[ericbsmith]

It certainly would be possible to add text descriptions to the data files. GCA handles text alright, and while the text would increase the memory footprint it probably wouldn't slow down GCA very much at all. The barriers here are two-fold; first, incorporating the text requires someone to go through the PDFs, extract the text, and then convert it to a format amenable to GCA. Given the sheer number of traits (not just Advantages, Disadvantages, and Skills but also Spells, Enhancements, and Limitations as well) this becomes a daunting task. The second barrier is whether or not SJGames would want all of that text made available in a more-or-less plain text format for free or cheap to GCA users. They may be willing to do it, but that's a discussion we haven't had in years.

PDF book/page links, OTOH, are a lot simpler to implement and wouldn't bring in any other serious issues. So, for my money, this makes PDF links the best solution for the desire to be able to quickly and easily access trait text descriptions.