Chronicle Engine: RPG Framework

Chronicle Engine: RPG Framework is a data-driven RPG content framework for Minecraft Forge 1.20.1.

It is designed for modpack authors who want to create quests, dialogue-driven NPCs, shops, wallets, quest tracking, and team-friendly story progression without hardcoding their entire questline into a custom mod.

The goal is simple: let creators build RPG-style progression with data files, while still giving players an in-game quest journal, dialogue screens, shop screens, wallet support, and quest tracking HUD.

Main Features

• Data-driven quest system
• Multi-stage main quests and side quests
• Quest objectives such as killing, collecting, offering items, interacting, and advancement checks
• Dialogue system with NPC text, choices, conditions, and actions
• NPC binding through JSON data
• Villager profession dialogue binding
• Shop and trade system
• Wallet and currency system
• Quest journal screen
• Quest tracker HUD
• Team system with main quest synchronization
• Quest reset commands for replaying story content
• External story pack loading from the config folder
• Built-in no-code browser editor: Chronicle Maker

Why Use This Mod?

Chronicle Engine is meant for modpack creators who need a flexible RPG framework.

Instead of writing Java code every time you want to add a new quest, NPC dialogue, or shop, you can define your content through JSON files. This makes it easier to maintain story content, update questlines, and ship custom progression with your modpack.

It is especially useful for:

• RPG modpacks
• Adventure modpacks
• Story-driven survival packs
• Server questlines
• NPC-based progression systems
• Custom shop and currency setups
• Modpacks that need repeatable side content

Data-Driven Content

Chronicle Engine supports built-in datapack-style resources:

data/<namespace>/chronicle/dialogues/*.json
data/<namespace>/chronicle/quests/*.json
data/<namespace>/chronicle/npc/*.json
data/<namespace>/chronicle/trades/*.json
data/<namespace>/chronicle/shops/*.json
data/<namespace>/chronicle/wallet/*.json

It also supports editable external content from the Minecraft instance config folder:

config/chronicle_engine/chronicle_pack/dialogues/*.json
config/chronicle_engine/chronicle_pack/quests/*.json
config/chronicle_engine/chronicle_pack/npc/*.json
config/chronicle_engine/chronicle_pack/trades/*.json
config/chronicle_engine/chronicle_pack/shops/*.json
config/chronicle_engine/chronicle_pack/wallet/*.json

External chronicle_pack files are loaded after built-in resources, so they can override bundled content with the same IDs.

Quest System

The quest system supports progression-style questlines with multiple phases.

Each quest can contain:

• Display name and description
• Unlock conditions
• Completion rewards
• Multiple phases
• Objectives per phase
• Phase rewards
• Phase transitions
• Story flags
• Team synchronization support

Supported objective types include:

• Kill an entity
• Collect an item
• Offer an item
• Interact with a target
• Complete an advancement

Dialogue System

The dialogue system allows NPCs to present branching conversations.

Dialogue choices can:

• Start quests
• Open shops
• Set story flags
• Give items
• Run commands
• Move to another dialogue node
• Close the dialogue

Choices can also have conditions, making it possible to change an NPC's attitude or available options based on quest progress.

NPC Binding

NPC dialogue can be bound through data files.

Supported binding use cases include:

• Entity type binding
• Villager profession binding
• Entity name matching
• NBT-based dialogue IDs
• Priority-based dialogue selection

This allows modpack creators to control which NPC opens which dialogue without writing scripts.

Shops And Wallets

Chronicle Engine includes a shop system and a wallet system.

Shops can define:

• Categories
• Display names
• Item costs
• Item rewards
• Visibility conditions

Wallets can define one or more item IDs as currency items. Shops will use configured wallet balances when possible, which helps avoid large prices overflowing the player's inventory.

Team System

Chronicle Engine includes a team system for multiplayer progression.

Players can create teams, request to join teams, and synchronize main quest progress with teammates.

Team-related features include:

• Player-created teams
• Join requests
• Team owner management
• Team administrators
• Friendly fire toggle
• Member kicking
• Blacklist management
• Server administrator controls
• Main quest synchronization

Chronicle Maker

Chronicle Maker is a browser-based no-code editor included with the project.

It is designed for creators who do not want to manually write JSON.

Chronicle Maker can help create and edit:

• Quests
• Quest phases
• Quest routes
• Dialogue trees
• NPC bindings
• Shops
• Wallet currencies
• Example content packs

The editor includes a task route map, collapsible editing panels, validation tools, and project scanning helpers.

Open the editor with a modern browser such as Edge or Chrome:

tools/chronicle_maker/index.html

Example Pack

An example pack is included:

examples/simple_farmer_story

The example demonstrates:

• Talking to a farmer villager
• Accepting a quest
• Killing one zombie
• Receiving ten iron ingots
• Opening a farmer food shop
• Using emeralds as shop currency

Commands

/chronicle reload
/chronicle dialogue start <players> <dialogue_id>
/chronicle quest give <players> <quest_id>
/chronicle quest complete <players> <quest_id>
/chronicle quest reset <players> <quest_id>
/chronicle quest reset_all [players]
/chronicle quest journal
/chronicle shop open <players> <shop_id>

Requirements

• Minecraft 1.20.1
• Forge 47+

For Players

If you are a player, this mod is usually installed as part of a modpack.

On its own, Chronicle Engine is a framework. It provides the systems, screens, and commands, but the actual quests and NPC content are usually provided by a modpack or datapack.

For Modpack Authors

If you are a modpack author, this mod is intended to be a foundation for custom RPG progression.

You can include your own Chronicle content in your modpack through:

• Built-in datapack resources
• External config-based story packs
• Chronicle Maker generated files

License

Chronicle Engine: RPG Framework is released under the MIT License.

Current Status

This is an early public release.

The framework is already usable for quest, dialogue, shop, wallet, and team-based modpack progression, but the data format and editor may continue to evolve based on real modpack production needs.