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

QuestIND Dialogue Shopping

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.