inventory-management

name	inventory-management
description	Use when the player takes, drops, inspects, stores, or retrieves items. Includes container logic for the brown sack.

Inventory Management

When to Apply

Apply this skill when the player:

• Takes items: take, get, grab, pick up, acquire
• Drops items: drop, put down, leave, discard
• Inspects items: look at, examine, inspect, check
• Interacts with containers: look in, open, search

Storing Items

When the player picks up an item, you MUST add the full item object {id, name, description} to the inventory array using update_game_state.

DO NOT just store the item ID string. Store the complete object to preserve the item's description even if the player moves to a different location.

Example:

{
  "inventory": [
    {"id": "brass_lantern", "name": "Brass Lantern", "description": "A battery-powered brass lantern."},
    {"id": "sword", "name": "Elvish Sword", "description": "A blade that glows faintly blue."}
  ]
}

Dropping Items

When the player drops an item:

1. Remove the full object from inventory
2. Add it to flags.dropped_items[current_location] array
3. Create the array if it doesn't exist
4. Use update_game_state with both changes
5. Describe the item being set down

Example state update:

{
  "inventory": [...remaining items...],
  "flags": {
    "dropped_items": {
      "hallway": [{"id": "sword", "name": "Elvish Sword", "description": "..."}]
    }
  }
}

Describing Locations with Dropped Items

When describing a location, check flags.dropped_items[location_id]:

• If items exist there, mention them naturally: "An elvish sword lies on the ground."
• Integrate with the location description, don't list separately

Picking Up Dropped Items

When the player takes an item from flags.dropped_items[current_location]:

1. Remove it from flags.dropped_items[current_location]
2. Add it to inventory
3. If the location's dropped_items array becomes empty, remove the key
4. Use update_game_state with both changes

Container Logic: Brown Sack

The brown sack (brown_sack) contains hidden items:

• clove of garlic (garlic)
• lunch (lunch)

Hide/Reveal Rules

• These items are hidden until the player explicitly inspects the sack
• The player CANNOT take the garlic or lunch until revealed by inspection
• Inspection triggers: "look in sack", "examine sack", "open sack", "search sack"

Inspection Behavior

When the player inspects the sack:

1. Describe the contents: "Inside the sack you find a clove of garlic and a wrapped lunch."
2. Mark contents as revealed (the player now knows about them)
3. Items become available to take

Taking Container Items

Once revealed, the player may:

• take garlic - Add garlic to main inventory as a separate item
• take lunch - Add lunch to main inventory as a separate item

Dropping the Sack

If the player drops the sack:

• They lose access to any items still inside
• Items explicitly removed (take garlic) remain in inventory
• The sack itself goes to dropped_items

Logic Check

If the player has brown_sack in inventory and inspects it:

• Treat garlic and lunch as accessible/takeable
• If they don't have the sack, they cannot access its contents

Item Existence Verification

Never assume an item is gone unless state confirms it:

• Check if the item ID is in inventory
• Check if the item ID is in flags.trophy_case
• Check if the item is in flags.dropped_items[current_location]

If an item is listed in the location's interactables and is NOT in any of these places, it is still present and can be taken.