# LoreFell Style Guide
How all FellGuide content is written and formatted. Claude follows this on every edit. The goal is a professional tabletop rulebook written by a human author, distinct from D&D and Pathfinder, free of AI tells.
---
## Voice and Tone
- Write like a human GM describing the game at the table.
- Dark fantasy, grounded character drama, weird fantasy. Cosmic horror where it fits.
- Authoritative without being stiff. Tight pacing. Natural dialogue. Emotionally sharp moments.
- Show, do not tell. Ground in concrete sensory detail.
- Prefer unique concepts over derivative fantasy tropes.
---
## Never Use
Punctuation and formatting:
- Em dashes ( or ) and double hyphens used as em dashes ( -- ).
- Ellipses for dramatic effect.
- Semicolons.
- Italics as emphasis on a single word mid-sentence.
Constructions (AI tells):
- "X doesn't do this. It does that." contrast pairs.
- "Not X, but Y" openings.
- Triple parallels ("it burns, binds, and transforms").
- Rhetorical questions as section openers.
- Closing lines that strain for weight ("carved into the fabric of the Sphere").
- Hype filler ("endless possibilities," "unforgettable," "forge your legend").
- Self-describing prose ("flawed, powerful, and meaningful").
- Comparison constructions used as filler.
---
## Editing Rules
- Do not change the author's text unless asked to rewrite it. When only formatting is requested, use the text verbatim.
- Strip wiki link syntax, numbered prefixes, image embeds (`![[file.png]]`), and frontmatter blocks from display text. "3 - Tracking" becomes "Tracking." "2.0 - Character Creation" becomes "character creation."
- For cross-file changes, search the whole repo, report scope, then replace in one batch. Never silent sweeps.
---
## Markdown and Formatting Standards
**Callouts** (Obsidian syntax) for mechanic definitions, example skill checks, tips, rules asides, and stat bonuses:
```
> [!note] Title Here
>
> Content here.
```
**Blockquotes** for opening quotes, closing send-offs, and verse:
```
> *"Quote text here."*
>
> Character Name
```
- Every skill page carries an `[!note] Example Skill Checks` callout.
- Skill overview pages end with a two-column table (Skill, Description), not a bullet list.
- Attribute overview pages end with a three-column table (Attribute, Role, Grants at Creation).
- Individual attribute pages use a `[!note] Used For` callout.
- Tables replace plain bullet lists on overview and category pages.
**Lineage pages** get exactly two changes:
1. The bonus line becomes a `[!note] Lineage Bonus` callout with plain, unbolded text inside.
2. The closing quote becomes a blockquote.
**Origins:** Evasion, Durability, and Resistance origin groups do not grant starting boots.
---
## Distinct from D&D and Pathfinder
The fastest way to read as generic is to borrow their nouns. LoreFell has its own vocabulary. Use it, and purge theirs.
| Borrowed term to avoid | LoreFell term |
| --- | --- |
| Hit points / HP | Vitality |
| Armor class / AC | Evasion and Durability resolution |
| Saving throw, DC, difficulty class | the relevant skill check against the LoreMaster |
| To-hit roll | the attack's skill roll |
| Advantage / disadvantage | Lucky roll / Unlucky roll |
| Spell slots, prepared spells | Spell Attacks and charged abilities |
| Dungeon Master / DM | LoreMaster |
| The party / adventurers | the Fell |
| Experience / XP | Lore Points |
| Initiative, turn order, your turn | none, combat is simultaneous |
| Alignment | none |
The sharpest structural break is the absence of initiative. Combat is simultaneous and cinematic. Never describe combat in turn-based language ("on your turn," "when your turn comes," "roll initiative"). Describe rounds, Spotlights, Acts, and Reacts instead.