Call of Cthulhu 7E by Roll20

August 06, 2020 21:02

Welcome to the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Character Sheet by Roll20!

This information will guide you through the process of setting up a character and using the sheet, but if you have any questions, concerns, or feature requests, please head over to the Character Sheet forum, where the friendly folks there can guide you to success!

The Basics

Adding the Character Sheet to a Game

You can add an official or community contributed character sheet to your game when you first create it. On the Game Creation screen, underneath the large blue “I’m Ready, Create Game!” button is the “Optional: Choose a Character Sheet” section. Located here is a drop-down menu that lists all the character sheets built either by Roll20 officially or created by the community. These sheets are sorted under their respective RPG Systems in alphanumerical order. Once selected, a preview of the character sheet will load upon the creation page for you to review as well as showcase relevant information about the sheet, such as the sheet’s creator and its key features.

You can find the Roll20 Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition sheet in the dropdown at either: Sheets by Roll20 → Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition OR Call of Cthulhu → Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition by Roll20.

If you want to add a character sheet to an existing campaign, you can find this drop-down menu once again by accessing the Game Settings Page from the Game Details Page.

If you have added custom attributes to your character journals before adding a character sheet to a campaign, you may want to delete them first. Adding a character sheet to a campaign will create a set of custom attributes on all your character journals, but it will reuse any attributes encountered if they share the same name. This can cause calculation issues on the sheet.*

Where to Find the Sheet

Once a character sheet is added to a game, and once inside it, a new tab will be available on a character journal between the “Bio & Info” and “Attributes & Abilities” tab labeled “Character Sheet”. Much like the Attributes & Abilities tab, players who have Edit permissions for the journal entry will be able to access the Character Sheet tab.

Sheet Features

The Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition sheet has all of the functionality of a pen and paper sheet, and much more. Certain aspects of the sheet are streamlined or automated to remove bookkeeping and speed up gameplay.

The Key Features are Auto Calculations, Edit Mode, Macro Buttons and Roll Templates.

Auto Calculations

Parts of the sheet use auto calculations to fill in derived attributes with the expectation that you're using the rules as printed in the 7th Edition Keeper Rulebook. You can disable these automatic calculations can from the Settings panel, as described below in the documentation for the settings panel.

Build and Damage Bonus. The build and damage bonus calculations require you to have entered both your Size and Strength characteristics. The sheet will then automatically fill in your Build and Damage Bonus.
Hit Points. The hit points calculation requires you to have entered your Constitution and Size characteristics. The sheet will then automatically fill in your Hit Point maximum.
Movement Rate. The movement rate calculation requires you to have entered your Dexterity and Strength characteristics, and also your character's Age. The sheet will then automatically fill in your Movement Rate.
Magic Points. The magic points calculation requires you to have added your Power characteristic to the sheet. The sheet will then automatically fill in your Magic Point maximum.
Spending Level Calculation. The spending level calculation requires you to have added your Credit Rating skill to the sheet. The sheet will then automatically fill in your equivalent Spending Level.
Dodge Calculation. The dodge calculation requires you to have added your Dexterity characteristic to the sheet. The sheet will then automatically add your Dodge skill to the sheet.

NOTE: As dexterity changes, the dodge skill will increase an equivalent amount, and so preserve any skill points invested into this skill. As such, the behavior of this calculation may be undesirable in some circumstances.

roup to use whatever custom house rules you require.

Edit Mode

By default, when first created, the character sheet will be in 'Edit Mode'. This allows for you to enter the attributes of your character. When you're ready to play, you can click the Edit Toggle at the top of the sheet, which will cause the sheet to enter 'Play Mode', allowing you to click the elements of your sheet to make rolls. If you need to make future changes to your characteristics, simply toggle 'Edit Mode' back on!

roup to use whatever custom house rules you require.

Repeating Selections

Certain sections of the character sheet are designed to allow for you to add your own entries. To do this, you must first be in Edit Mode, which reveals the repeating section controls, which look like two buttons: one with a '+' symbol, and one that displays a padlock.

Adding new Rows. To add a new row, click the button marked with a '+', to create a new row, allowing you to fill out the details.

NOTE: Created rows that are not provided data will are deleted when you close the sheet, or toggle Edit Mode.

Deleting and Organizing Elements. This icon behaves as a toggle button: when set in the locked position (default), a player can add new entries into the field. When the button is toggled to unlocked, a player can no longer add new entries, but they will be able to delete any of the existing ones. The red trash bin icon overlaid on the right-hand side of the entry will delete it.

NOTE: This cannot be undone! On the left side of every entry while the padlock is unlocked is a re-sort icon symbolized by three parallel lines. By clicking and dragging on this icon, you can rearrange the order of the entries in the field.

Roll Buttons and Roll Templates

When in 'Play Mode', many elements of the sheet can be clicked to make a roll, or otherwise display information in the Chat panel. Skills, Characteristics, Weapons and Spells can all be used to make a roll, while the Backstory elements can be output to chat. Any of these rolls can be dragged directly from the sheet to your Macro Quick Bar, enabled from the sidebar's Setting Tab in the VTT.

All buttons that highlight yellow can be rolled!

The sheet has a single, unified roll template that is output to the Chat Tab on the right-hand side of the screen. This template is used to represent all rolls in the system, with sections visible or hidden as the roll requires.

Bonus / Penalty Dice

At the bottom of the roll template is a button that allows you to roll Bonus and Penalty Dice. Bonus and Penalty dice are a large aspect of the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition system, and currently there are two ways to implement them in your game:

Standard. In standard mode, the button simply rolls a d10, allowing you to substitute this for the "tens" die in your original result, as though you were playing at the table. This button can be clicked repeatedly for different results.
Query Mode. In query mode, rolling Bonus / Penalty dice will cause a dialog to appear, asking you to confirm whether you are rolling Bonus or Penalty dice, and how many. The sheet will then roll a number of dice equal to the amount specified. If bonus dice were selected, the roll template will display the lowest result of these rolls, and if penalty dice were selected, it will display the highest of these results. This will allow you to substitute this new number for the "tens" die of your original result.

NOTE: It is important to be aware that, by default, when Roll20 rolls a d10, it generates a number between 1 and 10. However, when rolling penalty dice Call of Cthulhu anticipates a result between 0 and 9. To account for this, when penalty or bonus dice are rolled, the final result is decreased by 1 (1d10-1) to generate a number between 0 and 9.

The PC Sheet

The Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition sheet contains both the PC sheet, and a secondary mode for NPC display. By default, a new character is set to the PC sheet, but you can switch between the two by toggling the NPC toggle in the sheet's settings.

The PC sheet is comprised of a toggle bar, which contains some essential controls, a header element, and several tabs that you can toggle between, displaying different elements of the character sheet.

the field.

The Toggle Bar

The Call of Cthulhu toggle bar contains a number of controls that are important to sheet usage:

Roll Options

The Roll options toggle allows users to switch between roll difficulties.

Regular. Selecting regular will make future rolls test against the full value of the selecting characteristic. For example, rolling your Accounting skill, which has a vlue of 34, will roll a d100 and compare it to the full value of the skill.
Hard. Selecting hard will make future rolls test against the half value of the characteristic. For instance, if you roll the same accounting skill it will test against 16.
Extreme. Selecting extreme will make future rolls test against one fifth of the value of the characteristic. For instance, if you roll the same accounting skill it will test against 6.
Verbose. Selecting verbose will make future rolls test against the standard value of a rolled characteristic, however, it will also display the required values for hard and extreme. This allows for quicker rolling, but a little more manual work on your behalf.

The Header

The header block at the top of the sheet will remain consistent regardless of which tab you select below. This section contains your character's name, occupation, age, gender, residence, and birthplace.

Characteristics. Each of your character's characteristics are also displayed in the header. When in Edit Mode, these can be changed and can be clicked as buttons to make rolls when the sheet is in normal mode.

Hit Points

Also displayed in the header are your character's hit points. On the left side is the current value, while on the right is the maximum value. Some users may find it advantageous to switch these inputs to 'always edit' mode. This can be done by switching the relevant toggle in the sheet's settings.

Health Toggles. Beneath the hit point values are three toggles, the first is used to indicate that your character has received a Major Wound, the second to indicate that they are Unconscious, and the third to indicate that they are Dying. These toggles can be turned on or off, regardless of whether you are in edit or normal mode.

Sanity

This section displays your character's current and maximum Sanity, and can also be clicked, while in normal mode, to roll a Sanity check. Some users may find it advantageous to switch these inputs to 'always edit' mode. This can be done by switching the relevant toggle in the sheet's settings.

Sanity Toggles. Beneath the sanity values are two toggles, the first is used to indicate that your character is Temporarily Insane, the second to indicate that they are Permanently Insane. These toggles can be turned on or off, regardless of whether you are in edit or normal mode.

Magic Points

This section displays your character's current and maximum Magic Points. Some users may find it advantageous to switch these inputs to 'always edit' mode. This can be done by switching the relevant toggle in the sheet's settings.

The Skills Tab

The Skills Tab contains a list of all of your character's skills. Each skill can be rolled in normal mode, by clicking the box, and when in Edit Mode, the value it tests against can be modified.

Usage Indicators

To the left of each skill is a circular checkmark, clicking this control toggles the skill "on", to indicate that it has been used, for the purposes of tracking skill improvement as described in the Call of Cthulhu 7e rule books.

Grouped Skills

Certain skills in Call of Cthulhu have grouped specialties. These categories (Art / Craft, Fighting, Firearms, Languages, and Sciences) can have skills added or removed while in Edit Mode, allowing you to add the specialties that your character requires. While in Edit Mode, the names of these skills can be changed, but otherwise, they behave in all respects like regular skills.

Fixed Specialty Fields

Certain grouped skills have a few fixed entries that are considered universal specialisms that all characters have, or require, access to. Examples of such skills are Fighting (Brawl), Firearms (Handgun), or Languages (Own). Additionally, there are a number of fixed rows for Fighting and Firearms which can be updated like a custom skill but cannot be removed. These skills are those that will appear as options to select when adding a weapon to your character, and so should be reserved for specialisms that you are likely to frequently use.

Adding Custom Skills

Custom skills, (i.e. those not represented on the sheet) can be added under the Additional Skills header. The first four of these rows function identically to the 'Fixed Specialty Fields' described above, allowing them to serve as additional Firearms or Fighting skills, if required. To add additional skills, or to edit the fixed rows, first toggle yourself into Edit Mode. Adding skill can be achieved by clicking the '+' button beneath the rows, and it should also be possible to rename skills and adjust their values while in this mode.

The Combat Tab

The combat tab contains all the information required during combat in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition. You can use this page to enter and display a character's various combat attributes, and also record any weapons, or attacks that they may have.

Combat Attributes

In the section at the top of the page are two boxes. The one on the left collates a variety of combat attributes, such as the Dodge Skill, as well as your character's build, damage bonus and movement rate. The second box, on the right, is used to track your character's armor. With the first field being used to enter the type of armor, or any details regarding it, and the right being used to track the numerical value.

Weapons

At the bottom of the combat page is a repeating section that can be used to store and roll any weapons that your character may have. To add a weapon, you must be in Edit Mode, and then click the '+' button beneath the rows. Doing so will add a blank weapon, which you can then detail. The various fields of a weapon row are given further detail below:

Weapon Name. This can literally be the name of the weapon, but can also be used to describe another sort of attack. For instance, it is often common practice for the first 'weapon' to actually be an "Unarmed Attack".
Skill. The skill field presents a drop-down menu of skill options. Available to choose from are all of the fighting and firearms fixed rows, and those from the additional skills. If the attack is linked to a statistic or skill not available from this menu, you can select 'Custom', which reveals a field in the weapon's settings panel, described below.
Damage. This is used to list the weapon's damage. NOTE: Values entered into this field must be a 'rollable' value (i.e. either a whole number 15, or a dice formula 1d6). If there are effects of the weapon not strictly expressible as a numerical value, it is advised that you enter this information into the weapon's description, instead. See below for further details.
Range. This field is used to record the weapon's range, and is displayed in the roll template when the weapon is used.
Attacks. This field is used to record the number of attacks that can be made with this weapon, and is displayed in the roll template when the weapon is used.
Ammo. This field is used to record the number of shots that remain in a weapon that uses depletable ammunition.
Malfunction. This is used to define the malfunction range of the weapon, if the attack roll exceeds this value it is considered to have malfunctioned. If the weapon does not have a specific malfunction range, leave this value blank, or set it to 0, to remove the possibility of a malfunction occurring.

Weapon Settings

Each weapon has a settings panel that is concealed by default that contains some additional settings. Clicking the '+' button at the far left of the row will reveal this panel. If this button is pressed while not in Edit Mode, you will instead see this information displayed in an easily readable format.

Description. This field can be used to enter information about the weapon. This could include any additional rules pertinent to the weapon or attack, or could provide some context to the weapon itself. It is worth noting that inline rolls can be added to the weapon's description (i.e. The attack does [[2d10]] additional fire damage.) and that these inline rolls will be rolled and added to the description when the attack is made.
Damage Bonus. This checkbox controls whether your character's damage bonus is added to the damage of the attack. When checked, the circle will be filled yellow and the damage bonus will be added when the attack is rolled.
Impale Bonus. This checkbox controls whether the attack has an impale value. When checked, the circle will be filled yellow and an impale bonus will be added to the attack on an Extreme success. Checking this also reveals the Impale Value input field, detailed below.
Impale Value. This field is used to enter the total damage added when a weapon successfully impales (i.e. an extreme success is rolled). This value is generally a 'flat' number, but an inline roll (i.e. [[2d10]]) can be added if the weapon you are adding requires a variable amount.

The Backstory Tab

This tab is used for storing the various backstory elements of your character, including their personal description, ideology/beliefs, significant relationships, meaningful locations, treasured possessions, traits, injuries & scars, phobias & manias, arcane tomes & artifacts, and their encounters with strange entities.

Backstory Fields

The backstory fields can only have data entered when the sheet is in Edit Mode. The textareas can be resized vertically to accommodate a larger amount of text. Additionally, the contents of any given field can be output to chat by clicking the speech bubble in the top right of the field.

The Spells Tab

The Spells Tab is used to store any spells you might acquire during the game. Rows can be added to this page by clicking the '+' button at the bottom left of the page while in Edit Mode.

Spells

Each spell has a number of fields for storing relevant data and information.

Spell Name. Spells in Call of Cthulhu are given generic names, for instance 'Apportion Ka' or 'Bless Blade', but are also given more descriptive and evocative alternative names such as 'The Deathless Breath' or 'Ritual of the Seven Cuts'.
MP Cost. Spells in Call of Cthulhu almost always expend some amount of Magic Points, the value of which should be entered in this field. NOTE: value entered into this field must be a 'rollable' value (i.e. either a whole number 15, or a dice formula 1d6). If there are costs of the spell not strictly expressible as a numerical value, it is advised that you enter this information into the 'Other Costs' field, instead. See below for further details.
Sanity Cost. Spells in Call of Cthulhu often have a Sanity point cost, the value of which which should be entered in this field. NOTE: value entered into this field must be a 'rollable' value (i.e. either a whole number 15, or a dice formula 1d6). If there are costs of the spell not strictly expressible as a numerical value, it is advised that you enter this information into the 'Other Costs' field, instead. See below for further details.
Other Costs. Spells can have a complex and varied number of other costs, besides those for Sanity and Magic Point. In this field, you are able to detail this information. It is worth noting that inline rolls can be added to the weapon's description (i.e. [[2d20]] POW points) and that these inline rolls will be rolled and added to the description when the spell is cast.
Casting Time. This field is used to record a spell's casting time. This might be instantaneous, or it might require hours or days. In the instance of variable casting times, it is possible to add inline rolls to this section (i.e. [[1d6]] hours), this roll will be calculated when the spell is cast.

Spells Settings

Each spell has a settings panel that is concealed by default that contains some additional settings. Clicking the '+' button at the far left of the row will reveal this panel. If this button is pressed while not in Edit Mode, you will instead see this information displayed in an easily readble format.

Description. This field can be used to enter information about the weapon. This could include any additional rules pertinent to the weapon or attack, or could provide some context to the weapon itself. It is worth noting that inline rolls can be added to the weapon's description (i.e. The attack does [[2d10]] additional fire damage.) and that these inline rolls will be rolled and added to the description when the attack is made.
Spell Learned. This field is used to indicate whether the character has learned the spell or not. Most spells in Call of Cthulhu 7th edition require a period of time to learn. If this field is checked, the Time Left to Learn (see below) will be hidden.
Time Left to Learn. This field is used to indicate how long remains before a character has finished learning a spell. Most spells in Call of Cthulhu 7th edition require a period of time to learn. If the Spell Learned field (see above) is checked, this field will be hidden.
First Cast. A Hard POW test is required the first time a spell is cast. This field can be checked to indicate that this hard POW test has been completed.

The Possessions Tab

The possessions tab contains not only a list of possessions that your character has, but also a list of their assets, and some important . You can use this page to enter and display a character's various combat attributes, and also record any weapons, or attacks that they may have.

Wealth and Spending Level

Your character's wealth and spending level can both be tracked in this panel. To edit these fields, ensure that you are in Edit Mode.

NOTE: Your character's Spending Level will auto-calculate on the basis of your character's Credit Rating skill. If this behavior is undesirable, it can be toggled off in the settings tab.

Assets

You can use this section of the character sheet to record assets that you character possesses, but that isn't considered among their 'possessions'. For instance: property, investments, or shares in a business, would be recorded as assets. You can add assets to your character by, while in Edit Mode, clicking the '+' button at the bottom of the section to create a new row, and then filling in the name of the asset.

By clicking the '+' icon to the left of the row, you can toggle the display of the asset's description, allowing you to record further details on that asset.

Possessions

You can use this section of the character sheet to record the items that your character owns and carries with them. To add a new Possession, while in Edit Mode, click the '+' button at the bottom of the section to create a new row, and then fill in the name of the possession. A second field, 'Type' is provided to record the type of the item; for instance, "Weapon", "Clothing", or "Tools". This has no gameplay effect, but might prove useful to record.

By clicking the '+' icon to the left of the row, you can toggle the display of the possession's description, allowing you to record further details on that possession.

The Settings Tab

The settings tab display the various controls for the character sheet, allowing you to influence the way in which it behaves, or information is displayed.

General Settings

Sheet Version. The sheet's current version is displayed here.
NPC Toggle. This control allows you to toggle the sheet into NPC Mode. The NPC mode is a slightly slimmed-down version of the sheet on a single page that allows Keepers the ability to record, and roll, non-player characters or creatures.

Controls

Edit Toggles. These toggles allow you to set certain elements of the character sheet, those that are most often likely to change on a regular basis, in an editable state, even when not in Edit Mode. This is designed to speed up gameplay and reduce the number of clicks required to make small changes. The fields that you can lock open are Hitpoints, Magic Points, Sanity, and Luck.

Calculations

These toggles allow you to disable certain elements of the sheet's autocalculations, which are described above.

NOTE: When a toggle is switched to 'on', it will immediately trigger a recalculation of the derived attribute.

Roll Options

Query Bonus / Penalty Dice. This toggle controls how Bonus and Penalty Dice are rolled by the sheet. When toggled off, the sheet behaves in the default manner: simply rolling a single dice for each time the Bonus/Penalty dice button is clicked.
When toggled on, clicking the Bonus/Penalty Dice button instead supplies a query for the type and number of dice. These dice will then all be rolled, and the result from either the highest or lowest dice will be displayed. Further information on this process is given above in the Sheet Features section.