Taming OpenOffice.org

A reader, who wants to use OpenOffice.org for page layout (and not Scribus or another program), asked me some questions about drop caps. I would like to be able to do these things myself, but I don’t know of a way it can be done without resorting to a workaround like manually putting the initial in a frame anchored to the paragraph and then fiddling with the paragraph’s settings.

Here are the questions. If anyone reading this can offer suggestions, please do!

- Drop caps near multiple paragraphs: My initials (drop caps) are 4 lines high. Now, the problem is, if there is a new paragraph starting in that 4 lines, the drop cap will only be as high as the first paragraph. The old book I mostly based my design on (printed in 1905) has the new paragraph continuing next to the initial, and the first-line indent used in paragraphs is even added. It looks like this:

XXXXXX first paragraph that is
XXXXXX only two lines.
XXXXXX ____Second paragraph with
XXXXXX its first line indented from
the initial with the same amount as
the normal indent.
____Third paragraph indented
normally under the initial.

But instead, Writer makes the Initial only two lines high, as high as the first paragraph is. I need a way to force it to make all initials the same height, even if there are not enough lines. I could do this with empty lines added but that would not be professional, and also I need the next paragraph start next to the initial.

- Drop caps first line indent: I need the very first line of the paragraph touch the initial while the other lines have a gap. Now Writer can only set a spacing that it has a gap in all lines. What I need is something like this:

XXXXXirst line is touching
X____ the initial while
XXX__ the rest of the lines
X____ are being separated
with a slight gap.

This is also a design element from my old book copy. On Writer if I try to play with indents and spacing, spacing adds gap to all lines while indent moves even the Initial itself, and all lines with it.

- Drop caps height: I would need the initials start not at the top of the first line, but stick a little bit out at the top, being a bit higher than the 4 lines.