Forge Character

Guided tabletop RPG character builder focused on making rules-heavy character creation easier to learn, faster to complete, and easier to review.

What This Product Does

Forge Character turns fantasy character creation into a bounded workflow instead of a giant spreadsheet of options. The fastest entry point is the root builder at index.html: a guided four-step experience for choosing a ruleset, shaping a character concept, allocating abilities, making build choices, and reviewing a final sheet with validation, saves, and exports.

The repo also includes a typed React + Fastify monorepo that extends the product with a shared rules package, DM session workflows, revision history, and an optional Ollama-backed draft assistant.

Why This Is Interesting

Character builders are deceptively hard product problems. They combine multi-step state, edition-specific rules, progression logic, validation, and a UX challenge: how do you reduce friction for players without hiding too much of the rules?

This project is interesting because it treats character creation as a workflow design problem, not just a form. The product balances flexibility with guardrails, gives clear progression through the build, and keeps the current character state visible through a live sheet and validation feedback.

Who It Is For

• Players who want a clearer path through fantasy character creation
• Game masters who need quick, reviewable character builds
• Teams evaluating product thinking, workflow design, and practical front-end/back-end execution

Why It Stands Out

• Guided step-by-step flow instead of a single overwhelming canvas
• Multiple SRD-oriented rulesets, including 5e and 3.5e coverage
• Live derived stats, validation feedback, and export-ready output
• Optional local AI assist that can fill fields from free text without becoming the core story
• A public repo that shows both product polish and technical depth

60-Second Demo Path

1. Open the root builder.
2. Choose a ruleset and give the character a name, class, and species.
3. Move to ability scores and show the live validation and point-buy feedback.
4. Pick a few skills, spells, or items.
5. Finish on Review to show the live character sheet, validation state, local save/export, and optional AI autofill.

The exact spoken version is in docs/DEMO-SCRIPT.md.

Workflow At A Glance

Core Features

• Guided four-step builder for setup, abilities, build choices, and review
• SRD-oriented ruleset support for 5e 2024, 5e 2014, and 3.5e content packs
• Live sheet rendering with derived stats, features, gear, and spell selections
• Rules-aware validation and progression feedback during the build
• Local save/load plus JSON import/export and parsable PDF export
• Optional Ollama-powered chat assist that can translate free text into builder fields
• React/API monorepo path for shared contracts, session publishing, and revisions

Rules, Architecture, And State Management

The public demo path is intentionally simple: the root builder is a direct-file, low-friction entry point that works well for quick demos and local use.

Under the hood, the repo also shows a more modular architecture:

• src/: direct-file builder shell, legacy engine, and file://-safe bundle
• apps/web: React builder and DM session workspace
• apps/api: Fastify API for characters, sessions, revisions, and AI assist
• packages/rules-core: typed rules contracts, validation, export, and AI-assist payloads
• packages/ui: reusable React UI primitives and styles

This split lets the repo show both workflow-first product design and a realistic path toward a more typed, service-backed application architecture.

Tech Stack

• TypeScript and modern JavaScript
• React 19 + Vite for the web app
• Fastify for the API
• Prisma-ready persistence with in-memory fallback
• Vitest for tests
• Esbuild for the direct-file bundle
• Ollama for optional local AI assist

Run Locally

Requirements:

• Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+
• Windows PowerShell with npm.cmd

Install dependencies:

npm.cmd install

Recommended launch:

./START_FORGE_CHARACTER_AI.cmd

PowerShell-safe alternative:

npm.cmd run start:ai

Manual split-mode commands:

npm.cmd run dev
npm.cmd run dev:web
npm.cmd run dev:api

Primary local paths:

• Root builder: index.html
• Optional diagnostics launcher: launcher.html
• React app: http://localhost:5173
• API health: http://localhost:8787/health

If you edit the root builder source, refresh the checked-in file:// bundle:

npm.cmd run bundle:static

Sample And Demo Content

Fastest demo options:

• Click Randomize Character for a working example immediately
• Build a simple character manually in the root flow
• Use the chat prompt: Make me a level 3 dwarven cleric named Aria

The API defaults to in-memory storage, so no database setup is required for a demo. If you want Prisma-backed storage, copy .env.example and provide a local PostgreSQL DATABASE_URL.

Product Decisions And Tradeoffs

• The root builder stays lightweight and demo-friendly, even though the repo also contains a fuller React/API architecture.
• AI is optional and local-first. If Ollama is unavailable, the product still works and the chat falls back to deterministic guidance.
• The repo is intentionally SRD-oriented. It avoids pretending to be a complete commercial rules catalog.
• The guided flow prioritizes clarity over maximal on-screen density.

Roadmap

• Tighten content-pack coverage and onboarding copy
• Expand the strongest session-sharing flows from the React/API stack
• Improve screenshot/demo automation for repeatable portfolio updates
• Continue unifying more behavior around shared typed rules contracts

Supporting Docs

• Case study
• 60-second demo script
• Resume, LinkedIn, and interview bullets
• Publish checklist and GitHub metadata

Content Scope

This repo is SRD-oriented. The included rulesets reference SRD-era material and surface license notices in-app. If you extend the project with non-SRD content, review the legal scope before publishing those additions.