Pardon9826

Thank you for your response. I am not sure how my desire to get a specific result is a misconception... Well, it is not clear to somebody who has no relevant background. I saw that Computer Programming was in the template. I wanted to change the numbers it used. I changed the numbers. It did not work. It was not obvious from the template or anywhere else that there were hidden rules that I could not change. I get how to achieve what I want now, but it is really not obvious. And I wanted to change that. I wanted for that skill to use the pricing structure the Gambling skill used. How is that not knowing the rules? I don't want to use the default rules for that. I appreciate you getting back to me, but I honestly do not remember the last time asking for help left such a bad taste in my mouth.

I see, thank you. I have used REMOVE on the original Computer Programming and added the categorized version as a regular SKILL. I may have missed it in the documentation, but maybe it is worth mentioning in the documentation that skills that do not use SKILL and have a custom ID come with special rules that cannot be changed or replicated through editing a template? Just a suggestion, but it would have saved me some sanity. Am I going to break something by removing the original Computer Programming? Is there something else in its extension routines?

Thank you. That changes the behavior but does not fix it completely. I have changed COMPUTER_PROGRAMMING to SKILL and the display name to Argle-Bargle. Now, when I add it as-is, it is 1 point. When I add a category, cost changes to 2. When I add a subcategory instead, the cost stays at 1. Which is different from how Gambling and Survival and the like behave - they start at 3 points without categories. How can I do that? And if I want to use the same name, do I have to use the REMOVE container on the original Computer Programming?

I must be missing something. Gambling skill has the following: <GAMBLING DISPLAY="Gambling" MINCOST="1" FAMILIARITYROLL="8" EXCLUSIVE="Yes"> <CHARACTERISTIC_CHOICE> <ITEM CHARACTERISTIC="INT" MINCOST="1" BASECOST="0" LVLCOST="2" LVLVAL="1" /> </CHARACTERISTIC_CHOICE> <ADDER XMLID="CARDGAMES" DISPLAY="Card Games" BASECOST="2" MINCOST="1" MAXCOST="2"> <ADDER XMLID="BACCARAT" DISPLAY="Baccarat" BASECOST="1" MINCOST="1" > </ADDER> etc. When I add it as-is, it is 3 points. When I add a category, cost changes to 2. When I add a subcategory instead, the cost changes to 1. Survival skill has almost the same thing: <SURVIVAL DISPLAY="Survival" MINCOST="1" FAMILIARITYROLL="8" EXCLUSIVE="Yes"> <CHARACTERISTIC_CHOICE> <ITEM CHARACTERISTIC="INT" BASECOST="0" MINCOST="1" LVLCOST="2" LVLVAL="1" /> </CHARACTERISTIC_CHOICE> <ADDER XMLID="ARCTIC" DISPLAY="Arctic/Subarctic" BASECOST="2" MAXCOST="2" MINCOST="1"> <ADDER XMLID="ARCTICCOAST" DISPLAY="Arctic/Subarctic Coasts" BASECOST="1" > </ADDER> etc. When I add it as-is, it is 3 points. When I add a category, cost changes to 2. When I add a subcategory instead, the cost changes to 1. I use the same code with Computer Programming (I have tried several variations and tweaks): <COMPUTER_PROGRAMMING DISPLAY="Computer Programming" MINCOST="1" FAMILIARITYROLL="8" EXCLUSIVE="Yes"> <CHARACTERISTIC_CHOICE> <ITEM CHARACTERISTIC="INT" BASECOST="0" MINCOST="1" LVLCOST="2" LVLVAL="1" /> </CHARACTERISTIC_CHOICE> <ADDER XMLID="PERSONALCOMPUTERS" DISPLAY="Personal Computers" BASECOST="2" MINCOST="1" MAXCOST="2"> <ADDER XMLID="HANDHELDCOMPUTERS" DISPLAY="Handheld Computers" BASECOST="1" MINCOST="1" > </ADDER> etc. When I add it as-is, it is 1 point. When I add a category, cost changes to 2. When I add a subcategory instead, the cost changes to 2. I have tried various changes to the numbers, but none of them bring the math in-line with Gambling or Survival.

Thank you. I have tried it both ways just because I am running out of ideas... I have "<TEMPLATE version="2.0" extends="builtIn.Main6E.hdt">" at the top. The manual seems to suggest that an extension template is better than tinkering with Main6E. I will try to change Main6E, but I am not too hopefull: the categories I add show up, they just don't calculate costs right. This is just an example I am using to learn how to use Hero Designer. You can read it as me trying to add this skill to a weird fantasy game with a category to "program" commands into undead and another category to program commands into constructs. Or a new skill with categories to combobulate, rebobulate, and debobulate. It really doesn't matter. Thank you for the examples. I don't think I have issues adding skills, just making them behave like categorized skills. Maybe I am doing something wrong in the app itself? I make a new character based on the custom template and the first thing I try is adding Computer Programming and Gambling and seeing if they work in identical ways. They don't... I have tried making a character using one of the standard templates and then changing the template to the custom one - same thing.

I have also tried copying and pasting the Computer Programming text from the 5E main template, both as-is and with the "source" parts removed - same effect. For some reason it refuses to behave like Gambling or Survival or any other categorized skill. Is there some sort of flag somewhere that makes a skill behave like Gambling? "If no categories selected, charge 3, if a category or subcategory is selected, charge 2/1 respectively?" I have tried searching the main template for any references to categorized skills but could not find it.

Thank you. I am going to run an extremely heavy computer-focused campaign. But more importantly, I want to figure out how to modify skills - Computer Programming is just the first attempt, but I plan to use custom templates extensively.

Hello: I am very new to Hero Designer and Hero in general, so please pardon me if this is a stupid question. I am trying to make the Computer Programming skill behave like the Gambling skill (have categories and subcategories). I have created an extension template that modifies the Computer Programming skill. I have copy-pasted the Gambling skill XML from the Main6E template into it and edited the names to match the categories and subcategories I need. When I create a character using that template, Computer Programming skill charges 2 points for a category (good) and 2 points for a subcategory (bad). I cannot figure out what is going wrong. The XML is identical but for the names, some removed categories and subcategories, and the description, but the behavior is different in the app. What am I missing?