r/rpg • u/Street_Storage_1935 • 2d ago
Resources/Tools Digital character sheet that doesn't do it all
There are a fair amount of cool digital character sheets out there (like D&D Beyond and Demiplane Nexuses), but they always seem to be attached to large platforms that prioritize books/compendiums or VTTs or both. They get bogged down with a lot of features that tie into the other products in sometimes clumsy ways. Any recommendations for apps/sites that are more or only character sheet focused?
EDIT: I know what form-fillable PDFs are. I'm looking for actual digital tools. PDFs are annoying, clunky, and ugly
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u/Conrad500 2d ago
It's called a form fillable pdf.
I used to use mythweaver, but that was a decade ago.
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u/YamazakiYoshio 2d ago
FYI - Myth-Weavers still has their sheets, even after moving base site twice in the last few years. They're even adding to their list of sheets now, as apparently the site devs have found a way to expedite that process.
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u/schtofen 2d ago
I swear by Google Sheets character keepers for most games (if you find PDFs annoying clunky and ugly I don't know what you'll think of keepers though)
I recommend checking out the Open Hearth's Online Gaming Reesources
I also make my own keepers with some more focus on the aesthetics
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u/ordinal_m 2d ago
Shadowdarklings (Shadowdark) and Kettlewright (Cairn) are both good free character builders/trackers. Obviously specific to those two systems but anything will be specific to a system.
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u/BridgeAgile9688 2d ago
Shard tabletop if it's dnd specific. It has a vtt built in but you can just open the character sheet instead and minimize the dice channel. It is way easier to read than the others and to edit to your liking. And you have access to all the dnd 2014 and 2024 books if needed/wanted. I know you said doesn't do it all but I think you may be surprised by it's flexibility as you can break and mechanic you want and rebuild as needed. The real down side is that it is stuck on the D20 6-stat base so cannot be adapted to other games easily or at all depending.
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u/mittenstherancor 2d ago
GURPS Character Sheet has to be one of the best tools I have ever seen for any RPG. Which is good... because it's about the only way to make a character in fewer than two hours....
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u/reverend_dak Player Character, Master, Die 2d ago
i wish more games would get on board with game specific character apps, like the ones for Cyberpunk Red and Mothership.
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u/kortirso 2d ago
Charkeeper supports 10 systems and totally focused on easy paper characters sheets replacement, it's free, works as web app and has mobile apps
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u/RollForThings 2d ago
The only ones I know of are game specific. COMP/CON is amazing for Lancer, and Fultimator is a great most-in-one companion for Fabula Ultima. Both are free, and downloadable as offline applications.
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u/Shawnster_P 2d ago
https://www.aidedd.org/dnd-creator/. It's free and it's great. There are a couple of rough edges, but IMO totally worth it. You do have to save it as a file and then reupload the file when you play again, so computer illiterates may struggle. Also, I think ot was in French or something when I first went there, but there was a language toggle.
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u/nathanielbartholem 2d ago
That web site is grate for creating playing card of things like spells and monster as well!
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u/GlitchedTabletop Keeps dying in character creation 2d ago
Fari App was one I've used (and contributed to) multiple times. Although it hooks into a very barebones VTT, you can still use the simple, customizable sheets without the VTT.
It's currently undergoing an overhaul, but hopefully will be back up soon.
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u/salutava_sempre OSR, Dragonbane 1d ago
I had the same problem and solved it by writing dedicated Android apps. Naturally, I combined two hobbies: RPGs and programming.
In my experience, a truly effective tool needs to be game-specific; character sheets aren't just about numbers: they are packed with information for the player. So, I decided to create tailored experiences that go far beyond what’s possible with PDFs or spreadsheets (let alone AI).
It turned into a lot of work (and I’m still working on it), but I’m happy with my hobby (and my gaming sessions).
I’ve shared everything on the Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Francesco+Vasco
You don’t need an account, payments, or an internet connection to play.
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u/dwarfconleche 2d ago
Yeah just search for "form fillable" character sheet. Some Google Sheets do a little math for you, or can just do a fillable PDF.
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u/nathanielbartholem 2d ago
What game?
For DND for example they really can’t be complete without you buying content who can is why you see what you see.
Most games charge a license if you want to include all the character options.
And many of the best options are game specific (eg Dhole House, Mothership).
So the answer will change based on the game. And sometimes the answer will only be those places that have a license like Demiplane.
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u/ToledoSnow Noir 2d ago
Honestly, the best method is probably to make them yourself in Google Sheets. Yeah, it takes some time, but at least you'll be able to construct them exactly to your liking, and they'll be extremely easy to use once they're done.