character-build

name

character-build

description

Use when a player's Imperium Maledictum character JSON comes in and needs validating + deploying, when building a new IM character from scratch, or when backfilling backstory onto an existing sheet. Validates budgets/formulas/psyker powers/augmetics against the active profile, writes data/party/<player>.json, generates the PDF sheet, and proposes (confirm first) the merge into the session characters.json + aliases.

Build / validate / deploy a character (SL side)

The player-facing self-service interview already exists in docs/character-creation-prompt.md (point-buy + psyker + augmetics → one JSON). This skill is the game-master side: take a character in, make it rules-correct against the active profile, and deploy it. Never trust the numbers blind — recompute them.

Sources of truth (read, don't hardcode — they can drift):

• Profile data/systems/imperium_maledictum.json — point-buy budget, origin table, weapon list, psyker catalog (psyker.powers), augmetics catalog (augmetics).
• Rules docs/character-creation-prompt.md Teil 2 (the build rules) — kept in sync with docs/how-to-create-a-character.html.
• Schema docs/character-template.json; the code that actually consumes it is Character.from_dict in dmbot/rules/characters.py (mechanical fields read; everything else lands harmlessly in raw).

Three entry modes (all converge on Validate → Deploy)

• (A) Incoming JSON — the player ran the self-service prompt and sent a JSON. Main case.
• (B) From scratch — no JSON: run the interview (Teil 1 of character-creation-prompt.md, small batches, German, grimdark), then build the JSON yourself.
• (C) Backstory backfill — stats already exist, only narrative fields (goals/connections/ age/...) missing → fill just those; skip the budget rebuild.

Validate (the core — recompute every number)

Fix on failure, or flag it back to the player; summarize the result in the JSON's _note.

• Characteristics: exactly 90 points distributed over the 9 stats, each +4…+18 before origin (start 20 → 24–38); then origin +5 fixed / +5 chosen added correctly per the origin table. Bonus = tens digit.
• Skills: ≤ 6 increases total, max 2 per skill; endwert = ruling characteristic + increases×5. (Psyker package skills below are separate from these 6.)
• Wounds: StrB + 2×TghB + WilB; set wounds == max_wounds.
• Psyker (if psyker: true): Psi-Meisterschaft = Wil+10, Disziplin (Psi) = Wil+5; exactly 5 known_powers, each an exact key in the profile psyker catalog (English names), Smite mandatory; a talents entry Psioniker present.
• Augmetics: each name an exact key in the profile augmetics catalog; count ≤ Toughness Bonus (soft limit).
• Weapons: damage/test match the profile weapon list (test = Nahkampf for melee, Fernkampf for ranged).

Deploy

1. Write data/party/<player>.json (committed — .gitignore allowlist; one JSON per player). Keep German text, grimdark tone.
2. Generate the sheet: uv run python tools/fill_character_sheet.py data/party/<player>.json --out <dir> → the PDF is a bought-sheet derivative, stays local / git-ignored. Send it to the player.
3. Session merge — confirm before touching the live file. The session data/sessions/<id>/characters.json is what the bot actually loads, so do NOT write it silently. Show the planned change first:
   • target channel id (default circlejerk 1343673766487654464; a different channel needs the file copied into its own <id>/ folder),
   • the characters[] entry and the new alias (Discord/display name → character name),
   • whether state.json / recap.md must be cleared (yes when replacing the party, so the first !join seeds fresh from the new sheet). Apply only after the user's OK.
4. Sanity + commit: uv run --with pytest python -m pytest (schema loads via Character.from_dict); commit per repo norm (scoped, imperative).

Gotchas

• Catalog names must match the profile exactly — a typo'd power/augmetic key silently drops it from the <<MANIFEST>> flow / effect resolution. This is the #1 failure.
• German skill/characteristic names must match the German edition; flag any you can't confirm.
• player becomes the alias — without it the DM can't map a Discord speaker to their character.