RuneSchema
A modding framework and authoring toolkit for RuneScape: Dragonwilds
Use the appropriate STEAM and/or GAMEPASS latest UE4SS from Nexus.
Version 0.7.7.5
Persistent NPCs • Dialogue • Quests • Vendors • Events • Multiplayer • Cooked assets
Click here to view the compiled guide:
here.
RuneSchema is a runtime framework for creating and connecting Dragonwilds mods with structured JSON/JSONC definitions and cooked Unreal assets.
The Community Edition introduces the stable persistent-NPC contract, native character-save quest and dialogue progress, server-authoritative multiplayer behavior, self-contained mod folders, and replicated client presentation for poses, emotes, visual effects, and encounter identity.
Overview
RuneSchema lets mod authors define gameplay content without putting every relationship into a single cooked Blueprint. A mod can own its NPCs, dialogue, quests, vendors, events, recipes, visual effects, registry entries, world placement, and cooked PAK assets. RuneSchema resolves and connects those parts at runtime.
Use RuneSchema as:
- A required runtime for RuneSchema-based mods.
- A structured JSON/JSONC authoring framework.
- An in-game authoring through the UE4SS RuneSchema settings pages.
- A bridge between authored definitions and cooked assets in mounted PAKs.
- A multiplayer-aware identity and presentation layer for supported NPCs, encounters, dialogue cues, and Niagara effects.
Major features
- Persistent NPCs: stable RuneSchema identity and SpudGuid integration for authored AI, humans, props, and resource NPCs.
- Human NPC authoring: appearance, scale, armor, held equipment, stationary poses, dialogue poses, collision, grounding, markers, and overhead icons.
- Dialogue: native conversation graphs with requirements, quest/event actions, stores, rewards, animations, visual actions, and explicit ending choices.
- Quests: native per-character acceptance, stages, kill/acquisition/hand-in objectives, abandonment, repeat rules, rewards, and locations.
- Native character saves: dialogue flags and quest progress use the game’s native character-save contract.
- Vendors and recipes: shared stores, runtime-generated rows/categories, validated offers, direct Trade, and dialogue-opened shops.
- Events: temporary server-authoritative encounters with scopes, waves, AI templates, messages, time gates, timeouts, and quest kill-credit identity.
- Day/night lifecycles: authority creates and retires timed NPCs and supported spawns at native dawn/dusk transitions.
- Visual effects: Ghost Glow and cooked Niagara systems with offsets and supported User parameters.
- Registry bridge: per-mod cooked classes, assets, graph-backed actions, and aliases, combined with mounted PAK Asset Registry data.
- Self-contained mods: definitions, registry entries, and cooked PAK assets remain owned by each mod.
- Namespaced references: local IDs resolve within their mod; cross-mod references use ModName:Id.
- Helpy: in-game catalogues and common item, NPC, AI, resource, building, and authoring workflows.
Supported definition families
- Assets — supported item-data, icon, statistic, and appearance patches or clones.
- Blueprints — reflected class/component defaults and supported appearance rules.
- Buildings — BuildingPieceData registration, cloning, and supported patches.
- Courses — authored course registration and course-ID patches.
- Dialogue — conversations, choices, requirements, actions, shops, rewards, animations, and visuals.
- Effects — aliases for cooked GameplayEffect Blueprint classes.
- Enums — supported loaded-enum extensions.
- Equipment — validated Surge and Shadowveil equipment behavior.
- Events — temporary server-authoritative encounters using EventOnly templates.
- Journal — journal definitions and discovery pages.
- Lore — native lore entries, text pages, and images.
- Nameplates — reusable player nameplates, states, icons, and activity events.
- Niagara — reusable cooked Niagara systems and supported User parameters.
- NPCs — persistent AI, human, prop, and resource NPC definitions.
- Players — profiles, archetypes, nameplates, appearance, scale, and activity rules.
- Quests — native per-character quests, staged objectives, progress, rewards, and locations.
- Raw — supported DataTable additions and patches.
- Recipes — station recipes, recipe patches, and vendor-offer contributions.
- Registry — cooked assets, classes, aliases, and supported authority actions.
- Spawns — actors, AI spawn points, resources, BuildingProps, time gates, respawn, and effects.
- Strings — global or table-scoped source-text replacement.
- Vendors — stores, recipe contributions, categories, and banner overrides.
- UE4SS - Reserved only for companion ..lua script and necessary UE4SS processes; RuneSchema serves as a bridge and controls this internal UE4SS entry.
Requirements
- RuneScape: Dragonwilds on Windows (Steam/GOG/Gamepass) or Linux with Proton
- UE4SS — use the supported release linked in this page’s Requirements section.
- Individual RuneSchema content mods may have additional requirements.
Installation
Important: Replace the old RuneSchema directory as one unit.
For troubleshooting: Go to /settings/settings.jsonc and enable verbose/advanced logging. This will clutter your log but report every variable.
- Install and verify the supported UE4SS release.
- Close the game and dedicated server completely.
- Back up your authored mod folders, settings, and any legacy migration data you intentionally need.
- Remove or move the old active ue4ss/Mods/RuneSchema directory.
- Extract the complete new RuneSchema folder to:
<RSDragonwilds>/Binaries/Win64/ue4ss/Mods/RuneSchema OR <RSDragonwilds\Binaries\WinGDK\ue4ss\Mods\RuneSchema
Credits
- Original RuneSchema creator: UnskippableCutscene — original Nexus Mods page (now outdated and unsupported).
- RuneSchema continuation and development: Jonesing4Space, NuLL, MyLittlePortebello
- PalSchema foundation: Okaetsu. The original RuneSchema page credits the open-source PalSchema project as its foundation.
- UE4SS: UE4SS-RE contributors
RuneScape and RuneScape: Dragonwilds are trademarks of Jagex. This unofficial community project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jagex.
Notice: The use of AI in mods that utilize RuneSchema is up to the independent mod authors. AI should be used to simplify workflows and additive to the development process - not replace expertise. Use AI responsibly.
