Core GM Panel Features

Introduction

The Gate City Shadows Core GM Panel is a comprehensive tool designed to enhance your Foundry VTT experience with professional-grade Game Master utilities. This document describes the features available in the Platinum Edition of the Core GM Panel.

The Core GM Panel provides a universal, system-agnostic interface that works with any Foundry VTT game system. It features a modular three-zone layout with persistent session tracking, real-time communication tools, comprehensive campaign management utilities, advanced session logging capabilities, and early access to beta features.

Once installed, just type /gcs core in the chat box and hit enter (or click the glowing button), and you're running!

Platinum Edition Features

Core Panel System

The panel features a clean three-zone layout that organizes your GM tools efficiently:

• Three-Zone Layout: Left zone for Status cards, Center zone for Media tools, Right zone for Jobs and Missions
• Drag-and-Drop Reordering: Customize card order by dragging cards within their zones
• Persistent Memory: Card order and preferences are remembered across sessions
• System Agnostic: Works with any Foundry VTT game system
• Neon Glass Aesthetic: Modern, cyberpunk-inspired user interface design
• Theme System: Six visual themes to customize panel appearance
• Card Visibility Controls: Show or hide individual cards based on your needs
• Header Action Buttons: Quick access to Reset Layout and Show All Cards functions

Built-in Cards

Session Timer

Track your game sessions with a persistent timer that runs across sessions:

• World-scoped timer with pause and resume functionality
• Start, stop, reset, and export to chat controls
• Optional custom labels for different sessions
• Real-time display with proper time formatting
• Export session duration to chat with timestamps

Banker

Manage currency and financial transactions across multiple game systems:

• Multi-currency support with automatic detection across numerous game systems
• Works with D&D 5e, Pathfinder 1e/2e, Shadowrun, Star Wars FFG, Cyberpunk Red, Call of Cthulhu, and more
• D&D currency conversion with full CP to SP to EP to GP to PP hierarchy
• Real-time balance tracking and transaction logging
• Payout distribution, ledger management, and bulk operations
• Direct integration with character sheets and token data
• Complete audit trail of all financial activities

Broadcaster

Share images and videos with all players instantly:

• Media broadcasting to all players or specific targets
• Full-screen media display with customizable scaling and dimming
• Target selection for specific players or broadcast to everyone
• Auto-close timers for automatic broadcast termination
• Full video playback controls for recipients
• Real-time delivery to all connected clients

Mission Brief

Manage mission and job information with a dual-interface system:

• Separate Brief and Debrief tabs for mission management
• Brief side: Job details, location, tasks (up to 3), rewards, potential bonuses, notes
• Debrief side: Results tracking, approach (quiet/loud), completion status, notes
• Styled mission cards for easy chat export
• Quick reset functionality for both tabs
• System agnostic with no game-specific dependencies

Combat Tracker

Track combat encounters across multiple game systems:

• System-agnostic initiative display with automatic detection
• Works with Shadowrun 6e, D&D 5e, Pathfinder 1e/2e, Savage Worlds, Call of Cthulhu, and more
• Enhanced initiative display showing totals, modifiers, and action passes
• Turn order display with current turn indicator
• Health tracking with physical and Stun health bars
• System detection for health attributes across game systems
• Special handling for Shadowrun 6E health box system
• Combat controls: Next Turn, Next Round, End Combat buttons
• Real-time health monitoring during combat

DJ Booth

Professional music and sound effects management:

• Dual-deck music system with professional crossfade between tracks
• Quick-access sound effects with volume control
• Playlist support with create and manage functionality
• Library management with search functionality
• Separate music and SFX volume controls with fade settings
• Socket broadcasting to all connected players
• Track progress display showing current time and total duration
• Automatic migration from older DJ Booth versions
• Reliable button controls with proper async handling
• Enhanced track stopping prevents overlap when advancing

Storyteller

Automatic session logging and event tracking:

• Automatic tracking of key table events and activities
• Event classification by type: combat, character, reward, mission, social, travel, magic, technology, environment, audio, media
• Real-time monitoring of combat, music, broadcasts, transactions, and chat messages
• Export options: Chronological or categorized session logs to journal entries
• Session Timer integration: Only records when Session Timer is running
• Enhanced combat detection: Tracks round changes, turn changes, KOs, damage, and healing
• Global Status integration: Receives updates from all other cards automatically
• Multi-tier polling: Uses fast ticker for critical updates

Roster

Player and character management:

• Track all users with online/offline status
• Character integration showing portraits and names
• Combat status visual indicators
• Role display: GM, PC, or User role identification
• Real-time updates as players connect and disconnect

Core Status

System information and performance monitoring:

• Foundry VTT version, game system, and module status
• Performance monitoring: FPS, ping, socket connection status
• Scene information: Current scene name and ID
• Combat status: Active combat round and turn information
• Token management: Controlled tokens and player counts
• Real-time updates: Live monitoring of system health and connectivity

NPC Generator (Beta)

Generate non-player characters with system-aware attributes:

• System-aware NPC generation for multiple game systems
• Automatic attribute assignment based on game system
• Biography generation with mad-libs style templates
• Preview pane before NPC creation
• System-specific data placement
• Supports D&D 5e, Pathfinder 2e, Shadowrun, Call of Cthulhu 7e, and more

Loot Generator (Beta)

System-aware item and currency generation:

• System-aware item generation for multiple game systems
• Random item generation: 1-3 random items (weapons, armor, consumables, equipment)
• Adjustable currency slider with system-aware currency symbols
• Rarity or rating range selection for all supported systems
• Two distribution modes: Random Split and Targeted Distribution
• Preview modal before confirmation
• Multi-denomination currency support for D&D and Pathfinder
• Items Directory fallback if no recipients selected
• Storyteller integration for logging all events

Theme Switcher

Customize panel appearance with visual themes:

• Six visual themes: Classic, Retro, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, GCS
• Instant theme switching
• Theme-specific styling with complete visual isolation
• Classic theme: Dark glassy black appearance
• Retro theme: 90s terminal aesthetic with monospace fonts
• Sci-Fi theme: Futuristic blue and cyan color scheme
• Fantasy theme: Warm earth tones and magical accents
• Horror theme: Dark and atmospheric styling
• GCS theme: Custom Gate City Shadows branding

Theme System

The Platinum Edition includes a comprehensive theme system with six distinct visual themes:

• Classic: Dark glassy black appearance with neon accents
• Retro: 90s terminal aesthetic with green-on-black monospace display
• Sci-Fi: Futuristic blue and cyan color scheme with tech-inspired styling
• Fantasy: Warm earth tones with magical accents and fantasy-inspired design
• Horror: Dark and atmospheric styling with horror-themed colors
• GCS: Custom Gate City Shadows branding with unique visual identity

Each theme maintains complete visual isolation, ensuring theme-specific styling does not affect other Foundry VTT interface elements.

Beta Features System

The Platinum Edition includes early access to experimental functionality:

• Beta feature registration and management
• Opt-out capability for individual beta features
• Edition-based access control integration
• Beta version tracking
• Seamless integration with core panel system

System Support

The Core GM Panel works with numerous game systems including:

• D&D 5e
• Pathfinder 1e and 2e
• Shadowrun 5e and 6e
• Star Wars FFG
• Cyberpunk Red
• Call of Cthulhu 7e
• Savage Worlds
• And many more

Performance Features

• Multi-tier ticker system: Optimized performance with 250ms/500ms/1000ms update tiers
• Real-time performance metrics: Monitor system health and memory usage
• Cached processing: Fast panel rendering with style caching
• Efficient updates: Smooth operation without lag

Edition Comparison

Gold Edition

The Gold Edition includes all core features and cards:

• All nine built-in cards (Session Timer, Banker, Broadcaster, Mission Brief, Combat Tracker, DJ Booth, Storyteller, Roster, Core Status)
• Full system support across numerous game systems
• Complete security framework
• Production-ready stability

Platinum Edition

The Platinum Edition includes all Gold Edition features plus:

• Additional cards: NPC Generator, Loot Generator, Theme Switcher
• Theme system: Six visual themes with complete visual isolation
• Beta features system: Early access to experimental functionality
• Enhanced customization options
• Classic theme improvements: Darker, glassier appearance

Use Case Recommendations

Choose Gold Edition if:

• You need reliable, production-ready GM tools
• You want all core functionality without experimental features
• You prefer a stable, well-tested experience
• You do not need visual theme customization

Choose Platinum Edition if:

• You want early access to new features
• You enjoy customizing visual appearance with themes
• You need advanced tools like NPC and Loot generators
• You want to support ongoing development
• You prefer a darker, glassier Classic theme appearance

Upgrade Path

Gold Edition users can upgrade to Platinum Edition at any time to gain access to additional features, themes, and beta functionality. All existing configurations and preferences are preserved during upgrade.