Pathfinder Apps (Mac/Windows/iOS/Android)

[laotze]

Hi folks. Long-time OotS lover, first time poster. I'm running my first campaign in almost a decade for a group of a mostly newbies and/or folks as rusty as I am. Since my RPG experience is predominantly 3.5e, but I've lost or sold most of my old materials, I picked Pathfinder, and I've been pretty happy with how accessible it makes the OGL.

I am, however, looking to simplify most of the tedious parts of d20 and automate the math moments as much as possible. To that end I'm trying to find the best possible set of apps for myself as GM and for my players. HeroLab seems ludicrously overpriced given how poorly optimized it is (runs like java molasses even on my high-end gaming rig) and how user-unfriendly the UI can be. I'll be mostly using my Macbook to GM and my players will be using a mix of iOS and Android devices, and in one case a Microsoft Surfacebook, so I'm open to a wide array of apps. I couldn't find a repository reference thread for Pathfinder apps generally, so perhaps this could serve that purpose if we can get enough good recs here.

-On the GM side-

For combat and initiative management, the best tool I've found so far seems to be Improved Initiative (free). The interface is elegant, it allows quick adjustment of encounters on the fly, and I love love love the casting feature that allows me to throw a combat screen URL up on the TV for the party to keep track of their HP, turn order, enemy conditions, etc.
The downside is that it's pre-optimized for 5e, meaning if I want to use its reference features I would have to enter ****loads of monster data for the 3.5e/Pathfinder campaign I'll be running, to the extent that I'll probably just have to keep using printed materials anyway. It also doesn't do monster combat rolls or calculations, which would be a huge boon.

Game Master by Lion's Den ($2.99) does handle combat rolls, on the other hand, which is awesome, and it contains monster data for Pathfinder, but (a) it's on iOS so iPad entry is a lot slower than on my Macbook, especially with how long it takes to put in hero data; (b) it doesn't have a way of casting/sharing summaries with the players; (c) it doesn't allow you input player initiative rolls easily, requiring you to virtually roll everyone with the monsters and then rearrange manually; and (d) it's locked into landscape mode, which is annoying. These are big enough issues that I'm probably going to stick with Improved Initiative Management and just handle rolls and calculations the old-fashioned way, unless I can find something with the best of both worlds.

InitiativeBoard (99¢) is a nice little iOS app extremely similar to Improved Combat Initiative, but more simplified and without the casting feature. It does have automatic status effect (condition) tracking, which is nifty.

-On the Player side-

RPG Scribe ($2.99) for IOS is damn near perfect as a character app. It features an elegant dynamic character sheet, a fairly robust character builder with Pathfinder legality checking, quick references for virtually everything, beautiful iconography for spells and the like, and (best of all) easy tracking for daily spells, spell and ability uses, XP gain / leveling, healing, damage, and a Rest button. The only thing it's lacking is the ability to track status effects (conditions), which is a shame but the (very active and responsive) devs say they're working on it for a future update, and in the mean time we'll just stick with physical condition cards. Honestly this app is beautiful enough after trying 5-6 others that I'm done hunting for other iOS options and just need to find a good equivalent for my Android/Surfacebook users.

The internet recommends PCGen (free) for Windows/Mac almost as frequently as HeroLab, and it seems fine for character building but kind of garbage as a character sheet for use in-game as a result of its daunting interface and lack of tablet optimization.

-In conclusion-

I'm still hunting for that "silver bullet" GM combat management app that combines all the best features of Improved Initiative Tracker and Game Master by Lion's Den. Something that tracks combat fully for the GM and with hidden NPC stats for the player view, and that also handles monster combat calculations. And preferably that runs on Mac (like II) rather than mobile (like GMbLD).

I'm extremely satisfied with RPG Scribe for player sheets on iOS, but still looking for a similarly near-perfect Android and Windows equivalent.

[laotze]

-Apps that I found inadequate for various reasons-

HeroLab ($30+). See above. An overpriced, unwieldy dinosaur of an app.

Combat Manager ($4.99). Brilliant potential but a dated interface and massive instability since it hasn't been updated at least a year. Borderline abandonware.

Fight Club PFRPG by Lion's Den ($2.99). Simple character sheet app that unfortunately doesn't do legality checks or character building. Combine that with inferior reference materials and it really doesn't have anything on RPG Scribe other than that it integrates easily with GM by Lion's Dead.

Donjon's Initiative Tracker (free). Donjon's overall suite is amazing, and I highly recommend checking out all the nifty little tools he's provided (especially the procedural generators), but his initiative tracker is too clunky and too basic to be much use over pen and paper, let alone over whiteboard or the apps above.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Have you checked out PFRPG rd? It's an IOS app (not sure if it's for Android as well) that's basically just the free online pathfinder SRD. It's like $5, and it's usually not quite as up-to-date as the online SRD. Why would you pay money for something that's free, you might ask?

Well, first of all the SRD is hard to navigate on a phone screen, so unless you're bringing a laptop it's a really handy reference to cut down on book weight, especially if you're traveling to your games.

Secondly, it doesn't require an internet connection; the whole thing is saved to your phone, and since it's basically nothing but text it doesn't take up much space. So if you're friend has spotty wifi, you still have access to the SRD that's fast and responsive.

There are a few areas that need improvement; it has a search function, but it doesn't seem to work very well for magic items. Also, it hasn't been updated since Occult Adventures, so it doesn't have stuff like the vigilante yet. Still, it periodically updates. It also doesn't have most of the softcover splats, sticking to hardcovers for the most part.

Maybe this isn't the best sales pitch for it, but I've been a big fan of this app since I got it several years ago. I went from carrying a laptop and several books to games to just bringing my iPad, and maybe one or two relevant books. And if I forget something, I can just whip out my phone and be in business.

***

I also use a dice roller app called Natural 20. I think it was $3? It's not the flashiest or prettiest thing in the world, but it's got great functionality. It's good for rolling buckets of dice, and it also has a nifty dice calculator. It also can randomly generate playing cards, alphabet letters, coin flips, and other things. Also, it has apple watch support, so you can roll dice on your watch if you're a massive nerd like me.

I'll have to check out RPG scribe. That sounds like a cool one.

[The Random NPC]

I use Masterwork Tools' Pathfinder Open Reference for my Android. It's a free copy of the PFSRD.

[Kurald Galain]

I use Masterwork Tools' Pathfinder Open Reference for my Android. It's a free copy of the PFSRD.

Me too. It's highly useful.

[Elder_Basilisk]

I'm on Android and Kindle Fire. So far, I've been using Combat Assistant which looks like it was designed for 4e and has a bunch of options that are only usable in that context, but if you ignore them and just use it for initiative, it is quicker and easier than the whiteboard initiative tracker.

Anyone have any other suggestions for Android or Kindle Fire? I'm always looking for ways to make my life easier but I'm not interested in shelling out $40 plus $20 per book for Herolab.

[Mehangel]

I have had good experience with the Roll20 App. Using the App, you gain access to a growing compendium of the OGL for Pathfinder, a fairly expansive character sheet, and a variety of features that you could choose whether or not to utilize.

[Stewzors]

Pathbuilder is pretty good for a free char gen app on android, maybe worth a look for the players?