You just cloned Chicago Modern Nights. You now have a complete V5 chronicle with 105 characters, 211 relationships, 52 locations, 16 clans, 14 disciplines, 17 predator types, 25 loresheets, 47 pieces of equipment, 22 antagonists, 12 coteries, and over 100 lore files — plus rules, GM instructions, game starts, and two handbooks. This manual is about how everything fits together and how to build on it without breaking the thing that made it worth cloning in the first place.
What You Actually Got
This project is not a static setting book. It is a living data model — 14 file types connected by reference fields that form a dense web of political, personal, and spatial relationships. Characters point at clans, coteries, locations, predator types, equipment, and loresheets. Relationships point at characters. Locations point at parent locations. Clans point at disciplines. Coteries point at characters and locations. Every reference is a thread in a web that the AI Storyteller can navigate during play.
The files are data, not prose. When you open a character, you see a structured sheet — dots, pools, Advantages, Flaws, Convictions. When the AI runs a scene, it reads these fields to determine what a character can do, who they owe, and what they fear. The prose that brings the world to life lives in the lore files, the GM instructions, and the chapter you are reading right now.
The Folder Map
| Folder | Contains | Count | Drives... |
|---|
/Characters/ | Full Kindred, mortal, and supernatural stat blocks | 105 | Everything — characters are the hub |
/Relationships/ | Directed links between characters | 211 | The social web the AI navigates |
/Locations/ | Three-tier hierarchy of places | 52 | Maps, territory, hunting difficulty |
/Clans/ | Clan definitions with banes and disciplines | 16 | Character creation and clan mechanics |
/Disciplines/ | Full power trees with dot-level abilities | 14 | What characters can actually do |
/Predator Types/ | Feeding styles with mechanical benefits | 17 | Character creation step 7 |
/Coteries/ | Group containers with member rosters | 12 | Character grouping and shared territory |
/Loresheets/ | Tiered advantage trees | 25 | Character customization and background ties |
/Equipment/ | Weapons, gear, and crafting materials | 47 | Inventory and combat |
/Antagonists/ | Simplified SPC stat blocks | 22 | Opposition the AI can run easily |
/Factions and Sects/ | Sect and faction lore | — | World context |
/Vampire Lore/ | Kindred-specific world-building | — | The Masquerade, clans, history |
/Garou Lore/ | Werewolf and Lupine lore | — | The other supernatural threat |
/GM-Only Deep Lore/ | Secrets, twists, hidden backstory | — | GM eyes only during prep |
/Concepts/ | Core world-building primers | — | What Kindred society is |
/Rules/ | Mechanical reference | 8 files | Dice, conflicts, traits |
/GM Instructions/ | AI Storyteller behavior rules | 13 | How the AI runs the game |
/Game Starts/ | Playable starting configurations | 14 | Lobby entry points |
/Chronicles/ | Chronicle-wide rules and settings | — | Campaign-level configuration |
How the Files Talk to Each Other
The reference web is the project's skeleton. Here is how the major types connect:
Character references clan, coterie, location, predatorType, and has an inventory array whose items reference equipment. The loresheets field is a key-value map (loresheet slug → dots purchased). Computed fields derive healthMax, willpowerMax, healthImpaired, and willpowerImpaired from attributes — you never write these; the system calculates them.
Relationship references from and to (both characters). The nature enum defines the bond type (Sire, Childe, Ally, Enemy, Touchstone, Boon, etc.). The oneWay boolean makes it directional. File names follow the pattern FromName and ToName (Nature).
Location references parent (another location), forming the three-tier hierarchy. The category enum marks each as city, district, or poi. A Chicago location with category: "city" is the root; districts like "The Loop" have parent pointing at Chicago; points of interest like "Red Noº 5" have parent pointing at their district.
Clan references disciplines (array of discipline slugs). The three disciplines listed are the clan's innate powers.
Coterie references members (array of character slugs) and territory (a location).
Loresheet references clans (array of clan slugs with affinity) and contains tiers — an ordered array of dot-level advantages the player purchases sequentially.
Conventions to Follow
Naming. Files use human-readable names, not codes. A character is Kevin Jackson.character.json, not ch_042.character.json. Relationships use the pattern FromName and ToName (Nature).relationship.json. These names appear in reference pickers, search results, and the relationship map — make them legible.
Image generation. Almost every type has an image field with the standard { url, focalPoint, generation } shape. The project has auto-generation enabled. When you create a new file with a description but no image, the system can generate one. Leave the image field empty or omit it if you want auto-generation; provide a url if you have specific art.
Computed fields are read-only. On characters, healthMax, willpowerMax, healthImpaired, willpowerImpaired, and degenerationRisk are computed from attributes and damage. Never write them. If you want to change health, change Stamina. If you want to change willpower, change Composure or Resolve.
Reference fields take slugs. When writing a character's clan, use the slug ventrue, not Clan Ventrue or a UUID. The platform resolves slugs to files. The same applies to coterie, location, predatorType, and inventory item references.
Keep the web connected. A character without a location is harder for the AI to place in a scene. A relationship without both from and to characters is orphaned. A location without a parent floats outside the hierarchy. When you add a file, think about what it should point at and what should point at it.
What Not to Change
The GM instructions in /GM Instructions/ control how the AI Storyteller behaves during live play. They are tuned to the tone and rules of this chronicle. Changing them will change how the game runs — sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. Read them before you edit them. Some of them reference specific files by slug; if you rename those files, update the instructions too.
The Player's Handbook is the public-facing rulebook. The Builder's Manual (what you are reading) is the creator-facing guide. Keep them separate — if a chapter would help a player at the table, it belongs in the Player's Handbook. If it helps a creator extending the project, it belongs here.
