Builder's Manual · Chapter 5
The Ontology Map
Package provenance — this chapter ships with the Ontology & Structure Engine. Provenance tag:
source-ontology-project. When loaded into a new world, grep the tag to find the engine's templates and instructions.
Everything in this project is a node in one graph. This chapter is the index: the file types, the folders they live in, the relational rules that bind them, and the conventions borrowed from established systems.
The graph at a glance
- Space — Celestial Bodies hang in a Cosmology; Landmasses contain Regions; Regions nest (subregions) and contain Locations (settlements, dungeons, landmarks); Polities rule over Regions and Settlements, and their
neighborsdefine the border graph. Calendars count time for everyone in it; Weather happens to it; Architecture is how it builds. - People — Species, Background, Class, and Subclass ground Characters and NPCs; Factions organize them; Noble Houses hold land and bloodlines; Deities are worshipped by Religions, which Cultures follow, speaking Languages.
- Things — one Equipment type covers every item; Characters carry it, Monsters drop it, Quests reward it, Locations contain it, Military Units issue it. Vehicles carry people and goods; Companions bond to them; Currency prices it; Trade Routes move it.
- Adventure — Quests are given by NPCs, unfold at Locations, and pay in Equipment; Events anchor at a Location with Participants and a Date; Memories record how play remembered those beats (location, people, when); Conflicts set Factions and Polities against each other across Regions; Prophecies foreshadow all of it.
- Knowledge — every type carries
relatedLore, so Lore is the connective tissue across the whole graph.
Types, folders, and what they hold
| Type | Folder | Holds | Key vocab |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Profile | /World Profiles/ | identity answers | genre, magicLevel, era, tone, intent |
| World Vision | /World Visions/ | the writable scaffold | scope, intent, themes, narratives, flavor, genres; setupStatus |
| Landmass | /Landmasses/ | continents, islands, seas | kind: continent / island / archipelago / ocean / sea |
| Celestial Body | /Celestial Bodies/ | suns, moons, planets, stars | kind: star / planet / moon / comet |
| Region | /Regions/ | nested regions | kind: region / subregion / locality / wilderness; parentRegion |
| Location | /Locations/ | settlements, dungeons, landmarks | type |
| Polity | /Polities/ | political entities + borders | kind; capital, neighbors |
| Cosmology | /Cosmology/ | the structure of reality | model, planes, afterlife |
| Weather | /Weather/ | climate patterns | kind |
| Architecture | /Architecture/ | building styles | style, materials |
| Calendar | /Calendars/ | timekeeping and holidays | months, seasons, holidays |
| Species | /Species/ | races and ancestries | size, dimorphism, lifespan |
| Culture | /Cultures/ | ways of life | customs, taboos, cuisine |
| Language | /Languages/ | tongues | family, script |
| Background | /Backgrounds/ | origin | role |
| Class | /Classes/ | adventuring archetype | spellcastingType |
| Subclass | /Subclasses/ | specialization | parentClass |
| Feat | /Feats/ | discrete perk | category |
| NPC | /NPCs/ | non-player people | role, psychology, appearance, species, faction |
| Character | /Characters/ | player people | stats, psychology, appearance, inventory |
| Monster | /Monsters/ | creatures and stat blocks | creatureType, size, challenge |
| Faction | /Factions/ | organizations | kind, goals |
| Noble House | /Noble Houses/ | dynasties | sigil, head, members, holdings |
| Deity | /Deities/ | gods | pantheon, port end |
| Religion | /Religions/ | organized faith | tenets, rites |
| Magic Tradition | /Magic Traditions/ | how magic works | source, cost, learning |
| Spell | /Spells/ | typed effects | school, level |
| Rule | /Rules/ | system rulings | domain |
| Law | /Laws/ | legal code | jurisdiction |
| Conflict | /Conflicts/ | wars, sieges, feuds | kind, status, belligerents |
| Military Unit | /Military Units/ | armies, fleets | commander, allegiance, strength |
| Quest | /Quests/ | adventures and tasks | kind, status, rewards |
| Event | /Events/ | world and session events | kind, location, participants, date |
| Memory | /Memories/ | anchored session memories | kind, canonLevel, worldChanged |
| Prophecy | /Prophecies/ | foretellings | wording, source, status |
| Equipment | /Equipment/<Subcategory>/ | every item | category (9), subcategory |
| Vehicle | /Vehicles/ | crewed transport | kind, capacity, propulsion |
| Companion | /Companions/ | bonded creatures | kind, bond |
| Flora | /Flora/ | plants | kind |
| Affliction | /Afflictions/ | disease, curse | kind |
| Currency | /Currencies/ | money | denominations, backing |
| Trade Route | /Trade Routes/ | movement of goods | endpoints, goods |
| Technology | /Technology/ | material progress | tier |
| Media | /Media/ | information flows | kind, reliability |
| Lore | /Lore/<Domain>/ | chunked knowledge | domain, canon level, era |
| Game Start | /Game Starts/ | lobby + opening | designation metadata |
| GM Instructions | /GM Instructions/ | in-play discipline | markdown |
The item taxonomy
Equipment is one type with a category enum and a matching subfolder:
- Weapon — damage, damageType, properties
- Armor — armorClass, armorType, weaknesses
- Clothing / Accessory — slot
- Gear — regular tools
- Consumable — effect
- Container — contents
- Placed Object — world position
- Treasure — rarity
Relational rules
- Every type may link Lore via
relatedLore. - Space links downward. Regions → Landmasses → Celestials; Locations → Regions.
- People link to their groundings. Character/NPC → Species, Class, Culture.
- Things link to owners. Inventory, loot, caches.
- Adventure links to its scenes. Events and Memories anchor by location, participants, and date/time.
- Knowledge carries truth and time.
- Setup links to identity.
Where the categories come from
The vocabularies mirror conventions from established systems so content plugs in. None are legal constraints; keep the shared vocabulary.
Extending
After the Ontology Map, the project documents new kinds the same way — one file, one fact cluster, linked and named for recall. Prefer folding a new category into an existing enum plus folder over creating a new type (the equipment decision). The Startup Checklist enumerates the domains.
Manual updated Aug 19, 2026.