Conditions

A condition decides whether a rule is allowed to fire. The same gate is used by items, abilities, world events, hooks and quests, so learning it once covers all of them.

A condition is a list of entries plus a match mode: all (every entry must hold) or any (one is enough).

Entry types

• world state flags
• hasItem
• character alive / at a location
• stat comparisons
• field comparisons
• time ranges
• abilities
• expression — write the gate yourself

When to use an expression entry

The structured entries cover the common cases and are readable in the visual editor. Reach for expression when the gate involves arithmetic or a relationship the entry types cannot say:

$.field('fever') > $.stat('resolve') * 2

Narrative conditions are quest-only

One entry type is special: narrative — a plain-English condition judged by the model.

Player spoke to the mayor about the tides

Every other caller fires synchronously and cannot wait on a judgment, so narrative entries are rejected outside quests. This is not a limitation to work around; it is what keeps a hook from stalling a turn on a model call.

Worked example

A door that opens only at night, only if the player has the key, and only once the harbour has been closed:

• mode: all
• time range: 20:00–04:00
• hasItem: Lighthouse Key
• world state: harbour is closed

The same gate as one expression entry:

$.timeBetween('20:00', '04:00') && $.hasItem('Lighthouse Key')

...with the world-state check left as a structured entry, because mixing is fine and the structured version stays readable.

Remember what null does

A field comparison against a field nobody has does not match — null loses every comparison. If "nobody has this yet" should pass the gate, say so explicitly:

!$.hasField('infection') || $.field('infection') < 5

See Missing values.

Next

Quests — where narrative conditions earn their keep.