The fifth release of Virtual Combat Cards D&D 4th Edition combat tracker is out . The version number was bumped to 0.90 to reflect the fact that the tool, as originally planed, is nearly done. The most important new feature is the tracking of effect and conditions. Now effects can be tracked individually and those that have time bound duration are expire automatically (such as: End your of Next Turn). This makes tracking effects much easier, avoiding the need of going back and forth and checking if the effects are still in effect.

You can (get VCC 0.90) here.

This version has some significant changes:

• The general layout of the screen has been redone, trying to separate combatant specific data form actions that can be applied to any combatant (check the new look here).
• Internal handling of initiative actions has been redone, including better testing practices.
• Effect tracking has been added, including the following features:
  • Automatically replace marks with the new one;

  • Automatically replace effect with stance duration, when new stance power is activated;
  • Track sustainable effect;
  • Automatically expire effect with duration: End of your/target Next Turn and Start of your/target Turn;
• Several minor improvement in the internal handling of some actions.

While tracking of condition was design to be simple, reading the Effect tracking section of the online documentation may be helpful.

Next release will focus on a set of request that came from users:

• Group initiative to keep monster together;
• Improved way to handle healing surges, including things like: tracking spend surges, allow the healing of: surge value + x;
• Simplified way to handle PC health, allowing the DM to move PC health between major states: Ok to Bloody to Dying to Dead and back.
• More information on the combatant, like: Passive Perception, Passive Insight, etc;
• Tracking action points, and rechargeable monster powers;

As always feed back is more then welcome.