Has anyone created (and made available) a blank talent tree template for Photoshop, Illustrator, or Inkscape? If not, I'll work up my own, but I figured I'd save myself the trouble if someone else had already done the work.

I can make one, but only on Sunday... hopefully someone will jump on the wagon before me

The problem with a blank one is that each talent tree differs as to how large each block is, or which blocks connect to which other blocks.

Max (mkalus) has a github project at https://github.com/mkalus/sw-talenttree-generator that uses Java plus some configuration files to generate talent trees in PDF form, and you could provide your own empty configuration files in order to generate blank trees.

But you’d have to understand enough about how his program works and uses the configuration files in order to figure out what you would have to change to cause the program to generate blank trees.

That’s the closest I can get on short notice.

The problem with a blank one is that each talent tree differs as to how large each block is, or which blocks connect to which other blocks.

Max (mkalus) has a github project at https://github.com/mkalus/sw-talenttree-generator that uses Java plus some configuration files to generate talent trees in PDF form, and you could provide your own empty configuration files in order to generate blank trees.

But you’d have to understand enough about how his program works and uses the configuration files in order to figure out what you would have to change to cause the program to generate blank trees.

That’s the closest I can get on short notice.

I didn't need blank talent trees, per se, so much as I needed some way to frame my own. This is perfect. Thanks!

My character generator will print talent trees with characters, so if you have your own trees and/or talents that you're working on, just add them as custom data.

**** you Oggy and your stupid stuff that is so cool!!! I hate your generator! That is all I use, and now I can't remember how to build a character without it! My players ask me how much it will cost to upgrade a skill or something, and I always say, "hold on, let me check the generator...."

I'm going to take you down for your dependence creating gateway programs! You are no better than those tobacco/drug pushers!!!! (Cue prepping for action montage music)

I was talking with Zuloth about his custom NDS sheets, and he said he built them in Excel, then published them into a PDF. So, yeah...

My character generator will print talent trees with characters, so if you have your own trees and/or talents that you're working on, just add them as custom data.

That was what I originally tried, but I'm really just looking to create a series of talent trees that look much like the ones currently out there. Yours has all the extra character sheet stuff on it.

(Still love the software, though!)

How do FFG make the talent trees? I mean, what is the logic behind them, how are they balanced and why do the lines go where they go? Why are they connected the way they are?

btw. making an empty template in PS would be very easy!

..... But the lines between the talents are different from career to career, so if you want general ones it would just be lots of blocks and you could fill in the lines yourself(?)

How do FFG make the talent trees? I mean, what is the logic behind them, how are they balanced and why do the lines go where they go? Why are they connected the way they are?

I’m sure that they have a blank template they use, but as for what goes into it, that process seems to be … shrouded in mystery.

btw. making an empty template in PS would be very easy!

Yeah, I can make blank templates in OmniGraffle, and then export those as PDFs.

I’m sure you could easily do the same in other programs.

The question would be how fast can you do it, and would it be ready in time for use by the OP? Can you literally get this work done in the very few hours left tonight?

..... But the lines between the talents are different from career to career, so if you want general ones it would just be lots of blocks and you could fill in the lines yourself(?)

Yup, that’s another part that is shrouded in mystery.

I imagine that there is some balancing that goes on after the trees get some gameplay experience.

But more than that, the people who know either aren’t on this forum, or they’re not talking.

How do FFG make the talent trees? I mean, what is the logic behind them, how are they balanced and why do the lines go where they go? Why are they connected the way they are?

Well, in some cases, they gate the improved or supreme version of a talent so that you have to get the lesser version first, which makes sense. Sometimes they don't do that, however.

It seems like they place the more useful / powerful talents (e.g. Dedication) either in the 25xp row, or gated behind a 25-xp talent. It's not consistent though. They clearly did not decide that a certain talent should cost a certain amount of XP, since the XP cost so often varies from tree to tree.

I think they just tried to make them interesting and unique from one another, even when some talents are duplicated in different trees.