This is a guide to help people understand best practices for creating adventure modules for Fantasy

Grounds. The AAW guide from 2013 is the original base for this guide (see link below). When creating an
adventure module, read through these best practices before beginning.
Note; some rulesets may not include all of the capabilities mentioned below.

Create a Module Development Campaign

Create a new campaign using the ruleset the module is designed for. Only use this campaign for the
creation & editing of your module, do not use it as a live campaign with players. Even if you are only
creating this for your own use with a single group, this is still the recommended practice. A name that
includes "Development" or similar is suggested.

Plan ahead. There are several considerations in creating development campaigns and reasons you might
want to create more than one. First, exporting parts of a campaign is challenging, so it is best if you plan
to export the entire contents of a campaign into a module. Second, sharing significant parts of a module
with players is tedious, therefore it is best to create a separate module for player facing content (such as
player options, items and possible even map and location details).

Additionally, If you are generating campaign level information, you may want to break it up into
geographical regions or plot segments to keep your object (story, item, map) lists from becoming
annoyingly long. And finally, once you start breaking up your content into multiple development
campaigns, you may way to break out NPCs, Spells, and Items into their own campaign so that they can
easily be used in multiple modules without having to duplicate them. As you can imagine, this can start
to be a chore in itself to keep things straight. So, plan ahead.

1. Do NOT include any extensions in your development campaign unless these are going to be
required to use your module (not recommended) or you know they do not alter the database.
For example, there are CSV Table Importer extension that is useful for help building tables and
does not alter the database so it is good to use and 5E NPC Maker extension useful for creating
original NPCs.

2. When loading library reference modules be aware:

o If you are going to distribute the adventure, even on the FG forums, you can not include
the Intellectual Property of any other entity without explicit permission.

▪ You can include SRD references and distribute the module as long as you include
the full text of the appropriate OGL (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Inclusion of D&D 5E material from the PHB, MM, and DMG can be done if and
only if you are only distributing via the Dungeon Master's Guild and you follow
their guidelines (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Some information from Pathfinder sources can be included, but you must
comply with either the OGL or the Paizo Community Content guidelines.

In general, data should be entered in the order the subjects are presented below.
Map / Image Preparation

• Image file sizes should be less than 16 MB file size and ~4k x 4k pixels each, and much smaller
when possible. Use of an image optimizer is suggested. This is to minimize the impacts of
bandwidth limitations during play.

• Image format should be JPEG/JPG when possible. PNG can be used for images that require
transparency, such as for setting or environmental images.

• Image quality is should 70% (or lower) for a JPEG image. Usually very little visual quality is lost in
this range and yet file size can be greatly reduced.

• Image file names should not contain special characters or have more than one consecutive
space in them.

• Images that will be linked to from with a story, NPC, etc entry should be entered into the
campaign image list prior to linking them in the entry. To facilitate organization, these images
should all be placed within their own tab/group.

• Image name will default to be the same name as the filename. This can be modified in the image
window to a friendly name as desired and is the name that the GM will see in image lists.

• Image name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the image is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official GM name for images as that can lead to unintended disclosure. (i.e.
“Corvar’s Lair” vs “Muddy Caves”).

Battlemap Considerations

• Scale: A scale of 20 pixels per foot (100 pixels per 5ft square) is most common.

• Grid Alignment Guide; placing a 5 foot square box of an unobtrusive color in the top right corner
(never the bottom right) is suggested. This helps with placing the token grid overlay.

• Pre-place the token grid overlay on the map

• Unfortunately, global masks are not exported when you create a module, so applying a mask is
unnecessary.

Line of Sight

• Minimize the number of LOS segments (i.e. number of walls/etc), segment length should at least
be ½ square length, and usually many times larger than this. It is very easy to add large numbers
of LOS segments and quickly make the performance of maps unplayable.
• Do not make two segments colinear (overlapping) as this can cause calculation problems
• Use snapping and make sure segment end points are coincident (same exact place)
• Keep all segments on a single layer when possible.
• Add all walls first, then use door and window automatic clipping function to trim walls to the
rectangles created by doors and windows.
Lightning

• Keep the number of lights to a reasonable amount as they impact map performance.
• Use Ambient Lightning with Masks for large areas rather than numerous light sources.
• Be aware of overlapping lights; lights are calculated in an additive manner, meaning that if two
lights with RGB of 200, 150, 50 intersect, they will yield an area with the color of 255, 255, 100
(because RGB values are 0-255) and will appear on a computer very differently than they would
in real life. To prevent this, use lights with lower RGB values and transparency (alpha) values
when they may overlap.

FX (Image Effects)

• Be aware of your players’ computers, it is very easy to add FX that your players’ computers may
not be able to render with adequate performance.

Item Creation

Any items that you are going to give to NPC's or make available as treasure should be created in the
module Item list.

• If you are using items from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your Item list. This will make them independent of the other source. Be
aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• Items should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Abbreviations should not be used (except where standardized in the rule system).

• Item name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the item is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official name for item until it is identified as that can lead to unintended
disclosure (i.e. “Medallion of Thought” vs “Rune Inscribed Amulet”).

NPC Creation

All creature or NPCs that are going to be used in the module should be created in the module NPC list.

• If you are using NPCs from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your module group in the NPC list. This will make them independent of the
other source. Be aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• NPCs should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Tokens should be assigned to all NPCs prior to their use in Encounters. Use letter tokens when
no other appropriate image is available. See Tokens below.

• Images added to a NPC description entry should be linked from an image added to the campaign
and not from an open resource to insure they can be exported in the same module. (Otherwise
the link will not work unless the new campaign also has that resource open in the campaign
library.)
 • For 5th Edition DnD, spells do not need to be added as actions to the NPC. By adding a
“Spellcasting” trait, the spell will be pulled from an available open reference and automatically
added to the NPC’s actions when the NPC entry is opened. The format for this trait should be
formatted as follows:
Spellcasting
The priest is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is
Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The priest has
the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary
2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoration, spiritual weapon
3rd level (2 slots): dispel magic, spirit guardians
Traps & Hazards

• In most cases traps or hazards that can deal damage, apply effects or impose conditions on
characters should be created as NPC’s so that they can be added to the map, combat tracker
and automation can be used and XP can be applied through the party sheet.

Tokens

• Recommended file format of PNG for best transparency support

• Size of 100x100 pixels for medium size or smaller creatures and 200x200 for large

• When using FGC; Tokens should be added to the development campaign by adding to the folder
(create the folder if it is not present); <FG Data>/campaigns/<campaign name>/tokens

• Tokens that are added to NPC’s that are exported will automatically be selected and exported
when the NPC is exported.

• Tokens that are not assigned to exported NPC’s that you wish to export with the module must
manually be dragged to the export window. See also, Token Usage Guide linked below.

Portraits

Note, character portraits are NOT exported when exporting a character sheet.

• Most rulesets reduce portrait size to 72 x 72 pixels, but it is recommended that 100 x 100 pixels
be used since by default the portrait image will be used to create the token.

• Higher resolution images can be used, but should be added as a campaign/module image and
linked to the character sheet since their resolution will be reduced when added to the character
sheet.

Tables

• The output for tables that can be used by players should be set to “Chat” so that the players can
see the results of the table.

• Tables should (normally) be locked prior to export

Story Entries

Story entries should be consistently named and formatted throughout your module. They should include
the following;

• Entries should be numbered where applicable to control the order in which they are listed and
to indicate chapters. Typically the format is "Chapter.Entry" such as "3.01". Leading zeroes are
used to control sort order, i.e. when more than 9 entries are to be used. For example use
“01.01, 01.02… 01.98, 01.99, 02.01… 11.01… 99.99” or “01.001 … 99.999”

• Typically, one story entry should be created for each location, event, or encounter. Story entries
that become overly long should be broken up into multiple logical story entries when possible.

• Sidebars should usually be created as their own story entry. They may be numbered something
like “4.07sb Roleplaying the Bad Guy” and should be linked to from appropriate story entries.

• Skill Checks are typically handled in one of three manners (but should be done in the same
manner throughout the entire adventure module).

o Inline in the story text as appropriate, often in bold font.

o Inline in the story entry but placed within a table to distinguish it.

o As a sidebar linked from the appropriate story entry.

• A link to any applicable Maps or Images

• A link to any applicable Encounters

• Links to NPCs only for non-combat entries, all hostile or map based entries should use
Encounters to facilitate easy addition to the combat tracker and map pre-placement (see
Encounters below).

• A link to any applicable Treasure Parcels (not directly to the items, as they should be placed into
a parcel for distribution to the party).

• Links to other story entries as appropriate

A Story list, filtered for the module Group, should look like this;

A typical encounter story entry may look like this;

 or

A Note about a Module Index Entry. Some people prefer to have a single story entry that has an
ordered set of links to all other story entries. Basically an index. To me, I find this unnecessary as the
Story list itself serves this purpose. And it does especially well if you name the story entries with the
“Chapter.Entry” prefix. That said, there’s also no harm in creating one.

A Note about page references when converting published adventures. When converting published
adventures, references to page numbers (i.e. “see page 12”) should be replaced with something like
“See Link” and a links to the appropriate story entry, usually immediately following the paragraph.

Encounters

All map based or combat based NPC's should be organized into Encounters. This facilitates population of
the combat tracker and the encounter map with a single click.

• NPC's can be marked Unidentified in the Encounter to prevent identification by the players once
added to the Combat Tracker. They can also be renamed for the same purpose, or for re-using a
generic NPC into a specific one (i.e. “Kobold” can be changed to “Small Reptilian” or
“Commoner” can be renamed “Blacksmith Bob”).

• NPC tokens should be dragged from below their encounter entry )the token instance) and
placed onto the appropriate battle map (to help with automation)

• For encounters with a variable number of NPC's, the maximum number should be used in the
Encounter entry. This allows the GM to later reduce this number, but to still have all NPC's pre-
placed.
 • Tokens can not be varied for different NPC instances by dragging a different token to the token
icon in the row(s) below the NPC name (token instance) as this will not be kept when exported.
If different tokens are desired for the same type of NPC, unique instances of the NPC with
unique tokens have to be added to the encounter.

Parcels

• All treasure or items that may be distributed to the party should be included in treasure Parcels.
• Parcels should be numbered the same as their story entry but can be named descriptively (i.e.
“7.23 Beazle’s Hoard”

Groups

Also known as list categories and allow for list entries to be organized into subsets.

• There is a limit to the length of a group name, for practical reasons, they should be limited to
less than 24 characters.
• All list items (Stories, Items, NPC, Encounters, Parcels, Images, Tables, etc) should be placed into
a group unique to the module.
• Groups should have a consistent naming convention throughout the module, such as the
module name “Hero’s Quest”. Or if multiple groups are needed because of many entries a
module prefix should be used (i.e. “BDC-1: Part 1, Campaign Setup”, “BDC-1: Part 2, Fleeing the
Army”, etc.).
• Groups for individually shared items are not visible to players, they will be grouped under the
module name. Players only see group names for modules that they have loaded the entire
module.
• Empty groups (groups with no entries) will be automatically deleted upon exiting the campaign.

Map Pins

• All map locations should have a map pin placed on them linking to the appropriate story entry.
• Pins to encounter and parcels are not usually recommended as the linked story entry should
already have those links and more.
• If a single map location has multiple related story entries, two or three may be linked with pins
independently, but otherwise a story entry with the location name and the links to all
appropriate story entries should be created. For example, if on an overland map there is a town
and that town has multiple story (and possible even a detailed map) entries based upon the
adventure timeline, the map pin should link to a story entry that contains the town name and
links to all the related town entries and the detailed town map.

Pre-Generated Characters

• In most rulesets; Character Portraits are 100x100 pixels. If larger sizes are used, FG will rescale
them automatically. Note that the auto-assigned tokens for PCs that are generated based on the
portrait will be 63x63 pixels. Regular tokens can be assigned to the PC in the Combat Tracker.
Module Export

When exporting, there are several fields that you can specify. Each field should be used accordingly;

File Name

• File Name should not include version or date information as the file name is used to uniquely
identify the module. If the file name changes between versions, FG will not recognize it as the
same module and you will not be able to update live campaigns by synchronizing (called “Revert
Changes”) in the Library.
• Given file system issues, special characters (!@#$%^&*<>?/;:’”~`) should not be used.

Thumbnail

• This is the icon that will be shown in the Library > Module activation window. It should be a PNG
file with the size of less than 300x300 pixels. Most rulesets will display the image at 63x63 pixels.

Display Name

• The name that will be shown in the Module Activation window, most special characters can be
used here, but should still be avoided

Category

• This is the title of the Library section that the module will be shown in when activated. It allows
modules to be grouped within the Library together with related modules.

• The standard categories and their typical use is:

o Adventure – A specific scenario or set of scenarios for a campaign plot line
o Core – Original publisher core rulebooks only
o Map Pack – Maps and mapping assets
o Setting – Campaign location information
o Supplement – additional / optional rule content
o Token Pack – token art work for characters and NPCs

Author

• The (legal) name(s) of the module author(s)

Read Only

• Usually only marked for reference material that is not intended to be modified once activated in
a campaign.
Player Module

• Used for player facing content.

Any Ruleset

• Will create the module with an “Any” ruleset tag and allow the module to be loaded in any FG
ruleset.
• Note, this does not mean that object types (NPC, items, etc) will be compatible in any ruleset.

Export Record Types

It’s easiest to select All, but it is possible to select only certain parts for exporting into separate modules
(though that becomes error prone if you don’t remember the exact export settings between different
modules).

Export Record Views

Create Backups

Periodically export the module and save the module file elsewhere so that it can be used as a backup or
otherwise backup the development campaign folder.

Updating Modules and Campaigns

Update to the modules should be done in the original development campaign. When ready, these
changes can be exported.

Updating a live campaign

Once the module has been updated, a campaign can be synchronized with the new module either in its
entirety or each individual modified entry.

To update all campaign entries to use the latest module entries; Select the module in the campaign
library, and from the right mouse button select "Revert Changes". Note, this will revert any entries that
have been modified in the campaign and remove shared objects.

To update individual campaign modifications; Select a modified entry (as indicated by the book and pen
icon in the campaign object list) and from the right mouse button select “Revert Changes”.

Note that entries that have not been modified from the original will automatically show the new
updated versions and do not need to be synchronized or “Reverted” (and actually will not have the
option available).

Modifying Official/Purchased Modules

If you want to modify an official published adventure (i.e. one that has been released by SmiteWorks,
such as “Lost Mines of Phandelver”), then you need to do the following;
 • Create a "Mod" campaign, such as "LMoP Custom Mods"

• Open the published adventure in this new campaign

• Take the entry that you desire to modify, such as a story entry or NPC and drag them to the
campaign list for the same type.

• Open and Unlock this campaign version of the object. Modify to your hearts content.

• Either keep the name the same, or add a slight modifier after the initial story numbering (i.e.
“2.9 The Ranch” becomes “2.9.mod The Ranch”

• Rinse & repeat until you have all of your customizations done.

• Export to a module such as "My Custom LMoP Mods"

Now, when you want to run an LMoP campaign using your custom mods, do this;

• Create a new campaign, such as "LMoP Friday Night Group"

• Open the published adventure, then open your custom module

• Be sure to use your modified entries as approriate

Resources/References

FG Wiki:

Using the Library and Activating Modules

Preparing Encounters and Random Encounters

Map Line of Sight Style Guide

Old FG Wiki:

Campaign Data

Export

Lists

Image Pins

Tokens

Formatted Text

Older/Previous Guides:

Adventure A Week module creation guidelines

Xorne’s Adventure Module Creation Tutorial

Edits

7 Aug 16 - Add large map considerations, Wiki links, Chapter summary entry additions

9 Aug 16 – Add Tables information, re-order Tabs

13 Aug 16 – Add information about image links in NPCs and other entries

8 Sep 16 – Add section on NPC spells and spell parsing, added Note to Updating a Live Campaign

1 Mar 17 – Incorporate elements from Xorne’s tutorial. Removed Tabs info. Added info for FG v3.2
groups. Added info on unidentified names/entries for images and items. Note about page references
added. Previous/Next link in story entries removed due to new UI functionality. Added “Modifying
Official/Purchased Modules”. Added 2048 x 2048 statement for large maps. Revised Story entry sections
for completeness. Corrected statement about differing tokens for each NPC instance in an encounter.

Mar 17 – Token sizes updated to 100x100 pixels etc. Thumbnail size updated. Character portrait info
added. Example images added.

19 Apr 20 – Minor updates for clarity, some notes for FGC specific suggestions.

28 Dec 21 – Added small Portraits section

20 Nov 22 – Add info to exporting. Add ‘Plan ahead.’ Updated image recommendations FGU standards.
Large image considerations removed. Added LOS, Lightning, & FX sections.

To Do

• Info on Exporting map LOS data

• Lightning best practices
• NPC xml export
• Reference manuals
•
This is a guide to help people understand best practices for creating adventure modules for Fantasy
Grounds. The AAW guide from 2013 is the original base for this guide (see link below). When creating an
adventure module, read through these best practices before beginning.
Note; some rulesets may not include all of the capabilities mentioned below.

Create a Module Development Campaign

Create a new campaign using the ruleset the module is designed for. Only use this campaign for the
creation & editing of your module, do not use it as a live campaign with players. Even if you are only
creating this for your own use with a single group, this is still the recommended practice. A name that
includes "Development" or similar is suggested.

Plan ahead. There are several considerations in creating development campaigns and reasons you might
want to create more than one. First, exporting parts of a campaign is challenging, so it is best if you plan
to export the entire contents of a campaign into a module. Second, sharing significant parts of a module
with players is tedious, therefore it is best to create a separate module for player facing content (such as
player options, items and possible even map and location details).

Additionally, If you are generating campaign level information, you may want to break it up into
geographical regions or plot segments to keep your object (story, item, map) lists from becoming
annoyingly long. And finally, once you start breaking up your content into multiple development
campaigns, you may way to break out NPCs, Spells, and Items into their own campaign so that they can
easily be used in multiple modules without having to duplicate them. As you can imagine, this can start
to be a chore in itself to keep things straight. So, plan ahead.

1. Do NOT include any extensions in your development campaign unless these are going to be
required to use your module (not recommended) or you know they do not alter the database.
For example, there are CSV Table Importer extension that is useful for help building tables and
does not alter the database so it is good to use and 5E NPC Maker extension useful for creating
original NPCs.

2. When loading library reference modules be aware:

o If you are going to distribute the adventure, even on the FG forums, you can not include
the Intellectual Property of any other entity without explicit permission.

▪ You can include SRD references and distribute the module as long as you include
the full text of the appropriate OGL (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Inclusion of D&D 5E material from the PHB, MM, and DMG can be done if and
only if you are only distributing via the Dungeon Master's Guild and you follow
their guidelines (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Some information from Pathfinder sources can be included, but you must
comply with either the OGL or the Paizo Community Content guidelines.

In general, data should be entered in the order the subjects are presented below.
Map / Image Preparation

• Image file sizes should be less than 16 MB file size and ~4k x 4k pixels each, and much smaller
when possible. Use of an image optimizer is suggested. This is to minimize the impacts of
bandwidth limitations during play.

• Image format should be JPEG/JPG when possible. PNG can be used for images that require
transparency, such as for setting or environmental images.

• Image quality is should 70% (or lower) for a JPEG image. Usually very little visual quality is lost in
this range and yet file size can be greatly reduced.

• Image file names should not contain special characters or have more than one consecutive
space in them.

• Images that will be linked to from with a story, NPC, etc entry should be entered into the
campaign image list prior to linking them in the entry. To facilitate organization, these images
should all be placed within their own tab/group.

• Image name will default to be the same name as the filename. This can be modified in the image
window to a friendly name as desired and is the name that the GM will see in image lists.

• Image name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the image is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official GM name for images as that can lead to unintended disclosure. (i.e.
“Corvar’s Lair” vs “Muddy Caves”).

Battlemap Considerations

• Scale: A scale of 20 pixels per foot (100 pixels per 5ft square) is most common.

• Grid Alignment Guide; placing a 5 foot square box of an unobtrusive color in the top right corner
(never the bottom right) is suggested. This helps with placing the token grid overlay.

• Pre-place the token grid overlay on the map

• Unfortunately, global masks are not exported when you create a module, so applying a mask is
unnecessary.

Line of Sight

• Minimize the number of LOS segments (i.e. number of walls/etc), segment length should at least
be ½ square length, and usually many times larger than this. It is very easy to add large numbers
of LOS segments and quickly make the performance of maps unplayable.
• Do not make two segments colinear (overlapping) as this can cause calculation problems
• Use snapping and make sure segment end points are coincident (same exact place)
• Keep all segments on a single layer when possible.
• Add all walls first, then use door and window automatic clipping function to trim walls to the
rectangles created by doors and windows.
Lightning

• Keep the number of lights to a reasonable amount as they impact map performance.
• Use Ambient Lightning with Masks for large areas rather than numerous light sources.
• Be aware of overlapping lights; lights are calculated in an additive manner, meaning that if two
lights with RGB of 200, 150, 50 intersect, they will yield an area with the color of 255, 255, 100
(because RGB values are 0-255) and will appear on a computer very differently than they would
in real life. To prevent this, use lights with lower RGB values and transparency (alpha) values
when they may overlap.

FX (Image Effects)

• Be aware of your players’ computers, it is very easy to add FX that your players’ computers may
not be able to render with adequate performance.

Item Creation

Any items that you are going to give to NPC's or make available as treasure should be created in the
module Item list.

• If you are using items from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your Item list. This will make them independent of the other source. Be
aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• Items should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Abbreviations should not be used (except where standardized in the rule system).

• Item name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the item is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official name for item until it is identified as that can lead to unintended
disclosure (i.e. “Medallion of Thought” vs “Rune Inscribed Amulet”).

NPC Creation

All creature or NPCs that are going to be used in the module should be created in the module NPC list.

• If you are using NPCs from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your module group in the NPC list. This will make them independent of the
other source. Be aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• NPCs should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Tokens should be assigned to all NPCs prior to their use in Encounters. Use letter tokens when
no other appropriate image is available. See Tokens below.

• Images added to a NPC description entry should be linked from an image added to the campaign
and not from an open resource to insure they can be exported in the same module. (Otherwise
the link will not work unless the new campaign also has that resource open in the campaign
library.)
 • For 5th Edition DnD, spells do not need to be added as actions to the NPC. By adding a
“Spellcasting” trait, the spell will be pulled from an available open reference and automatically
added to the NPC’s actions when the NPC entry is opened. The format for this trait should be
formatted as follows:
Spellcasting
The priest is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is
Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The priest has
the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary
2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoration, spiritual weapon
3rd level (2 slots): dispel magic, spirit guardians
Traps & Hazards

• In most cases traps or hazards that can deal damage, apply effects or impose conditions on
characters should be created as NPC’s so that they can be added to the map, combat tracker
and automation can be used and XP can be applied through the party sheet.

Tokens

• Recommended file format of PNG for best transparency support

• Size of 100x100 pixels for medium size or smaller creatures and 200x200 for large

• When using FGC; Tokens should be added to the development campaign by adding to the folder
(create the folder if it is not present); <FG Data>/campaigns/<campaign name>/tokens

• Tokens that are added to NPC’s that are exported will automatically be selected and exported
when the NPC is exported.

• Tokens that are not assigned to exported NPC’s that you wish to export with the module must
manually be dragged to the export window. See also, Token Usage Guide linked below.

Portraits

Note, character portraits are NOT exported when exporting a character sheet.

• Most rulesets reduce portrait size to 72 x 72 pixels, but it is recommended that 100 x 100 pixels
be used since by default the portrait image will be used to create the token.

• Higher resolution images can be used, but should be added as a campaign/module image and
linked to the character sheet since their resolution will be reduced when added to the character
sheet.

Tables

• The output for tables that can be used by players should be set to “Chat” so that the players can
see the results of the table.

• Tables should (normally) be locked prior to export

Story Entries

Story entries should be consistently named and formatted throughout your module. They should include
the following;

• Entries should be numbered where applicable to control the order in which they are listed and
to indicate chapters. Typically the format is "Chapter.Entry" such as "3.01". Leading zeroes are
used to control sort order, i.e. when more than 9 entries are to be used. For example use
“01.01, 01.02… 01.98, 01.99, 02.01… 11.01… 99.99” or “01.001 … 99.999”

• Typically, one story entry should be created for each location, event, or encounter. Story entries
that become overly long should be broken up into multiple logical story entries when possible.

• Sidebars should usually be created as their own story entry. They may be numbered something
like “4.07sb Roleplaying the Bad Guy” and should be linked to from appropriate story entries.

• Skill Checks are typically handled in one of three manners (but should be done in the same
manner throughout the entire adventure module).

o Inline in the story text as appropriate, often in bold font.

o Inline in the story entry but placed within a table to distinguish it.

o As a sidebar linked from the appropriate story entry.

• A link to any applicable Maps or Images

• A link to any applicable Encounters

• Links to NPCs only for non-combat entries, all hostile or map based entries should use
Encounters to facilitate easy addition to the combat tracker and map pre-placement (see
Encounters below).

• A link to any applicable Treasure Parcels (not directly to the items, as they should be placed into
a parcel for distribution to the party).

• Links to other story entries as appropriate

A Story list, filtered for the module Group, should look like this;

A typical encounter story entry may look like this;

 or

A Note about a Module Index Entry. Some people prefer to have a single story entry that has an
ordered set of links to all other story entries. Basically an index. To me, I find this unnecessary as the
Story list itself serves this purpose. And it does especially well if you name the story entries with the
“Chapter.Entry” prefix. That said, there’s also no harm in creating one.

A Note about page references when converting published adventures. When converting published
adventures, references to page numbers (i.e. “see page 12”) should be replaced with something like
“See Link” and a links to the appropriate story entry, usually immediately following the paragraph.

Encounters

All map based or combat based NPC's should be organized into Encounters. This facilitates population of
the combat tracker and the encounter map with a single click.

• NPC's can be marked Unidentified in the Encounter to prevent identification by the players once
added to the Combat Tracker. They can also be renamed for the same purpose, or for re-using a
generic NPC into a specific one (i.e. “Kobold” can be changed to “Small Reptilian” or
“Commoner” can be renamed “Blacksmith Bob”).

• NPC tokens should be dragged from below their encounter entry )the token instance) and
placed onto the appropriate battle map (to help with automation)

• For encounters with a variable number of NPC's, the maximum number should be used in the
Encounter entry. This allows the GM to later reduce this number, but to still have all NPC's pre-
placed.
 • Tokens can not be varied for different NPC instances by dragging a different token to the token
icon in the row(s) below the NPC name (token instance) as this will not be kept when exported.
If different tokens are desired for the same type of NPC, unique instances of the NPC with
unique tokens have to be added to the encounter.

Parcels

• All treasure or items that may be distributed to the party should be included in treasure Parcels.
• Parcels should be numbered the same as their story entry but can be named descriptively (i.e.
“7.23 Beazle’s Hoard”

Groups

Also known as list categories and allow for list entries to be organized into subsets.

• There is a limit to the length of a group name, for practical reasons, they should be limited to
less than 24 characters.
• All list items (Stories, Items, NPC, Encounters, Parcels, Images, Tables, etc) should be placed into
a group unique to the module.
• Groups should have a consistent naming convention throughout the module, such as the
module name “Hero’s Quest”. Or if multiple groups are needed because of many entries a
module prefix should be used (i.e. “BDC-1: Part 1, Campaign Setup”, “BDC-1: Part 2, Fleeing the
Army”, etc.).
• Groups for individually shared items are not visible to players, they will be grouped under the
module name. Players only see group names for modules that they have loaded the entire
module.
• Empty groups (groups with no entries) will be automatically deleted upon exiting the campaign.

Map Pins

• All map locations should have a map pin placed on them linking to the appropriate story entry.
• Pins to encounter and parcels are not usually recommended as the linked story entry should
already have those links and more.
• If a single map location has multiple related story entries, two or three may be linked with pins
independently, but otherwise a story entry with the location name and the links to all
appropriate story entries should be created. For example, if on an overland map there is a town
and that town has multiple story (and possible even a detailed map) entries based upon the
adventure timeline, the map pin should link to a story entry that contains the town name and
links to all the related town entries and the detailed town map.

Pre-Generated Characters

• In most rulesets; Character Portraits are 100x100 pixels. If larger sizes are used, FG will rescale
them automatically. Note that the auto-assigned tokens for PCs that are generated based on the
portrait will be 63x63 pixels. Regular tokens can be assigned to the PC in the Combat Tracker.
Module Export

When exporting, there are several fields that you can specify. Each field should be used accordingly;

File Name

• File Name should not include version or date information as the file name is used to uniquely
identify the module. If the file name changes between versions, FG will not recognize it as the
same module and you will not be able to update live campaigns by synchronizing (called “Revert
Changes”) in the Library.
• Given file system issues, special characters (!@#$%^&*<>?/;:’”~`) should not be used.

Thumbnail

• This is the icon that will be shown in the Library > Module activation window. It should be a PNG
file with the size of less than 300x300 pixels. Most rulesets will display the image at 63x63 pixels.

Display Name

• The name that will be shown in the Module Activation window, most special characters can be
used here, but should still be avoided

Category

• This is the title of the Library section that the module will be shown in when activated. It allows
modules to be grouped within the Library together with related modules.

• The standard categories and their typical use is:

o Adventure – A specific scenario or set of scenarios for a campaign plot line
o Core – Original publisher core rulebooks only
o Map Pack – Maps and mapping assets
o Setting – Campaign location information
o Supplement – additional / optional rule content
o Token Pack – token art work for characters and NPCs

Author

• The (legal) name(s) of the module author(s)

Read Only

• Usually only marked for reference material that is not intended to be modified once activated in
a campaign.
Player Module

• Used for player facing content.

Any Ruleset

• Will create the module with an “Any” ruleset tag and allow the module to be loaded in any FG
ruleset.
• Note, this does not mean that object types (NPC, items, etc) will be compatible in any ruleset.

Export Record Types

It’s easiest to select All, but it is possible to select only certain parts for exporting into separate modules
(though that becomes error prone if you don’t remember the exact export settings between different
modules).

Export Record Views

Create Backups

Periodically export the module and save the module file elsewhere so that it can be used as a backup or
otherwise backup the development campaign folder.

Updating Modules and Campaigns

Update to the modules should be done in the original development campaign. When ready, these
changes can be exported.

Updating a live campaign

Once the module has been updated, a campaign can be synchronized with the new module either in its
entirety or each individual modified entry.

To update all campaign entries to use the latest module entries; Select the module in the campaign
library, and from the right mouse button select "Revert Changes". Note, this will revert any entries that
have been modified in the campaign and remove shared objects.

To update individual campaign modifications; Select a modified entry (as indicated by the book and pen
icon in the campaign object list) and from the right mouse button select “Revert Changes”.

Note that entries that have not been modified from the original will automatically show the new
updated versions and do not need to be synchronized or “Reverted” (and actually will not have the
option available).

Modifying Official/Purchased Modules

If you want to modify an official published adventure (i.e. one that has been released by SmiteWorks,
such as “Lost Mines of Phandelver”), then you need to do the following;
 • Create a "Mod" campaign, such as "LMoP Custom Mods"

• Open the published adventure in this new campaign

• Take the entry that you desire to modify, such as a story entry or NPC and drag them to the
campaign list for the same type.

• Open and Unlock this campaign version of the object. Modify to your hearts content.

• Either keep the name the same, or add a slight modifier after the initial story numbering (i.e.
“2.9 The Ranch” becomes “2.9.mod The Ranch”

• Rinse & repeat until you have all of your customizations done.

• Export to a module such as "My Custom LMoP Mods"

Now, when you want to run an LMoP campaign using your custom mods, do this;

• Create a new campaign, such as "LMoP Friday Night Group"

• Open the published adventure, then open your custom module

• Be sure to use your modified entries as approriate

Resources/References

FG Wiki:

Using the Library and Activating Modules

Preparing Encounters and Random Encounters

Map Line of Sight Style Guide

Old FG Wiki:

Campaign Data

Export

Lists

Image Pins

Tokens

Formatted Text

Older/Previous Guides:

Adventure A Week module creation guidelines

Xorne’s Adventure Module Creation Tutorial

Edits

7 Aug 16 - Add large map considerations, Wiki links, Chapter summary entry additions

9 Aug 16 – Add Tables information, re-order Tabs

13 Aug 16 – Add information about image links in NPCs and other entries

8 Sep 16 – Add section on NPC spells and spell parsing, added Note to Updating a Live Campaign

1 Mar 17 – Incorporate elements from Xorne’s tutorial. Removed Tabs info. Added info for FG v3.2
groups. Added info on unidentified names/entries for images and items. Note about page references
added. Previous/Next link in story entries removed due to new UI functionality. Added “Modifying
Official/Purchased Modules”. Added 2048 x 2048 statement for large maps. Revised Story entry sections
for completeness. Corrected statement about differing tokens for each NPC instance in an encounter.

Mar 17 – Token sizes updated to 100x100 pixels etc. Thumbnail size updated. Character portrait info
added. Example images added.

19 Apr 20 – Minor updates for clarity, some notes for FGC specific suggestions.

28 Dec 21 – Added small Portraits section

20 Nov 22 – Add info to exporting. Add ‘Plan ahead.’ Updated image recommendations FGU standards.
Large image considerations removed. Added LOS, Lightning, & FX sections.

To Do

• Info on Exporting map LOS data

• Lightning best practices
• NPC xml export
• Reference manuals
•
This is a guide to help people understand best practices for creating adventure modules for Fantasy
Grounds. The AAW guide from 2013 is the original base for this guide (see link below). When creating an
adventure module, read through these best practices before beginning.
Note; some rulesets may not include all of the capabilities mentioned below.

Create a Module Development Campaign

Create a new campaign using the ruleset the module is designed for. Only use this campaign for the
creation & editing of your module, do not use it as a live campaign with players. Even if you are only
creating this for your own use with a single group, this is still the recommended practice. A name that
includes "Development" or similar is suggested.

Plan ahead. There are several considerations in creating development campaigns and reasons you might
want to create more than one. First, exporting parts of a campaign is challenging, so it is best if you plan
to export the entire contents of a campaign into a module. Second, sharing significant parts of a module
with players is tedious, therefore it is best to create a separate module for player facing content (such as
player options, items and possible even map and location details).

Additionally, If you are generating campaign level information, you may want to break it up into
geographical regions or plot segments to keep your object (story, item, map) lists from becoming
annoyingly long. And finally, once you start breaking up your content into multiple development
campaigns, you may way to break out NPCs, Spells, and Items into their own campaign so that they can
easily be used in multiple modules without having to duplicate them. As you can imagine, this can start
to be a chore in itself to keep things straight. So, plan ahead.

1. Do NOT include any extensions in your development campaign unless these are going to be
required to use your module (not recommended) or you know they do not alter the database.
For example, there are CSV Table Importer extension that is useful for help building tables and
does not alter the database so it is good to use and 5E NPC Maker extension useful for creating
original NPCs.

2. When loading library reference modules be aware:

o If you are going to distribute the adventure, even on the FG forums, you can not include
the Intellectual Property of any other entity without explicit permission.

▪ You can include SRD references and distribute the module as long as you include
the full text of the appropriate OGL (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Inclusion of D&D 5E material from the PHB, MM, and DMG can be done if and
only if you are only distributing via the Dungeon Master's Guild and you follow
their guidelines (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Some information from Pathfinder sources can be included, but you must
comply with either the OGL or the Paizo Community Content guidelines.

In general, data should be entered in the order the subjects are presented below.
Map / Image Preparation

• Image file sizes should be less than 16 MB file size and ~4k x 4k pixels each, and much smaller
when possible. Use of an image optimizer is suggested. This is to minimize the impacts of
bandwidth limitations during play.

• Image format should be JPEG/JPG when possible. PNG can be used for images that require
transparency, such as for setting or environmental images.

• Image quality is should 70% (or lower) for a JPEG image. Usually very little visual quality is lost in
this range and yet file size can be greatly reduced.

• Image file names should not contain special characters or have more than one consecutive
space in them.

• Images that will be linked to from with a story, NPC, etc entry should be entered into the
campaign image list prior to linking them in the entry. To facilitate organization, these images
should all be placed within their own tab/group.

• Image name will default to be the same name as the filename. This can be modified in the image
window to a friendly name as desired and is the name that the GM will see in image lists.

• Image name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the image is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official GM name for images as that can lead to unintended disclosure. (i.e.
“Corvar’s Lair” vs “Muddy Caves”).

Battlemap Considerations

• Scale: A scale of 20 pixels per foot (100 pixels per 5ft square) is most common.

• Grid Alignment Guide; placing a 5 foot square box of an unobtrusive color in the top right corner
(never the bottom right) is suggested. This helps with placing the token grid overlay.

• Pre-place the token grid overlay on the map

• Unfortunately, global masks are not exported when you create a module, so applying a mask is
unnecessary.

Line of Sight

• Minimize the number of LOS segments (i.e. number of walls/etc), segment length should at least
be ½ square length, and usually many times larger than this. It is very easy to add large numbers
of LOS segments and quickly make the performance of maps unplayable.
• Do not make two segments colinear (overlapping) as this can cause calculation problems
• Use snapping and make sure segment end points are coincident (same exact place)
• Keep all segments on a single layer when possible.
• Add all walls first, then use door and window automatic clipping function to trim walls to the
rectangles created by doors and windows.
Lightning

• Keep the number of lights to a reasonable amount as they impact map performance.
• Use Ambient Lightning with Masks for large areas rather than numerous light sources.
• Be aware of overlapping lights; lights are calculated in an additive manner, meaning that if two
lights with RGB of 200, 150, 50 intersect, they will yield an area with the color of 255, 255, 100
(because RGB values are 0-255) and will appear on a computer very differently than they would
in real life. To prevent this, use lights with lower RGB values and transparency (alpha) values
when they may overlap.

FX (Image Effects)

• Be aware of your players’ computers, it is very easy to add FX that your players’ computers may
not be able to render with adequate performance.

Item Creation

Any items that you are going to give to NPC's or make available as treasure should be created in the
module Item list.

• If you are using items from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your Item list. This will make them independent of the other source. Be
aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• Items should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Abbreviations should not be used (except where standardized in the rule system).

• Item name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the item is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official name for item until it is identified as that can lead to unintended
disclosure (i.e. “Medallion of Thought” vs “Rune Inscribed Amulet”).

NPC Creation

All creature or NPCs that are going to be used in the module should be created in the module NPC list.

• If you are using NPCs from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your module group in the NPC list. This will make them independent of the
other source. Be aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• NPCs should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Tokens should be assigned to all NPCs prior to their use in Encounters. Use letter tokens when
no other appropriate image is available. See Tokens below.

• Images added to a NPC description entry should be linked from an image added to the campaign
and not from an open resource to insure they can be exported in the same module. (Otherwise
the link will not work unless the new campaign also has that resource open in the campaign
library.)
 • For 5th Edition DnD, spells do not need to be added as actions to the NPC. By adding a
“Spellcasting” trait, the spell will be pulled from an available open reference and automatically
added to the NPC’s actions when the NPC entry is opened. The format for this trait should be
formatted as follows:
Spellcasting
The priest is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is
Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The priest has
the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary
2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoration, spiritual weapon
3rd level (2 slots): dispel magic, spirit guardians
Traps & Hazards

• In most cases traps or hazards that can deal damage, apply effects or impose conditions on
characters should be created as NPC’s so that they can be added to the map, combat tracker
and automation can be used and XP can be applied through the party sheet.

Tokens

• Recommended file format of PNG for best transparency support

• Size of 100x100 pixels for medium size or smaller creatures and 200x200 for large

• When using FGC; Tokens should be added to the development campaign by adding to the folder
(create the folder if it is not present); <FG Data>/campaigns/<campaign name>/tokens

• Tokens that are added to NPC’s that are exported will automatically be selected and exported
when the NPC is exported.

• Tokens that are not assigned to exported NPC’s that you wish to export with the module must
manually be dragged to the export window. See also, Token Usage Guide linked below.

Portraits

Note, character portraits are NOT exported when exporting a character sheet.

• Most rulesets reduce portrait size to 72 x 72 pixels, but it is recommended that 100 x 100 pixels
be used since by default the portrait image will be used to create the token.

• Higher resolution images can be used, but should be added as a campaign/module image and
linked to the character sheet since their resolution will be reduced when added to the character
sheet.

Tables

• The output for tables that can be used by players should be set to “Chat” so that the players can
see the results of the table.

• Tables should (normally) be locked prior to export

Story Entries

Story entries should be consistently named and formatted throughout your module. They should include
the following;

• Entries should be numbered where applicable to control the order in which they are listed and
to indicate chapters. Typically the format is "Chapter.Entry" such as "3.01". Leading zeroes are
used to control sort order, i.e. when more than 9 entries are to be used. For example use
“01.01, 01.02… 01.98, 01.99, 02.01… 11.01… 99.99” or “01.001 … 99.999”

• Typically, one story entry should be created for each location, event, or encounter. Story entries
that become overly long should be broken up into multiple logical story entries when possible.

• Sidebars should usually be created as their own story entry. They may be numbered something
like “4.07sb Roleplaying the Bad Guy” and should be linked to from appropriate story entries.

• Skill Checks are typically handled in one of three manners (but should be done in the same
manner throughout the entire adventure module).

o Inline in the story text as appropriate, often in bold font.

o Inline in the story entry but placed within a table to distinguish it.

o As a sidebar linked from the appropriate story entry.

• A link to any applicable Maps or Images

• A link to any applicable Encounters

• Links to NPCs only for non-combat entries, all hostile or map based entries should use
Encounters to facilitate easy addition to the combat tracker and map pre-placement (see
Encounters below).

• A link to any applicable Treasure Parcels (not directly to the items, as they should be placed into
a parcel for distribution to the party).

• Links to other story entries as appropriate

A Story list, filtered for the module Group, should look like this;

A typical encounter story entry may look like this;

 or

A Note about a Module Index Entry. Some people prefer to have a single story entry that has an
ordered set of links to all other story entries. Basically an index. To me, I find this unnecessary as the
Story list itself serves this purpose. And it does especially well if you name the story entries with the
“Chapter.Entry” prefix. That said, there’s also no harm in creating one.

A Note about page references when converting published adventures. When converting published
adventures, references to page numbers (i.e. “see page 12”) should be replaced with something like
“See Link” and a links to the appropriate story entry, usually immediately following the paragraph.

Encounters

All map based or combat based NPC's should be organized into Encounters. This facilitates population of
the combat tracker and the encounter map with a single click.

• NPC's can be marked Unidentified in the Encounter to prevent identification by the players once
added to the Combat Tracker. They can also be renamed for the same purpose, or for re-using a
generic NPC into a specific one (i.e. “Kobold” can be changed to “Small Reptilian” or
“Commoner” can be renamed “Blacksmith Bob”).

• NPC tokens should be dragged from below their encounter entry )the token instance) and
placed onto the appropriate battle map (to help with automation)

• For encounters with a variable number of NPC's, the maximum number should be used in the
Encounter entry. This allows the GM to later reduce this number, but to still have all NPC's pre-
placed.
 • Tokens can not be varied for different NPC instances by dragging a different token to the token
icon in the row(s) below the NPC name (token instance) as this will not be kept when exported.
If different tokens are desired for the same type of NPC, unique instances of the NPC with
unique tokens have to be added to the encounter.

Parcels

• All treasure or items that may be distributed to the party should be included in treasure Parcels.
• Parcels should be numbered the same as their story entry but can be named descriptively (i.e.
“7.23 Beazle’s Hoard”

Groups

Also known as list categories and allow for list entries to be organized into subsets.

• There is a limit to the length of a group name, for practical reasons, they should be limited to
less than 24 characters.
• All list items (Stories, Items, NPC, Encounters, Parcels, Images, Tables, etc) should be placed into
a group unique to the module.
• Groups should have a consistent naming convention throughout the module, such as the
module name “Hero’s Quest”. Or if multiple groups are needed because of many entries a
module prefix should be used (i.e. “BDC-1: Part 1, Campaign Setup”, “BDC-1: Part 2, Fleeing the
Army”, etc.).
• Groups for individually shared items are not visible to players, they will be grouped under the
module name. Players only see group names for modules that they have loaded the entire
module.
• Empty groups (groups with no entries) will be automatically deleted upon exiting the campaign.

Map Pins

• All map locations should have a map pin placed on them linking to the appropriate story entry.
• Pins to encounter and parcels are not usually recommended as the linked story entry should
already have those links and more.
• If a single map location has multiple related story entries, two or three may be linked with pins
independently, but otherwise a story entry with the location name and the links to all
appropriate story entries should be created. For example, if on an overland map there is a town
and that town has multiple story (and possible even a detailed map) entries based upon the
adventure timeline, the map pin should link to a story entry that contains the town name and
links to all the related town entries and the detailed town map.

Pre-Generated Characters

• In most rulesets; Character Portraits are 100x100 pixels. If larger sizes are used, FG will rescale
them automatically. Note that the auto-assigned tokens for PCs that are generated based on the
portrait will be 63x63 pixels. Regular tokens can be assigned to the PC in the Combat Tracker.
Module Export

When exporting, there are several fields that you can specify. Each field should be used accordingly;

File Name

• File Name should not include version or date information as the file name is used to uniquely
identify the module. If the file name changes between versions, FG will not recognize it as the
same module and you will not be able to update live campaigns by synchronizing (called “Revert
Changes”) in the Library.
• Given file system issues, special characters (!@#$%^&*<>?/;:’”~`) should not be used.

Thumbnail

• This is the icon that will be shown in the Library > Module activation window. It should be a PNG
file with the size of less than 300x300 pixels. Most rulesets will display the image at 63x63 pixels.

Display Name

• The name that will be shown in the Module Activation window, most special characters can be
used here, but should still be avoided

Category

• This is the title of the Library section that the module will be shown in when activated. It allows
modules to be grouped within the Library together with related modules.

• The standard categories and their typical use is:

o Adventure – A specific scenario or set of scenarios for a campaign plot line
o Core – Original publisher core rulebooks only
o Map Pack – Maps and mapping assets
o Setting – Campaign location information
o Supplement – additional / optional rule content
o Token Pack – token art work for characters and NPCs

Author

• The (legal) name(s) of the module author(s)

Read Only

• Usually only marked for reference material that is not intended to be modified once activated in
a campaign.
Player Module

• Used for player facing content.

Any Ruleset

• Will create the module with an “Any” ruleset tag and allow the module to be loaded in any FG
ruleset.
• Note, this does not mean that object types (NPC, items, etc) will be compatible in any ruleset.

Export Record Types

It’s easiest to select All, but it is possible to select only certain parts for exporting into separate modules
(though that becomes error prone if you don’t remember the exact export settings between different
modules).

Export Record Views

Create Backups

Periodically export the module and save the module file elsewhere so that it can be used as a backup or
otherwise backup the development campaign folder.

Updating Modules and Campaigns

Update to the modules should be done in the original development campaign. When ready, these
changes can be exported.

Updating a live campaign

Once the module has been updated, a campaign can be synchronized with the new module either in its
entirety or each individual modified entry.

To update all campaign entries to use the latest module entries; Select the module in the campaign
library, and from the right mouse button select "Revert Changes". Note, this will revert any entries that
have been modified in the campaign and remove shared objects.

To update individual campaign modifications; Select a modified entry (as indicated by the book and pen
icon in the campaign object list) and from the right mouse button select “Revert Changes”.

Note that entries that have not been modified from the original will automatically show the new
updated versions and do not need to be synchronized or “Reverted” (and actually will not have the
option available).

Modifying Official/Purchased Modules

If you want to modify an official published adventure (i.e. one that has been released by SmiteWorks,
such as “Lost Mines of Phandelver”), then you need to do the following;
 • Create a "Mod" campaign, such as "LMoP Custom Mods"

• Open the published adventure in this new campaign

• Take the entry that you desire to modify, such as a story entry or NPC and drag them to the
campaign list for the same type.

• Open and Unlock this campaign version of the object. Modify to your hearts content.

• Either keep the name the same, or add a slight modifier after the initial story numbering (i.e.
“2.9 The Ranch” becomes “2.9.mod The Ranch”

• Rinse & repeat until you have all of your customizations done.

• Export to a module such as "My Custom LMoP Mods"

Now, when you want to run an LMoP campaign using your custom mods, do this;

• Create a new campaign, such as "LMoP Friday Night Group"

• Open the published adventure, then open your custom module

• Be sure to use your modified entries as approriate

Resources/References

FG Wiki:

Using the Library and Activating Modules

Preparing Encounters and Random Encounters

Map Line of Sight Style Guide

Old FG Wiki:

Campaign Data

Export

Lists

Image Pins

Tokens

Formatted Text

Older/Previous Guides:

Adventure A Week module creation guidelines

Xorne’s Adventure Module Creation Tutorial

Edits

7 Aug 16 - Add large map considerations, Wiki links, Chapter summary entry additions

9 Aug 16 – Add Tables information, re-order Tabs

13 Aug 16 – Add information about image links in NPCs and other entries

8 Sep 16 – Add section on NPC spells and spell parsing, added Note to Updating a Live Campaign

1 Mar 17 – Incorporate elements from Xorne’s tutorial. Removed Tabs info. Added info for FG v3.2
groups. Added info on unidentified names/entries for images and items. Note about page references
added. Previous/Next link in story entries removed due to new UI functionality. Added “Modifying
Official/Purchased Modules”. Added 2048 x 2048 statement for large maps. Revised Story entry sections
for completeness. Corrected statement about differing tokens for each NPC instance in an encounter.

Mar 17 – Token sizes updated to 100x100 pixels etc. Thumbnail size updated. Character portrait info
added. Example images added.

19 Apr 20 – Minor updates for clarity, some notes for FGC specific suggestions.

28 Dec 21 – Added small Portraits section

20 Nov 22 – Add info to exporting. Add ‘Plan ahead.’ Updated image recommendations FGU standards.
Large image considerations removed. Added LOS, Lightning, & FX sections.

To Do

• Info on Exporting map LOS data

• Lightning best practices
• NPC xml export
• Reference manuals
•
This is a guide to help people understand best practices for creating adventure modules for Fantasy
Grounds. The AAW guide from 2013 is the original base for this guide (see link below). When creating an
adventure module, read through these best practices before beginning.
Note; some rulesets may not include all of the capabilities mentioned below.

Create a Module Development Campaign

Create a new campaign using the ruleset the module is designed for. Only use this campaign for the
creation & editing of your module, do not use it as a live campaign with players. Even if you are only
creating this for your own use with a single group, this is still the recommended practice. A name that
includes "Development" or similar is suggested.

Plan ahead. There are several considerations in creating development campaigns and reasons you might
want to create more than one. First, exporting parts of a campaign is challenging, so it is best if you plan
to export the entire contents of a campaign into a module. Second, sharing significant parts of a module
with players is tedious, therefore it is best to create a separate module for player facing content (such as
player options, items and possible even map and location details).

Additionally, If you are generating campaign level information, you may want to break it up into
geographical regions or plot segments to keep your object (story, item, map) lists from becoming
annoyingly long. And finally, once you start breaking up your content into multiple development
campaigns, you may way to break out NPCs, Spells, and Items into their own campaign so that they can
easily be used in multiple modules without having to duplicate them. As you can imagine, this can start
to be a chore in itself to keep things straight. So, plan ahead.

1. Do NOT include any extensions in your development campaign unless these are going to be
required to use your module (not recommended) or you know they do not alter the database.
For example, there are CSV Table Importer extension that is useful for help building tables and
does not alter the database so it is good to use and 5E NPC Maker extension useful for creating
original NPCs.

2. When loading library reference modules be aware:

o If you are going to distribute the adventure, even on the FG forums, you can not include
the Intellectual Property of any other entity without explicit permission.

▪ You can include SRD references and distribute the module as long as you include
the full text of the appropriate OGL (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Inclusion of D&D 5E material from the PHB, MM, and DMG can be done if and
only if you are only distributing via the Dungeon Master's Guild and you follow
their guidelines (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Some information from Pathfinder sources can be included, but you must
comply with either the OGL or the Paizo Community Content guidelines.

In general, data should be entered in the order the subjects are presented below.
Map / Image Preparation

• Image file sizes should be less than 16 MB file size and ~4k x 4k pixels each, and much smaller
when possible. Use of an image optimizer is suggested. This is to minimize the impacts of
bandwidth limitations during play.

• Image format should be JPEG/JPG when possible. PNG can be used for images that require
transparency, such as for setting or environmental images.

• Image quality is should 70% (or lower) for a JPEG image. Usually very little visual quality is lost in
this range and yet file size can be greatly reduced.

• Image file names should not contain special characters or have more than one consecutive
space in them.

• Images that will be linked to from with a story, NPC, etc entry should be entered into the
campaign image list prior to linking them in the entry. To facilitate organization, these images
should all be placed within their own tab/group.

• Image name will default to be the same name as the filename. This can be modified in the image
window to a friendly name as desired and is the name that the GM will see in image lists.

• Image name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the image is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official GM name for images as that can lead to unintended disclosure. (i.e.
“Corvar’s Lair” vs “Muddy Caves”).

Battlemap Considerations

• Scale: A scale of 20 pixels per foot (100 pixels per 5ft square) is most common.

• Grid Alignment Guide; placing a 5 foot square box of an unobtrusive color in the top right corner
(never the bottom right) is suggested. This helps with placing the token grid overlay.

• Pre-place the token grid overlay on the map

• Unfortunately, global masks are not exported when you create a module, so applying a mask is
unnecessary.

Line of Sight

• Minimize the number of LOS segments (i.e. number of walls/etc), segment length should at least
be ½ square length, and usually many times larger than this. It is very easy to add large numbers
of LOS segments and quickly make the performance of maps unplayable.
• Do not make two segments colinear (overlapping) as this can cause calculation problems
• Use snapping and make sure segment end points are coincident (same exact place)
• Keep all segments on a single layer when possible.
• Add all walls first, then use door and window automatic clipping function to trim walls to the
rectangles created by doors and windows.
Lightning

• Keep the number of lights to a reasonable amount as they impact map performance.
• Use Ambient Lightning with Masks for large areas rather than numerous light sources.
• Be aware of overlapping lights; lights are calculated in an additive manner, meaning that if two
lights with RGB of 200, 150, 50 intersect, they will yield an area with the color of 255, 255, 100
(because RGB values are 0-255) and will appear on a computer very differently than they would
in real life. To prevent this, use lights with lower RGB values and transparency (alpha) values
when they may overlap.

FX (Image Effects)

• Be aware of your players’ computers, it is very easy to add FX that your players’ computers may
not be able to render with adequate performance.

Item Creation

Any items that you are going to give to NPC's or make available as treasure should be created in the
module Item list.

• If you are using items from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your Item list. This will make them independent of the other source. Be
aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• Items should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Abbreviations should not be used (except where standardized in the rule system).

• Item name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the item is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official name for item until it is identified as that can lead to unintended
disclosure (i.e. “Medallion of Thought” vs “Rune Inscribed Amulet”).

NPC Creation

All creature or NPCs that are going to be used in the module should be created in the module NPC list.

• If you are using NPCs from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your module group in the NPC list. This will make them independent of the
other source. Be aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• NPCs should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Tokens should be assigned to all NPCs prior to their use in Encounters. Use letter tokens when
no other appropriate image is available. See Tokens below.

• Images added to a NPC description entry should be linked from an image added to the campaign
and not from an open resource to insure they can be exported in the same module. (Otherwise
the link will not work unless the new campaign also has that resource open in the campaign
library.)
 • For 5th Edition DnD, spells do not need to be added as actions to the NPC. By adding a
“Spellcasting” trait, the spell will be pulled from an available open reference and automatically
added to the NPC’s actions when the NPC entry is opened. The format for this trait should be
formatted as follows:
Spellcasting
The priest is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is
Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The priest has
the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary
2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoration, spiritual weapon
3rd level (2 slots): dispel magic, spirit guardians
Traps & Hazards

• In most cases traps or hazards that can deal damage, apply effects or impose conditions on
characters should be created as NPC’s so that they can be added to the map, combat tracker
and automation can be used and XP can be applied through the party sheet.

Tokens

• Recommended file format of PNG for best transparency support

• Size of 100x100 pixels for medium size or smaller creatures and 200x200 for large

• When using FGC; Tokens should be added to the development campaign by adding to the folder
(create the folder if it is not present); <FG Data>/campaigns/<campaign name>/tokens

• Tokens that are added to NPC’s that are exported will automatically be selected and exported
when the NPC is exported.

• Tokens that are not assigned to exported NPC’s that you wish to export with the module must
manually be dragged to the export window. See also, Token Usage Guide linked below.

Portraits

Note, character portraits are NOT exported when exporting a character sheet.

• Most rulesets reduce portrait size to 72 x 72 pixels, but it is recommended that 100 x 100 pixels
be used since by default the portrait image will be used to create the token.

• Higher resolution images can be used, but should be added as a campaign/module image and
linked to the character sheet since their resolution will be reduced when added to the character
sheet.

Tables

• The output for tables that can be used by players should be set to “Chat” so that the players can
see the results of the table.

• Tables should (normally) be locked prior to export

Story Entries

Story entries should be consistently named and formatted throughout your module. They should include
the following;

• Entries should be numbered where applicable to control the order in which they are listed and
to indicate chapters. Typically the format is "Chapter.Entry" such as "3.01". Leading zeroes are
used to control sort order, i.e. when more than 9 entries are to be used. For example use
“01.01, 01.02… 01.98, 01.99, 02.01… 11.01… 99.99” or “01.001 … 99.999”

• Typically, one story entry should be created for each location, event, or encounter. Story entries
that become overly long should be broken up into multiple logical story entries when possible.

• Sidebars should usually be created as their own story entry. They may be numbered something
like “4.07sb Roleplaying the Bad Guy” and should be linked to from appropriate story entries.

• Skill Checks are typically handled in one of three manners (but should be done in the same
manner throughout the entire adventure module).

o Inline in the story text as appropriate, often in bold font.

o Inline in the story entry but placed within a table to distinguish it.

o As a sidebar linked from the appropriate story entry.

• A link to any applicable Maps or Images

• A link to any applicable Encounters

• Links to NPCs only for non-combat entries, all hostile or map based entries should use
Encounters to facilitate easy addition to the combat tracker and map pre-placement (see
Encounters below).

• A link to any applicable Treasure Parcels (not directly to the items, as they should be placed into
a parcel for distribution to the party).

• Links to other story entries as appropriate

A Story list, filtered for the module Group, should look like this;

A typical encounter story entry may look like this;

 or

A Note about a Module Index Entry. Some people prefer to have a single story entry that has an
ordered set of links to all other story entries. Basically an index. To me, I find this unnecessary as the
Story list itself serves this purpose. And it does especially well if you name the story entries with the
“Chapter.Entry” prefix. That said, there’s also no harm in creating one.

A Note about page references when converting published adventures. When converting published
adventures, references to page numbers (i.e. “see page 12”) should be replaced with something like
“See Link” and a links to the appropriate story entry, usually immediately following the paragraph.

Encounters

All map based or combat based NPC's should be organized into Encounters. This facilitates population of
the combat tracker and the encounter map with a single click.

• NPC's can be marked Unidentified in the Encounter to prevent identification by the players once
added to the Combat Tracker. They can also be renamed for the same purpose, or for re-using a
generic NPC into a specific one (i.e. “Kobold” can be changed to “Small Reptilian” or
“Commoner” can be renamed “Blacksmith Bob”).

• NPC tokens should be dragged from below their encounter entry )the token instance) and
placed onto the appropriate battle map (to help with automation)

• For encounters with a variable number of NPC's, the maximum number should be used in the
Encounter entry. This allows the GM to later reduce this number, but to still have all NPC's pre-
placed.
 • Tokens can not be varied for different NPC instances by dragging a different token to the token
icon in the row(s) below the NPC name (token instance) as this will not be kept when exported.
If different tokens are desired for the same type of NPC, unique instances of the NPC with
unique tokens have to be added to the encounter.

Parcels

• All treasure or items that may be distributed to the party should be included in treasure Parcels.
• Parcels should be numbered the same as their story entry but can be named descriptively (i.e.
“7.23 Beazle’s Hoard”

Groups

Also known as list categories and allow for list entries to be organized into subsets.

• There is a limit to the length of a group name, for practical reasons, they should be limited to
less than 24 characters.
• All list items (Stories, Items, NPC, Encounters, Parcels, Images, Tables, etc) should be placed into
a group unique to the module.
• Groups should have a consistent naming convention throughout the module, such as the
module name “Hero’s Quest”. Or if multiple groups are needed because of many entries a
module prefix should be used (i.e. “BDC-1: Part 1, Campaign Setup”, “BDC-1: Part 2, Fleeing the
Army”, etc.).
• Groups for individually shared items are not visible to players, they will be grouped under the
module name. Players only see group names for modules that they have loaded the entire
module.
• Empty groups (groups with no entries) will be automatically deleted upon exiting the campaign.

Map Pins

• All map locations should have a map pin placed on them linking to the appropriate story entry.
• Pins to encounter and parcels are not usually recommended as the linked story entry should
already have those links and more.
• If a single map location has multiple related story entries, two or three may be linked with pins
independently, but otherwise a story entry with the location name and the links to all
appropriate story entries should be created. For example, if on an overland map there is a town
and that town has multiple story (and possible even a detailed map) entries based upon the
adventure timeline, the map pin should link to a story entry that contains the town name and
links to all the related town entries and the detailed town map.

Pre-Generated Characters

• In most rulesets; Character Portraits are 100x100 pixels. If larger sizes are used, FG will rescale
them automatically. Note that the auto-assigned tokens for PCs that are generated based on the
portrait will be 63x63 pixels. Regular tokens can be assigned to the PC in the Combat Tracker.
Module Export

When exporting, there are several fields that you can specify. Each field should be used accordingly;

File Name

• File Name should not include version or date information as the file name is used to uniquely
identify the module. If the file name changes between versions, FG will not recognize it as the
same module and you will not be able to update live campaigns by synchronizing (called “Revert
Changes”) in the Library.
• Given file system issues, special characters (!@#$%^&*<>?/;:’”~`) should not be used.

Thumbnail

• This is the icon that will be shown in the Library > Module activation window. It should be a PNG
file with the size of less than 300x300 pixels. Most rulesets will display the image at 63x63 pixels.

Display Name

• The name that will be shown in the Module Activation window, most special characters can be
used here, but should still be avoided

Category

• This is the title of the Library section that the module will be shown in when activated. It allows
modules to be grouped within the Library together with related modules.

• The standard categories and their typical use is:

o Adventure – A specific scenario or set of scenarios for a campaign plot line
o Core – Original publisher core rulebooks only
o Map Pack – Maps and mapping assets
o Setting – Campaign location information
o Supplement – additional / optional rule content
o Token Pack – token art work for characters and NPCs

Author

• The (legal) name(s) of the module author(s)

Read Only

• Usually only marked for reference material that is not intended to be modified once activated in
a campaign.
Player Module

• Used for player facing content.

Any Ruleset

• Will create the module with an “Any” ruleset tag and allow the module to be loaded in any FG
ruleset.
• Note, this does not mean that object types (NPC, items, etc) will be compatible in any ruleset.

Export Record Types

It’s easiest to select All, but it is possible to select only certain parts for exporting into separate modules
(though that becomes error prone if you don’t remember the exact export settings between different
modules).

Export Record Views

Create Backups

Periodically export the module and save the module file elsewhere so that it can be used as a backup or
otherwise backup the development campaign folder.

Updating Modules and Campaigns

Update to the modules should be done in the original development campaign. When ready, these
changes can be exported.

Updating a live campaign

Once the module has been updated, a campaign can be synchronized with the new module either in its
entirety or each individual modified entry.

To update all campaign entries to use the latest module entries; Select the module in the campaign
library, and from the right mouse button select "Revert Changes". Note, this will revert any entries that
have been modified in the campaign and remove shared objects.

To update individual campaign modifications; Select a modified entry (as indicated by the book and pen
icon in the campaign object list) and from the right mouse button select “Revert Changes”.

Note that entries that have not been modified from the original will automatically show the new
updated versions and do not need to be synchronized or “Reverted” (and actually will not have the
option available).

Modifying Official/Purchased Modules

If you want to modify an official published adventure (i.e. one that has been released by SmiteWorks,
such as “Lost Mines of Phandelver”), then you need to do the following;
 • Create a "Mod" campaign, such as "LMoP Custom Mods"

• Open the published adventure in this new campaign

• Take the entry that you desire to modify, such as a story entry or NPC and drag them to the
campaign list for the same type.

• Open and Unlock this campaign version of the object. Modify to your hearts content.

• Either keep the name the same, or add a slight modifier after the initial story numbering (i.e.
“2.9 The Ranch” becomes “2.9.mod The Ranch”

• Rinse & repeat until you have all of your customizations done.

• Export to a module such as "My Custom LMoP Mods"

Now, when you want to run an LMoP campaign using your custom mods, do this;

• Create a new campaign, such as "LMoP Friday Night Group"

• Open the published adventure, then open your custom module

• Be sure to use your modified entries as approriate

Resources/References

FG Wiki:

Using the Library and Activating Modules

Preparing Encounters and Random Encounters

Map Line of Sight Style Guide

Old FG Wiki:

Campaign Data

Export

Lists

Image Pins

Tokens

Formatted Text

Older/Previous Guides:

Adventure A Week module creation guidelines

Xorne’s Adventure Module Creation Tutorial

Edits

7 Aug 16 - Add large map considerations, Wiki links, Chapter summary entry additions

9 Aug 16 – Add Tables information, re-order Tabs

13 Aug 16 – Add information about image links in NPCs and other entries

8 Sep 16 – Add section on NPC spells and spell parsing, added Note to Updating a Live Campaign

1 Mar 17 – Incorporate elements from Xorne’s tutorial. Removed Tabs info. Added info for FG v3.2
groups. Added info on unidentified names/entries for images and items. Note about page references
added. Previous/Next link in story entries removed due to new UI functionality. Added “Modifying
Official/Purchased Modules”. Added 2048 x 2048 statement for large maps. Revised Story entry sections
for completeness. Corrected statement about differing tokens for each NPC instance in an encounter.

Mar 17 – Token sizes updated to 100x100 pixels etc. Thumbnail size updated. Character portrait info
added. Example images added.

19 Apr 20 – Minor updates for clarity, some notes for FGC specific suggestions.

28 Dec 21 – Added small Portraits section

20 Nov 22 – Add info to exporting. Add ‘Plan ahead.’ Updated image recommendations FGU standards.
Large image considerations removed. Added LOS, Lightning, & FX sections.

To Do

• Info on Exporting map LOS data

• Lightning best practices
• NPC xml export
• Reference manuals
•
This is a guide to help people understand best practices for creating adventure modules for Fantasy
Grounds. The AAW guide from 2013 is the original base for this guide (see link below). When creating an
adventure module, read through these best practices before beginning.
Note; some rulesets may not include all of the capabilities mentioned below.

Create a Module Development Campaign

Create a new campaign using the ruleset the module is designed for. Only use this campaign for the
creation & editing of your module, do not use it as a live campaign with players. Even if you are only
creating this for your own use with a single group, this is still the recommended practice. A name that
includes "Development" or similar is suggested.

Plan ahead. There are several considerations in creating development campaigns and reasons you might
want to create more than one. First, exporting parts of a campaign is challenging, so it is best if you plan
to export the entire contents of a campaign into a module. Second, sharing significant parts of a module
with players is tedious, therefore it is best to create a separate module for player facing content (such as
player options, items and possible even map and location details).

Additionally, If you are generating campaign level information, you may want to break it up into
geographical regions or plot segments to keep your object (story, item, map) lists from becoming
annoyingly long. And finally, once you start breaking up your content into multiple development
campaigns, you may way to break out NPCs, Spells, and Items into their own campaign so that they can
easily be used in multiple modules without having to duplicate them. As you can imagine, this can start
to be a chore in itself to keep things straight. So, plan ahead.

1. Do NOT include any extensions in your development campaign unless these are going to be
required to use your module (not recommended) or you know they do not alter the database.
For example, there are CSV Table Importer extension that is useful for help building tables and
does not alter the database so it is good to use and 5E NPC Maker extension useful for creating
original NPCs.

2. When loading library reference modules be aware:

o If you are going to distribute the adventure, even on the FG forums, you can not include
the Intellectual Property of any other entity without explicit permission.

▪ You can include SRD references and distribute the module as long as you include
the full text of the appropriate OGL (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Inclusion of D&D 5E material from the PHB, MM, and DMG can be done if and
only if you are only distributing via the Dungeon Master's Guild and you follow
their guidelines (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Some information from Pathfinder sources can be included, but you must
comply with either the OGL or the Paizo Community Content guidelines.

In general, data should be entered in the order the subjects are presented below.
Map / Image Preparation

• Image file sizes should be less than 16 MB file size and ~4k x 4k pixels each, and much smaller
when possible. Use of an image optimizer is suggested. This is to minimize the impacts of
bandwidth limitations during play.

• Image format should be JPEG/JPG when possible. PNG can be used for images that require
transparency, such as for setting or environmental images.

• Image quality is should 70% (or lower) for a JPEG image. Usually very little visual quality is lost in
this range and yet file size can be greatly reduced.

• Image file names should not contain special characters or have more than one consecutive
space in them.

• Images that will be linked to from with a story, NPC, etc entry should be entered into the
campaign image list prior to linking them in the entry. To facilitate organization, these images
should all be placed within their own tab/group.

• Image name will default to be the same name as the filename. This can be modified in the image
window to a friendly name as desired and is the name that the GM will see in image lists.

• Image name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the image is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official GM name for images as that can lead to unintended disclosure. (i.e.
“Corvar’s Lair” vs “Muddy Caves”).

Battlemap Considerations

• Scale: A scale of 20 pixels per foot (100 pixels per 5ft square) is most common.

• Grid Alignment Guide; placing a 5 foot square box of an unobtrusive color in the top right corner
(never the bottom right) is suggested. This helps with placing the token grid overlay.

• Pre-place the token grid overlay on the map

• Unfortunately, global masks are not exported when you create a module, so applying a mask is
unnecessary.

Line of Sight

• Minimize the number of LOS segments (i.e. number of walls/etc), segment length should at least
be ½ square length, and usually many times larger than this. It is very easy to add large numbers
of LOS segments and quickly make the performance of maps unplayable.
• Do not make two segments colinear (overlapping) as this can cause calculation problems
• Use snapping and make sure segment end points are coincident (same exact place)
• Keep all segments on a single layer when possible.
• Add all walls first, then use door and window automatic clipping function to trim walls to the
rectangles created by doors and windows.
Lightning

• Keep the number of lights to a reasonable amount as they impact map performance.
• Use Ambient Lightning with Masks for large areas rather than numerous light sources.
• Be aware of overlapping lights; lights are calculated in an additive manner, meaning that if two
lights with RGB of 200, 150, 50 intersect, they will yield an area with the color of 255, 255, 100
(because RGB values are 0-255) and will appear on a computer very differently than they would
in real life. To prevent this, use lights with lower RGB values and transparency (alpha) values
when they may overlap.

FX (Image Effects)

• Be aware of your players’ computers, it is very easy to add FX that your players’ computers may
not be able to render with adequate performance.

Item Creation

Any items that you are going to give to NPC's or make available as treasure should be created in the
module Item list.

• If you are using items from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your Item list. This will make them independent of the other source. Be
aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• Items should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Abbreviations should not be used (except where standardized in the rule system).

• Item name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the item is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official name for item until it is identified as that can lead to unintended
disclosure (i.e. “Medallion of Thought” vs “Rune Inscribed Amulet”).

NPC Creation

All creature or NPCs that are going to be used in the module should be created in the module NPC list.

• If you are using NPCs from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your module group in the NPC list. This will make them independent of the
other source. Be aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• NPCs should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Tokens should be assigned to all NPCs prior to their use in Encounters. Use letter tokens when
no other appropriate image is available. See Tokens below.

• Images added to a NPC description entry should be linked from an image added to the campaign
and not from an open resource to insure they can be exported in the same module. (Otherwise
the link will not work unless the new campaign also has that resource open in the campaign
library.)
 • For 5th Edition DnD, spells do not need to be added as actions to the NPC. By adding a
“Spellcasting” trait, the spell will be pulled from an available open reference and automatically
added to the NPC’s actions when the NPC entry is opened. The format for this trait should be
formatted as follows:
Spellcasting
The priest is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is
Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The priest has
the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary
2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoration, spiritual weapon
3rd level (2 slots): dispel magic, spirit guardians
Traps & Hazards

• In most cases traps or hazards that can deal damage, apply effects or impose conditions on
characters should be created as NPC’s so that they can be added to the map, combat tracker
and automation can be used and XP can be applied through the party sheet.

Tokens

• Recommended file format of PNG for best transparency support

• Size of 100x100 pixels for medium size or smaller creatures and 200x200 for large

• When using FGC; Tokens should be added to the development campaign by adding to the folder
(create the folder if it is not present); <FG Data>/campaigns/<campaign name>/tokens

• Tokens that are added to NPC’s that are exported will automatically be selected and exported
when the NPC is exported.

• Tokens that are not assigned to exported NPC’s that you wish to export with the module must
manually be dragged to the export window. See also, Token Usage Guide linked below.

Portraits

Note, character portraits are NOT exported when exporting a character sheet.

• Most rulesets reduce portrait size to 72 x 72 pixels, but it is recommended that 100 x 100 pixels
be used since by default the portrait image will be used to create the token.

• Higher resolution images can be used, but should be added as a campaign/module image and
linked to the character sheet since their resolution will be reduced when added to the character
sheet.

Tables

• The output for tables that can be used by players should be set to “Chat” so that the players can
see the results of the table.

• Tables should (normally) be locked prior to export

Story Entries

Story entries should be consistently named and formatted throughout your module. They should include
the following;

• Entries should be numbered where applicable to control the order in which they are listed and
to indicate chapters. Typically the format is "Chapter.Entry" such as "3.01". Leading zeroes are
used to control sort order, i.e. when more than 9 entries are to be used. For example use
“01.01, 01.02… 01.98, 01.99, 02.01… 11.01… 99.99” or “01.001 … 99.999”

• Typically, one story entry should be created for each location, event, or encounter. Story entries
that become overly long should be broken up into multiple logical story entries when possible.

• Sidebars should usually be created as their own story entry. They may be numbered something
like “4.07sb Roleplaying the Bad Guy” and should be linked to from appropriate story entries.

• Skill Checks are typically handled in one of three manners (but should be done in the same
manner throughout the entire adventure module).

o Inline in the story text as appropriate, often in bold font.

o Inline in the story entry but placed within a table to distinguish it.

o As a sidebar linked from the appropriate story entry.

• A link to any applicable Maps or Images

• A link to any applicable Encounters

• Links to NPCs only for non-combat entries, all hostile or map based entries should use
Encounters to facilitate easy addition to the combat tracker and map pre-placement (see
Encounters below).

• A link to any applicable Treasure Parcels (not directly to the items, as they should be placed into
a parcel for distribution to the party).

• Links to other story entries as appropriate

A Story list, filtered for the module Group, should look like this;

A typical encounter story entry may look like this;

 or

A Note about a Module Index Entry. Some people prefer to have a single story entry that has an
ordered set of links to all other story entries. Basically an index. To me, I find this unnecessary as the
Story list itself serves this purpose. And it does especially well if you name the story entries with the
“Chapter.Entry” prefix. That said, there’s also no harm in creating one.

A Note about page references when converting published adventures. When converting published
adventures, references to page numbers (i.e. “see page 12”) should be replaced with something like
“See Link” and a links to the appropriate story entry, usually immediately following the paragraph.

Encounters

All map based or combat based NPC's should be organized into Encounters. This facilitates population of
the combat tracker and the encounter map with a single click.

• NPC's can be marked Unidentified in the Encounter to prevent identification by the players once
added to the Combat Tracker. They can also be renamed for the same purpose, or for re-using a
generic NPC into a specific one (i.e. “Kobold” can be changed to “Small Reptilian” or
“Commoner” can be renamed “Blacksmith Bob”).

• NPC tokens should be dragged from below their encounter entry )the token instance) and
placed onto the appropriate battle map (to help with automation)

• For encounters with a variable number of NPC's, the maximum number should be used in the
Encounter entry. This allows the GM to later reduce this number, but to still have all NPC's pre-
placed.
 • Tokens can not be varied for different NPC instances by dragging a different token to the token
icon in the row(s) below the NPC name (token instance) as this will not be kept when exported.
If different tokens are desired for the same type of NPC, unique instances of the NPC with
unique tokens have to be added to the encounter.

Parcels

• All treasure or items that may be distributed to the party should be included in treasure Parcels.
• Parcels should be numbered the same as their story entry but can be named descriptively (i.e.
“7.23 Beazle’s Hoard”

Groups

Also known as list categories and allow for list entries to be organized into subsets.

• There is a limit to the length of a group name, for practical reasons, they should be limited to
less than 24 characters.
• All list items (Stories, Items, NPC, Encounters, Parcels, Images, Tables, etc) should be placed into
a group unique to the module.
• Groups should have a consistent naming convention throughout the module, such as the
module name “Hero’s Quest”. Or if multiple groups are needed because of many entries a
module prefix should be used (i.e. “BDC-1: Part 1, Campaign Setup”, “BDC-1: Part 2, Fleeing the
Army”, etc.).
• Groups for individually shared items are not visible to players, they will be grouped under the
module name. Players only see group names for modules that they have loaded the entire
module.
• Empty groups (groups with no entries) will be automatically deleted upon exiting the campaign.

Map Pins

• All map locations should have a map pin placed on them linking to the appropriate story entry.
• Pins to encounter and parcels are not usually recommended as the linked story entry should
already have those links and more.
• If a single map location has multiple related story entries, two or three may be linked with pins
independently, but otherwise a story entry with the location name and the links to all
appropriate story entries should be created. For example, if on an overland map there is a town
and that town has multiple story (and possible even a detailed map) entries based upon the
adventure timeline, the map pin should link to a story entry that contains the town name and
links to all the related town entries and the detailed town map.

Pre-Generated Characters

• In most rulesets; Character Portraits are 100x100 pixels. If larger sizes are used, FG will rescale
them automatically. Note that the auto-assigned tokens for PCs that are generated based on the
portrait will be 63x63 pixels. Regular tokens can be assigned to the PC in the Combat Tracker.
Module Export

When exporting, there are several fields that you can specify. Each field should be used accordingly;

File Name

• File Name should not include version or date information as the file name is used to uniquely
identify the module. If the file name changes between versions, FG will not recognize it as the
same module and you will not be able to update live campaigns by synchronizing (called “Revert
Changes”) in the Library.
• Given file system issues, special characters (!@#$%^&*<>?/;:’”~`) should not be used.

Thumbnail

• This is the icon that will be shown in the Library > Module activation window. It should be a PNG
file with the size of less than 300x300 pixels. Most rulesets will display the image at 63x63 pixels.

Display Name

• The name that will be shown in the Module Activation window, most special characters can be
used here, but should still be avoided

Category

• This is the title of the Library section that the module will be shown in when activated. It allows
modules to be grouped within the Library together with related modules.

• The standard categories and their typical use is:

o Adventure – A specific scenario or set of scenarios for a campaign plot line
o Core – Original publisher core rulebooks only
o Map Pack – Maps and mapping assets
o Setting – Campaign location information
o Supplement – additional / optional rule content
o Token Pack – token art work for characters and NPCs

Author

• The (legal) name(s) of the module author(s)

Read Only

• Usually only marked for reference material that is not intended to be modified once activated in
a campaign.
Player Module

• Used for player facing content.

Any Ruleset

• Will create the module with an “Any” ruleset tag and allow the module to be loaded in any FG
ruleset.
• Note, this does not mean that object types (NPC, items, etc) will be compatible in any ruleset.

Export Record Types

It’s easiest to select All, but it is possible to select only certain parts for exporting into separate modules
(though that becomes error prone if you don’t remember the exact export settings between different
modules).

Export Record Views

Create Backups

Periodically export the module and save the module file elsewhere so that it can be used as a backup or
otherwise backup the development campaign folder.

Updating Modules and Campaigns

Update to the modules should be done in the original development campaign. When ready, these
changes can be exported.

Updating a live campaign

Once the module has been updated, a campaign can be synchronized with the new module either in its
entirety or each individual modified entry.

To update all campaign entries to use the latest module entries; Select the module in the campaign
library, and from the right mouse button select "Revert Changes". Note, this will revert any entries that
have been modified in the campaign and remove shared objects.

To update individual campaign modifications; Select a modified entry (as indicated by the book and pen
icon in the campaign object list) and from the right mouse button select “Revert Changes”.

Note that entries that have not been modified from the original will automatically show the new
updated versions and do not need to be synchronized or “Reverted” (and actually will not have the
option available).

Modifying Official/Purchased Modules

If you want to modify an official published adventure (i.e. one that has been released by SmiteWorks,
such as “Lost Mines of Phandelver”), then you need to do the following;
 • Create a "Mod" campaign, such as "LMoP Custom Mods"

• Open the published adventure in this new campaign

• Take the entry that you desire to modify, such as a story entry or NPC and drag them to the
campaign list for the same type.

• Open and Unlock this campaign version of the object. Modify to your hearts content.

• Either keep the name the same, or add a slight modifier after the initial story numbering (i.e.
“2.9 The Ranch” becomes “2.9.mod The Ranch”

• Rinse & repeat until you have all of your customizations done.

• Export to a module such as "My Custom LMoP Mods"

Now, when you want to run an LMoP campaign using your custom mods, do this;

• Create a new campaign, such as "LMoP Friday Night Group"

• Open the published adventure, then open your custom module

• Be sure to use your modified entries as approriate

Resources/References

FG Wiki:

Using the Library and Activating Modules

Preparing Encounters and Random Encounters

Map Line of Sight Style Guide

Old FG Wiki:

Campaign Data

Export

Lists

Image Pins

Tokens

Formatted Text

Older/Previous Guides:

Adventure A Week module creation guidelines

Xorne’s Adventure Module Creation Tutorial

Edits

7 Aug 16 - Add large map considerations, Wiki links, Chapter summary entry additions

9 Aug 16 – Add Tables information, re-order Tabs

13 Aug 16 – Add information about image links in NPCs and other entries

8 Sep 16 – Add section on NPC spells and spell parsing, added Note to Updating a Live Campaign

1 Mar 17 – Incorporate elements from Xorne’s tutorial. Removed Tabs info. Added info for FG v3.2
groups. Added info on unidentified names/entries for images and items. Note about page references
added. Previous/Next link in story entries removed due to new UI functionality. Added “Modifying
Official/Purchased Modules”. Added 2048 x 2048 statement for large maps. Revised Story entry sections
for completeness. Corrected statement about differing tokens for each NPC instance in an encounter.

Mar 17 – Token sizes updated to 100x100 pixels etc. Thumbnail size updated. Character portrait info
added. Example images added.

19 Apr 20 – Minor updates for clarity, some notes for FGC specific suggestions.

28 Dec 21 – Added small Portraits section

20 Nov 22 – Add info to exporting. Add ‘Plan ahead.’ Updated image recommendations FGU standards.
Large image considerations removed. Added LOS, Lightning, & FX sections.

To Do

• Info on Exporting map LOS data

• Lightning best practices
• NPC xml export
• Reference manuals
•
This is a guide to help people understand best practices for creating adventure modules for Fantasy
Grounds. The AAW guide from 2013 is the original base for this guide (see link below). When creating an
adventure module, read through these best practices before beginning.
Note; some rulesets may not include all of the capabilities mentioned below.

Create a Module Development Campaign

Create a new campaign using the ruleset the module is designed for. Only use this campaign for the
creation & editing of your module, do not use it as a live campaign with players. Even if you are only
creating this for your own use with a single group, this is still the recommended practice. A name that
includes "Development" or similar is suggested.

Plan ahead. There are several considerations in creating development campaigns and reasons you might
want to create more than one. First, exporting parts of a campaign is challenging, so it is best if you plan
to export the entire contents of a campaign into a module. Second, sharing significant parts of a module
with players is tedious, therefore it is best to create a separate module for player facing content (such as
player options, items and possible even map and location details).

Additionally, If you are generating campaign level information, you may want to break it up into
geographical regions or plot segments to keep your object (story, item, map) lists from becoming
annoyingly long. And finally, once you start breaking up your content into multiple development
campaigns, you may way to break out NPCs, Spells, and Items into their own campaign so that they can
easily be used in multiple modules without having to duplicate them. As you can imagine, this can start
to be a chore in itself to keep things straight. So, plan ahead.

1. Do NOT include any extensions in your development campaign unless these are going to be
required to use your module (not recommended) or you know they do not alter the database.
For example, there are CSV Table Importer extension that is useful for help building tables and
does not alter the database so it is good to use and 5E NPC Maker extension useful for creating
original NPCs.

2. When loading library reference modules be aware:

o If you are going to distribute the adventure, even on the FG forums, you can not include
the Intellectual Property of any other entity without explicit permission.

▪ You can include SRD references and distribute the module as long as you include
the full text of the appropriate OGL (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Inclusion of D&D 5E material from the PHB, MM, and DMG can be done if and
only if you are only distributing via the Dungeon Master's Guild and you follow
their guidelines (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Some information from Pathfinder sources can be included, but you must
comply with either the OGL or the Paizo Community Content guidelines.

In general, data should be entered in the order the subjects are presented below.
Map / Image Preparation

• Image file sizes should be less than 16 MB file size and ~4k x 4k pixels each, and much smaller
when possible. Use of an image optimizer is suggested. This is to minimize the impacts of
bandwidth limitations during play.

• Image format should be JPEG/JPG when possible. PNG can be used for images that require
transparency, such as for setting or environmental images.

• Image quality is should 70% (or lower) for a JPEG image. Usually very little visual quality is lost in
this range and yet file size can be greatly reduced.

• Image file names should not contain special characters or have more than one consecutive
space in them.

• Images that will be linked to from with a story, NPC, etc entry should be entered into the
campaign image list prior to linking them in the entry. To facilitate organization, these images
should all be placed within their own tab/group.

• Image name will default to be the same name as the filename. This can be modified in the image
window to a friendly name as desired and is the name that the GM will see in image lists.

• Image name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the image is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official GM name for images as that can lead to unintended disclosure. (i.e.
“Corvar’s Lair” vs “Muddy Caves”).

Battlemap Considerations

• Scale: A scale of 20 pixels per foot (100 pixels per 5ft square) is most common.

• Grid Alignment Guide; placing a 5 foot square box of an unobtrusive color in the top right corner
(never the bottom right) is suggested. This helps with placing the token grid overlay.

• Pre-place the token grid overlay on the map

• Unfortunately, global masks are not exported when you create a module, so applying a mask is
unnecessary.

Line of Sight

• Minimize the number of LOS segments (i.e. number of walls/etc), segment length should at least
be ½ square length, and usually many times larger than this. It is very easy to add large numbers
of LOS segments and quickly make the performance of maps unplayable.
• Do not make two segments colinear (overlapping) as this can cause calculation problems
• Use snapping and make sure segment end points are coincident (same exact place)
• Keep all segments on a single layer when possible.
• Add all walls first, then use door and window automatic clipping function to trim walls to the
rectangles created by doors and windows.
Lightning

• Keep the number of lights to a reasonable amount as they impact map performance.
• Use Ambient Lightning with Masks for large areas rather than numerous light sources.
• Be aware of overlapping lights; lights are calculated in an additive manner, meaning that if two
lights with RGB of 200, 150, 50 intersect, they will yield an area with the color of 255, 255, 100
(because RGB values are 0-255) and will appear on a computer very differently than they would
in real life. To prevent this, use lights with lower RGB values and transparency (alpha) values
when they may overlap.

FX (Image Effects)

• Be aware of your players’ computers, it is very easy to add FX that your players’ computers may
not be able to render with adequate performance.

Item Creation

Any items that you are going to give to NPC's or make available as treasure should be created in the
module Item list.

• If you are using items from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your Item list. This will make them independent of the other source. Be
aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• Items should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Abbreviations should not be used (except where standardized in the rule system).

• Item name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the item is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official name for item until it is identified as that can lead to unintended
disclosure (i.e. “Medallion of Thought” vs “Rune Inscribed Amulet”).

NPC Creation

All creature or NPCs that are going to be used in the module should be created in the module NPC list.

• If you are using NPCs from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your module group in the NPC list. This will make them independent of the
other source. Be aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• NPCs should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Tokens should be assigned to all NPCs prior to their use in Encounters. Use letter tokens when
no other appropriate image is available. See Tokens below.

• Images added to a NPC description entry should be linked from an image added to the campaign
and not from an open resource to insure they can be exported in the same module. (Otherwise
the link will not work unless the new campaign also has that resource open in the campaign
library.)
 • For 5th Edition DnD, spells do not need to be added as actions to the NPC. By adding a
“Spellcasting” trait, the spell will be pulled from an available open reference and automatically
added to the NPC’s actions when the NPC entry is opened. The format for this trait should be
formatted as follows:
Spellcasting
The priest is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is
Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The priest has
the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary
2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoration, spiritual weapon
3rd level (2 slots): dispel magic, spirit guardians
Traps & Hazards

• In most cases traps or hazards that can deal damage, apply effects or impose conditions on
characters should be created as NPC’s so that they can be added to the map, combat tracker
and automation can be used and XP can be applied through the party sheet.

Tokens

• Recommended file format of PNG for best transparency support

• Size of 100x100 pixels for medium size or smaller creatures and 200x200 for large

• When using FGC; Tokens should be added to the development campaign by adding to the folder
(create the folder if it is not present); <FG Data>/campaigns/<campaign name>/tokens

• Tokens that are added to NPC’s that are exported will automatically be selected and exported
when the NPC is exported.

• Tokens that are not assigned to exported NPC’s that you wish to export with the module must
manually be dragged to the export window. See also, Token Usage Guide linked below.

Portraits

Note, character portraits are NOT exported when exporting a character sheet.

• Most rulesets reduce portrait size to 72 x 72 pixels, but it is recommended that 100 x 100 pixels
be used since by default the portrait image will be used to create the token.

• Higher resolution images can be used, but should be added as a campaign/module image and
linked to the character sheet since their resolution will be reduced when added to the character
sheet.

Tables

• The output for tables that can be used by players should be set to “Chat” so that the players can
see the results of the table.

• Tables should (normally) be locked prior to export

Story Entries

Story entries should be consistently named and formatted throughout your module. They should include
the following;

• Entries should be numbered where applicable to control the order in which they are listed and
to indicate chapters. Typically the format is "Chapter.Entry" such as "3.01". Leading zeroes are
used to control sort order, i.e. when more than 9 entries are to be used. For example use
“01.01, 01.02… 01.98, 01.99, 02.01… 11.01… 99.99” or “01.001 … 99.999”

• Typically, one story entry should be created for each location, event, or encounter. Story entries
that become overly long should be broken up into multiple logical story entries when possible.

• Sidebars should usually be created as their own story entry. They may be numbered something
like “4.07sb Roleplaying the Bad Guy” and should be linked to from appropriate story entries.

• Skill Checks are typically handled in one of three manners (but should be done in the same
manner throughout the entire adventure module).

o Inline in the story text as appropriate, often in bold font.

o Inline in the story entry but placed within a table to distinguish it.

o As a sidebar linked from the appropriate story entry.

• A link to any applicable Maps or Images

• A link to any applicable Encounters

• Links to NPCs only for non-combat entries, all hostile or map based entries should use
Encounters to facilitate easy addition to the combat tracker and map pre-placement (see
Encounters below).

• A link to any applicable Treasure Parcels (not directly to the items, as they should be placed into
a parcel for distribution to the party).

• Links to other story entries as appropriate

A Story list, filtered for the module Group, should look like this;

A typical encounter story entry may look like this;

 or

A Note about a Module Index Entry. Some people prefer to have a single story entry that has an
ordered set of links to all other story entries. Basically an index. To me, I find this unnecessary as the
Story list itself serves this purpose. And it does especially well if you name the story entries with the
“Chapter.Entry” prefix. That said, there’s also no harm in creating one.

A Note about page references when converting published adventures. When converting published
adventures, references to page numbers (i.e. “see page 12”) should be replaced with something like
“See Link” and a links to the appropriate story entry, usually immediately following the paragraph.

Encounters

All map based or combat based NPC's should be organized into Encounters. This facilitates population of
the combat tracker and the encounter map with a single click.

• NPC's can be marked Unidentified in the Encounter to prevent identification by the players once
added to the Combat Tracker. They can also be renamed for the same purpose, or for re-using a
generic NPC into a specific one (i.e. “Kobold” can be changed to “Small Reptilian” or
“Commoner” can be renamed “Blacksmith Bob”).

• NPC tokens should be dragged from below their encounter entry )the token instance) and
placed onto the appropriate battle map (to help with automation)

• For encounters with a variable number of NPC's, the maximum number should be used in the
Encounter entry. This allows the GM to later reduce this number, but to still have all NPC's pre-
placed.
 • Tokens can not be varied for different NPC instances by dragging a different token to the token
icon in the row(s) below the NPC name (token instance) as this will not be kept when exported.
If different tokens are desired for the same type of NPC, unique instances of the NPC with
unique tokens have to be added to the encounter.

Parcels

• All treasure or items that may be distributed to the party should be included in treasure Parcels.
• Parcels should be numbered the same as their story entry but can be named descriptively (i.e.
“7.23 Beazle’s Hoard”

Groups

Also known as list categories and allow for list entries to be organized into subsets.

• There is a limit to the length of a group name, for practical reasons, they should be limited to
less than 24 characters.
• All list items (Stories, Items, NPC, Encounters, Parcels, Images, Tables, etc) should be placed into
a group unique to the module.
• Groups should have a consistent naming convention throughout the module, such as the
module name “Hero’s Quest”. Or if multiple groups are needed because of many entries a
module prefix should be used (i.e. “BDC-1: Part 1, Campaign Setup”, “BDC-1: Part 2, Fleeing the
Army”, etc.).
• Groups for individually shared items are not visible to players, they will be grouped under the
module name. Players only see group names for modules that they have loaded the entire
module.
• Empty groups (groups with no entries) will be automatically deleted upon exiting the campaign.

Map Pins

• All map locations should have a map pin placed on them linking to the appropriate story entry.
• Pins to encounter and parcels are not usually recommended as the linked story entry should
already have those links and more.
• If a single map location has multiple related story entries, two or three may be linked with pins
independently, but otherwise a story entry with the location name and the links to all
appropriate story entries should be created. For example, if on an overland map there is a town
and that town has multiple story (and possible even a detailed map) entries based upon the
adventure timeline, the map pin should link to a story entry that contains the town name and
links to all the related town entries and the detailed town map.

Pre-Generated Characters

• In most rulesets; Character Portraits are 100x100 pixels. If larger sizes are used, FG will rescale
them automatically. Note that the auto-assigned tokens for PCs that are generated based on the
portrait will be 63x63 pixels. Regular tokens can be assigned to the PC in the Combat Tracker.
Module Export

When exporting, there are several fields that you can specify. Each field should be used accordingly;

File Name

• File Name should not include version or date information as the file name is used to uniquely
identify the module. If the file name changes between versions, FG will not recognize it as the
same module and you will not be able to update live campaigns by synchronizing (called “Revert
Changes”) in the Library.
• Given file system issues, special characters (!@#$%^&*<>?/;:’”~`) should not be used.

Thumbnail

• This is the icon that will be shown in the Library > Module activation window. It should be a PNG
file with the size of less than 300x300 pixels. Most rulesets will display the image at 63x63 pixels.

Display Name

• The name that will be shown in the Module Activation window, most special characters can be
used here, but should still be avoided

Category

• This is the title of the Library section that the module will be shown in when activated. It allows
modules to be grouped within the Library together with related modules.

• The standard categories and their typical use is:

o Adventure – A specific scenario or set of scenarios for a campaign plot line
o Core – Original publisher core rulebooks only
o Map Pack – Maps and mapping assets
o Setting – Campaign location information
o Supplement – additional / optional rule content
o Token Pack – token art work for characters and NPCs

Author

• The (legal) name(s) of the module author(s)

Read Only

• Usually only marked for reference material that is not intended to be modified once activated in
a campaign.
Player Module

• Used for player facing content.

Any Ruleset

• Will create the module with an “Any” ruleset tag and allow the module to be loaded in any FG
ruleset.
• Note, this does not mean that object types (NPC, items, etc) will be compatible in any ruleset.

Export Record Types

It’s easiest to select All, but it is possible to select only certain parts for exporting into separate modules
(though that becomes error prone if you don’t remember the exact export settings between different
modules).

Export Record Views

Create Backups

Periodically export the module and save the module file elsewhere so that it can be used as a backup or
otherwise backup the development campaign folder.

Updating Modules and Campaigns

Update to the modules should be done in the original development campaign. When ready, these
changes can be exported.

Updating a live campaign

Once the module has been updated, a campaign can be synchronized with the new module either in its
entirety or each individual modified entry.

To update all campaign entries to use the latest module entries; Select the module in the campaign
library, and from the right mouse button select "Revert Changes". Note, this will revert any entries that
have been modified in the campaign and remove shared objects.

To update individual campaign modifications; Select a modified entry (as indicated by the book and pen
icon in the campaign object list) and from the right mouse button select “Revert Changes”.

Note that entries that have not been modified from the original will automatically show the new
updated versions and do not need to be synchronized or “Reverted” (and actually will not have the
option available).

Modifying Official/Purchased Modules

If you want to modify an official published adventure (i.e. one that has been released by SmiteWorks,
such as “Lost Mines of Phandelver”), then you need to do the following;
 • Create a "Mod" campaign, such as "LMoP Custom Mods"

• Open the published adventure in this new campaign

• Take the entry that you desire to modify, such as a story entry or NPC and drag them to the
campaign list for the same type.

• Open and Unlock this campaign version of the object. Modify to your hearts content.

• Either keep the name the same, or add a slight modifier after the initial story numbering (i.e.
“2.9 The Ranch” becomes “2.9.mod The Ranch”

• Rinse & repeat until you have all of your customizations done.

• Export to a module such as "My Custom LMoP Mods"

Now, when you want to run an LMoP campaign using your custom mods, do this;

• Create a new campaign, such as "LMoP Friday Night Group"

• Open the published adventure, then open your custom module

• Be sure to use your modified entries as approriate

Resources/References

FG Wiki:

Using the Library and Activating Modules

Preparing Encounters and Random Encounters

Map Line of Sight Style Guide

Old FG Wiki:

Campaign Data

Export

Lists

Image Pins

Tokens

Formatted Text

Older/Previous Guides:

Adventure A Week module creation guidelines

Xorne’s Adventure Module Creation Tutorial

Edits

7 Aug 16 - Add large map considerations, Wiki links, Chapter summary entry additions

9 Aug 16 – Add Tables information, re-order Tabs

13 Aug 16 – Add information about image links in NPCs and other entries

8 Sep 16 – Add section on NPC spells and spell parsing, added Note to Updating a Live Campaign

1 Mar 17 – Incorporate elements from Xorne’s tutorial. Removed Tabs info. Added info for FG v3.2
groups. Added info on unidentified names/entries for images and items. Note about page references
added. Previous/Next link in story entries removed due to new UI functionality. Added “Modifying
Official/Purchased Modules”. Added 2048 x 2048 statement for large maps. Revised Story entry sections
for completeness. Corrected statement about differing tokens for each NPC instance in an encounter.

Mar 17 – Token sizes updated to 100x100 pixels etc. Thumbnail size updated. Character portrait info
added. Example images added.

19 Apr 20 – Minor updates for clarity, some notes for FGC specific suggestions.

28 Dec 21 – Added small Portraits section

20 Nov 22 – Add info to exporting. Add ‘Plan ahead.’ Updated image recommendations FGU standards.
Large image considerations removed. Added LOS, Lightning, & FX sections.

To Do

• Info on Exporting map LOS data

• Lightning best practices
• NPC xml export
• Reference manuals
•
This is a guide to help people understand best practices for creating adventure modules for Fantasy
Grounds. The AAW guide from 2013 is the original base for this guide (see link below). When creating an
adventure module, read through these best practices before beginning.
Note; some rulesets may not include all of the capabilities mentioned below.

Create a Module Development Campaign

Create a new campaign using the ruleset the module is designed for. Only use this campaign for the
creation & editing of your module, do not use it as a live campaign with players. Even if you are only
creating this for your own use with a single group, this is still the recommended practice. A name that
includes "Development" or similar is suggested.

Plan ahead. There are several considerations in creating development campaigns and reasons you might
want to create more than one. First, exporting parts of a campaign is challenging, so it is best if you plan
to export the entire contents of a campaign into a module. Second, sharing significant parts of a module
with players is tedious, therefore it is best to create a separate module for player facing content (such as
player options, items and possible even map and location details).

Additionally, If you are generating campaign level information, you may want to break it up into
geographical regions or plot segments to keep your object (story, item, map) lists from becoming
annoyingly long. And finally, once you start breaking up your content into multiple development
campaigns, you may way to break out NPCs, Spells, and Items into their own campaign so that they can
easily be used in multiple modules without having to duplicate them. As you can imagine, this can start
to be a chore in itself to keep things straight. So, plan ahead.

1. Do NOT include any extensions in your development campaign unless these are going to be
required to use your module (not recommended) or you know they do not alter the database.
For example, there are CSV Table Importer extension that is useful for help building tables and
does not alter the database so it is good to use and 5E NPC Maker extension useful for creating
original NPCs.

2. When loading library reference modules be aware:

o If you are going to distribute the adventure, even on the FG forums, you can not include
the Intellectual Property of any other entity without explicit permission.

▪ You can include SRD references and distribute the module as long as you include
the full text of the appropriate OGL (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Inclusion of D&D 5E material from the PHB, MM, and DMG can be done if and
only if you are only distributing via the Dungeon Master's Guild and you follow
their guidelines (this is your explicit permission).

▪ Some information from Pathfinder sources can be included, but you must
comply with either the OGL or the Paizo Community Content guidelines.

In general, data should be entered in the order the subjects are presented below.
Map / Image Preparation

• Image file sizes should be less than 16 MB file size and ~4k x 4k pixels each, and much smaller
when possible. Use of an image optimizer is suggested. This is to minimize the impacts of
bandwidth limitations during play.

• Image format should be JPEG/JPG when possible. PNG can be used for images that require
transparency, such as for setting or environmental images.

• Image quality is should 70% (or lower) for a JPEG image. Usually very little visual quality is lost in
this range and yet file size can be greatly reduced.

• Image file names should not contain special characters or have more than one consecutive
space in them.

• Images that will be linked to from with a story, NPC, etc entry should be entered into the
campaign image list prior to linking them in the entry. To facilitate organization, these images
should all be placed within their own tab/group.

• Image name will default to be the same name as the filename. This can be modified in the image
window to a friendly name as desired and is the name that the GM will see in image lists.

• Image name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the image is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official GM name for images as that can lead to unintended disclosure. (i.e.
“Corvar’s Lair” vs “Muddy Caves”).

Battlemap Considerations

• Scale: A scale of 20 pixels per foot (100 pixels per 5ft square) is most common.

• Grid Alignment Guide; placing a 5 foot square box of an unobtrusive color in the top right corner
(never the bottom right) is suggested. This helps with placing the token grid overlay.

• Pre-place the token grid overlay on the map

• Unfortunately, global masks are not exported when you create a module, so applying a mask is
unnecessary.

Line of Sight

• Minimize the number of LOS segments (i.e. number of walls/etc), segment length should at least
be ½ square length, and usually many times larger than this. It is very easy to add large numbers
of LOS segments and quickly make the performance of maps unplayable.
• Do not make two segments colinear (overlapping) as this can cause calculation problems
• Use snapping and make sure segment end points are coincident (same exact place)
• Keep all segments on a single layer when possible.
• Add all walls first, then use door and window automatic clipping function to trim walls to the
rectangles created by doors and windows.
Lightning

• Keep the number of lights to a reasonable amount as they impact map performance.
• Use Ambient Lightning with Masks for large areas rather than numerous light sources.
• Be aware of overlapping lights; lights are calculated in an additive manner, meaning that if two
lights with RGB of 200, 150, 50 intersect, they will yield an area with the color of 255, 255, 100
(because RGB values are 0-255) and will appear on a computer very differently than they would
in real life. To prevent this, use lights with lower RGB values and transparency (alpha) values
when they may overlap.

FX (Image Effects)

• Be aware of your players’ computers, it is very easy to add FX that your players’ computers may
not be able to render with adequate performance.

Item Creation

Any items that you are going to give to NPC's or make available as treasure should be created in the
module Item list.

• If you are using items from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your Item list. This will make them independent of the other source. Be
aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• Items should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Abbreviations should not be used (except where standardized in the rule system).

• Item name vs Unidentified name; Values should be entered into the unidentified name field as
this is the value players will see if the item is unidentified. It is usually best practice for players
not to be given the official name for item until it is identified as that can lead to unintended
disclosure (i.e. “Medallion of Thought” vs “Rune Inscribed Amulet”).

NPC Creation

All creature or NPCs that are going to be used in the module should be created in the module NPC list.

• If you are using NPCs from another source (library reference or module) they should be dragged
from that source to your module group in the NPC list. This will make them independent of the
other source. Be aware of Intellectual Property restrictions if you intend to share this module.

• NPCs should be formatted according to the rule system you are creating your module for.

• Tokens should be assigned to all NPCs prior to their use in Encounters. Use letter tokens when
no other appropriate image is available. See Tokens below.

• Images added to a NPC description entry should be linked from an image added to the campaign
and not from an open resource to insure they can be exported in the same module. (Otherwise
the link will not work unless the new campaign also has that resource open in the campaign
library.)
 • For 5th Edition DnD, spells do not need to be added as actions to the NPC. By adding a
“Spellcasting” trait, the spell will be pulled from an available open reference and automatically
added to the NPC’s actions when the NPC entry is opened. The format for this trait should be
formatted as follows:
Spellcasting
The priest is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is
Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The priest has
the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary
2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoration, spiritual weapon
3rd level (2 slots): dispel magic, spirit guardians
Traps & Hazards

• In most cases traps or hazards that can deal damage, apply effects or impose conditions on
characters should be created as NPC’s so that they can be added to the map, combat tracker
and automation can be used and XP can be applied through the party sheet.

Tokens

• Recommended file format of PNG for best transparency support

• Size of 100x100 pixels for medium size or smaller creatures and 200x200 for large

• When using FGC; Tokens should be added to the development campaign by adding to the folder
(create the folder if it is not present); <FG Data>/campaigns/<campaign name>/tokens

• Tokens that are added to NPC’s that are exported will automatically be selected and exported
when the NPC is exported.

• Tokens that are not assigned to exported NPC’s that you wish to export with the module must
manually be dragged to the export window. See also, Token Usage Guide linked below.

Portraits

Note, character portraits are NOT exported when exporting a character sheet.

• Most rulesets reduce portrait size to 72 x 72 pixels, but it is recommended that 100 x 100 pixels
be used since by default the portrait image will be used to create the token.

• Higher resolution images can be used, but should be added as a campaign/module image and
linked to the character sheet since their resolution will be reduced when added to the character
sheet.

Tables

• The output for tables that can be used by players should be set to “Chat” so that the players can
see the results of the table.

• Tables should (normally) be locked prior to export

Story Entries

Story entries should be consistently named and formatted throughout your module. They should include
the following;

• Entries should be numbered where applicable to control the order in which they are listed and
to indicate chapters. Typically the format is "Chapter.Entry" such as "3.01". Leading zeroes are
used to control sort order, i.e. when more than 9 entries are to be used. For example use
“01.01, 01.02… 01.98, 01.99, 02.01… 11.01… 99.99” or “01.001 … 99.999”

• Typically, one story entry should be created for each location, event, or encounter. Story entries
that become overly long should be broken up into multiple logical story entries when possible.

• Sidebars should usually be created as their own story entry. They may be numbered something
like “4.07sb Roleplaying the Bad Guy” and should be linked to from appropriate story entries.

• Skill Checks are typically handled in one of three manners (but should be done in the same
manner throughout the entire adventure module).

o Inline in the story text as appropriate, often in bold font.

o Inline in the story entry but placed within a table to distinguish it.

o As a sidebar linked from the appropriate story entry.

• A link to any applicable Maps or Images

• A link to any applicable Encounters

• Links to NPCs only for non-combat entries, all hostile or map based entries should use
Encounters to facilitate easy addition to the combat tracker and map pre-placement (see
Encounters below).

• A link to any applicable Treasure Parcels (not directly to the items, as they should be placed into
a parcel for distribution to the party).

• Links to other story entries as appropriate

A Story list, filtered for the module Group, should look like this;

A typical encounter story entry may look like this;

 or

A Note about a Module Index Entry. Some people prefer to have a single story entry that has an
ordered set of links to all other story entries. Basically an index. To me, I find this unnecessary as the
Story list itself serves this purpose. And it does especially well if you name the story entries with the
“Chapter.Entry” prefix. That said, there’s also no harm in creating one.

A Note about page references when converting published adventures. When converting published
adventures, references to page numbers (i.e. “see page 12”) should be replaced with something like
“See Link” and a links to the appropriate story entry, usually immediately following the paragraph.

Encounters

All map based or combat based NPC's should be organized into Encounters. This facilitates population of
the combat tracker and the encounter map with a single click.

• NPC's can be marked Unidentified in the Encounter to prevent identification by the players once
added to the Combat Tracker. They can also be renamed for the same purpose, or for re-using a
generic NPC into a specific one (i.e. “Kobold” can be changed to “Small Reptilian” or
“Commoner” can be renamed “Blacksmith Bob”).

• NPC tokens should be dragged from below their encounter entry )the token instance) and
placed onto the appropriate battle map (to help with automation)

• For encounters with a variable number of NPC's, the maximum number should be used in the
Encounter entry. This allows the GM to later reduce this number, but to still have all NPC's pre-
placed.
 • Tokens can not be varied for different NPC instances by dragging a different token to the token
icon in the row(s) below the NPC name (token instance) as this will not be kept when exported.
If different tokens are desired for the same type of NPC, unique instances of the NPC with
unique tokens have to be added to the encounter.

Parcels

• All treasure or items that may be distributed to the party should be included in treasure Parcels.
• Parcels should be numbered the same as their story entry but can be named descriptively (i.e.
“7.23 Beazle’s Hoard”

Groups

Also known as list categories and allow for list entries to be organized into subsets.

• There is a limit to the length of a group name, for practical reasons, they should be limited to
less than 24 characters.
• All list items (Stories, Items, NPC, Encounters, Parcels, Images, Tables, etc) should be placed into
a group unique to the module.
• Groups should have a consistent naming convention throughout the module, such as the
module name “Hero’s Quest”. Or if multiple groups are needed because of many entries a
module prefix should be used (i.e. “BDC-1: Part 1, Campaign Setup”, “BDC-1: Part 2, Fleeing the
Army”, etc.).
• Groups for individually shared items are not visible to players, they will be grouped under the
module name. Players only see group names for modules that they have loaded the entire
module.
• Empty groups (groups with no entries) will be automatically deleted upon exiting the campaign.

Map Pins

• All map locations should have a map pin placed on them linking to the appropriate story entry.
• Pins to encounter and parcels are not usually recommended as the linked story entry should
already have those links and more.
• If a single map location has multiple related story entries, two or three may be linked with pins
independently, but otherwise a story entry with the location name and the links to all
appropriate story entries should be created. For example, if on an overland map there is a town
and that town has multiple story (and possible even a detailed map) entries based upon the
adventure timeline, the map pin should link to a story entry that contains the town name and
links to all the related town entries and the detailed town map.

Pre-Generated Characters

• In most rulesets; Character Portraits are 100x100 pixels. If larger sizes are used, FG will rescale
them automatically. Note that the auto-assigned tokens for PCs that are generated based on the
portrait will be 63x63 pixels. Regular tokens can be assigned to the PC in the Combat Tracker.
Module Export

When exporting, there are several fields that you can specify. Each field should be used accordingly;

File Name

• File Name should not include version or date information as the file name is used to uniquely
identify the module. If the file name changes between versions, FG will not recognize it as the
same module and you will not be able to update live campaigns by synchronizing (called “Revert
Changes”) in the Library.
• Given file system issues, special characters (!@#$%^&*<>?/;:’”~`) should not be used.

Thumbnail

• This is the icon that will be shown in the Library > Module activation window. It should be a PNG
file with the size of less than 300x300 pixels. Most rulesets will display the image at 63x63 pixels.

Display Name

• The name that will be shown in the Module Activation window, most special characters can be
used here, but should still be avoided

Category

• This is the title of the Library section that the module will be shown in when activated. It allows
modules to be grouped within the Library together with related modules.

• The standard categories and their typical use is:

o Adventure – A specific scenario or set of scenarios for a campaign plot line
o Core – Original publisher core rulebooks only
o Map Pack – Maps and mapping assets
o Setting – Campaign location information
o Supplement – additional / optional rule content
o Token Pack – token art work for characters and NPCs

Author

• The (legal) name(s) of the module author(s)

Read Only

• Usually only marked for reference material that is not intended to be modified once activated in
a campaign.
Player Module

• Used for player facing content.

Any Ruleset

• Will create the module with an “Any” ruleset tag and allow the module to be loaded in any FG
ruleset.
• Note, this does not mean that object types (NPC, items, etc) will be compatible in any ruleset.

Export Record Types

It’s easiest to select All, but it is possible to select only certain parts for exporting into separate modules
(though that becomes error prone if you don’t remember the exact export settings between different
modules).

Export Record Views

Create Backups

Periodically export the module and save the module file elsewhere so that it can be used as a backup or
otherwise backup the development campaign folder.

Updating Modules and Campaigns

Update to the modules should be done in the original development campaign. When ready, these
changes can be exported.

Updating a live campaign

Once the module has been updated, a campaign can be synchronized with the new module either in its
entirety or each individual modified entry.

To update all campaign entries to use the latest module entries; Select the module in the campaign
library, and from the right mouse button select "Revert Changes". Note, this will revert any entries that
have been modified in the campaign and remove shared objects.

To update individual campaign modifications; Select a modified entry (as indicated by the book and pen
icon in the campaign object list) and from the right mouse button select “Revert Changes”.

Note that entries that have not been modified from the original will automatically show the new
updated versions and do not need to be synchronized or “Reverted” (and actually will not have the
option available).

Modifying Official/Purchased Modules

If you want to modify an official published adventure (i.e. one that has been released by SmiteWorks,
such as “Lost Mines of Phandelver”), then you need to do the following;
 • Create a "Mod" campaign, such as "LMoP Custom Mods"

• Open the published adventure in this new campaign

• Take the entry that you desire to modify, such as a story entry or NPC and drag them to the
campaign list for the same type.

• Open and Unlock this campaign version of the object. Modify to your hearts content.

• Either keep the name the same, or add a slight modifier after the initial story numbering (i.e.
“2.9 The Ranch” becomes “2.9.mod The Ranch”

• Rinse & repeat until you have all of your customizations done.

• Export to a module such as "My Custom LMoP Mods"

Now, when you want to run an LMoP campaign using your custom mods, do this;

• Create a new campaign, such as "LMoP Friday Night Group"

• Open the published adventure, then open your custom module

• Be sure to use your modified entries as approriate

Resources/References

FG Wiki:

Using the Library and Activating Modules

Preparing Encounters and Random Encounters

Map Line of Sight Style Guide

Old FG Wiki:

Campaign Data

Export

Lists

Image Pins

Tokens

Formatted Text

Older/Previous Guides:

Adventure A Week module creation guidelines

Xorne’s Adventure Module Creation Tutorial

Edits

7 Aug 16 - Add large map considerations, Wiki links, Chapter summary entry additions

9 Aug 16 – Add Tables information, re-order Tabs

13 Aug 16 – Add information about image links in NPCs and other entries

8 Sep 16 – Add section on NPC spells and spell parsing, added Note to Updating a Live Campaign

1 Mar 17 – Incorporate elements from Xorne’s tutorial. Removed Tabs info. Added info for FG v3.2
groups. Added info on unidentified names/entries for images and items. Note about page references
added. Previous/Next link in story entries removed due to new UI functionality. Added “Modifying
Official/Purchased Modules”. Added 2048 x 2048 statement for large maps. Revised Story entry sections
for completeness. Corrected statement about differing tokens for each NPC instance in an encounter.

Mar 17 – Token sizes updated to 100x100 pixels etc. Thumbnail size updated. Character portrait info
added. Example images added.

19 Apr 20 – Minor updates for clarity, some notes for FGC specific suggestions.

28 Dec 21 – Added small Portraits section

20 Nov 22 – Add info to exporting. Add ‘Plan ahead.’ Updated image recommendations FGU standards.
Large image considerations removed. Added LOS, Lightning, & FX sections.

To Do

• Info on Exporting map LOS data

• Lightning best practices
• NPC xml export
• Reference manuals
•