Glossary of Terms

Updated August 20, 2026 (Version 14.367)

This page defines key terms used throughout the rest of the knowledge base within the context of Foundry VTT.

User Interface

These are the key parts of the core Foundry VTT user interface.

NOTE: Systems and Modules may adjust how these components display or add their own entirely new elements, such as the advanced Calendar system in Ember.

Canvas: The high-performance, graphical "game board" in the center of the screen. Your Scenes are all rendered inside it (and everything in them, like Tokens and Tiles).
Hotbar: The numbered button slots at the bottom of the screen for readily-accessible macros, as well as buttons to mute all sounds and open the main menu.
HUD: A "heads-up-display" of small, clickable buttons that appear around Placeables (such as Tokens) in the Canvas to help manage them.
Pause: While the game is paused, a large Pause banner displays in the center of the screen and players cannot modify anything on the Canvas. You can can toggle pause on and off with the spacebar. By default, Worlds launch paused.
Placeables: Anything that you can place into the canvas, like a Token or an Ambient Light, is a "placeable." Each type of Placeable has its own layer in the Canvas with its own Scene Controls that allow you to interact with that only that one kind of Placeable.
Placeables Palette: The Placeables Palette is a special Control that is available for most types of Placeables (except Tokens). It allows you to easily control how you create new placeables and to bulk edit existing ones.
Players List: The bottom-left display that includes information about the users connected to the world as well as some basic performance stats.
Scene Controls: The buttons on the far left of the screen. Each set is associated with a specific type of Placeable Document, such as Tokens or Regions. The Scene Controls are only active if you are currently viewing a scene.
Scene Navigation: The buttons at the top-left of the screen (immediately next to the Scene Controls) that manage viewed and active scenes and levels.
Sidebar: The collection of tabs on the right side of the screen that are mostly dedicated to managing collections of Documents. The Sidebar also includes the Settings tab to help manage your World and the Placeables sidebar tab to help manage the contents of the Canvas.
Window: A Window is the visual representation of an Application. They typically display inside Foundry VTT itself or in the same browser window, but as of Version 14 they can now also be detached or "popped out" to exist on their own.

Restored Keep Demo Combat 20260820 — A demonstration combat using the D&D 5E game system, shown at a lower resolution.

Packages (Worlds, Systems and Modules)

To "run a game" on Foundry VTT, you will need a World, a System, and likely one or more optional Modules. These fundamental building blocks (Worlds, Systems, and Modules) are the three different types of "packages."

Module: A Package that provides additional content and/or modifies your game. A given World can have any number of Modules enabled, and those modules can be freely disabled (and re-enabled) at any time. Modules can be free or paid; A full list of modules can be found in the official package listing, and premium content modules can be found on the Foundry VTT Marketplace.
Package: "Package" is a general term for any World, System or Module. Packages are managed from the Setup screen, where each type of package has its own tab.
System: A Package that provides the basic logic for running a specific roleplaying game inside of Foundry. When a World is created a single system must be chosen and cannot be changed. Systems are generally free to install but their content is limited by the licensing terms of the publisher. A full list of systems can be found official package listing.
World: The concept of a "campaign" exists inside Foundry VTT as a special type of Package called a World. Most campaign data and progress is stored here, so it is important to back up your important Worlds regularly. You can make any number of Worlds from the setup screen, and each World must have a single System assigned to it.

Documents and Data

These terms relate to how Foundry VTT manages its underlying data.

Application: A specific window within Foundry VTT. Some applications are provided by the core software, while others are managed by Systems and Modules.
Document: A specific entity that is tracked by the server.
Embedded Document: A Document that is located inside of another Document, such as the Items inside of an Actor.
ID: A 16-character identifier unique for a document inside its collection.
Placeable Document: The Document for a Placeable that is visually represented on the Canvas at a specific location or area.
Sheet: A Sheet is a special kind of Application that allows users to view and edit a given type of Document. Foundry has default applications for almost all documents, with Actor and Item documents relying on their system to define sheets. Systems and Modules can provide alternative sheets for any Document type, which can be managed in settings.
UUID: The full data path of a document, specifying its location within Foundry. A UUID looks like Compendium.dnd5e.equipment24.Item.phbwepLongsword0. You can acquire a Document's UUID by clicking the button in its sheet header, which will copy the UUID to your clipboard.

Document Types

These are all the Document types you may encounter while using Foundry VTT.

Placeable Document Types

These documents can be visually represented directly in the canvas. They each have their own set of Controls and a dedicated layer in the Canvas.

NOTE: Only GM users will see Controls for every Placeable type.