CLAUDE.md

This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with code in this repository.

Project Overview

This is an Obsidian vault for managing a D&D 5e campaign called “Tempus.” It contains session notes, character sheets, locations, items, homebrew rules, and campaign recaps spanning 45+ sessions (November 2022 - October 2025).

Directory Structure

The vault uses numbered prefixes for organization:

• 01 - session-notes/ - Per-session DM prep notes (45 sessions)
• 02 - characters/ - NPCs, party members, adversaries, monster stat blocks
  • main-party/ - Player characters and party reference sheet
  • adversaries/ - Villain narrative lore pages and stat blocks (CR up to 17)
  • allies/ - NPC ally narrative lore pages (Arbiter, Trius, Elara Sunforge, Vidrir, etc.)
  • monsters/ - Creature stat blocks
• 03 - locations/ - Setting descriptions and maps
• 04 - items/ - Magical and homebrew equipment
• 05 - planning/ - Campaign arcs, encounter design, session prep, DM reference material (reveal FAQs, guest player briefings, encounter tables)
• 06 - factions/ - Organizations (Chained Library, Massa’Ista)
• 07 - rules/ - Homebrew mechanics (Minion Rules)
• 08 - recap/ - Campaign summaries, quest log, timeline, dramatized narratives

Automation Scripts

_link_characters.py

Scans markdown files for unlinked character name references and converts them to Obsidian [[wiki-links]]. Run from the tempus-campaign directory:

Session Prep Evolution

An analysis of how DM session preparation has evolved across 48 sessions of the Tempus campaign, from November 2022 to February 2026.

Three Phases of Evolution

Phase 1: Experimental (Sessions 00-05, Nov 2022 - Apr 2023)

The campaign began with Session 00 as a pitch document establishing core philosophy:

• Theater of the Mind combat emphasized over grid-based tactical play
• Collaborative world-building with player input
• “Player driven” and “Weird” as campaign priorities

Early session notes followed a simple structure with sections for Characters, Locations, NPCs, Monsters, Treasure, and an unstructured “Scratchpad.” Format was still experimental with inconsistent checkbox usage and incomplete sections. Prep was light—scene lists often had placeholder language like “They find the church casting light…” without full details.

HOLLOW THRESHOLD 3: THE PRIMAL HUNT

A 50-foot diameter clearing of packed earth surrounded by towering primordial trees. Ancient stone cairns (10ft tall, 3ft wide) mark the cardinal directions, each carved with bestial totems. Thick roots create natural barriers and elevated platforms throughout the space. The Bloodfang Talisman rests atop a moss-covered altar at the center, pulsing with primal energy. A stone archway portal leads to the Material Plane (south), while a living tree-portal writhes with wild energy from the Beastlands (north).

Only one potent tea per guest between long rests. Effects last 1 hour unless noted. Teas don’t stack with themselves.

• Moon’s Rest – velvety lavender & oat.
  You feel safely held. (Gain 5 temp HP and advantage on one Save vs. fear taken during the duration.)
• Spring’s Breath – mint, willow-bark, dew gathered at dawn.
  Your lungs feel like open windows. (End the poisoned condition or gain advantage on Con saves vs. disease/poison for the duration.)
• Dewlight Focus – rosemary, star-anise, lemon peel.
  Thoughts align like beads on a string. (You have advantage on your next Concentration save; if unused within 1 hour, the boon fades.)
• Greenwood Step – nettle, young birch, a whisper of wild honey.
  Your feet remember deer paths. (+5 ft. speed and advantage on Stealth checks in natural terrain.)
• Petal Pact – rosehip, apple blossom.
  Your words soften edges. (Advantage on one Charisma (Persuasion) check made during a single conversation.)
• Ward of the Hearth – smoked chamomile, white sage.
  The room seems to lean in your favor. (Before the duration ends, you may add +1d4 to one saving throw or ability check.)
• Starfall Memory – blue cornflower, elderflower.
  Old knowledge falls into place. (Advantage on one Arcana, History, or Religion check; if reading text, gain Comprehend Languages (written only) for 10 minutes.)
• Silver Augury (ceremonial, 10 minutes) – moonwater, verbena, silent stir.
  The surface shows a pattern like spilled stars. (Once, within the next hour, ask Seraphina a yes/no about a course of action within 30 minutes; she performs a gentle Augury-style reading.)

Pricing guide: Common brews 3–5 gp; stronger effects 15–50 gp; Silver Augury 75 gp (or a favor sealed with a Moon Token).

🗺 Scenes Overview

• Travel to Winter Court and find Hollow Threshold
• Hollow Threshold - Tempest Gate

🔑 Secrets & Clues

• Hollow threshold powered by the royal artifact Skreek has been searching for.

Cold Open

The last thing you feel is the Winter Court’s forest—needles and frost underfoot, air so cold it makes your lungs sting, the hush of snow-dampened sound.

You’re standing just inside the shimmering portal or the Hollow Threshold, the outline of the winter woods still visible behind you. Cold air spills through the opening at your back, but it’s already losing the fight. In front of you, the air is heavy with pressure and primal energy, roaring with wind that doesn’t blow past you so much as reach for you, tugging at cloaks and straps like impatient hands.