This will just be a quick run-through of the roll20 interface for GURPS. The example pictures I’ll be including are from my own completed character sheet, so your values will be different.
You’ll find your character sheet in the Journal tab of the roll20 sidebar.
- Main Tab
This first tab is where all of your attributes are recorded. All of the entry boxes have special qualities that vary based on their color.
I don’t fully know how to utilize the weapon or armor sections (the green and blue boxes), so I won’t be covering them in this chapter. If I do end up figuring it out, I’ll put it in STEP 7.
Don’t worry about filling this page out right now, you’ll decide what you want to put in here at STEP 5. For now, just try to understand the layout.
- Gray Boxes (Generic)
There are two different kinds of these boxes: light and dark.
A light box is for entering a base value of some sort, like for attribute scores. As a rule, these boxes contain completely unmodified attributes that can only change with the use of CPs.
They’re also used to enter descriptions for things.
A dark box is similar, but it does not necessarily contain just the base value all of the time. It is used for stats or attributes that have base values but also have other factors that can influence them, such as advantages, disadvantages, or equipment. They also are used to track non-character related values in the other tabs.
- Yellow Boxes (Dynamic)
A yellow box contains a value that will get changed a lot. These will be used to keep track of things like current hitpoints and defense ratings. The values they keep track of will never have a base value that is completely their own.
- Purple Boxes (Reactive)
These boxes are unique in that you cannot directly enter a value for them. They only contain values that are dependent on other values, like your marker for half-HP. All these boxes do is apply a set formula to a value from another box and display the result.
The two exceptions to this are the Combat and Full Load Dodge rating boxes, as the formulas that govern their values can change depending on which of their bubbles is filled in.
This is the only application of bubbles.
- Beige Boxes (Dropdown)
Clicking on one of these boxes will show a dropdown list of all of the options that can be put in that box. By clicking an option on the list, it sets that as the selection for the box. This value is usually then called upon by another formula executed by a purple or black box.
- Black Boxes (Interactive)
Clicking on any black box will perform some kind of action. Usually the black boxes will perform a check for you, but the Maneuver box declares your next combat maneuver in the chat depending on what you filled the beige and gray boxes around it with. If I wanted to do an All Out Defense (Dodge) maneuver with an Acrobatic Dodge while Retreating, then I would fill everything out like so:
And when I click it, this will appear in the chat:
I don’t think it matters what you put in the boxes that aren’t for base maneuvers or maneuver options. I could be wrong, but as far as I can tell the Maneuver button only displays what’s in those.
- Skills Tab
Now that you understand how the boxes work, try to get a grasp of how your skills are going to be laid out. You aren’t going to be deciding on these now either; that’s also in STEP 5.
What you’ll be doing with this right now is figuring out how to add skills to your list.
My character sheet has a bunch of stuff already on it, but yours is going to look more like the way my Techniques look. You won’t have anything there, so to add a new line for a skill, you just click the +Add button and one will pop right up.
Take a look at all of the boxes. The only one you shouldn’t recognize is the one labeled CP. You’ll never have to worry about this since it doesn’t really do anything other than remind you to do something with it later. If you mouse over it, a help bubble with show up:
To remove a line, hit the Modify button at the bottom right of the Skills section. All of the lines will then be grayed out and a red button with a trashcan will appear on each line. Click the red button of the line you want removed and it’ll disappear. To go back to editing your lines, press the Done button where the Modify button used to be.
The section labeled Ref. is where you’ll be putting page references to the skill in
question. This is helpful for finding it in the book again later, but I’m going to include that sort of thing later in this guide so that you don’t need to worry about it. It’s more convenient if you do it yourself though.
That’s all you need to know about how to operate this tab for now. You’ll learn how to fill it out in STEP 5.
- Traits Tab
This layout is the same as the one for skills, except there are no fancy boxes.
In this tab, you just add lines and page references. Don’t worry; you don’t need to put down this much stuff. Even though it looks like I put down the entire description (which I did) for every advantage and disadvantage, I spread that out over multiple lines to make it easier to read. It doesn’t do that automatically; the line just keeps on going on and on and on if you don’t stop adding to it.
If you want a more concise layout, you should summarize your advantages and
disadvantages in as few words as possible. I find the exact wording more helpful, but that’s just personal preference. Make sure you include all of the vital information like the CP cost and such.
The next step, STEP 3, will contain further instructions on how to use this layout effectively. There’s not much to do here.
- Inventory and Powers Tabs
I don’t know how items are going to work in this until we actually start the campaign. I’m also pretty sure that Powers won’t be a thing in this unless you’re a Force user. I’m not a Force user, so it doesn’t concern me. That’s something you’ve to figure out on your own.
- Various Tab
This part is useful, but not really required. The CP tracker is all you will need this for.
I highly advise that you use the Quick Notes feature of this tab to keep track of your CP expenditures. Log everything that you take and note the cost of it. Go through it and make sure everything adds up to +75 CPs before you finish making your character.
Something else that’s really cool about this tab is the way it uses languages. If you click the interactive box by any of your known languages, a prompt will appear. You can then type whatever you want to say in that language into it. Press Submit and it will appear in the chat: