Modal spells and abilities — ‘choose one —’ followed by a list of options — are where new MSE users first go looking for a bullet list button. There isn’t one on the Format menu (which covers bold, italic, symbols and reminder text), but MSE’s text system does have list support, and there is also a simple plain-text approach. Here is what is actually available, and what each option does.
Option 1 — The <li> list marker (built into the text system)
MSE text fields are tag-based: formatting is stored as lightweight markup inside the text. The program’s own documentation describes an <li> tag with a specific job: text inside the tag is treated as a list marker, meaning that when the line after it wraps, the wrapped portion is indented to align with the content following the marker instead of running back to the left edge. That hanging indent is exactly what makes a bulleted list readable on a card.
Honesty note: the author’s changelog for version 2.1.0 lists the <li> tag as experimental. It is a real, documented part of the text system, but treat it as such — check the rendered result on your template, because experimental features and individual templates do not always get along, and keep your source text simple enough that the card still reads correctly if the marker is ignored.
Option 2 — Type the bullet character directly
The approach that works in every template is also the oldest: start each option line with a bullet character (•) followed by a space, and put each option on its own line. This is plain text — no tags, no template support required — and it is how many real modal cards read anyway once rendered. The trade-offs to know:
- Wrapped lines will run back to the left margin (no hanging indent), so keep options short enough to fit on one line where you can.
- How the bullet glyph looks depends on the fonts your template uses; if a bullet renders as a box or blank, your template’s font lacks the character — switch to a hyphen-style marker or the
<li>approach instead.
Writing list text that survives the card frame
- Lead with ‘Choose one —’ (or the appropriate count) on its own line, then the options. The lead-in is part of the ability’s text, not a heading.
- Keep each option parallel: same sentence shape, same capitalisation, full stops in the same places. Inconsistent options are the most common giveaway of a home-made card.
- Preview at final size. Rules text shrinks to fit its box. A list that looks fine zoomed in can become the smallest text on the card — shorten options before you accept tiny type.
- Check the export, not just the editor. Render one card image and look at the list in the exported file; that is the version your readers and printer will see.