The Umbral Archives

SRD Linking Strategy

6 min read

SRD-to-Campaign Linking Strategy

Overview

Establish metadata-based connections between campaign notes and SRD reference documents for seamless discovery and relationship management.

Frontmatter Metadata Schema

For Campaign Files (All Types)

Add to frontmatter:

# Primary linking field - List SRD paths directly
srd-references:
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/weapons/Wand.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/spells/Fireball.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/domains/Arcana.md"
 
# Category tags for discovery (helps with Base filtering)
srd-categories: 
  - weapons
  - spells
  - domains
  - subclasses
  - adversaries
  - environments
 
# Reference context (why/how this SRD content is relevant)
srd-context:
  - "weapon used by NPC"
  - "spell in party's arsenal"
  - "domain selection for character"
 
# Optional: specific SRD versions or notes
srd-notes: |
  Notes about how this content is used or customized
  in the campaign context

For SRD Files (Optional Reciprocal)

Add to frontmatter:

# Campaign usage tracking (optional - for popular/frequently-referenced content)
campaign-usage:
  - "01-CHARACTERS/banjo/character-sheet.md"  # Uses this weapon
  - "03-WORLD/npcs/reese-blackwood.md"        # Has access to this
  - "06-RULES-MASTERY/combat-tactics.md"      # Referenced in
 
# Alternative: Just rely on backlinks for discovery
# (Cleaner - SRD stays pure reference material)

Implementation Patterns by Content Type

1. Character Sheets

Link to:

  • Primary and secondary weapons (weapons/)
  • Known spells (spells/)
  • Selected domain (domains/)
  • Subclass (subclasses/)
  • Armor/equipment (gear/)

Example:

---
tags: 
  - character/pc
  - player/gareth
 
srd-references:
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/domains/Blade.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/subclasses/Troubadour.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/weapons/Lute.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/armor/Studded Leather.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/spells/Inspiring Words.md"
 
srd-categories: [domains, subclasses, weapons, armor, spells]
srd-context:
  - "primary domain selection"
  - "player subclass"
  - "favored instrument"
  - "equipped armor"
  - "signature spell"
---

2. NPC Files

Link to:

  • Equipment they possess or offer
  • Spells/abilities they demonstrate
  • Adversary stat blocks (if applicable)
  • Factions they belong to (if SRD-based)
  • Equipment they might trade/sell

Example:

---
tags:
  - npc/major
  - relationship/ally
 
srd-references:
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/weapons/Crossbow.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/armor/Reinforced Leather.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/spells/Healing Light.md"
 
srd-categories: [weapons, armor, spells]
srd-context:
  - "carries as huntmaster"
  - "standard protective gear"
  - "healing ability demonstrated"
---

3. Session Notes

Link to:

  • Adversaries encountered (adversaries/)
  • Environmental challenges (environments/)
  • Items found/used (gear/, weapons/)
  • Spells cast in combat (spells/)
  • Domains/subclasses used (for mechanical reference)

Example:

---
tags: session/daggerheart, date/2025-10-24
session-number: 9
 
srd-references:
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/adversaries/Craven.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/environments/Mountain Pass.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/adversaries/Giant Eagle.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/spells/Inspiring Words.md"
 
srd-categories: [adversaries, environments, spells]
srd-context:
  - "final boss encounter"
  - "avalanche escape scene"
  - "combat encounter"
  - "cast by Banjo in support"
---

4. Story Threads

Link to:

  • Relevant rule mechanics (contents/)
  • Thematic domains (domains/)
  • Enemy types that might appear (adversaries/)
  • Environmental challenges (environments/)

Example:

---
tags: story/active
 
srd-references:
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/domains/Midnight.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/contents/The Spotlight.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/adversaries/Void Creature.md"
 
srd-categories: [domains, mechanics, adversaries]
srd-context:
  - "thematic connection to corruption arc"
  - "spotlight mechanics for party tension"
  - "potential antagonists for this thread"
---

5. World/Location Files

Link to:

  • Environments that match (environments/)
  • Creatures/adversaries that inhabit (adversaries/)
  • Equipment commonly found (gear/, weapons/)

6. Rules Mastery/Builds

Link to:

  • Domains compared (domains/)
  • Subclasses analyzed (subclasses/)
  • Spell combinations (spells/)
  • Weapon mechanics (weapons/)
  • Environmental interactions (environments/)

Discovery Workflows

Finding Campaign Context for SRD Content

From SRD file:

  1. View file → Check backlinks (right panel or via graph)
  2. Graph view will show all campaign files referencing this SRD content
  3. See exactly where/how SRD content is used in campaign

Finding SRD References from Campaign Content

From campaign file:

  1. Check srd-references field in frontmatter
  2. Click through to relevant SRD files
  3. Use srd-categories to filter/organize references

Creating Base Views for SRD Connections

Create filtering views:

“Characters with SRD Gear”

  • Filter: contains(srd-categories, "weapons") OR contains(srd-categories, "armor")
  • Group by: player/character
  • Shows character gear inventory linked to SRD

“Session Adversaries”

  • Filter: tags CONTAINS "session/daggerheart" AND contains(srd-categories, "adversaries")
  • Sort by: date (desc)
  • Shows all enemies faced with direct SRD links

“Spell Inventory”

  • Filter: contains(srd-categories, "spells")
  • Group by: character/source
  • Complete spell usage across campaign

Implementation Priority

  • Character sheets → weapons, domains, subclasses, armor
  • Session notes → adversaries, environments, spells cast
  • Major NPCs → equipment, capabilities
  • Story threads → thematic domains, related mechanics
  • World locations → environments, inhabitant creatures
  • Gear inventory → specific weapons/armor in use

Phase 3: Deep Integration

  • Rules mastery → comparative builds and optimizations
  • Combat tactics → specific spell/ability combinations
  • Lore connections → thematic elements across SRD

Metadata Standards

Field Values Format

  • srd-references: Array of exact file paths (use copy from file explorer)
  • srd-categories: Array of category names (lowercase): weapons, spells, domains, subclasses, armor, gear, adversaries, environments, spells, abilities, contents, subclasses, classes, ancestries
  • srd-context: Array of brief descriptive strings (1-3 words max)

Example Complete Entry

---
title: "Captain Howling Banjo"
tags:
  - character/pc
  - player/gareth
  - class/rogue
 
# SRD Linking
srd-references:
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/domains/Blade.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/domains/Grace.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/subclasses/Troubadour.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/weapons/Lute.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/armor/Studded Leather.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/spells/Inspiring Words.md"
  - "04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/spells/Charm.md"
 
srd-categories: [domains, subclasses, weapons, armor, spells]
 
srd-context:
  - "primary domain selection"
  - "secondary domain"
  - "player subclass choice"
  - "favored instrument/weapon"
  - "equipped protective gear"
  - "signature support spell"
  - "secondary spell"
 
srd-notes: |
  Banjo's build emphasizes charm and support magic through
  Troubadour subclass, with Blade/Grace domains providing
  versatile combat options. Relies on lute for instrument
  performance and combat presence.
 
created: 2025-07-20
updated: 2025-10-24
---

Search Patterns

Find all campaign items using specific SRD content:

content:"04-RESOURCES/daggerheart-srd/spells/Fireball.md"

Find all references to specific SRD category:

srd-categories:spells
srd-categories:weapons

Find all campaign files with SRD references:

srd-references:*

Graph Visualization Benefits

With proper frontmatter linking:

  • Campaign → SRD edges show which content is “mechanically active” in campaign
  • SRD ← Campaign backlinks show usage frequency and context
  • Hub detection reveals most-used SRD content (powerful items/spells)
  • Category clustering shows thematic connections

Integration with Bases

Create a Base for “SRD Reference Mapping”:

name: "SRD Reference Mapping"
source: 
  - path: "03-WORLD"
  - path: "02-SESSIONS"
  - path: "01-CHARACTERS"
  - path: "06-RULES-MASTERY"
 
properties:
  - name: "content-type"
    type: "select"
    options: [character, npc, session, location, story-thread, build-guide]
  
  - name: "srd-references"
    type: "text"
  
  - name: "srd-categories"
    type: "multi-select"
    options: [weapons, spells, domains, subclasses, armor, adversaries, environments]
  
  - name: "reference-count"
    type: "number"
    formula: "length(srd-references)"
 
views:
  - name: "References by Category"
    group: "srd-categories"
    
  - name: "Most Linked SRD Content"
    group: "srd-references"
    sort: "reference-count"
 
  - name: "Content Type Analysis"
    group: "content-type"

Maintenance Notes

  • Update frequency: Review SRD links when campaign content changes
  • Consistency: Use exact file paths (copy-paste from file explorer)
  • Cleanup: Archive old session links when archiving sessions
  • Validation: Periodically check for broken references via graph backlinks

Strategy Created: 2025-10-24 Purpose: Enable seamless discovery between campaign and SRD content Implementation: Start with Phase 1 (characters and sessions)

Graph View

Backlinks