Spells/Powers (AD&D)

Creating Effects - Player Characters

In the player Character sheet effects are created in the Actions->Powers tab. An effect can be added to an existing power or if no power exists a new one can be created.

• Click on the 'Edit List' button at the bottom right hand side of the Powers Tab and then click on the 'star' icon to create a new power group. You can also right click on an existing power and select 'Create Item'

• Type a name into the new line where it says <<name>>. This will be the name of the action that you are going to create. You can also type into the right hand box to give the power group a name.

• Note that the Power Group now has a gear at the right-hand side. You can click on this to bring up the power group dialog and here you set the group type to spell or ability. Group type set as Spells will have the option to be memorized. Group type set as Ability will not.

Open

• Now right click on the new line created above to bring up the radial menu and select 'Add Action'. This will bring up a submenu which allows you to create the following:

• Add Cast: this allows for an attack roll to be made against the target or forces the target to make a saving throw - or both.

• Add Damage: As it's name suggests this allows for the creation of a damaging effect to apply to the target

• Add Heal: Create a healing effect

• Add Effect: This adds an effect to the target. This can be almost anything from applying a simple condition such as poisoned to a whole series of statements which might apply to the target.

• Whichever you choose a new line will be created with a small gear beside it. Click the gear to open up the dialog associated with each effect type.

Cast Dialog

Open

• The first section is concerned with attacks. Click the words under 'type' to cycle through the (self explanatory) options, ranged, melee or none.

• The ‘Save’ section of this dialog is concerned with saving throws.

• Type: Click to cycle through the options. For example if you want the target to make a DEX saving throw set this to 'Dex'. Once again 'Base' represents the ability set in the Power Group.

• Mod: Modifier applied to save.

• On Save: Click here to select 'Half on Success' if the creature takes only half damage on a successful saving throw.

• Once completed the effect will appear in the Powers tab ready for use. Clicking the small dice icon beside the effect will cause Fantasy Grounds to make the attack and/or saving throw against the target of the attack. Players can also perform the attack and save separately by clicking first on the little sword icon and then on the dice icon beside the save.

Damage Dialog

• Click the 'Edit List' button and then the green 'Add Item' button to create a new line.

• Click on the box below CL to cycle through the caster level value. This could be caster level, caster level divided by 2, divided by 3 and so on.

• In the box below MAX enter to max level for the caster level modifier. Example setting it to 10 would limit the level modifier for caster level to 10.

• Drag dice and drop them into the 'Dice' box for the damage amount. For example if the damage is 2d6; click and hold a d6, then right click to add a second dice and then drop into the box below 'Dice'.

• The second box below the ‘Dice’ label can be used as a flat multiplier. For example if you wanted to have a spell cause Caster Level X 2 damage you would enter a 2 in the box.

• Drag dice and drop them into the ‘Custom’ box for additional static damage. This field will not be multiplied by the caster level.

• Click on the box below 'Stat' to cycle through the options. Once again 'Base' will feed off whatever ability was set in the Power Group.

• Add any modifier values into the box below ‘MOD’ to the damage if this is relevant. Note that this is not the bonus from the ability being used but any bonus that might be available from a magic weapon for example.

• Enter the type of damage that the effect will do. Note multiple damage types can be entered separated by a comma. You can also add magic, silver, adamantine or cold-forged if the damage has any of these tags.

• You can continue to add new lines for more damage if this is relevant.

Heal Dialog

• Select the target of the heal by clicking through the options in 'Targeting'. 'Self' will only heal the caster. Targets will heal any target selected including the caster if he is selected.

• Cycle through the options under 'Type'. 'TEMP' will give the target temporary hit points, 'HP' will remove wounds from any targets selected by the character using the cast.

• Click the 'Edit list' button and then the green 'Add Item' button to add a new line.

• Click on the box below CL to cycle through the caster level value. This could be caster level, caster level divided by 2, divided by 3 and so on.

• In the box below MAX enter to max level for the caster level modifier. Example setting it to 10 would limit the level modifier for caster level to 10.

• Drag dice into the dice box in the same way as described above.

• The second box below the ‘Dice’ label can be used as a flat multiplier. For example if you wanted to have a spell heal Caster Level X 2 wounds you would enter a 2 in the box.

• Drag dice and drop them into the ‘Custom’ box for additional static amount. This field will not be multiplied by the caster level.

• Select a stat if appropriate in the stat box by clicking through the options. Again 'base' will use the ability from the power group. There are also options to add level, proficiency or class.

• Add any modifier values into the box below ‘MOD’ to the heal if this is relevant. 

• More lines can be added if appropriate

Effect Dialog

• The Descriptions/Conditions/Modifiers line is where you enter your effect. Almost anything can appear here including 'dummy' text. More information on how to create effects in this box is given below.

• Click on the box below CL to cycle through the caster level value. This could be caster level, caster level divided by 2, divided by 3 and so on.

• In the box below MAX enter to max level for the caster level modifier. Example setting it to 10 would limit the level modifier for caster level to 10.

• The box below the ‘Value’ label can be used as a flat multiplier. For example if you wanted to have a spell duration Caster Level X 2, you would enter a 2 in the box.

• Drag dice into the dice box in the same way as described above. This will be rolled and applied to the duration.

• Add any modifier values into the box below ‘MOD’ to the duration if this is relevant.

• The Duration information is specified in time units. Click on the 'RND' word to cycle through the available time unit intervals (RND = Round, TRN = Turn, HR = hour and DAY = day). If the effect should never expire, enter a zero value or leave blank. Otherwise, enter a number to indicate how long until the effect expires using the selected time units.

• The Visibility value can be set to Hide or Show. Hide will always hide the effect from a player. Show will always show the effect to the player. Leaving it as default and the effect will use standard visibility option for that situation.

• Click on 'Targeting' to select whether the effect should apply to the caster (self) or to targets.

• Click through the 'Expend?' options. This determines whether the effect can expire based on usage (i.e. expended), in addition to duration. The options are as follows:

• Never: The effect will never be expended, and the length of the effect is only governed by the duration.

• On Next Action: The effect will be expended on the next relevant action. So if the effect is a damage effect then it will be used up when the player next rolls for damage.

• On Next Roll: The effect will be expended immediately on the next relevant roll made by the character. For example if the effect modifies both attack and damage the effect will be used up on the next attack or damage roll. If there are several targets then each of the targets will be affected by the roll not just the first.

• Once per modifier: The effect will continue until a roll has been made involving all of the modifiers in the effect. For example if there is an effect which applies to both attack and damage. The attack part will only be used on the first attack even if the character makes several subsequent attacks. The effect will then be expended completely once a damage roll has been made.

Examples