I needed an A4 character sheet that would take up less space at the table while fitting the way I actually play D&D.
Downloads
No Spells version
Spell Points version
Spell Slots version
The design is based quite heavily on these A5 sheets by timthebeholder, who was kind enough to let me copy the look.
When designing this character sheet, I sought to both address some quirks of the official character sheets as well as cater to my personal playstyle. For instance, I rarely play in games that use Inspiration and I have yet to play a session in which anyone has needed to track death saving throws between sessions, so I’ve simply removed such extremely situational information from the sheet. This also allowed me to condense Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws into a Personality section that still allows them to be written down, but doesn’t prioritize them as highly on the sheet.
Generally speaking, the left side of the sheet contains information that the player needs to reference at least once and often multiple times during a session, whereas information on the right side usually comes in handy once every couple of sessions, such as alignment, languages, and character history. For this reason I’ve made space for players to add their own reference material on the left side, such as class-specific resources (e.g. Second Wind or Wild Shape uses) or frequently used spell effects.
I have also separated weapon and armor proficiencies from skill and tool proficiencies as they work differently mechanically and are referenced in different situations (players don’t usually check their weapon proficiencies when making attack rolls, but rather when getting new equipment), as well as placed checkboxes for saving throw proficiencies next to their associated ability scores.
The woefully small equipment box on the official sheet has also been turned into a dedicated equipment section that allows the player to discern between items in their character’s backpack and items in more easily accessible places, such as pockets or on the outside of the bag.
This makes it a lot easier to see what the player has access to in the moment and thus to come up with creative uses for gear.
A4 mockup template in header from Designbolts.
NMBJ 