The campaign guide files are working references, not immutable canon. Extend them when a new official option, deity, or creature becomes relevant; keep each guide clear about what is established, what is only a possibility, and what the player gets to decide.
Where the material lives
The current references are Character Options and Creation, The Six and the Wider Pantheon, and Bestiary of Wrathbound, under /Campaign Guide/. Each is a lore-1 Markdown file. Edit the existing file when refining its subject; create a separate guide only when the new topic deserves a lasting reference of its own. Preserve the frontmatter name and keep the prose readable as a standalone document.
The Builder's Manual is public-facing. Explain design intent and safe editing practice here, not GM secrets, hidden motives, unrevealed answers, or private adjudication. Put material that would spoil play in the appropriate GM-only file or setting, not in this book.
Character options
Wrathbound permits official Wizards of the Coast D&D 5e options from both the 2014 and 2024 rules eras, including official setting books. Keep that policy broad: an index or short list is an aid, not a restriction on eligible options. Do not imply that a list of the twelve familiar base classes is a complete list of species, backgrounds, feats, spells, or subclasses.
When adding an option to a reference, record its exact published name, source, and rules era. Do not copy lengthy rules text; summarize why it might fit and point the table to its official source for mechanics. If the option has a revised version, label which version the entry describes. Do not silently combine versions or decide a player's character history for them.
Character creation starts at level 1. Subclass access varies by class and edition; distinguish an intended future subclass from a feature the character can use now. The player and GM agree on ability-score generation and use the chosen edition's official rules for starting features, proficiencies, spells, and equipment. Rebirth grants no unlisted level, feature, or former-life power.
Deities and creatures
The deity guide may connect official D&D gods to Wrathbound, but make imported setting lore explicit as an adaptation rather than treating every D&D pantheon as one universal religion. Preserve the campaign's established mysteries. The player's former-life role—including which deity they helped defeat—remains theirs to define unless they choose to establish it. Add a deity's local role, portfolio, and possible story use without forcing worship, allegiance, or a particular outcome.
The bestiary is a scenario palette, not an encounter schedule. For each creature, identify the official published creature and give a concise habitat, behavior, or story hook that fits the setting. Use its official stat block from the table's selected rules era; do not reproduce full blocks or invent statistics and label them official. Check the creature's challenge against the party's actual level, and let the fiction and player choices determine whether it appears or fights.
Keep the opening aligned
When a change affects the first session, update the actual game-start configuration as well as any reference guide. The lobby card is not the opening script: use the game-start command to edit the play configuration, following the Game Starts instructions. Keep the Reborn character a level-1 player choice until the player supplies their build; do not treat placeholder sheet values as settled scores, equipment, or biography.
Before saving, check the campaign instructions and existing characters and locations for conflicts. Prefer a small, explicit edit over expanding every file. A useful entry tells the next builder what is official, what is campaign-specific, which choices remain open, and where the authoritative mechanics come from.