d35e-reference

name	d35e-reference
description	Look up how the legacy D35E Foundry system stores mechanics. Use when writing migration scripts, designing dnd35e field equivalents, checking actor data paths (abilities, HP, saves, BAB, AC, skills), item type schemas (weapon, buff, spell, class, equipment), or understanding the changes[] modification template. System ID is D35E (all caps).
argument-hint	Optional: specific mechanic, item type, or actor field to look up (e.g. "weapon schema", "buff changes", "skill ranks")

D35E Reference Skill

When to Use This Skill

Ask questions like:

• "How does D35E store a weapon's damage formula?"
• "What does the D35E changes template look like for a buff?"
• "How does D35E structure HP and saves on an actor?"
• "What item types does D35E have?"
• "How does D35E handle spell preparation?"
• "What does a D35E equipment item's schema look like?"

This skill helps you:

• Find D35E data paths before designing the dnd35e equivalent
• Write migration scripts that read old D35E world data
• Understand what we are replacing and how we improved it
• Compare a D35E field to its dnd35e counterpart

For raw 3.5e rules use /srd-lookup. For cross-system comparisons (D35E vs dnd5e vs PF2e) use /system-comparison.

---

D35E System Identity

• System ID: D35E (case-sensitive in Foundry world data)
• Last stable version: ~2.4.3 (Foundry v11 era)
• Property maps: docs/architecture/property-maps/ contains field-by-field migration maps
• Migration screenshots: migration notes/ — weapon, equipment, and effects UI screenshots
• Content migration plan: docs/migration-plan/release/phase-06-content-migration.md

---

Actor Data Paths

Ability Scores (system.abilities.<key>)

Keys: str, dex, con, int, wis, cha

Field	Path	Notes
Base score	system.abilities.str.value	Entered by user
Modifier	system.abilities.str.mod	Derived: floor((value-10)/2)
Temp score	system.abilities.str.total	After buffs/AEs
Ability damage	system.abilities.str.damage	Reduces effective score
Ability drain	system.abilities.str.drain	Permanent reduction
User penalty	system.abilities.str.userPenalty	Manual adjustment

Hit Points (system.attributes.hp)

Field	Path
Current HP	system.attributes.hp.value
Max HP	system.attributes.hp.max
Non-lethal damage	system.attributes.hp.nonlethal
Temp HP	system.attributes.hp.temp

Saving Throws (system.attributes.savingThrows.<key>)

Keys: fort, ref, will

Field	Path
Base save	system.saves.fort.base
Ability mod	system.saves.fort.ability
Misc bonus	system.saves.fort.misc
Total	system.saves.fort.total

Base Attack Bonus

Field	Path
Total BAB	system.bab.total
Iterative 1	BAB total
Iterative 2	BAB − 5 (if BAB ≥ 6)
Iterative 3	BAB − 10 (if BAB ≥ 11)

BAB is aggregated by the system from class items owned by the actor.

Armor Class

Component	Path
AC value	system.defense.armorClass.total
Touch AC	system.defense.touchAC.total
Flat-footed	system.defense.flatFootedAC.total
Armor bonus	Applied via changes[] targeting ~acBonus
Deflection	Applied via changes[] targeting ~acDeflection

Skills (system.skills.<key>)

D35E has 40+ skills. Keys include: acr (Acrobatics→Balance), apr (Appraise), blf (Bluff), clm (Climb), coc (Concentration), crf (Craft), dip (Diplomacy), dis (Disable Device), dsg (Disguise), esc (Escape Artist), fly (Fly), han (Handle Animal), hea (Heal), int (Intimidate), kno (Knowledge), lis (Listen), lck (Linguistics), mve (Move Silently), opn (Open Lock), prf (Perform), pro (Profession), rid (Ride), sea (Search), sns (Sense Motive), slh (Sleight of Hand), spe (Speak Language), spl (Spellcraft), spt (Spot), sur (Survival), swm (Swim), tmb (Tumble), umd (Use Magic Device), uro (Use Rope)

Field	Path
Ranks	system.skills.acr.rank
Class skill	system.skills.acr.cs (boolean)
Ability mod	system.skills.acr.ability ("dex", "str", etc.)
Misc bonus	system.skills.acr.misc
Total	system.skills.acr.total

---

Item Types

D35E item types (the type field on Item documents):

Type	Description	Key schema fields
weapon	Melee and ranged weapons	system.damage, system.weaponType, system.ability
equipment	Armor, shields, gear	system.armor, system.slot, system.equipmentType
consumable	Potions, wands, scrolls, ammo	system.consumableType, system.uses, system.charges
loot	Treasure, trade goods	system.subType (gear/junk/tradeGoods/gemstone)
feat	Feats	system.featType, system.uses, system.prerequisites
spell	Spells	system.level, system.school, system.components, system.preparation
class	Character classes	system.hd, system.bab, system.savingThrows, system.classSkills
race	Racial traits	system.creatureType, system.size, system.speed
enhancement	Weapon/armor enchantments	Attached to parent item
aura	Aura effects applied to nearby actors	system.range, system.changes[]
buff	Temporary stat buffs (toggled on/off)	system.active, system.duration, system.changes[]
attack	Standalone attack action	system.attack, system.damage, system.ability
classFeature	Class features/abilities	system.grantingClass, system.uses
container	Bags, backpacks	system.capacity
card	Harrow deck / action cards	system.deck

---

The changes[] Template (Core of D35E Stat Modification)

Every item type in D35E supports a changes array. This is not Foundry Active Effects — it is a custom D35E system that pre-dates Foundry's AE support.

{
  "system": {
    "changes": [
      {
        "formula": "2",
        "operator": "+",
        "target": "~acBonus",
        "modifier": "armor",
        "priority": 200,
        "value": null
      }
    ]
  }
}

Change Fields

Field	Type	Description
formula	string	Value expression (e.g. "2", "@str.mod", "floor(@level / 2)")
operator	string	"+" add | "-" subtract | "=" set/override
target	string	Stat path using ~ shorthand (see table below)
modifier	string	Bonus type label (free-form string, not enforced for stacking)
priority	number	Application order (higher = later, default 0)
value	number|null	Cached evaluated result; null until evaluated at runtime

Common ~ Target Shortcuts

Shorthand	Actual stat
~str / ~dex / ~con / ~int / ~wis / ~cha	Ability score total
~acBonus	AC armor bonus
~acDeflection	AC deflection bonus
~acDodge	AC dodge bonus
~acNatural	AC natural armor bonus
~acShield	AC shield bonus
~bab	Base attack bonus
~fort / ~ref / ~will	Saving throw bonus
~attack	Generic attack bonus (all attacks)
~meleeAttack	Melee attack bonus only
~rangedAttack	Ranged attack bonus only
~damage	Damage bonus (all weapons)
~meleeDamage	Melee damage only
~rangedDamage	Ranged damage only
~initiative	Initiative bonus
~spellResistance	Spell resistance
~speed	Move speed
~sizeModifier	Size modifier to attack/AC
Skill	~skill.acr etc.

Contextual Notes

D35E items also have a contextNotes array for situational text shown in roll dialogs:

{
  "system": {
    "contextNotes": [
      {
        "text": "+2 on saves vs. fear",
        "target": "~savingThrow",
        "subTarget": "will",
        "modifier": "morale"
      }
    ]
  }
}

---

Weapon Schema (Key Fields)

system.weaponType         — "simple" | "martial" | "exotic" | "natural" | "ranged"
system.weaponSubtype      — "1h" | "2h" | "light" | "ranged"
system.ability.attack     — "str" | "dex"        (ability used for attack roll)
system.ability.damage     — "str"                (ability used for damage)
system.ability.critRange   — 20                  (threat range, e.g. 18 = 18–20)
system.ability.critMult    — 2                   (critical multiplier: ×2, ×3, ×4)
system.damage.parts        — [["2d6", "slashing"]] (array of [formula, type] pairs)
system.proficiency         — boolean (auto-detected from class)
system.size                — "med" | "sm" | "lg" etc.
system.changes[]           — see changes template above

---

Equipment (Armor/Shield) Schema

system.equipmentType       — "armor" | "shield" | "misc"
system.equipmentSubtype    — "lightArmor" | "mediumArmor" | "heavyArmor" | "shield" | etc.
system.slot                — "armor" | "shield" | "helm" | "ring" | "belt" | etc.
system.armor.value         — base AC bonus (number)
system.armor.dex           — max Dex bonus (number | null for unlimited)
system.armor.acp           — armor check penalty (negative number)
system.armor.spl           — arcane spell failure chance (0–100%)
system.armor.speed         — speed adjustment map { "30": 20, "20": 15 }
system.equipped            — boolean
system.changes[]           — for magical bonuses

---

Buff Schema

Buffs are item type buff stored on the actor (not AEs):

system.active              — boolean (is the buff currently applied?)
system.buffType            — "temp" | "perm" | "item" | "shapechange" | "misc"
system.duration.value      — number
system.duration.units      — "round" | "minute" | "hour" | "day" | "instantaneous"
system.duration.remaining  — rounds remaining (combat tracker)
system.changes[]           — stat changes applied when active
system.contextNotes[]      — situational bonuses shown in roll dialogs

---

Class Schema

system.hd                  — hit die (4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12)
system.bab                 — BAB progression: "low" | "med" | "high"
system.savingThrows.fort   — "low" | "high"
system.savingThrows.ref    — "low" | "high"
system.savingThrows.will   — "low" | "high"
system.classSkills         — array of skill keys (e.g. ["blf", "dip", "spe"])
system.skillsPerLevel      — number (base skill points per level)
system.classType           — "base" | "prestige" | "npc" | "monster"
system.levels              — current class level

---

Spell Schema

system.level               — spell level (0–9)
system.school              — "abj" | "con" | "div" | "enc" | "evo" | "ill" | "nec" | "tra" | "uni"
system.subschool           — e.g. "calling", "charm", "compulsion"
system.descriptors         — array: ["fire"], ["mind-affecting"], etc.
system.components.value    — array: ["verbal", "somatic", "material", "focus", "divine"]
system.components.materialDesc — material component description
system.preparation.preparedAmount — slots currently prepared
system.preparation.maxAmount     — max preparable
system.preparation.autoDeductCharges — boolean
system.spellDuration.value — duration formula
system.spellDuration.units — "round" | "minute" | etc.
system.spellEffect.range   — range string
system.spellEffect.area    — area string
system.spellEffect.targets — target string
system.activation          — { type: "standard" | "move" | "swift" | "immediate" | "free" | "fullRound" }

---

Context Notes vs Changes

• changes[]: Apply numeric bonuses to actor stats at data preparation time. Always active when the item is active/equipped.
• contextNotes[]: Show descriptive text in roll dialogs (e.g. "+2 on saves vs. fear"), but do not apply automatically — they are informational only and require manual interpretation by the player.

This distinction is important for migration: contextNotes are typically not converted to AEs in dnd35e; they become tooltip text or condition descriptions.

---

How D35E Aggregates Stats

D35E rebuilds derived stats every prepareDerivedData() call:

1. Reset all derived stats (AC, saves, BAB, etc.) to base values
2. Iterate all owned items
3. For each active item, evaluate and apply its changes[] array in priority order
4. For unequipped equipment: changes are not applied
5. For inactive buffs (system.active = false): changes are not applied
6. Result is stored as system.attributes.* totals

Key consequence for migration: D35E does not use Foundry AEs for this pipeline. When you import a D35E world, no Foundry AEs will be present — all stat modification lives in system.changes[] on items.

---

Migration Notes (Screenshots)

The migration notes/ folder contains UI screenshots from the D35E system showing field layout:

Folder	Contents
migration notes/weapon/	Weapon sheet tabs: description, details (3 views), attack config
migration notes/equipment/	Equipment sheet: description, details, changes/flags config (3 views)
migration notes/effects/	5e AE UI screenshots (reference for comparison, not D35E native)

Use these to visually confirm what D35E surfaced in its UI vs. what fields we need to support in dnd35e.

---

Gotchas

• D35E does NOT use Foundry Active Effects for stat bonuses — all numeric modifications live in system.changes[] on items. A freshly imported D35E world will have zero Foundry AEs for stat modifications. Never look for AEs when investigating a D35E buff or equipment bonus.

• contextNotes[] are informational only — they appear as text in roll dialogs but do NOT apply numerically to actor stats. Never confuse a contextNote with a changes[] entry. During migration, contextNotes become tooltip/description text, not AEs.

• D35E stacking is NOT enforced by the system — all changes[] entries are summed regardless of modifier (bonus type). The modifier field is purely a display label. Only careful item design avoids double-stacking — the engine does not police it.

• System ID is D35E (all caps) — case-sensitive in Foundry world data. Filtering by system ID or compendium paths requires "D35E", not "d35e".

• system.active gates buff changes; system.equipped gates equipment changes — a buff's changes[] are ignored unless system.active === true. Equipment changes[] are ignored unless system.equipped === true. Off/unequipped items contribute nothing to actor stats.

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Related Skills

• /srd-lookup: Raw 3.5e rules text — spells, feats, conditions
• /system-comparison: Side-by-side comparison of D35E, dnd5e, and PF2e implementations
• /foundry-reference: Foundry v14 API for implementing things in code
• /implementation-guide: Step-by-step workflow for adding a feature to dnd35e