's not going to work if you simply copy-and-paste it into an "Ability" on the journal entry, because the various called properties have to be re-named (in the macro) to work properly. The set-of-26 buttons are exactly that: the same basic macro, but renamed to work outside the field. So, if you want a different macro, or a change, you can do so in three different ways: One, you can modify the 'Macro Text' field, and that'll be what you get when you use the 'internal' button only. (Does not carry over to any other buttons, including Token Actions.) Two, you can build your own macro from scratch, entirely in the "Abilities" section, as a token action. This is somewhat more difficult, but you have complete access to the whole sheet (if you know what you're looking for). Third, you can (presumably) go all the way down into the character sheet HTML itself, and rebuild your macros right there on the buttons themselves. This isn't easy, and I don't recommend it., but it's possible. Fortunately, once you get used to what the sheet has to offer, you'll find that it's already quite well designed for whatever you want it to do. It just has a bit of a learning curve! -Phnord