Builder's Manual · Chapter 1
The Character Sheet
Characters in Mist Engine Lite are tag-driven. The schema exists to keep groups honest and rolls simple — not to simulate a stat block.
Design intent
- 2d6 + called tags ± one item − invoked weakness is the only resolution math.
- Ability scores were removed on purpose: tags are the modifiers, and they carry fiction the GM can read.
- Tag groups are the atomic unit. Two tags and one weakness share a theme (the group's
title) so the bundle feels like one facet of the character, not three unrelated strings. - Inventory participates in rolls as a single ±1 lever: one item may help or hinder a roll; extra items in the description are flavour. There is no schema flag for "this item was the one used" — it is a table procedure. Expendables use equipment
category: Consumable(or obvious fiction) and are removed frominventorywhen spent.
Stored shape
| Field | Role |
|---|---|
tagGroups | Array of { title, tags[1–2], weakness? } — the whole mechanical identity |
improvementPoints | Number ≥ 0; banked weakness invokes; spend at 3 |
inventory | Equipment references; at most one may modify a given roll; remove when expended |
background / description / personality / notes | Prose fields for the table |
totalInventoryWeight | Computed from inventory — the only remaining expression |
weakness is optional on purpose: mid-growth groups can sit at one tag, or two tags with the weakness still owed. The play rules (Player's Handbook → Tag Groups & Improvement) enforce the rest at the table; the schema only bounds lengths and the 1–2 tag cap.
Removed: stats, carryingCapacity (it depended on strength). Do not reintroduce ability modifiers — if you need a new lever on rolls, add a tag theme (or rely on the one-item rule).
House style for tags and weaknesses
- Tags: ≤ 3 words (4 as a stretch), title case or sentence case, present tense.
- Themes (
title): 1–3 words; must plausibly own both tags and the weakness. - Weaknesses: one sharp line the GM can invoke without a rules debate.
Extending
- New growth rules belong in the Player's Handbook first; only mirror structure here if the schema must hard-enforce it (e.g. a stricter
minItems). - AI-assisted tags should generate into this shape: propose a theme, two tags, and a weakness that share one image — never three unrelated adjectives.
- Layout (
/file-types/character/layout.json) repeats/tagGroupsand surfacesimprovementPointsas a stepper capped at 3. Keep play-critical controls on the main sheet; dump prose below. Inventory stays a reference grid — players add and remove items there when gear is expended.
Manual updated Sep 23, 2026.