• Enhancement/Fix (02/10/2008): I did some more testing and identified a problem.  
    The EIA will determine whether you're dead often by way of comparing your lost Con
    points to your normal Con score, automatically killing you if Con lost is equal to or
    grater than Con.  The problem, of course, is with undead or constructs, neither or
    which have Con scores.  Whenever I perform this comparison, I have to account for
    those creature types, and there was a place I wasn't.  The result is that undead and
    constructs were automatically shifted to "DEAD" as you scrolled through combat.  
    Fixed.  I also created a shortcut key, F6, for modifying a character's identifier.  I used
    that so often that I was forced to realize how useful the shortcut would be.  
    Enhanced.  :)
  • Fix (02/01/2008): Oops!  I realized that the XML entries for the E-Tools "monster"
    files differ slightly than those of the E-Tools "character" files.  The result was that the
    descriptive text for the monsters' special attacks, combat techniques, descriptions,
    etc. weren't appearing in my stat blocks.  Fixed.
  • Enhancements (01/30/2008): Delay/ready is complete.  Hit the delay button to move
    the current character to the delay list, and double-click the delayed character to
    move him back to the character list.  Also, when you save a combat file, the
    identifiers you've entered are saved along with it.  There is a downside to this
    upgrade.  All of your existing *.cbt files are now broken.  To fix them, you'll either
    have to replace them (obviously) or go into the file (Notepad will do) and replace each
    "|" character with the "| $" character combination.  That is, each pipe becomes a
    pipe-space-dollar sign combination.  You'll then need to change the semi-colon at the
    end of the file to a "|;" character combination (i.e., pipe-semicolon).  Sorry.
  • Enhancements (01/28/2008): Characters that are dead are now skipped
    automatically when going through initiative.  You may also select an option to
    automatically delete them soon.  As soon as I complete the new delay/ready feature,
    I'll upload the new *.exe file to the server, which will represent version 3.5 of the
    software.  
  • Enhancements/Fixes (01/27/2008): The round counter now starts with the word,
    "Surprise," representing -- you guessed it -- the surprise round.  I've also corrected an
    oversight.  As indicated below, I updated the stat block but called it only when double-
    clicking on the character list.  Now the Stat button calls it as well.  I also call the stat
    block when you double-click the character in the target list.  I've create the
    infrastructure for applying the new feature for handling delay/ready, but the
    functionality isn't quite there.  I'm running a campaign on behalf of a candidate, so
    my schedule's been packed.  I'm not giving up though, so I'll get to it this week.  
    Happy Birthday, Dad!  (This would have been his 70th birthday.)
  • Enhancements (01/17/2008): Finally, the stat block has been revamped.  More
    information, more faithful adherence to the Dragon magazine format, and a much
    nicer color scheme make for a better stat block.  The books aren't yet obsolete, but
    you'll have to reference them much less often.  I need to make a couple of other user
    interface changes (delay/ready mechanic, selecting a target), and then I'll be
    changing the way custom characters are created.  They will be stored as separate
    text files rather than as database records.  This way I can make changes to the
    database without you worrying about your characters being overwritten.  I'll also
    include a conversion utility that will take your existing database characters and save
    them to text files.
  • Enhancements (12/25/2007): What can I say?  I got inspired.  I've uploaded all of the
    monsters in the Monster Manual.  The only exceptions are certain skeletons, all
    zombies, and the two vampires.  These character types are difficult to create in E-
    Tools, or at least are a pain in the a$$.  Eventually, I'll fudge them and find a way to
    include them.  At this rate, it'll be done in about 10 minutes.  :)
  • Enhancements (12/24/2007): Added links to zip files that contain the XML for various
    monsters from the SRD.  So far, I've added A.zip containing all Monster Manual
    monsters beginning with the letter A, and random.zip, which contains an assortment
    of monsters that you'll probably want to access even before I get that far into the
    alphabet.  Eventually, you'll see a zip file for each letter of the alphabet, and I'll
    simply note in future enhancements something like, "Added h.zip."
  • Enhancements and Fixes (12/23/2007): I've started a new home campaign (the
    Cormyr, Shadowdale, Anauroch series of WotC adventures), and last night was our
    first session.  I uncovered some minor issues that created major annoyances, and I've
    quickly fixed them.  First, if you double click on the Round counter, it resets to 1.  
    Second, if you leave your mouse cursor over a drop-down list box, a message comes
    up that gives you the full text of the selected item.  This is important because
    sometimes the entry is too long to fit, and it's hard to identify which item you've
    selected.  Third, I'm going to create a DM screen that gives you all the SRD rules at
    your fingertips in order to address all the rules during the game.  Each will have a
    page number reference so the untrusting players can page through the book quickly
    without continuing to disrupt the game.  :)
  • Enhancement (12/14/2007): The stat block has been changed for E-Tools characters,
    but is far from complete.  I've added spell levels to the spells known, and I've included
    the various sections for character notes.  I've decided that I really must improve the
    stat blocks, so I'm going to organize the spells better, include a section showing
    prepared spells (or somehow indicate them in the spells know list), use tabs to
    separate the different sections of the stat block, and add "features" (i.e., class
    features, racial features, template features, etc.)  I've also finally gotten a hold of
    some report software, so (finally!) I will be adding print functions for the stat blocks
    and other features.
  • Fix (9/21/2007): Two corrections were made on the Character screen.  First, the tab
    order for the text boxes and drop down lists were fixed so that pressing the tab key
    jumps you from the first entry point to the last in the proper order.  Second, if you
    click the Add New button, the control on the bottom left of the screen that scrolls
    through the records is disabled preventing you from changing characters until you've
    saved or discarded the existing character.  Although it was re-enabled when you
    clicked the Cancel button, it wasn't if you clicked the Save button.  Now it does.
  • Enhancement (8/14/2007): Finally, an update.  The functionality of conditional
    modifiers is complete, but there is a lot of testing left to be done.  However, you can
    start messing with it, and hopefully there aren't too many problems.  In the mean
    time, testing continues, and your input will be much appreciated.  Also, the Skill
    Checks option under the Tools menu has been disabled because it hasn't been
    completed yet.  Why it was ever activated in the first place remains a question for the
    philosophers.
  • Enhancement (8/7/2007): My work on setting conditions led to a new option under
    the Options menu: Auto-Reset Conditions.  By default, this is not checked, but if
    checked, leaving combat will automatically reset the conditions you've assigned to
    characters.
  • Enhancement (8/4/2007): Major progress has been made.  I've added all of the
    conditions into the EIA, including all restrictions on what conditions can stack.  See
    the last enhancement for examples. I've also added text indicators beneath the
    Characters list on the Combat screen.  It's in red text, so it's hard to miss.  It tells you
    whether the currently selected character can make move or standard actions, and
    then it tells you which current conditions apply to that character.  Thus, you have
    something of a double-check.  I will continue to test the application, but if you spot
    any nauseated runners, or any paralyzed characters that can take standard actions,
    please let me know.  Note: the stat block is still not being modified, but the hit points
    on the Characters list are tied into any Con drain you apply.  Also, I have no idea at
    this point what will happen if you try to apply conditions to custom characters, but I
    imagine it won't be pretty.  Ooo!  That reminds me.  There's now a new field for
    custom characters.  (No need to update you database yet.)  The field is intended to
    be a single number representing the sum of your hit dice.  So, in Hit Dice, you still
    enter "1d4+2d6" for a 1st level Wizard/2d level Rogue, but in "Total HD" you enter
    3.  This is important for Con damage/drain, and will be equally important for energy
    drain. EDIT: I forgot that I made it very difficult for users to leave fields blank, so most
    likely there won't be any blow-ups when you try to use custom characters (so long as
    you enter the new Total HD field beforehand).  However, as any software engineer
    knows, users find a way.
  • Enhancement (8/2/2007): Well, sort of.  I added the ability to indicate that a
    character is panicked, nauseated, fighting defensively, etc.  However, there are two
    things to note: First, no matter what you do, you won't change the character's stat
    block.  I haven't gotten to that functionality yet.  Second, before I even make the
    changes to the stat blocks, I need to do a little more work on making sure your
    choices don't conflict.  For example, a nauseated character can't be running, yet the
    EIA currently allows you to select both.  On the other hand, again by way of example,
    because fatigued and exhausted are intimately related, the restrictive functionality is
    there for those two conditions, so you can't choose both.
  • Enhancement (8/2/2007): There's a new option on the Combat screen's file menu,
    Show All Columns.  Many of the columns in the list of characters are invisible, allowing
    the application to hold data in memory for quick reference without cluttering the
    user's screen.  If you're curious as to what's going on behind the scenes, you can now
    use this menu option to set all columns at a minimum width (0.08 x list width) so that
    you can see everything.  You can't change it manually, so this serves only to aid my
    programming and satisfy your curiosity.  You'll see that I'm well on my way to adding
    the conditions to the combat process.  (FYI, this isn't going to represent a new version
    of the software, so there'll be no cost to upgrade.)
  • Enhancement (8/2/2007): I made several "behind the scenes" changes, which
    hopefully won't explode on you, but with new programming comes bugs.  Please let
    me know if you have any problems, in particular things missing or inappropriately
    appearing on a screen, and "holes" in the background image for the screen.  For now,
    the Combat screen is the only one that could be affected.
  • Fix (7/29/2007): The stat block functionality was fixed to allow for non-abilities.  If a
    user tried to bring up a stat block of a character with a non-ability, an error was
    generated.
  • Fix (7/29/2007): When trying to add a new custom character from the Character
    screen, an error was generated.  This has been fixed.  Although not necessary to fix
    the problem, the EIA now jumps to the "basic stats" when a user attempts to add a
    new character.
  • Enhancement (7/7/2007): The Treasure and XP generator has been added, accessed
    via the Options menu on the Combat screen.  As of this date, the treasure generator
    doesn't work.  That's coming soon.  As this resulted in a change to the database
    structure, please see the "warning" on the download page before deciding how you'd
    like to proceed.  Neither the (proposed) Treasure Generator nor the XP Generator
    require registration to use.
  • Enhancement (7/5/2007): A better means for populating the character list with a
    custom character is now in place.  Previously, a blue field with a list of custom
    characters appeared, and a user could click outside that field.  Now, a new form
    replaces the blue field, and the form has  to be closed in order to continue with other
    operations (i.e., it's a "modal" form).
  • Enhancement (7/5/2007): The standard grid picture was added as the background of
    the license screen.  The original thought was that it made the screen too busy,
    making the license text hard to read, but no longer.  If you disagree, please let us
    know.
  • Enhancement (7/4/2007): Now saves your options (as selected in the Options menu)
    from one session to the next.  This doesn't require registration to use.
  • Fix (7/4/2007): The EIA allowed the user to try to make Spot checks, Initiative checks,
    etc. via the Rolls menu even if there were no characters in the character list.  This
    generated errors.  Those menus are now disabled (i.e., "grayed-out") until something
    is loaded into the characters list.
  • Enhancement (6/30/2007): Added a Massive Damage option to the Options menu.  If
    selected, the EIA requests whether the user wants an on-the-fly massive damage
    save when damage of 50 or more hit points is dealt.  This requires registration to
    disable, unless you're clever.  :)
  • Enhancement (6/30/2007): Added a Stabilization option to the Options menu to
    request whether characters receive on-the-fly stabilization rolls if their hit points are
    below 0.  If option isn't selected, character hit points must be altered manually.  This
    doesn't require registration to use.  Warning: going "back in time" (i.e., to prior
    rounds in combat) won't have any affect on hit points or stabilization.  Stabilization
    will become a manual process if you've done so.  This requires registration to disable,
    unless you're clever.  :)
  • Enhancement (6/28/2007): Displays AC and alignment in the character list, with
    characters starting flat-footed.  There is a column for arcane spell failure, but this
    currently is populated only for imported characters, and not for custom built
    characters.  Custom characters will have a "?" in this field until after the database
    utility (below) is ready.  This doesn't require registration to use.
  • Fix (6/28/2007): When changing a character's position in initiative order, not all
    values appearing in the hidden columns were switched.  This probably led to unusual
    results.
  • Fix (6/28/2007): Flat-footed AC includes the Dexterity bonus to AC if the character has
    the Uncanny Dodge class feature.
Recent Enhancements and Fixes