# Ability Category Files

Ability Categories can be defined in either the active GameMode's miscinfo.lst file or in a loaded dataset's abilitycategory.lst file, with each ability category being defined in one or the other, but not both. Ability categories are defined, one per line, as per the ABILITYCATEGORY tag documentation in the miscinfo.lst file documentation.

Warning: `SOURCExxx` tags must not be used in the abilitycategory list file, so source information must be listed in comments where required.

## Ability Category File Tags

*** Added 5.13.5

Tag Name: ABILITYCATEGORY:x

Variables Used (x): Text (Name of the Ability Category).

What it does:

- The ABILITYCATEGORY tag begins a line which defines a category of abilities.
- The ABILITYCATEGORY tag is optional as PCGen will take the first data element in each line as the name of the ability category being defined.
- Visible ability categories will show as a sub-tab on the abilities tab.
- If no extra parameters are provided on the line the category will default to being visible, editable, with no types, a display name and plural name matching the category name and an editable whole number only pool with a starting value of 0.

Example:

`ABILITYCATEGORY:Special Attack`

Defines a category named Special Attack.

`Special Attack <tab> PLURAL=Ambush`

Defines a category named Special Attack and sets the internationalized name to "Ambush".

The following tags are used in ABILITYCATEGORY lines and are defined in the miscinfo.lst file documentation:

- ABILITYLIST - Defines a list of abilities that are included in the associated category.
- CATEGORY - Defines the low-level ability category the category refers to.
  - Class Abilities, Racial Abilities, Special Attacks, Special Qualities, Feat, Skill, Supernatural, Extraordinary and Spell, etc...
- DISPLAYLOCATION - Define the name of the sub tab that the ability category will be displayed on.
- DISPLAYNAME - Defines the display name of the category.
- EDITABLE - Defines whether this category of abilities is user-editable.
- EDITPOOL - Sets the flag to allow/disallow user editing of the pool.
- FRACTIONALPOOL - Sets if the pool can use fractional amounts.
- PLURAL - Sets the internationalized plural name for this category.
- POOL - Sets the number, variable, or formula used to calculate the pool size for this category of ability.
- TYPE - Defines the list of types included in this category
- VISIBLE - Defines whether this category of ability should be displayed in the UI.