campaign-mode

Work with a party of AI advisors with genuinely different perspectives.

SPEC-CM-009-A: Profile Pack Format

Field	Value
Specification ID	SPEC-CM-009-A
Parent ADR	ADR-CM-016
Version	1.1
Status	Draft
Last Updated	2026-02-23

Overview

This specification defines the format for profile packs — pre-built, complete sets of character profiles that can be installed as a group during Campaign Mode’s Phase 2 (Character Setup). Profile packs provide instant theme installation, removing the need for users to create 9 individual profiles from scratch.

Profile packs are stored in the Campaign Mode repository under profile-packs/ and are selectable during Gandalf’s Phase 2 flow.

Directory Structure

profile-packs/
└── {theme-name}/
    ├── bear.md
    ├── cat.md
    ├── owl.md
    ├── puppy.md
    ├── rabbit.md
    ├── wolf.md
    ├── gandalf.md
    ├── guardian.md
    └── dragon.md

Naming Conventions

Pack directory name ({theme-name}): Lowercase, hyphen-separated. Must be descriptive and unique within the repository. Examples: fantasy, hundred-acre-wood, martial-arts, sci-fi.
Profile file names: Must match the archetype name exactly: bear.md, cat.md, owl.md, puppy.md, rabbit.md, wolf.md, gandalf.md, guardian.md, dragon.md.

Profile File Requirements

Each profile file in a pack must follow SPEC-CM-006-A v1.1:

Required Frontmatter

---
archetype: bear
skin-name: "The Paladin"
theme: "Fantasy"
emoji: "⚔️"
---

archetype must match the file name (without .md)
skin-name is the display name for this characterisation
theme must match the pack’s theme name (title case or natural form)
emoji (optional) overrides the archetype’s default emoji in speaker tags. When present, agents use this emoji instead of the hardcoded archetype emoji.

Required Body Sections

Character Concept (or Thematic Adaptation) — narrative description
Tone and Voice (or Voice and Manner) — speech patterns, metaphors, vocabulary

Optional Body Sections

Behavioural Modifiers (or Behavioural Tweaks) — flex behaviour tuning (animal profiles only)
Name — display name for NPC profiles (redundant with skin-name but acceptable)

Pack Completeness

Complete Packs (Required for v1)

All profile packs must include all 9 profiles — 6 animal agents and 3 NPC agents. This ensures that installing a pack provides a fully themed campaign experience.

Archetype	Agent Type	Required
bear	Animal	Yes
cat	Animal	Yes
owl	Animal	Yes
puppy	Animal	Yes
rabbit	Animal	Yes
wolf	Animal	Yes
gandalf	NPC	Yes
guardian	NPC	Yes
dragon	NPC	Yes

Coherence Requirements

A pack should feel like a cohesive themed set:

All profiles share a consistent thematic vocabulary
No two characters are too similar in name, tone, or personality
Each character’s distinctiveness maps to the archetype’s distinctiveness
NPC skins adapt presentation to the theme without altering core NPC roles

Pack Installation

When a user selects a pack during Phase 2, Gandalf installs it by copying all profile files from profile-packs/{theme-name}/ to .campaign/profiles/.

Installation Process

Read all .md files from the selected pack directory
Copy each file to .campaign/profiles/{archetype}.md
Display the installed character table (archetype → skin-name mapping)
Offer the user the option to customise individual profiles further

Path Resolution

Pack directories are resolved relative to the Campaign Mode plugin root. The plugin root is determined by the path resolution rules in SPEC-CM-007-C.

Built-In Packs

Campaign Mode ships with the following packs:

Pack	Directory	Description
Fantasy	`profile-packs/fantasy/`	D&D-inspired characterisations: Paladin, Rogue, Sage, Bard, Artificer, Warden + Archmage, Sentinel, Ancient Wyrm
Hundred Acre Wood	`profile-packs/hundred-acre-wood/`	Winnie-the-Pooh inspired: Pooh, Eeyore, Owl, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet + Christopher Robin, Kanga, Heffalump
Family & Parenting	`profile-packs/family-parenting/`	Family-role characterisations: The Elder, The Teenager, The Family Therapist, The Neighbour Kid, The Co-Parent, The Older Sibling + The Paediatrician, The Social Worker, Great Aunt Betty

Contributing a New Pack

Community members can submit new profile packs via pull request. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full process.

Submission Requirements

Complete set — All 9 profiles (6 animals + 3 NPCs)
SPEC-CM-006-A v1.1 compliant — Unified frontmatter, required body sections
Thematically coherent — Pack feels like a unified set, not 9 unrelated profiles
Core behaviours preserved — No profile contradicts an animal’s core behaviour or an NPC’s core role
Original or licensed content — Contributions must be compatible with CC-BY-SA-4.0

Submission Process

Fork the Campaign Mode repository
Create a new directory under profile-packs/ with your theme name
Add all 9 profile files following the format above
Open a pull request with a description of the theme and its creative intent

Spec ID	Title	Relationship
SPEC-CM-006-A	Character Profile Format (v1.1)	Format that all pack profiles must follow
SPEC-CM-006-B	Campaign State Directory	Where installed profiles are stored
SPEC-CM-001-B	Campaign Lifecycle	Phase 2 where packs are installed
SPEC-CM-007-C	Plugin Path Resolution	How pack directories are located

Changelog

Version	Date	Author	Changes
1.0	2026-02-16	Chris Barlow	Initial specification
1.1	2026-02-23	Chris Barlow	Added optional `emoji` field to Required Frontmatter section for profile-specific emoji overrides.