ArcAide supports nested arc structures to help organize complex campaigns:

• Parent Arcs: High-level campaign storylines or chapters
• Child Arcs: Specific adventures, encounters, or side quests within a larger story
• Visual Navigation: Easy navigation between related arcs using the parent/child display

Campaign: Lost Mine of Phandelver
├── Chapter 1: Goblin Ambush (Parent Arc)
│   ├── The Road to Phandalin (Child Arc)
│   ├── Cragmaw Hideout Infiltration (Child Arc)
│   └── Rescuing Sildar (Child Arc)
├── Chapter 2: Phandalin (Parent Arc)
│   ├── Redbrand Troubles (Child Arc)
│   ├── Cragmaw Castle Assault (Child Arc)
│   └── Sister Garaele's Quest (Child Arc)
└── Chapter 3: Wave Echo Cave (Parent Arc)
    ├── The Lost Mine (Child Arc)
    └── Confronting the Black Spider (Child Arc)

1. Create a parent arc with the overall storyline
2. Create child arcs for specific encounters or sub-plots
3. Link child arcs to their parent using the parentArcId field
4. Navigate easily between related arcs using the interface

Create custom categories to organize your campaign entities:

• NPCs - Non-player characters
• Locations - Important places
• Items - Magic items, important objects
• Organizations - Guilds, factions, groups
• Plot Devices - Mysterious elements, prophecies

1. Navigate to your campaign
2. Choose or create a Thing Type
3. Add a new Thing with a descriptive name
4. Write rich descriptions using the built-in editor
5. Link Things to Arcs to show their involvement in storylines

ArcAide features a dual-mode interface designed to optimize your workflow between content creation and content consumption:

Purpose: Content creation and modification

Features:

• Multi-column layout for efficient editing
• Full toolbar access and formatting options
• Individual section editors for each arc component
• Real-time auto-save functionality
• Complete editing capabilities for all content types

Best for:

• Campaign planning and preparation
• Creating new arcs and entities
• Updating content during sessions
• Detailed content organization

Purpose: Clean content presentation optimized for reading and sharing

Features:

• Single-column narrative flow
• D&D-themed styling with parchment backgrounds
• Consolidated content with automatic section headers
• Minimal UI chrome for distraction-free reading
• Professional presentation suitable for players

Best for:

• Reading through campaign content
• Sharing content with players
• Reviewing completed arcs
• Print-friendly campaign handouts

Mode Toggle Location: Floating action button in the bottom-right corner of dashboard pages

How to Switch:

1. Look for the mode toggle button (appears on Arc, Thing, and Campaign pages)
2. Click to switch between “Edit” and “View” modes
3. Mode preference persists across navigation
4. Current mode applies to all content pages

Edit Mode Layout:

┌─────────────┬─────────────┐
│    Hook     │ Protagonist │
├─────────────┼─────────────┤
│ Antagonist  │   Problem   │
├─────────────┼─────────────┤
│     Key     │   Outcome   │
├─────────────┴─────────────┤
│          Notes            │
└───────────────────────────┘

View Mode Layout:

┌───────────────────────────┐
│         # Hook            │
│    (hook content)         │
│                           │
│      # Protagonist        │
│  (protagonist content)    │
│                           │
│      # Antagonist         │
│   (antagonist content)    │
│                           │
│       # Problem           │
│    (problem content)      │
│                           │
│         # Key             │
│     (key content)         │
│                           │
│       # Outcome           │
│    (outcome content)      │
│                           │
│        # Notes            │
│     (notes content)       │
└───────────────────────────┘

Edit Mode: Traditional editor interface with full toolbar

View Mode: Clean D&D-styled presentation with parchment backgrounds

When in View Mode, content is styled with authentic D&D 5e visual elements:

• Bookinsanity: Primary content font
• Mr Eaves Small Caps: Section headers
• Parchment backgrounds: Authentic medieval appearance
• Proper spacing: Print-friendly margins and line heights

• Section dividers: Colored underlines for headers
• Stat blocks: Properly formatted monster/NPC statistics
• Spell descriptions: Appropriate magical content styling
• Tables: Official-style ability scores and information

• Automatic headers: Section names added automatically
• Flowing narrative: Single-column design promotes reading
• Connected content: Internal links maintained and styled appropriately

ArcAide includes powerful publishing features that allow you to share your campaign content with players while maintaining control over what information is visible.

Publishing is a premium feature that enables you to create public links to your campaign content. When content is published, it becomes accessible via public URLs that you can share with your players.

Campaign Publishing: Publish entire campaigns to create a public campaign page

Arc Publishing: Share specific story arcs with players

Thing Publishing: Make individual NPCs, locations, or items publicly viewable

Each publishable piece of content includes a publish toggle button that shows:

• Published Status: Green “Published” button with checkmark when content is live
• Unpublished Status: Red “Unpublished” button with X when content is private
• Public Links: Direct links to published content for easy sharing
• Quick Toggle: One-click publishing and unpublishing

Published content is accessible at predictable URLs:

• User Profile: /{username}/ - Shows all published campaigns by a user
• Campaigns: /{username}/campaign/{campaign-slug}/
• Arcs: /{username}/campaign/{campaign-slug}/arc/{arc-slug}/
• Things: /{username}/campaign/{campaign-slug}/thing/{thing-slug}/

ArcAide includes a sophisticated secret content system that allows you to hide specific paragraphs or sections from published pages while keeping them visible in your private editing interface.

Visual Indicators: Secret content is highlighted with a red background in edit mode

Click to Toggle: Click any paragraph to mark it as secret or public

Publishing Filter: Secret content is automatically excluded from published pages

DM-Only Information: Perfect for hiding plot twists, DM notes, or sensitive information

1. Enable Publishing Mode: Premium subscribers see interactive paragraph highlighting
2. Click Paragraphs: Click any paragraph to toggle its secret status
3. Visual Feedback:
   • Red background = Secret (hidden from players)
   • Normal background = Public (visible to players)
   • Hover effects show clickable areas
4. Automatic Filtering: Published pages only show non-secret content

• Plot Twists: Hide surprise reveals until the right moment
• DM Notes: Keep mechanical notes private while sharing story content
• Alternative Outcomes: Hide unused story branches from players
• Sensitive Information: Conceal information players shouldn’t know yet

Publishing features require a premium subscription due to hosting costs:

Public Hosting: Shared links are hosted on ArcAide’s servers Bandwidth Costs: Public content incurs hosting and delivery costs Premium Value: Supports continued development and feature expansion

Free Alternative: You can still share content by copying text or using screen sharing

ArcAide features a powerful rich text editor with an interactive toolbar and keyboard shortcuts for all your content:

The editor automatically adapts to your workflow:

• Focus-aware toolbar: Formatting buttons appear when the editor is active
• Keyboard shortcuts: Quick formatting using familiar key combinations
• Visual feedback: Real-time preview of markdown formatting
• Smart formatting: Intelligent text wrapping and unwrapping
• Publishing Integration: Premium users see clickable paragraphs for secret content management

• Bold text using **text** or Ctrl+B
• Italic text using *text* or Ctrl+I
• Underlined text using <u>text</u> or Ctrl+U

• Headers (H1-H5) using # syntax or the header dropdown
• Bullet points and numbered lists
• Block quotes for important information
• Tables for organized data presentation

The interactive toolbar provides one-click access to:

• Bold, Italic, Underline formatting buttons
• Image insertion with dual upload modes (URL and file upload)
• Link creation for internal references
• Header dropdown for different heading levels
• Table generator with basic table structure

ArcAide supports two methods for adding images to your campaign content:

All users can add images using external URLs:

1. Click the Image button in the editor toolbar
2. Select “URL mode” in the image dialog
3. Enter a descriptive label for accessibility
4. Paste the image URL from any web source
5. Click “Add Image” to insert into your content

Premium subscribers can upload their own image files:

1. Click the Image button in the editor toolbar
2. Select “File Upload mode” in the image dialog
3. Enter a descriptive label for the image
4. Choose a file from your computer
5. Upload automatically to secure cloud storage
6. Image is inserted with optimized delivery

Free users attempting file uploads will see educational prompts explaining:

• Storage costs and why uploads require premium
• Alternative URL method remains available
• Premium benefits including multiple campaigns
• Easy upgrade process to access full features

• Accessibility support - Labels become alt text for screen readers
• Responsive display - Images adapt to different screen sizes
• Secure storage - Uploaded files stored on Cloudflare’s global CDN
• Optimized delivery - Automatic image optimization and variant generation
• Campaign organization - All uploaded assets tied to specific campaigns

Master these shortcuts for efficient content creation:

• Ctrl+B: Toggle bold formatting
• Ctrl+I: Toggle italic formatting
• Ctrl+U: Toggle underline formatting
• Double brackets [[]]: Create internal links

Create connections between your campaign content using wiki-style links:

1. Type double brackets [[]] anywhere in your text or click the link button
2. Search interface appears automatically within the editor
3. Search and select any Arc or Thing from your campaign
4. Link is created in the format [[type#slug]]

• Clickable navigation - Links take you directly to the referenced content
• Visual distinction - Links appear styled differently from regular text
• Campaign context - Links always navigate within your current campaign
• Cross-references - Create connections between related Arcs and Things

The party meets [[thing#tavern-keeper-joe]] at [[thing#prancing-pony]].
This connects to the main quest in [[arc#finding-the-lost-crown]].

• Link important NPCs when they’re first mentioned
• Connect related locations to show travel routes
• Reference previous arcs to maintain story continuity
• Link items to show their significance across storylines

• Use the toolbar buttons for quick formatting access
• Combine keyboard shortcuts with mouse selection for efficiency
• Use bold text for important names and concepts
• Create italic emphasis for thoughts or whispered dialogue
• Use code formatting for game mechanics or dice rolls
• Add block quotes for player handouts or NPC dialogue
• Use internal links to create rich interconnected content
• Tables are perfect for stat blocks, treasure lists, or reference information

Use the search bar to quickly find:

• Specific NPCs by name
• Locations mentioned across arcs
• Items and their descriptions
• Story elements and plot points

• Use partial names for broad results
• Search for keywords like “tavern” or “magic”
• Results show content highlights for context

1. Create major story arcs for significant plot lines
2. Use sub-arcs for smaller adventures within larger stories
3. Link related entities to show connections
4. Update arc outcomes as your story progresses

• Start with the Hook when planning new content
• Define clear Problems to drive player engagement
• Prepare multiple Keys for different player approaches
• Consider Outcomes that lead to future adventures

1. Hook with action - Start with something happening
2. Clear protagonists - Players should know their role
3. Memorable antagonists - Give opposition personality
4. Solvable problems - Multiple solutions = player agency
5. Meaningful outcomes - Consequences affect the world

• Use sub-arcs for complex storylines
• Link related arcs to show connections
• Regular updates keep information current
• Player notes help track their discoveries

• Prepare flexible Keys for different approaches
• Plan multiple Outcomes for player choices
• Create backup NPCs in case players go off-script
• Use entity links to show story connections

ArcAide provides comprehensive account management features to personalize your experience and enable content sharing:

1. Navigate to Account Settings from the user menu
2. Set your unique username (3-30 characters, letters, numbers, underscore, hyphen)
3. Choose a display name (how others see your name in published content)
4. Save your changes to update your profile

• 3-30 characters long
• Letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens only
• Must be unique across all ArcAide users
• Required for publishing content publicly

• Optional but recommended for professional presentation
• Defaults to username if not set
• Used in published content and public displays
• Can include spaces and special characters

1. Access Account Settings from the dashboard
2. Click “Edit Profile” to modify your information
3. Update fields as needed (name, username, display name)
4. Real-time validation ensures usernames are available
5. Save changes to update your profile

Your profile includes:

• Name: Your personal name (private)
• Username: Your unique identifier (public in URLs)
• Display Name: How you appear to others (public)
• Email: Account email (read-only, managed separately)

Usernames are essential for content publishing because they:

• Prevent URL conflicts between different users
• Create professional, shareable links to your content
• Enable content attribution and creator identification
• Support future community features and collaboration

When you publish content, it becomes accessible via username-based URLs:

• Campaign: /{username}/campaign/{campaign-slug}/
• Arc: /{username}/campaign/{campaign-slug}/arc/{arc-slug}/
• Thing: /{username}/campaign/{campaign-slug}/thing/{thing-slug}/

1. Attempt to publish any content without a username
2. Username prompt appears automatically
3. Choose your username with real-time availability checking
4. Complete setup and return to publishing
5. Content publishes with your new username-based URL

• Keep it professional for sharing with players
• Make it memorable for easy recognition
• Consider your brand if you create content for others
• Check availability early to secure your preferred name

• Set display name for better presentation
• Keep information current for accurate attribution
• Use consistent branding across your content
• Update as needed for changes in your gaming identity