Simon

First off, please note that HD only supports 5E on up. For the screenshots, you can view the user documentation for HD: The UI is what would best be described as "utilitarian" (if you're being generous) -- that was never my focus (nor my strong suit)

The export formats are for use in HD...and can be found in the Downloads section of this site. As far as why HD, it's really dependent on what you're after. HD will help you create fully rules-compliant characters (this is non-trivial...and dedicated pen-and-paper folks often find little rules and exceptions that they were never aware of)...and it generally takes the time and headache out of the character creation process. It makes it easy to play with character designs, power write-ups, etc. While it will help guide you through the process of creating rules-compliant characters, it will also let you go outside of that with various "custom" options where you just enter the points and display/writeup that you want. You'll find more information in the store entry for HD.

No programming knowledge/skill is required to use HD. If you want to create your own export formats (vs. using any of the myriad that are freely available or asking others on this forum to tweak one for you), you would need to know basic markup.....and that's about it. Again, what you're looking for exists, but is a VERY small part of what HD will do for you.

You posted a question in the HERO Designer forum - I was assuming you were asking a question about the functionality in HD. It will do what you're looking for, but is designed for a LOT more.

You won't find that in the application's display...HD itself doesn't work like that -- you work on/edit a single character at a time. What you're after would be part of a combat record export from the application (and relatively easy to accomplish). You'd need to either find a combat record export in the Downloads section of this site that looks like what you're after or create one/have one created.

Two ways that I can see: 1 (preferred, IMO): Get clever with the Notes field on the ability write-ups in question (within the character). They accept arbitrary text, so if your final export is in HTML, you can include HTML in the Notes field and it will be rendered in the final export. Including <IMG...> tags. Then you need to use an export format that includes the Notes for ability write-ups and you're good to go. 2: Create a separate "character" for each of the abilities that you want to have exported/displayed and then design/use an export format that only exports Powers and the "character image" (for example)...or whatever other information you're looking for.

5th Edition: make sure that you have Star Hero selected as a source. 6th Edition: Assign a custom Adder to the Skill, set the name to whatever category you want and set the cost to 2 points. The skill will switch from 3/2 to Adder/category based.

Explained in the install instructions- Google “jarfix”

For the most part, correct. Some (like APG2) have new rules constructs, but they're either just extensions of existing core rules (which HD handles already), new way to use core rules (again, handled inherently in HD), or toolkitting approaches that change the core rules (and are therefore not a part of HD). The latter is typically left to either a custom rules template or just a Custom Power within HD, on the occasions that they arise.

I think you're misunderstanding the point of the software...and the system in general. HD has everything you need to build anything within HERO System Sixth Edition (or Fifth Edition). The supplements generally contain abilities and characters that are built using the rules defined in the core books. You can enter these into HD on your own (as needed), or you can purchase the character packs for the various books in question.

Again, the only "filter" that HD uses for what files can be viewed/loaded is the extension on the file. If you're looking to load a prefab, HD will show all .hdp files (prefabs). .hdc files are character files -- they are not prefabs.

Campaign Rules. The default setting is just to warn about it (but allow anyway) -- you can change that to ignore (no warning) or not allow at all.

Knowledge of your system? The ONLY filter HD uses when opening files is the file extension. You could take a .exe file and change the extension to hdc and HD would try to load it (and barf all over itself in the process).

Nothing in HD will change file extensions. If you changed actual hdc files to hdp (or vice versa) you're going to run into issues during use.

Actual description of psychokinesis in 5E: i.e. you're looking at a heavily modified form of BOECV which reflects the PK being targeted by the character's mind (independently of their physical Dexterity) but otherwise no different from TK. It's a construction which relies on you using your brain, common sense, and dramatic sense...not unlike many things in the system.

You'd need to go through the Javadoc for that. Any empty method call that the object in question supports is accessible via the ATTRIBUTE_VALUE construct -- it's really just doing reflection on the object to find a method matching the name specified and then calling it without arguments/parameters.

Go to the Purchases section of the Client Area on the site. Store -> Manage Purchases or Store -> Client Area -> Purchases

Go to the Purchases section in the Client Area (after logging in).

Copy/paste between characters works just fine. Note that you cannot copy, say, a Power and expect to paste it into the Complications tab on the second character....but any legitimate location will be allowed.

Best bet is likely to go the reflection route: <!--ATTRIBUTE_VALUE-->realCostPreList<!--/ATTRIBUTE_VALUE-->

No, it is not. Unfollow the thread and/or turn off notifications. Also note that you can subscribe to a forum in general (so any posts made to that forum will be sent to you). Same directions apply there.

Maneuvers carry all information in the save file, so if you load one in from a prefab (or other character), they'll come over and save into the new character with all information from the original file. Meaning: if the maneuver was defined with 4 DCs in the prefab that you're using, then it'll have 4 DCs when you add it to a character (regardless of template), when you save it, and when you restore it from save. The only way to change that is going to be to remove the Maneuver entirely and add it again from the character's template (i.e. using the base Maneuvers defined on the Martial Arts tab and setting the name/display appropriately).

Note that if you have templates with the same name as the built in templates in the directory that you're running HD from (e.g. if you've unpacked the .jar file into that directory in the past), then those templates will be used first, superseding the ones included in the .jar file for HD.

Offhand, looks like you're using a custom template - the DCs (and all other attributes) of Martial Maneuvers can be changed in the template...and whatever template you're using defines the DCs of the Maneuvers as having a base of 4.

Really not sure what you're asking here. Killing Strike and Killing Throw both have 2 DCs of killing damage, totaling out to 2D6+1 (7 DCs) for 25 STR. Joint Break has 4 DCs of killing damage, totaling out to 3D6 (9 DCs) for 25 STR.