Charnik

A free, self-hostable, standalone D&D 5e (2014) + 5.5e (2024) character tracking system — not just a generator. Three roles in one app: build & level-up, play tracking (HP, slots, resources, conditions, concentration, rests, optional XP), and a compendium browser over all loaded content. Built so non-technical users own and edit their data as plain CSV.

Desktop app: Tauri v2 + SvelteKit (static SPA, TypeScript). No HTTP server — runs standalone in the system webview.

See docs/PLAN.md for the authoritative spec and roadmap.

Install

Grab the latest Windows installer from the Releases page and run it. Linux and macOS builds aren't packaged yet — build from source (see below) in the meantime.

Prefer the .exe (NSIS) installer. If Releases also list an .msi, pick the *-setup.exe instead — it installs per-user without admin rights and gets auto-updates. The .msi is a system-wide package that needs admin and doesn't auto-update.

The installer isn't code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen shows an "unknown publisher" warning: choose More info → Run anyway. Once installed, Charnik checks for updates on launch — when a new version is out, an Update button appears in the top bar; click it to update and restart.

Develop

Requires Node 22 + pnpm. The TS side runs without Rust; the Tauri desktop build also needs Rust + platform toolchain (MSVC C++ Build Tools + WebView2 on Windows; webkit2gtk on Linux).

pnpm install
pnpm dev          # Vite dev server (web preview)
pnpm tauri dev    # desktop app (needs Rust toolchain)
pnpm test         # Vitest
pnpm lint
pnpm tauri build  # package the desktop app (unsigned — no signing key needed)

pnpm tauri build produces a working, unsigned installer — no signing key required, so anyone can build from source. Only official releases are signed (the updater's .sig files + latest.json are added by CI via src-tauri/tauri.release.conf.json, which needs the private key); local unsigned builds simply don't auto-update.

Licensing

Charnik separates code, bundled data, and user content — see COPYING.md for the full picture.

• Code → AGPL-3.0-or-later. Free for everyone, modification allowed, but changes must be disclosed (including over a network).
• Bundled data → CC-BY-4.0. Rules data derives from the WotC SRD 5.1 and SRD 5.2.1; attribution is kept in content/ATTRIBUTION.md. Charnik ships SRD-only — add non-SRD material yourself into homebrew CSVs.
• Your homebrew → yours. Content you add stays author-owned; each source carries its own license + attribution. The app relicenses nothing.