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The Anatomy of a Card
🕑 Added 2022-07-15 18:34:38 +0000 UTC
There's a lot going on in a card, so I wanted to post this to help you all understand how it's laid out.
1. Action duration
This is the action type. Sometimes it as a * after it which means there's some sort of modifier such as "see text" on the action type. The action types are separated into
FA - free action
SW - Swift action
MV - Move action
ST - Standard action
FR - Full-round action
1R - 1 Round (can also be 2R, 3R, etc)
1M - 1 Minute (can also be 2M, 2M, etc)
1H - 1 Hour (can also be 2H, 2H, etc)
1D - 1 Day (can also be 2D, 2D, etc)
2. Information
Click this to open up a dialog that shows all the information about the spell or ability, plus the text of any feats, class features, or effects that may modify this ability.
3. Title
This is the title of the card. Usually it's the name of the spell, feat, or weapon, but sometimes it's slightly different. Clicking the book icon (2) should allow you to read the ability associated with the action.
4. Subtitle
This is where I show the school of magic for a spell. For other cards it can have other things in it, such as the word "Teamwork" if the card represents and Teamwork feat. It can also have effect modifiers in it such as "mind-affecting" if the action is mind-affecting, allowing you to easily see whether it will affect undead, for example.
5. Components
For spells, this shows the components needed for the spell. If you have Eschew Materials the M component will be removed if it has no cost. If the component has a cost, there will be some indicator showing that you should open the book icon to read the spell information and see what you need in order to cast the spell.
6. Caster Level
This is the caster level of the spell or ability. If you get a flat bonus to caster level for that spell, the bonus is added to this number automatically. There are some modifiers to caster level for specific situations, and those should be visible in the description section (9).
7. Left side band
Often this is where the DC for a spell or ability lives, or for weapons it shows the range of the weapon (if any) or melee/reach information. This varies between cards, but it's fairly intuitive.
8. Right side band
Often this is where the attack bonus for a spell or ability lives. This also varies between cards, but it's fairly intuitive.
9. Description
This shows some basic information to help you understand what the ability does at a high-level. Underneath I append the situational bonuses that may apply to this action.
