diff --git a/src/utils/mudform.py b/src/utils/mudform.py
index cbce9e4518..b287be54ba 100644
--- a/src/utils/mudform.py
+++ b/src/utils/mudform.py
@@ -65,6 +65,13 @@ import copy
 from src.utils.mudtable import Cell, MudTable
 from src.utils.utils import all_from_module
 
+# non-valid form-identifying characters (which can thus be
+# used as separators between forms without being detected
+# as an identifier). These should be listed in regex form.
+
+INVALID_FORMCHARS = r"\s\-\|\*\#\<\>\~\^"
+
+
 class MudForm(object):
     """
     This object is instantiated with a text file and parses
@@ -118,8 +125,8 @@ class MudForm(object):
         table_coords = {}
 
         # Locate the identifier tags and the horizontal end coords for all forms
-        re_cellchar = re.compile(r"%s+([^%s])%s+" % (cellchar, cellchar, cellchar))
-        re_tablechar = re.compile(r"%s+([^%s])%s+" % (tablechar, tablechar, tablechar))
+        re_cellchar =  re.compile(r"%s+([^%s%s])%s+" % (cellchar, INVALID_FORMCHARS, cellchar, cellchar))
+        re_tablechar = re.compile(r"%s+([^%s%s|])%s+" % (tablechar, INVALID_FORMCHARS, tablechar, tablechar))
         for iy, line in enumerate(form):
             # find cells
             ix0 = 0
@@ -137,6 +144,7 @@ class MudForm(object):
                 match = re_tablechar.search(line, ix0)
                 if match:
                     # get the width of the rectangle directly from the match
+                    print "table.match:", match.group(), match.group(1)
                     table_coords[match.group(1)] = [iy, match.start(), match.end()]
                     ix0 = match.end()
                 else:
diff --git a/src/utils/mudtable.py b/src/utils/mudtable.py
index 486987bb86..f4d72088ae 100644
--- a/src/utils/mudtable.py
+++ b/src/utils/mudtable.py
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ class Cell(object):
         """
 
         padwidth = kwargs.get("pad_width", None)
-        padwidth = int(padwidth) if padwidth else None
+        padwidth = int(padwidth) if padwidth is not None else None
         self.pad_left = int(kwargs.get("pad_left", padwidth if padwidth is not None else 1))
         self.pad_right = int(kwargs.get("pad_right", padwidth if padwidth is not None else 1))
         self.pad_top = int( kwargs.get("pad_top", padwidth if padwidth is not None else 0))
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ class Cell(object):
         # keywords that require manipulation
 
         padwidth = kwargs.get("pad_width", None)
-        padwidth = int(padwidth) if padwidth else None
+        padwidth = int(padwidth) if padwidth is not None else None
         self.pad_left = int(kwargs.get("pad_left", padwidth if padwidth is not None else self.pad_left))
         self.pad_right = int(kwargs.get("pad_right", padwidth if padwidth is not None else self.pad_right))
         self.pad_top = int( kwargs.get("pad_top", padwidth if padwidth is not None else self.pad_top))
@@ -468,6 +468,8 @@ class MudTable(object):
             header - True/False - turn off header being treated
                     as a header (like extra underlining)
 
+            pad_width - how much empty space to pad your cells with
+                        (default is 1)
             border - None, or one of
                     "table" - only a border around the whole table
                     "tablecols" - table and column borders
@@ -746,6 +748,7 @@ class MudTable(object):
                 # get minimum possible cell heights for each collumn
                 cheights_min = [max(cell.get_min_height() for cell in (col[iy] for col in self.worktable)) for iy in range(nrowmax)]
                 chmin = sum(cheights_min)
+                #print "cheights_min:", cheights_min
 
                 if chmin > self.height:
                     # we cannot shrink any more
@@ -759,15 +762,21 @@ class MudTable(object):
                 even = self.height % 2 == 0
                 for i in range(excess):
                     # expand the cells with the most rows first
-                    ci = cheights.index(max(cheights))
+                    if 0 <= i < nrowmax and nrowmax > 1:
+                        # avoid adding to header first round (looks bad on very small tables)
+                        ci = cheights[1:].index(max(cheights[1:])) + 1
+                    else:
+                        ci = cheights.index(max(cheights))
                     cheights_min[ci] += 1
                     if ci == 0 and self.header:
+                        # it doesn't look very good if header expands too fast
                         cheights[ci] -= 2 if even else 3
                     cheights[ci] -= 2 if even else 1
                 cheights = cheights_min
 
                 # we must tell cells to crop instead of expanding
             options["enforce_size"] = True
+        #print "cheights2:", cheights
 
         # reformat table (for vertical align)
         for ix, col in enumerate(self.worktable):