TEXT: 	
    
  1	
    
  	
    
  Call	
    of	
    Cthulhu	
    7th	
    Edition	
    
  Interactive	
    PDF	
    Character	
    Sheets	
    
  Frequently	
    Asked	
    Questions	
    
  Version	
    1.0	
    
  Copyright	
    ©2014	
    by	
    Chaosium	
    Inc.	
    
  In	
    conjunction	
    with	
    the	
    release	
    of	
    Call	
    of	
    Cthulhu	
    7th	
    Edition	
    we	
    are	
    pleased	
    to	
    release	
    a	
    series	
    of	
    
  interactive	
    PDF	
    investigator	
    sheets	
    that	
    enable	
    players	
    to	
    quickly	
    and	
    easily	
    create	
    and	
    update	
    their	
    
  investigators.	
     The	
     PDF	
     sheets	
     automatically	
     perform	
     some	
     of	
     the	
     routine	
     calculations	
     and	
     table	
    
  lookups	
     that	
     occur	
     as	
     part	
     of	
     investigator	
     generation	
     (and	
     when	
     statistics	
     change),	
     thereby	
    
  eliminating	
    most	
    of	
    the	
    mental	
    arithmetic	
    that	
    needs	
    to	
    be	
    done	
    to	
    create	
    an	
    Investigator.	
    
  The	
    character	
    sheets	
    are	
    easy	
    to	
    use,	
    but	
    there	
    are	
    a	
    couple	
    of	
    subtleties	
    and	
    limitations	
    that	
    you	
    
  may	
    run	
    into	
    as	
    you	
    use	
    them.	
    The	
    notes	
    below	
    summarize	
    the	
    most	
    important	
    of	
    these,	
    providing	
    
  answers	
    to	
    the	
    most	
    common	
    questions	
    about	
    the	
    operation	
    of	
    the	
    PDF	
    sheets.	
    
  IMPORTANT	
     NOTE:	
     The	
     information	
     provided	
     below	
     pertains	
     to	
     the	
     set	
     of	
     fully-­‐interactive	
     PDF	
    
  sheets	
    (one	
    per	
    era)	
    featuring	
    “push	
    buttons”	
    for	
    the	
    Sanity,	
    Hit	
    Point,	
    and	
    Magic	
    Point	
    meters,	
    as	
    
  well	
    as	
    for	
    Luck.	
    The	
    fully-­‐interactive	
    sheet	
    version	
    is	
    called	
    “Full	
    Autocalc.”	
    
  For	
    some	
    eras,	
    we	
    have	
    also	
    created	
    simplified	
    versions	
    of	
    the	
    interactive	
    sheet	
    that	
    work	
    better	
    on	
    
  more	
    basic	
    PDF	
    readers	
    and	
    on	
    tablets,	
    these	
    are	
    called	
    “Basic	
    Autocalc.”	
    
  Part	
    1:	
    Software	
    Requirements	
    
  What	
    software	
    do	
    I	
    need	
    on	
    my	
    PC/Mac	
    to	
    be	
    able	
    to	
    use	
    the	
    7th	
    Edition	
    Interactive	
    Sheets?	
    
  To	
     use	
     the	
     Full	
     Autocalc	
     version	
     sheets	
     you	
     will	
     need	
     to	
     have	
     a	
     recent	
     version	
     of	
     the	
     Adobe	
    
  Reader	
    software.	
    This	
    free	
    software	
    can	
    be	
    downloaded	
    directly	
    from	
    Adobe	
    by	
    visiting	
    the	
    page:	
    
  http://get.adobe.com/reader.	
    At	
    the	
    time	
    of	
    writing	
    the	
    most	
    recent	
    version	
    is	
    Version	
    XI	
    (v11)	
    
  but	
    the	
    interactive	
    sheets	
    will	
    also	
    work	
    with	
    versions	
    9	
    and	
    X	
    (v10)	
    as	
    well.	
    The	
    Adobe	
    website	
    
  has	
    versions	
    of	
    the	
    software	
    for	
    various	
    different	
    versions	
    of	
    Microsoft	
    Windows,	
    several	
    versions	
    
  of	
    MacOS	
    and	
    also	
    for	
    Linux.	
    All	
    are	
    available	
    for	
    download	
    free	
    of	
    charge.	
    	
    
  I	
    normally	
    use	
    a	
    different	
    program	
    to	
    read	
    PDFs,	
    will	
    the	
    sheets	
    work	
    properly	
    with	
    that	
    reader?	
    
  Almost	
    certainly	
    not.	
    	
    
  
  	
    
  2	
    
  The	
    interactive	
    sheets	
    exercise	
    some	
    of	
    the	
    most	
    advanced	
    features	
    available	
    to	
    PDF	
    forms	
    in	
    
  order	
    to	
    deliver	
    their	
    complex	
    modes	
    of	
    interactivity.	
    While	
    Adobe’s	
    software	
    implements	
    the	
    full	
    
  suite	
     of	
     features	
     defined	
     by	
     the	
     PDF	
     format,	
     most	
     third-­‐party	
     PDF	
     readers	
     only	
     implement	
     a	
    
  subset,	
    and	
    unsurprisingly	
    the	
    more	
    complex	
    features	
    are	
    the	
    ones	
    most	
    often	
    left	
    out.	
    	
    	
    
  What	
    about	
    the	
    default	
    PDF	
    Reader	
    that	
    comes	
    built-­‐in	
    to	
    the	
    MacOS	
    (Preview)?	
    
  As	
    at	
    the	
    time	
    of	
    writing,	
    the	
    in-­‐built	
    MacOS	
    PDF	
    reader	
    (called	
    Preview)	
    does	
    not	
    support	
    the	
    7th	
    
  Edition	
     sheets.	
     As	
     a	
     Mac	
     user,	
     you	
     will	
     need	
     to	
     download	
     and	
     install	
     one	
     of	
     the	
     free	
     MacOS	
    
  versions	
    of	
    Adobe	
    Reader	
    and	
    use	
    that	
    application	
    to	
    open	
    the	
    PDFs.	
    Alternatively,	
    you	
    could	
    
  consider	
     using	
     the	
     simplified	
     Basic	
     Autocalc	
     version	
     of	
     the	
     sheet	
     that	
     eliminates	
     the	
     heavily	
    
  interactive	
    elements	
    that	
    give	
    Preview	
    heartburn.	
    
  Can	
    I	
    read	
    the	
    fully-­‐interactive	
    character	
    sheets	
    on	
    my	
    tablet?	
    
  No.	
    As	
    at	
    the	
    time	
    of	
    writing,	
    we	
    are	
    not	
    aware	
    of	
    any	
    PDF	
    reader	
    software	
    for	
    either	
    iPad	
    or	
    
  Android	
    tablets	
    that	
    supports	
    either	
    display	
    or	
    editing	
    of	
    the	
    advanced	
    forms	
    used	
    by	
    the	
    Full	
    
  Autocalc	
     version	
     of	
     the	
     sheets.	
     This	
     includes	
     the	
     versions	
     of	
     Adobe	
     Reader	
     created	
     for	
     those	
    
  platforms	
    –	
    these	
    are	
    cut-­‐down	
    versions	
    of	
    the	
    full	
    application,	
    lacking	
    the	
    support	
    for	
    advanced	
    
  form	
    features.	
    	
    
  If	
    you	
    would	
    like	
    to	
    use	
    interactive	
    PDF	
    versions	
    of	
    the	
    7th	
    Edition	
    character	
    sheet	
    on	
    your	
    tablet,	
    
  consider	
    trying	
    the	
    simplified	
    Basic	
    Autocalc	
    version	
    of	
    sheets.	
    This	
    version	
    eliminates	
    the	
    heavily	
    
  interactive	
    elements	
    that	
    create	
    problems	
    for	
    the	
    cut-­‐down	
    tablet	
    versions	
    of	
    Adobe	
    Reader,	
    and	
    
  may	
    work	
    with	
    other	
    tablet-­‐based	
    readers	
    also.	
    
  I’ve	
    used	
    lots	
    of	
    PDFs	
    before	
    using	
    my	
    favorite	
    (non-­‐Adobe)	
    PDF	
    reader,	
    including	
    lots	
    of	
    forms.	
    
  What’s	
    so	
    special	
    about	
    these	
    PDFs	
    that	
    they	
    will	
    only	
    work	
    properly	
    on	
    Adobe	
    Reader?	
    
  Although	
    from	
    the	
    outside	
    all	
    PDFs	
    look	
    pretty	
    much	
    the	
    same,	
    when	
    you	
    look	
    under	
    the	
    hood	
    
  you	
    quickly	
    realize	
    that	
    there	
    are	
    several	
    different	
    “flavors”	
    of	
    PDF.	
    This	
    is	
    particularly	
    true	
    when	
    
  it	
    comes	
    to	
    interactive	
    forms.	
    There	
    are	
    at	
    least	
    three	
    different	
    types	
    of	
    interactive	
    form:	
    Acrobat	
    
  forms,	
    Static	
    XML	
    forms	
    and	
    Dynamic	
    XML	
    forms.	
    Each	
    allows	
    a	
    different	
    range	
    of	
    control	
    over	
    
  the	
     interactive	
     elements.	
     In	
     order	
     to	
     provide	
     the	
     highly	
     interactive	
     “push	
     button	
     meters”	
     for	
    
  Sanity,	
    Hit	
    Points,	
    etc.,	
    in	
    the	
    center	
    of	
    the	
    7th	
    Edition	
    sheets,	
    it	
    was	
    necessary	
    to	
    use	
    the	
    most	
    
  flexible	
    type	
    of	
    PDF	
    form	
    (Dynamic	
    XML).	
    
  Adobe’s	
     PC	
     and	
     Mac	
     readers	
     fully	
     support	
     all	
     three	
     styles	
     of	
     forms,	
     but	
     most	
     third	
     party	
     PDF	
    
  readers	
    only	
    aim	
    to	
    support	
    the	
    simplest	
    type	
    (Acrobat	
    forms),	
    because	
    this	
    is	
    the	
    one	
    which	
    is	
    
  easiest	
    to	
    implement	
    and	
    also	
    the	
    most	
    common	
    type	
    of	
    PDF	
    form	
    encountered.	
    So,	
    just	
    because	
    
  you	
    have	
    used	
    your	
    favorite	
    third-­‐party	
    PDF	
    reader	
    to	
    open	
    lots	
    of	
    different	
    PDFs	
    and	
    PDF	
    forms,	
    
  it	
     doesn’t	
     mean	
     that	
     it	
     supports	
     the	
     flavor	
     of	
     PDF	
     form	
     used	
     by	
     the	
     Full	
     Autocalc	
     version	
     of	
    
  sheets.	
    	
    
  When	
    I	
    try	
    to	
    open	
    or	
    preview	
    the	
    Interactive	
    Sheet,	
    all	
    I	
    see	
    is	
    some	
    text	
    saying	
    “Please	
    Wait	
    …	
    If	
    
  this	
    message	
    is	
    not	
    eventually	
    replaced	
    by	
    the	
    proper	
    contents,	
    your	
    PDF	
    viewer	
    may	
    not	
    be	
    able	
    
  to	
    display	
    this	
    type	
    of	
    document”.	
    What	
    does	
    that	
    mean?	
    
  This	
    error	
    message	
    means	
    that	
    the	
    PDF	
    reader	
    does	
    not	
    support	
    Dynamic	
    XML	
    forms	
    (and	
    will	
    not	
    
  work	
    with	
    the	
    Full	
    Autocalc	
    versions	
    of	
    the	
    sheets).	
    
  
  	
    
  3	
    
  I’m	
    sending	
    a	
    character	
    sheet	
    to	
    a	
    friend	
    by	
    attaching	
    it	
    to	
    an	
    email;	
    the	
    preview	
    window	
    on	
    my	
    
  email	
    program	
    doesn’t	
    show	
    the	
    sheet	
    properly.	
    Is	
    the	
    PDF	
    corrupted	
    in	
    my	
    email?	
    
  Probably	
     not.	
     When	
     email	
     clients	
     (or	
     web	
     browsers)	
     show	
     you	
     a	
     preview	
     of	
     the	
     file	
     that	
     is	
    
  attached	
    to	
    an	
    email,	
    they	
    make	
    use	
    of	
    a	
    PDF	
    reader	
    to	
    create	
    that	
    preview.	
    If	
    your	
    computer	
    is	
    
  set	
     up	
     such	
     that	
     this	
     preview	
     is	
     being	
     created	
     by	
     something	
     other	
     than	
     an	
     Adobe	
     program,	
    
  chances	
    are	
    that	
    it	
    will	
    not	
    correctly	
    reflect	
    the	
    contents	
    of	
    the	
    attachment.	
    If	
    in	
    doubt,	
    save	
    the	
    
  attachment	
    to	
    disk	
    and	
    open	
    it	
    with	
    Adobe	
    Reader.	
    
  	
    
  Are	
     Chaosium	
     looking	
     at	
     creating	
     an	
     7th	
     Edition	
     Interactive	
     Sheet	
     that	
     works	
     with	
     other	
     PDF	
    
  software	
    and	
    on	
    tablets?	
    
  Yes.	
    You	
    can	
    download	
    the	
    Basic	
    Autocalc	
    version	
    of	
    the	
    7th	
    Edition	
    character	
    sheet.	
    This	
    entirely	
    
  eliminates	
     the	
     “push	
     button	
     meters”–	
     the	
     elements	
     that	
     cause	
     problems	
     for	
     cut-­‐down	
     PDF	
    
  readers.	
    	
    
  Part	
    2:	
    Auto-­‐Calculations	
    and	
    Restricted	
    Fields	
    
  I’ve	
    noticed	
    that	
    most	
    fields	
    on	
    the	
    investigator	
    sheet	
    let	
    me	
    type	
    whatever	
    I’d	
    like	
    into	
    them,	
    but	
    
  a	
    few	
    seem	
    to	
    restrict	
    what	
    I	
    can	
    enter.	
    Which	
    fields	
    are	
    restricted	
    in	
    this	
    way?	
    
  Most	
    fields	
    allow	
    the	
    free	
    entry	
    of	
    arbitrary	
    text,	
    however	
    a	
    few	
    are	
    limited	
    to	
    numeric	
    values,	
    
  sometimes	
    in	
    a	
    particular	
    range.	
    	
    
  The	
    following	
    fields	
    are	
    numeric:	
    Age,	
    the	
    large	
    boxes	
    for	
    all	
    eight	
    Characteristics	
    (STR,	
    CON,	
    SIZ,	
    
  DEX,	
    APP,	
    INT,	
    POW	
    and	
    EDU),	
    the	
    large	
    boxes	
    for	
    all	
    skill	
    values,	
    and	
    all	
    items	
    in	
    the	
    “Regular”	
    
  column	
    of	
    the	
    Weapons	
    block.	
    
  What	
    are	
    the	
    upper	
    and	
    lower	
    bounds	
    on	
    characteristic	
    values,	
    age	
    values,	
    and	
    skill	
    values	
    that	
    
  the	
    sheets	
    enforce?	
    
  • 
  Age	
    must	
    be	
    between	
    15	
    and	
    90.	
    
  • 
  Characteristic	
    scores	
    must	
    be	
    between	
    0	
    and	
    200.	
    
  • 
  Skill	
    values	
    and	
    the	
    Regular	
    hit	
    chance	
    for	
    weapons	
    have	
    no	
    upper	
    or	
    lower	
    bounds	
    enforced	
    
  by	
    the	
    PDF	
    sheet	
    (although	
    some	
    values	
    may	
    not	
    make	
    sense	
    in	
    the	
    game).	
    
  Why	
    are	
    two	
    “Dodge”	
    skill	
    boxes	
    shown	
    on	
    the	
    sheet?	
    How	
    are	
    they	
    related?	
    
  Dodge	
    appears	
    both	
    in	
    the	
    main	
    list	
    of	
    skills	
    and	
    again	
    in	
    the	
    Combat	
    box	
    in	
    the	
    bottom	
    right	
    of	
    
  the	
    front	
    side	
    of	
    the	
    sheet.	
    The	
    second	
    of	
    these	
    is	
    an	
    automatic	
    copy	
    of	
    the	
    first,	
    and	
    is	
    provided	
    
  merely	
     as	
     a	
     quick-­‐reference	
     during	
     combat.	
     You	
     cannot	
     change	
     the	
     value	
     of	
     the	
     copy	
     in	
     the	
    
  Combat	
     box,	
     since	
     it	
     is	
     automatically	
     generated	
     and	
     “read	
     only”	
     –	
     if	
     you	
     want	
     to	
     increase	
     or	
    
  decrease	
    a	
    character’s	
    Dodge	
    score,	
    apply	
    the	
    change	
    to	
    the	
    box	
    included	
    in	
    the	
    normal	
    skill	
    list.	
    
  Which	
    other	
    fields	
    are	
    automatically	
    calculated?	
    
  The	
    sheet	
    automatically	
    calculates	
    “half”	
    and	
    “one-­‐fifth”	
    values	
    for	
    every	
    Characteristic	
    score	
    and	
    
  Skill	
    value	
    entered.	
    Additionally:	
    
  • 
  Movement	
    Rate	
    is	
    automatically	
    calculated	
    from	
    STR,	
    DEX,	
    SIZ,	
    and	
    Age.	
    
  • 
  Maximum	
    Hit	
    Points	
    is	
    automatically	
    calculated	
    from	
    CON	
    and	
    SIZ.	
    
  
  	
    
  4	
    
  • 
  Starting	
    Sanity	
    and	
    Maximum	
    Magic	
    Points	
    are	
    automatically	
    calculated	
    from	
    POW.	
    
  • 
  Maximum	
    Sanity	
    is	
    automatically	
    calculated	
    from	
    the	
    character’s	
    Cthulhu	
    Mythos	
    skill	
    value.	
    
  • 
  Damage	
    Bonus	
    and	
    Build	
    are	
    automatically	
    calculated	
    from	
    STR	
    and	
    SIZ.	
    
  • 
  In	
    the	
    Weapons	
    block,	
    the	
    “Regular”	
    chance	
    for	
    Unarmed	
    combat	
    is	
    automatically	
    calculated	
    
  from	
    the	
    character’s	
    Fighting	
    (Brawl)	
    skill	
    value.	
    
  • 
  Also	
    in	
    the	
    Weapons	
    block,	
    a	
    “Hard”	
    and	
    “Extreme”	
    chance	
    is	
    automatically	
    calculated	
    based	
    
  on	
    each	
    weapon’s	
    “Regular”	
    chance.	
    	
    
  All	
    automatically	
    calculated	
    fields	
    are	
    read	
    only;	
    you	
    cannot	
    edit	
    their	
    values	
    directly.	
    Editing	
    the	
    
  values	
    on	
    which	
    they	
    depend	
    does,	
    however,	
    trigger	
    a	
    recalculation	
    of	
    the	
    field	
    value.	
    
  Why	
    do	
    the	
    auto	
    calculated	
    fields	
    start	
    off	
    as	
    blank?	
    
  When	
     the	
     calculated	
     value	
     for	
     a	
     field	
     depends	
     on	
     one	
     or	
     more	
     other	
     fields	
    that	
     are	
     currently	
    
  blank,	
    then	
    that	
    field	
    is	
    itself	
    shown	
    as	
    blank.	
    This	
    is	
    the	
    situation	
    where	
    no	
    sensible	
    value	
    can	
    be	
    
  calculated	
    because	
    you’re	
    still	
    only	
    part	
    way	
    through	
    making	
    the	
    character.	
    So,	
    for	
    example,	
    the	
    
  Damage	
     Bonus	
     box	
     on	
     the	
     sheet	
     is	
     blank;	
     adding	
     a	
     value	
     for	
     one	
     of	
     the	
     two	
     characteristics	
     it	
    
  depends	
    upon	
    (i.e.,	
    STR	
    or	
    CON)	
    doesn’t	
    make	
    it	
    show	
    a	
    value,	
    but	
    adding	
    values	
    for	
    BOTH	
    values	
    
  causes	
    it	
    to	
    display	
    a	
    calculated	
    damage	
    bonus.	
    
  This	
    way	
    of	
    working	
    has	
    the	
    beneficial	
    side-­‐effect	
    that	
    in	
    its	
    initial	
    state,	
    the	
    sheet	
    is	
    completely	
    
  blank.	
    So	
    if	
    you	
    just	
    want	
    a	
    blank	
    sheet	
    to	
    fill	
    in	
    by	
    hand	
    you	
    can	
    open	
    up	
    the	
    PDF	
    and	
    print	
    one	
    
  out.	
    
  I’ve	
    just	
    made	
    a	
    new	
    character	
    and	
    the	
    “Max”	
    field	
    above	
    the	
    Sanity	
    meter	
    is	
    still	
    blank.	
    How	
    do	
    I	
    
  get	
    it	
    to	
    show	
    the	
    “99”	
    maximum	
    sanity	
    value	
    that	
    brand	
    new	
    characters	
    should	
    have?	
    
  Just	
    add	
    a	
    “0”	
    value	
    in	
    the	
    large	
    blank	
    box	
    next	
    to	
    Cthulhu	
    Mythos.	
    
  When	
    do	
    the	
    auto	
    calculated	
    fields	
    return	
    to	
    being	
    blank?	
    
  If	
    you	
    blank	
    out	
    the	
    value	
    in	
    a	
    field	
    (by	
    deleting	
    its	
    contents),	
    fields	
    which	
    depend	
    on	
    that	
    field	
    for	
    
  their	
    value	
    will	
    also	
    become	
    blank.	
    Continuing	
    the	
    example	
    above:	
    if	
    both	
    a	
    STR	
    and	
    CON	
    have	
    
  been	
     entered,	
     that	
     allows	
     a	
     Damage	
     Bonus	
     to	
     be	
     calculated.	
     If,	
     sometime	
     later,	
     the	
     value	
     for	
    
  either	
    STR	
    or	
    CON	
    is	
    selected	
    and	
    deleted,	
    the	
    Damage	
    Bonus	
    box	
    will	
    go	
    back	
    to	
    being	
    blank.	
    
  The	
     various	
     “meters”	
     in	
     the	
     center	
     of	
     the	
     sheet	
     (for	
     Sanity,	
     Hit	
     Points	
     etc.)	
     start	
     off	
     as	
     blank,	
    
  showing	
     no	
     circled	
     value.	
     Is	
     there	
     any	
     way	
     of	
     returning	
     them	
     to	
     blank	
     once	
     a	
     value	
     has	
     been	
    
  selected?	
    
  Experimenting	
    with	
    the	
    meters,	
    you	
    will	
    quickly	
    find	
    that	
    clicking	
    on	
    a	
    number	
    different	
    to	
    that	
    
  which	
    is	
    currently	
    circled	
    will	
    cause	
    the	
    circle	
    to	
    shift	
    to	
    the	
    newly	
    clicked	
    number.	
    However,	
    if	
    
  you	
    want	
    to	
    blank	
    out	
    the	
    meter	
    (leaving	
    no	
    value	
    circled),	
    simply	
    click	
    on	
    the	
    value	
    currently	
    
  circled	
    and	
    it	
    will	
    toggle	
    to	
    being	
    unselected.	
    
  What	
    are	
    the	
    “+1”	
    and	
    “-­‐1”	
    boxes	
    next	
    to	
    the	
    Move	
    Rate	
    field	
    for?	
    
  Some	
     investigator	
     backstory	
     events	
     that	
     occur	
     during	
     character	
     generation	
     (or,	
     potentially,	
    
  events	
    that	
    occur	
    in-­‐play)	
    can	
    make	
    an	
    investigator	
    slightly	
    quicker	
    or	
    slightly	
    slower	
    than	
    normal.	
    
  To	
     allow	
     for	
     such	
     minor	
     tweaking	
     of	
     the	
     automatically	
     generated	
     Move	
     Rate,	
     small	
     boxes	
    
  showing	
    “+1”	
    and	
    “-­‐1”	
    are	
    shown	
    next	
    to	
    the	
    field.	
    Only	
    one	
    of	
    these	
    can	
    be	
    selected	
    at	
    any	
    time,	
    
  
  	
    
  5	
    
  and	
    clicking	
    on	
    a	
    box	
    that	
    is	
    already	
    marked	
    with	
    an	
    “X”	
    will	
    cause	
    that	
    box	
    to	
    become	
    emptied	
    
  (leaving	
    neither	
    “+1”	
    or	
    “-­‐1”	
    selected).	
    
  Part	
    3:	
    Multi-­‐Line	
    Text	
    Fields	
    and	
    Font	
    Scaling	
    
  The	
    free-­‐text	
    fields	
    for	
    Investigator	
    Name,	
    Occupation,	
    etc.	
    seem	
    kind	
    of	
    short;	
    am	
    I	
    going	
    to	
    be	
    
  able	
    to	
    fit	
    the	
    text	
    I	
    want	
    into	
    them?	
    
  The	
    text	
    in	
    these	
    fields	
    auto-­‐scales	
    to	
    allow	
    for	
    longer	
    entries	
    to	
    be	
    made.	
    Once	
    you	
    have	
    filled	
    
  the	
    available	
    space,	
    the	
    text	
    shrinks	
    to	
    allow	
    you	
    to	
    keep	
    typing.	
    Be	
    aware,	
    however,	
    font	
    size	
    can	
    
  only	
    be	
    shrunk	
    down	
    so	
    far.	
    
  	
    
  Lots	
    of	
    the	
    boxes	
    on	
    the	
    back	
    of	
    the	
    sheet	
    support	
    multiple	
    lines	
    of	
    text.	
    How	
    do	
    I	
    get	
    text	
    to	
    span	
    
  across	
    those	
    multiple	
    lines?	
    
  The	
     ten	
     fields	
     in	
     the	
     Backstory	
     block,	
     the	
     Assets	
     field,	
     and	
     the	
     two	
     halves	
     of	
     the	
     Gear	
     &	
    
  Possessions	
     box	
     are	
     all	
     multi-­‐line	
     text	
     fields.	
     You	
     can	
     treat	
     these	
     a	
     bit	
     like	
     a	
     word	
     processor	
    
  document,	
    adding	
    new	
    lines	
    by	
    hitting	
    the	
    Enter	
    key	
    or	
    allowing	
    the	
    cursor	
    to	
    extend	
    past	
    the	
    
  write	
    of	
    the	
    box	
    to	
    wrap	
    around	
    to	
    the	
    next	
    line	
    of	
    the	
    field.	
    	
    
  What	
    happens	
    if	
    I	
    run	
    out	
    of	
    space	
    in	
    a	
    multi-­‐line	
    fiend	
    on	
    the	
    back	
    of	
    the	
    sheet?	
    
  Like	
    the	
    single-­‐line	
    text	
    boxes,	
    the	
    multi-­‐line	
    fields	
    also	
    scale	
    down	
    the	
    size	
    of	
    the	
    font	
    to	
    allow	
    
  more	
    text	
    to	
    be	
    entered	
    after	
    the	
    field	
    has	
    filled	
    up.	
    
  Part	
    4:	
    Fellow	
    Investigators	
    
  What	
     information	
     can	
     I	
     record	
     on	
     the	
     back	
     of	
     the	
     sheet	
     about	
     the	
     relationship	
     between	
     my	
    
  investigator	
    and	
    other	
    players’	
    characters?	
    	
    
  The	
    back	
    of	
    the	
    investigator	
    sheet	
    includes	
    space	
    to	
    record	
    information	
    about	
    8	
    other	
    characters	
    
  that	
    can	
    describe	
    some	
    form	
    of	
    relationship	
    with.	
    For	
    each	
    “fellow	
    investigator”	
    three	
    items	
    can	
    
  be	
    recorded	
    –	
    the	
    character’s	
    name,	
    the	
    player’s	
    name,	
    and	
    the	
    relationship	
    between	
    the	
    named	
    
  character	
    and	
    this	
    character.	
    
  How	
    are	
    the	
    fields	
    arranged	
    around	
    that	
    weird	
    tentacle	
    thing?	
    
  Each	
     square	
     box	
     surrounding	
     the	
     tentacle	
     thing	
     captures	
     information	
     about	
     one	
     “fellow	
    
  investigator,”	
    specifically	
    the	
    investigator’s	
    name	
    and	
    the	
    player’s	
    name.	
    There	
    is	
    also	
    a	
    field	
    next	
    
  to	
    the	
    tentacle	
    arm	
    touching	
    the	
    box	
    –	
    use	
    that	
    to	
    record	
    the	
    relationship	
    between	
    characters.	
    
  Part	
    5:	
    Adding	
    a	
    Character	
    Portrait	
    
  How	
    do	
    I	
    add	
    a	
    portrait	
    to	
    the	
    character	
    sheet?	
    
  Adding	
    a	
    character	
    portrait	
    is	
    easy	
    –	
    simply	
    click	
    on	
    the	
    silhouette	
    in	
    the	
    upper	
    right	
    corner	
    of	
    the	
    
  sheet	
    front.	
    A	
    file	
    browser	
    dialogue	
    box	
    will	
    pop	
    up,	
    asking	
    you	
    to	
    pick	
    an	
    image	
    file	
    to	
    load	
    into	
    
  the	
    sheet.	
    	
    
  What	
    size	
    image	
    should	
    I	
    use	
    for	
    the	
    portrait?	
    
  
  	
    
  6	
    
  The	
    image	
    will	
    be	
    scaled	
    to	
    fit	
    the	
    space	
    on	
    the	
    character	
    sheet,	
    so	
    size	
    is	
    less	
    important	
    than	
    the	
    
  ratio	
    of	
    width	
    to	
    height.	
    The	
    space	
    on	
    the	
    sheet	
    is	
    206	
    pixels	
    wide	
    and	
    252	
    pixels	
    high.	
    Picking	
    a	
    
  file	
    which	
    is	
    much	
    smaller	
    will	
    cause	
    pixilation	
    of	
    the	
    image	
    as	
    it	
    is	
    scaled	
    up;	
    picking	
    a	
    much	
    
  larger	
    image	
    will	
    simply	
    cause	
    it	
    to	
    be	
    shrunk	
    down	
    to	
    fit.	
    
  Can	
    I	
    use	
    an	
    image	
    from	
    an	
    online	
    source?	
    
  Yes.	
    One	
    nifty	
    feature	
    of	
    recent	
    versions	
    of	
    Adobe	
    Reader	
    is	
    that,	
    although	
    the	
    image	
    file	
    browser	
    
  opened	
    makes	
    it	
    look	
    like	
    it	
    can	
    only	
    select	
    a	
    file	
    already	
    on	
    disk,	
    you	
    can	
    type	
    a	
    URL	
    into	
    the	
    “File	
    
  Name”	
    field	
    which	
    points	
    to	
    an	
    image	
    somewhere	
    on	
    the	
    Web.	
    This	
    image	
    is	
    then	
    downloaded	
    
  and	
    inserted	
    into	
    the	
    character	
    sheet.	
    
  One	
    practical	
    application	
    of	
    this	
    feature	
    is	
    that	
    you	
    can	
    search	
    for	
    an	
    appropriate	
    character	
    image	
    
  using	
    a	
    site	
    such	
    as	
    Google	
    Images	
    and,	
    once	
    you	
    have	
    found	
    one	
    you	
    like	
    simply	
    copy	
    the	
    URL	
    
  and	
    paste	
    it	
    into	
    the	
    Adobe	
    Reader	
    dialogue	
    box.	
    This	
    gives	
    you	
    literally	
    millions	
    of	
    options	
    for	
    
  pre-­‐made	
    character	
    portraits.	
    
  Part	
    6:	
    Saving	
    or	
    Printing	
    a	
    Character	
    Sheet	
    for	
    Later	
    Use	
    
  Once	
     I’ve	
     finished	
     creating	
     my	
     character	
     how	
     can	
     I	
     save	
     his	
     or	
     her	
     character	
     sheet	
     so	
     the	
    
  information	
    is	
    there	
    when	
    I	
    come	
    to	
    play?	
    
  Saving	
    a	
    completed	
    character	
    sheet	
    is	
    easy	
    –	
    just	
    pick	
    “Save	
    As”	
    from	
    the	
    file	
    menu	
    and	
    choose	
    a	
    
  different	
    file	
    name	
    and	
    location	
    for	
    the	
    completed	
    PDF	
    sheet.	
    Be	
    careful	
    not	
    to	
    overwrite	
    the	
    
  blank	
    (master)	
    version	
    of	
    the	
    sheet,	
    since	
    you	
    will	
    likely	
    need	
    it	
    next	
    time	
    you	
    create	
    a	
    character.	
    
  When	
    you	
    re-­‐load	
    a	
    saved	
    sheet,	
    all	
    fields	
    (including	
    the	
    character	
    portrait,	
    circled	
    meter	
    values,	
    
  and	
    any	
    check	
    marks)	
    are	
    restored	
    exactly	
    as	
    when	
    the	
    sheet	
    was	
    saved.	
    
  Can	
    I	
    create	
    “templates”	
    which	
    are	
    partially	
    filled	
    in?	
    
  Yes.	
    If	
    for	
    some	
    reason	
    you	
    find	
    that	
    character	
    generation	
    can	
    be	
    streamlined	
    by	
    partially	
    filling	
    in	
    
  the	
     sheet	
     and	
     re-­‐using	
     this	
     “template”	
     over	
     and	
     over,	
     you	
     can	
     create	
     and	
     save	
     a	
     PDF	
     which	
    
  records	
    this	
    partial	
    information	
    and	
    re-­‐load	
    it	
    later,	
    as	
    many	
    times	
    as	
    you	
    like.	
    	
    
  Can	
    I	
    print	
    a	
    version	
    of	
    the	
    sheet?	
    
  Yes.	
    Just	
    use	
    Adobe	
    Reader’s	
    Print	
    option	
    (on	
    the	
    File	
    menu	
    or	
    on	
    a	
    toolbar)	
    to	
    create	
    a	
    hardcopy	
    
  version	
    of	
    your	
    character	
    sheet.	
    The	
    sheet	
    as	
    provided	
    is	
    optimized	
    for	
    US	
    Letter	
    paper,	
    but	
    you	
    
  can	
    easily	
    print	
    it	
    on	
    other	
    sized	
    paper	
    using	
    the	
    flexible	
    scaling	
    options	
    on	
    Adobe	
    Reader’s	
    Print	
    
  dialogue.	
    
  	
    
  	
    
  Acknowledgment	
    
  Chaosium	
    would	
    like	
    to	
    thank	
    Dean	
    Englehardt	
    for	
    putting	
    this	
    FAQ	
    together	
    and	
    also	
    for	
    all	
    of	
    his	
    
  work	
    on	
    designing	
    and	
    making	
    the	
    new	
    7th	
    edition	
    investigator	
    sheets.	
    
  	
    
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Call of Cthulhu (CoC) (BRP) [multi]/7th edition/CoC 7e - Character Sheet Interactive Character Sheet FAQ.pdf