By John Grigsby, Staff Reviewer

Available at The Only Sheet.

A demo copy, capable of handling up characters up to 6th level, is available as a free download, and you can purchase a validation key that will unlock all the features for $20 (Canadian), but this may increase with the new update.

Initiative Round
The Only Sheet is a Dungeons & Dragons supplement from Richard Taillon. It is downloaded as a zipped Microsoft Excel file weighing in under 1 MB. The demo version of The Only Sheet is free, while the full version (currently at 7.04.4) retails for roughly $18.00 (USD). The Only Sheet is created using Microsoft Excel 2003 on Windows. It may not work on older versions of Excel or non-Windows systems. It is NOT compatible with other spreadsheets applications.

Let's face it. Dungeons & Dragons is a great game, but creating characters can be the pits, especially if you're creating a character that begins at, say, 6th or 7th level. At this level, even an experienced player can spend an hour or more making all the necessary calculations and figuring the character's bonuses, and let's not even discuss the time requirements for putting together an epic-level character!

Well, what if I told you that there was an easier way?

The Only Sheet is the creation of Richard Taillon, and it makes character creation a breeze! This program makes full use of the powerful functions and Virtual Basic for Applications found in Microsoft Excel and puts them to work in helping you develop your character in a way that has never been possible until now! There are many character generators on the market, but I guarantee you will not find one that does what The Only Sheet can do!

The only real way to get a sense of what this program can do is to download the demo and go through the process of creating a character, but I'll try to hit the highlights. Still, I urge you to try it. I promise you will find it a sound investment and will return to submit your registration as soon as you've used it!

Please understand that the demo is intentionally very limited. That means that if you try to do some of the things I'm going to discuss here, you're going to be sorely disappointed. The registered version permits you to do so much more. Keep that in mind if you pick up a copy of the demo and wonder why you can't do something.

Okay, so what does it really do? For starters, you can simply drop your ability scores, class, and level into the sheet and it automatically figures up your modifiers, saving throws, and combat information. Big deal, you say. A lot of automated character sheets do that.

Yes, but how many of them will also tell you how many skill points you have available to spend, permit you to spend them, and then automatically calculate your skill bonuses, including all modifiers for feats, abilities, and other minutia you may overlook? Not quite so many, I'll wager. Skill bonuses also provide a breakdown, so if for some reason you can't claim your ability bonus to a skill, it's easy to figure out how much to subtract.

Now how many sheets will automatically update and keep track of this information accurately for up to six different classes, including custom classes that you (or other users) have developed? And how many other sheets permit you to advance each of these six classes (including prestige classes) even into epic level, without limitation? Yes, you can have a 600th-level character if you so desire (and your DM will let you get away with it).

The Only Sheet tracks hit point gains with each level. Simply enter your new hit point roll, and it is automatically figured into your hit point total, complete with any applicable modifiers. If you're also due an ability increase, the sheet will let you know that as well, and it tracks how many feats your character should have, both regular and bonus feats.

The sheet is well-organized and prints beautifully, providing you with a two-page character sheet that contains all the vital details. The front of the sheet tracks up to six different weapons, automatically calculating your attack bonuses and damage with each. All of your ability scores, skill checks, combat information, and even things like your action points and leadership score are displayed here and easy to locate. Role-playing material, such as height, weight, and gender, is also found on this side. Oh, and if you have a ranged weapon listed that uses ammo, check boxes are provided for you to track your ammo expenditure.

The reverse (or the second page) lists character feats, armor (and other protective items), gear carried (along with encumbrance, and movement on the front is modified by this automatically), and provides a handy rundown of any special abilities your character may have due to race or class. Further, each ability that has a limited number of uses is provided with checkboxes to allow you to mark off when an ability is used, so you don't forget (and the number of uses is also automatically calculated). Finally, the spell tracker tells you how many spells you get of each level per day and the DC for each level of spell, for up to three different classes. There is a space for notes, languages, and your character's current monetary situation. I understand that in TOS+, an upcoming product based on the design of The Only Sheet, a similar section to that which serves to note your special abilities will also contain reminders about conditional bonuses (say, a cloak of elvenkind, which offers a bonus to Hide only when the hood is drawn up).

Now, even if this was all the sheet did, it would still be well-worth the $20 (CDN) fee. But, as the old commercial goes, "Now how much would you pay? Well, don't answer yet, because you also get..."

Let's say that your DM has asked you to build your character using the point buy system. If you haven't memorized it (or even if you have, and just don't feel like doing all that math), The Only Sheet has a built in calculator for just that purpose. Simply enter your point value, and then enter your desired scores. The program will alert you if you've gone over, or if you still have points left to spend. With a click of the mouse, the scores are automatically annotated on the front of the sheet, already adjusted for race!

There is also a stat sheet, automatically updated, that provides a compact overview of your character, including feats, skills, hit points, AC, and all other essential data. This can be used as a quick reference by you, and a courtesy copy provided to your GM. And as this is Microsoft Excel, only the pages you specifically tell the program to print are printed, so you don't waste ink printing a 16-page sheet just because you added a new piece of equipment. Did I mention that you can also prepare your character as an HTML file, suitable for putting on the web?

It's common knowledge that few character carry around tons of gold pieces (or even hundreds of platinum). Most campaigns have some sort of system where this money can be safely cared for (even if they don't call it a bank, per say). The Only Sheet takes that into consideration. Using the treasure sheet, you can safely track your character's riches, whether they are kept on your mount, your person, a bank, or stuffed inside your mattress at the inn. It also alerts you to how heavy that pile of gold is going to be.

Impressed? You should be. But you haven't seen anything yet!

The Only Sheet has a full page of blank lines, perfect for note taking. There are also sheets to generate animal companions, familiars, and mounts (including special mounts for paladins and similar characters). And what is more, these sheets reference your character sheet to insure that animals have the appropriate amount of hit dice and applicable special abilities. Never again will you forget that your cat can speak with other animals of its type, or that your paladin's mount knows the seek trick.

Spellcasters and psionics-users will be happy to see the spell planners and power planners. Not only do these references make preparing a character's spell/power list and prepared spells so much simpler, they also provide a handy reference when you're sitting at the table! If you just can't seem to remember the range of a magic missile, it's on there. Unsure how long a charm monster spell lasts? It's there. Furthermore, all spell and power details are automatically adjusted to take your character's level into account. Thus, you'll see the duration of your 6th-level wizard's enlarge person as 6 minutes, not 1 minute/level. And if you use spellbooks, you'll find a nice feature for tracking the spells in each book. A function called Spell Lists makes developing a spell sheet for divine casters both quick and easy. A touch of a button and it's done!

Now how much would pay? Well, hold on to your helmets, because there's more!

The Only Sheet is completely customizable, and though it does require a little thought, it's not that difficult once you get used to it. So not only do you have complete control over the content that is already in place (the whole of the SRD), you can also add any new content you desire! What's more, with a little effort, you can set up the sheet to recognize your new content and incorporate it into characters you make! If there's a prestige class your DM has created just for you, you can enter the class into The Only Sheet, load it, and then add levels in that class to your character, and if you've put the extra effort into making sure everything works, you can rest assured that all your modifiers will be correct, as well!

With your registration, you'll get access to The Only Sheet forums, which offer more than 450 classes, 45 races and 125 monsters, already set up to work with the sheet. All you have to do is download the one(s) you want, load them into the sheet, and you're ready to go! These custom classes, races, and monsters are created by users and access is free with your registration.

In addition, the people on the forums are very user-friendly and are happy to assist with any problems you may encounter. Whether you just can't seem to get your new feat to work properly, or you just can't remember how to open the XP page, they're always ready to help. And if they can't, designer Richard Taillon often reads the forums as well, and he will do his best to get you settled.

Last, but certainly not least, your registration fee entitles you to every update that comes down the pipe.

Critical Hit
In all honesty, there's very little not to like about The Only Sheet. Here you have a character sheet that does just about everything for you, making it easier than ever to create even an epic-level character. With the exception of entering magic items and purchasing gear, I think I had my epic level ogre mage paladin (yes, that demonstrates the versatility of the sheet) ready to go in less than an hour! Try that with an ordinary character sheet!

Critical Fumble
As good as The Only Sheet is I do have a few complaints. One major gripe is equipment. As of right now, you must purchase your equipment outside of the sheet. That is, while all the standard equipment is available to add to your character, it does not automatically adjust your money to account for purchases (it does, however, keep a running total of how much you have spent, which makes the math very easy). Richard has said this is because he wouldn't know how to handle this since there is no way to know how the individual would want to pay (gems, gold pieces, copper pieces, etc.). In understand the problem, but I think there must be some way around it.

In similar fashion, the sheet has limited accountability for magical items. It has tracking for most protective devices and potions, but anything else must be added as custom equipment. It's not that this is difficult, it would just be nice if the sheet did it automatically. (I have been informed by Richard that both of these issues are addressed in the upcoming TOS+, which should be released soon! All magical items in the SRD have been added and integrated, and there will be much more detailed tracking of items worn, from head to toe. Among other things, there will be 16 user-definable slots to permit you to track just about any equipment you have.) On the plus side, if you put the prices in the customized data section, the sheet will include the price in your running total of money spent.

Finally, though much of the customization is pretty easy, some gets downright difficult, especially when you're adding new feats, classes, or spells. For some of this material, you almost have to have a working knowledge of Excel. On the other hand, the forums and the wiki are both excellent sources of information and assistance. Answers are usually provided quickly and in a format that is easily understood by those of us with limited Excel experience.

Coup de Grace
If you play D&D with any regularity, you need to have this program. It's that's simple. It saves time and effort. I've tried just about every character generator available, from E-Tools to PCGen and I've yet to find one as user-friendly and comprehensive as this one! You've tried the rest, now try the best.

Final Grade: A