Dark Heresy Digital Character App now available

By Tim Huckelbery, in Dark Heresy General Discussion

Wow. That last update is quite robust.

Gut gemacht. :-)

Danke :-) We will improve the databases for the next update though. For Talents, there will be an indicator if a required talent has been aquired (at the moment, we color stats only only) and every item and talent gets a page number like on the GM screen where to find additional information.

This is shaping up to be very robust. I would like to also vote for a desktop version.

The UI would need to redesigned, of course, but I'd really like it. I got a ton of enjoyment out of the old DnD4e offline character builder. (the online one leaves much to be desired)

Still having a bit of an issue with the weapon inventory - I click to add a new item, and if I fill out the form it'll create it, but if I go into the inventory, highlight something and press 'select', it closes the inventory but the form's still blank.

Actions list would be nice on the combat tab (just the one from the GM's screen is fine). Having the percentage chances associated with actions may take a bit too much work - you'd need to connect it to the talents which modify not just penalties and bonuses but what's a half or full action.

Still having a bit of an issue with the weapon inventory - I click to add a new item, and if I fill out the form it'll create it, but if I go into the inventory, highlight something and press 'select', it closes the inventory but the form's still blank.

Hm, that should not happen. Let's try to find the problem: What version number is displayed at the bottom of the overview tab and what device do you use (Android/iOS)? Can you add Talents using the search function? Try to connect your device to the internet and open the app. Wait a few minutes, and the App should auto update to the latest version (the version you'll get from our server is always the newest and often newer than the versions in the app stores).

V1.1.0, so it's the latest as far as I know. I'll open it whilst online next chance I get, though.

The Talent search works, and auto-fills through to the form when you hit "select", exactly as it should do.

Melee and Ranged weapons don't.

It's a Samsung Android Tablet, and frankly the problem may be at my end; this particular device has historically been about as stable as the Greek economy...

Victory - it's now working.

Your charging nearly£6 for this? You can't be serious!

Been Getting my head around it some more. It's nice to use, and the searchable databases help a lot - gone with your suggestion of tweaking the name of upgrades, and putting a matching name in the description - so a revolver's special tagline says "reliable, custom grip". The main thing missing is the elite advances, which are supposed to be in the next update - at least, pysker is, but it'd be nice if untouchable and battle sister were available too.

Also, the only other thing not to miss - forgotten gods and enemies within have specific worlds of origin which are different to the 'generic' class. I'm less sure how to do that, though - if you start adding 'thaur', 'desoleum', 'oath unspoken' and every other world introduced in future supplements to the drop down for homeworlds, it's going to get unwieldy really fast...

Been Getting my head around it some more. It's nice to use, and the searchable databases help a lot - gone with your suggestion of tweaking the name of upgrades, and putting a matching name in the description - so a revolver's special tagline says "reliable, custom grip". The main thing missing is the elite advances, which are supposed to be in the next update - at least, pysker is, but it'd be nice if untouchable and battle sister were available too.

Well, the title of the new content update is "Elite Psyker", which does not mean there will be only a psyker elite advance :-) We have added all four elite advances (Psyker, Untouchable, Inquisitor and Sister of Battle) and improved the use of psychic powers in the app. The development of the update is done and will be released after we got everything tested.

Also, the only other thing not to miss - forgotten gods and enemies within have specific worlds of origin which are different to the 'generic' class. I'm less sure how to do that, though - if you start adding 'thaur', 'desoleum', 'oath unspoken' and every other world introduced in future supplements to the drop down for homeworlds, it's going to get unwieldy really fast...

The Homeworlds from the enemies within expansion are included, or did we miss something? If there will be too many homeworld options for the current selection method, we will change it :-)

I may be wrong as to whether they're in Enemies Within - I know there are some in Forgotten Gods.

A good example is the online adventure Seeds Of Heresy (because there's an online link I can use!)
https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/filer_public/48/d2/48d2ddcf-aed5-47e2-9776-b00fa8317411/dark_heresyseeds_of_heresy_web.pdf

Whilst Novabella is an Agri-World, it uses a specific variation of the normal rules:

Players can adopt Novabella as their home world when creating a new Acolyte, especially as a replacement character while adventuring in that location. Characters from Novabella follow the agri-world rules (see page 24 of the Dark Heresy supplement Enemies Within) but with the following new Home World Bonus instead of the usual one:

Home World Bonus
Strength from the Harvest-Father
: A native of Novabella counts his Strength bonus as 2 higher when using a
Low-Tech weapon, and when throwing a grenade or similar weapon.

Assuming we end up with a reasonable range of worlds in the setting mapped out, you're going to end up with the generic Hive World (or whatever) plus half a dozen slight variations on the theme...

I'm thinking about getting this, can someone outline for me what benefits it could have to a DH GM such as myself? I've recommended it to my players already (who lose their sheets all the time and don't own copies of the rulebook)!

I'm thinking about getting this, can someone outline for me what benefits it could have to a DH GM such as myself? I've recommended it to my players already (who lose their sheets all the time and don't own copies of the rulebook)!

Thanks for recommending the app to your players :-) To be honest, most of the features are geared towards the player, not the GM, since this is what is required from a "character sheet" app. We plan to add some features for GMs at a later stage, though.

But I can think of at least some features you as a GM will benefit from:

  • The Inquisitor Sheet: You can create a NPC Inquistor (played by the GM), with all functions you see on the paper equivalent, including a nicer warband feature where you can import your players character sheets.
  • The Database: As a GM, you often need to add some loot, look some talent up quickly and find the right psychic power. The DHDCS app has a pre-built database for equipment, talents, and (in the next free content update which will be released this week) psychic powers.
  • Journal: an easy way to write down what happened at that day

As I said, the app is not built with the GM as the target audience, though GMs will benefit indirectly if the players use the app and don't need two hours for a new character anymore, because the old one ran into a chainsword ;-)

I hope this helped you with your consideration, and if you've got any questions, I'll try to answer them.

I'm thinking about getting this, can someone outline for me what benefits it could have to a DH GM such as myself? I've recommended it to my players already (who lose their sheets all the time and don't own copies of the rulebook)!

Thanks for recommending the app to your players :-) To be honest, most of the features are geared towards the player, not the GM, since this is what is required from a "character sheet" app. We plan to add some features for GMs at a later stage, though.

But I can think of at least some features you as a GM will benefit from:

  • The Inquisitor Sheet: You can create a NPC Inquistor (played by the GM), with all functions you see on the paper equivalent, including a nicer warband feature where you can import your players character sheets.
  • The Database: As a GM, you often need to add some loot, look some talent up quickly and find the right psychic power. The DHDCS app has a pre-built database for equipment, talents, and (in the next free content update which will be released this week) psychic powers.
  • Journal: an easy way to write down what happened at that day

As I said, the app is not built with the GM as the target audience, though GMs will benefit indirectly if the players use the app and don't need two hours for a new character anymore, because the old one ran into a chainsword ;-)

I hope this helped you with your consideration, and if you've got any questions, I'll try to answer them.

The fact that I can have all my players' sheets including psyker powers in the palm of my hand sold me, I've downloaded it! I have to say it looks and feels great as an app. One benefit you can also advertise is that now my players can plan how to spend XP without consulting me and my big fat rulebook every session for 30 min.

I don't know what kind of features you plan for GMs in the future, but I'm looking forward to it! Some sort of compatibility with Roll20 would be great actually. Although I don't know how hard that would be.

I wanted to do something... but I don't know what... Ah! Now I know! I wanted to post the new patch notes!

ausschnitt_warhammerapp_elitepsyker_smal

Today , we have released the new free content update for the Dark Heresy Digital Character Sheet App called “ Elite Psyker “. In this update, we concentrated on improving the Psychic Powers section and adding one of the most asked for features: Elite Advances .
Changes in this version:
  • added Elite Advances
  • changed Psychic Powers UI
  • added Psychic Powers database
  • added Elite Advances talents database
  • changed Psy Rating UI
  • added Ammo database with intelligent ammo detection
  • Responsive UI changes for all interactive elements
  • added page numbers to all database items and talents for easy book lookup
  • changed talents and items where necessary
  • bugfixes

You find the full patch notes with details to the new features on our blog: http://blog.dizelabs.com/2015/07/24/update-1-2-0-elite-psyker-released/

— How to Install —
The new update will be automatically downloaded to your app if your device is connected to the internet (download size 10mb). You don‘t have to wait for the update to go live on the app stores. Once the download is complete, the app will restart and you should see the new additions immediately. If you want to be sure, check the version at the bottom of the overview tab, it should read version 1.2.0.
— What‘s next —
We are already working on the next content update. I should not tell you this, because it is top secret, but I just have to! This is really exciting because we … SHHHH.. to … XSCS*J@ … huge upd..KRRRR… Inquisiton… RKRKRKR… BLOG: 26-07-15… SXRCCRR… … … … … END OF TRANSMISSION
— Feedback —
If you are experiencing any problems with the new content update, found a bug, have an idea for a new feature or just want to talk about the app, just write us an email or post here on the forum. And be sure to follow our blog for news and maybe something about the new update very soon... :-)
Thanks and have a nice day!
Thomas Diehl
-- IMPORTANT --
Don't forget to backup your characters afters an update has been loaded. We might add an automatic backup feature in a future update.
-- IMPORTANT --
Edited by TomDeal

-- Bugfix Release 1.2.1 --

We've found a serious bug in the 1.2.0 version which crashes your app on startup when using a character who had an elite advance set prior to the "Elite Psyker" update. Please let the automatic updater update your app to version 1.2.1. To do this, just open the app while connected to the internet and wait a few minutes. The app will reload itself after the update has been loaded. This also works if you happen to be the victim of this bug - just open the app (you'll see just the background image with nothing on it), it will still download the patch and apply it.

The Android Store App will be updated in a few hours, the Apple App Store version will take a few days.

Is there also something wrong with ammo counting? I have no idea how they're supposed to work in their current state...

Additionally, everytime I open my character, it sets the Age to blank and the Gender to 20. That's just a minor one, but yeah.

Minor error - Feudal World characters say "a feral world character has" for their wounds. Still the right number, though.

Working nicely now. Finding it very useful for churning out reinforcement characters - my players (who are mostly investigative and social types) have a tendancy to use 1-2 influence to hire goons and hitmen when they know they're headed into a fight.

Are there any videos demonstrating the app (not just pictures)?

Are there any videos demonstrating the app (not just pictures)?

Unfortunately not yet. There will be videos demonstrating the app and its features very soon, but we just did not have the time yet.

Is there also something wrong with ammo counting? I have no idea how they're supposed to work in their current state...

Additionally, everytime I open my character, it sets the Age to blank and the Gender to 20. That's just a minor one, but yeah.

Ammo is counted by bullets, not magazines. This might be a bit confusing, but it was necessary to get the ammo reload feature to work (which in the current version has a minor bug with some types of ammo, will be fixed in the next update).

Could you send me your character backup via emai (diehl@dizelabs.com). This might indicate that there is bug in the current character generator.

Minor error - Feudal World characters say "a feral world character has" for their wounds. Still the right number, though.

Whoops, I'll fix that typo for the next update.

Ammo is counted by bullets, not magazines.

I get that, but for ammo, there's no option in the drop down for just "Standard Ammunition." Without something from the ammo drop down list selected, the reload feature doesn't appear. So with that, I thought I had to make "Standard Ammunition x 30" or whatever. However, when I reload it, it actually ADDS ammo to my inventory instead of taking it away.

Are we supposed to have to make our own custom ammo each time for just standard ammunition?

Ammo is counted by bullets, not magazines.

I get that, but for ammo, there's no option in the drop down for just "Standard Ammunition." Without something from the ammo drop down list selected, the reload feature doesn't appear. So with that, I thought I had to make "Standard Ammunition x 30" or whatever. However, when I reload it, it actually ADDS ammo to my inventory instead of taking it away.

As I said, there is a bug in the reload function which will be fixed with the next update. We will also include the possibility to create standard ammo from the ammo search, just like the special ammo.

Are we supposed to have to make our own custom ammo each time for just standard ammunition?

Unfortunately, I don't understand the question completely. If you want to track your ammo, standard or special, the best way is to create an ammo object. So I think the answer is yes, if you want to use the reload feature and keep track of your ammo, you have to create the ammo in your gear.

We will also include the possibility to create standard ammo from the ammo search, just like the special ammo.

Ok perfect, with the reload bug fixed, this is my only real issue. Thanks for the support!

Thanks.

Would it be possible to create a 'line item' in the ranged weapon stat box for ammo type that's visible from the combat screen?

If a character has a gun permanently loaded with special ammo I tend to rename it and change the printed stats - so "Autopistol With Amputator Shells" and change the damage listed to 1D10+4. However, sooner or later, someone's going to start changing ammo types on a regular basis; it'd be nice if after the box saying the ammo is "18/18" that there was a box saying the ammo type is 'standard'. The weapon object alread 'knows' (as of the last update) what ammo it's loaded with, it's just a matter of displaying a prompt on the screen I'm looking at during combat so I don't forget to add the damage/pen/blood loss effect/whatever.

Edited by Magnus Grendel

Today , we have released the new free content update for the Dark Heresy Digital Character Sheet App called “ Elite Psyker “. In this update, we concentrated on improving the Psychic Powers section and adding one of the most asked for features: Elite Advances .
Changes in this version:
  • added Elite Advances
  • changed Psychic Powers UI
  • added Psychic Powers database
  • added Elite Advances talents database
  • changed Psy Rating UI
  • added Ammo database with intelligent ammo detection
  • Responsive UI changes for all interactive elements
  • added page numbers to all database items and talents for easy book lookup
  • changed talents and items where necessary
  • bugfixes

I may be playing the devils advocate here but I have to warn You (and FFG too) that incorporating that much stuff into the app without any checking for if the owner of the app actually owns the sourcebook in question may seriously affect the sells of said sourcebooks which cost more than said app, especially if, for example, for existing characters Enemies Withing gives nothing but fluff and gear, and You basically give them all that gear from extra sourcebooks for a much lower cost.

For all those who are gonna hate me for this post -- sorry guys but I really love WH40KRP, and, You know, pirating is not a good thing.

I may be playing the devils advocate here but I have to warn You (and FFG too) that incorporating that much stuff into the app without any checking for if the owner of the app actually owns the sourcebook in question may seriously affect the sells of said sourcebooks which cost more than said app, especially if, for example, for existing characters Enemies Withing gives nothing but fluff and gear, and You basically give them all that gear from extra sourcebooks for a much lower cost.

For all those who are gonna hate me for this post -- sorry guys but I really love WH40KRP, and, You know, pirating is not a good thing.

Yes, we are aware of this problem, but we work close together with FFG and GW and in my opinion we found a good compromise with the data we put in the app. Our goal for the app is to provide a helper and to make the mechanics of the game easier to handle. This includes faster character generation and an easy way to generate gear, talents and psychic powers. What we don't include in our databases is everything that is not related to the game mechanics.

I don't know if you've bought the app, so let me show two examples on how the app differs from the sourcebooks:

First, you could argue that you don't need the Enemies Within book if you have the app because the new worlds are available in the character generator. This is true, but you would have no idea how the "Feudal World" looks like, how life on a feudal world is, what your acolyte did before he became part of the inquisition etc. The character generator allows a faster creation of an acolyte because you don't have flip back and forth trying to remember what characteristic modifiers the world had, or what the talent "Deny the With" in the Fanatic's role does.

The other example would be the gear you mentioned. Yes, with the app you'll know that a Godwyn-De'Az Bolt Pistol is a Pistol, has 40m range, shoots 1d10+5X and weighs 3kg. These are the mechanical elements, which when listed and automated, helps to speed up the game. But the app can't tell you who Godwyn De'Az was and that these bolters are handcrafted artefacts - their components sanctified and blessed at every of step of construction - and icons of devotion. That is background information and lore you should know if you want to roleplay, and something the app won't (it is not a game mechanic) and can't (the amount of text on a mobile phone would blow up the whole screen) provide.

The "Enemies Within" supplement has three chapters with 144 pages. This is a lot of content and lore. With the app, we are trying to help you with the game mechanics so you can focus on the roleplaying aspect of the game.