SC - Ascendant Items

Overview

SC - Ascendant Items adds a Levels tab to supported D&D 5e item sheets so one item can evolve across multiple saved stages.

Instead of duplicating separate items for every upgrade tier, you configure levels on a single item, save a snapshot for each stage, and restore the correct state when the item advances.

The workflow centers on a few key ideas:

• per-item enablement instead of a global item override
• level snapshots that store the current state of the item
• progression by either XP or Milestone
• restore support for item data, activities, Active Effects, and compatible socket layouts
• sheet integration for both the standard D&D 5e sheet and tidy5e-sheet

Installation

This module is premium.

Install access is handled through the Shattered Codex Download Hub.

See How to Download Premium Modules from the Download Hub for the full access and installation flow.

After installing:

1. Enable SC - Ascendant Items in your world.
2. Make sure lib-wrapper is also active.
3. Open a supported dnd5e item sheet.

Optional integrations:

• tidy5e-sheet
• SC - Simple Sockets

Enable Levels on an Item

The module is enabled per item.

To turn it on:

1. Open the item sheet.
2. Go to the Details tab.
3. Enable Levels.

The workflow starts in the item's Details tab. Enabling Levels adds the dedicated tab to that item only.

Important behavior:

• the enable toggle is GM-only
• once the item has saved levels, the module still treats it as enabled
• you cannot disable Levels while saved levels still exist

That guardrail is there to protect the saved progression data. If levels still exist, the module assumes that item is still part of the system.

Build Item Levels

Once enabled, open the new Levels tab.

The Levels tab is the main workspace: progression mode, current level, progress bar, level list, and snapshot actions all live here.

The main controls in this tab are:

• Progression selector: switch between XP and Milestone
• Current Level display: shows the active stage
• Add Level: creates the next level automatically
• row actions: capture, apply, and delete

When you click Add Level, the module does more than just add an empty row. It:

• calculates the next numeric level automatically
• flushes pending sheet edits first when possible
• creates an initial snapshot of the current item state
• sets that new level as the active and last-applied level

Each row in the level list includes:

• the generated level number
• an optional custom label
• XP Required or Milestone, depending on the active mode
• snapshot data badges
• action buttons

Those badges are a quick way to confirm what is actually stored in that level snapshot.

XP Progression

In XP mode, each level can define how much XP is required before the item is ready to advance.

In XP mode, each stage can define its own threshold and the progress bar tracks the next configured level.

In play, XP mode behaves like this:

• the first level is always locked to 0 required XP
• the progress bar compares Current XP against the next level's target
• the advance button only appears when the next level is ready
• if there is no next level, the item is already at the highest configured stage

When current XP reaches the next level threshold, the module marks the item as ready to advance. Using Advance Level will:

• apply the next level snapshot if that level has one
• otherwise just move the active level forward without rewriting the item data

Milestone Progression

If your campaign uses story beats instead of numeric XP, switch the progression selector to Milestone.

Milestone mode removes the XP bar and replaces thresholds with per-level milestone text.

In milestone mode:

• the XP bar is hidden
• each level stores milestone text instead of required XP
• advancement is manual
• the advance button is available whenever there is a next level

This is the better fit when the item should evolve after story beats rather than numeric progression.

Snapshots and Apply Level

The module separates level metadata from the item snapshot.

Metadata includes things like:

• progression mode
• current XP
• active level
• labels, milestones, and XP requirements

The snapshot is the saved state of the actual item for one level.

Use the camera button to capture or refresh that saved state after editing the item.

The badges show how much data is stored in the snapshot, such as activities, Active Effects, and sockets when available.

What a snapshot stores:

• item name
• item image
• supported system data
• activities
• embedded Active Effects
• compatible socket layout data when SC - Simple Sockets is active

Typical workflow:

1. Create or select a level.
2. Modify the item to match that stage.
3. Click Capture Level to save the current state into that row.
4. Later, click Apply Level to restore it.

Two distinctions matter here:

• editing the level row does not replace the snapshot
• editing the actual item does not become part of that level until you capture again

When a saved level is applied, the module restores the supported data, updates the active level, and then normalizes the snapshot again so the sheet does not immediately look dirty for no reason.

Settings and Permissions

The module exposes two main configuration areas in World Settings > Module Settings > SC - Ascendant Items.

Player Permissions

Permissions are configurable per user role, so you can decide who may manage levels and who may only use finished items.

Permissions are grouped around:

• adding and deleting levels
• editing labels, milestones, and XP requirements
• capturing snapshots
• applying snapshots
• changing progression mode

Available thresholds:

• GM Only
• Assistant GM+
• Trusted Player+
• All Players

By default, this starts as a GM-only workflow.

XP Bar Configuration

The XP bar menu lets you tune the gradient, preview it live, and add optional animation.

The XP bar menu supports:

• between 2 and 8 gradient colors
• optional animation
• multiple animation styles
• configurable animation duration

These settings only affect presentation in the item sheet. They do not change the progression logic.

Integrations

Tidy 5e Sheet

If tidy5e-sheet is active, the module registers the same Levels tab directly into the Tidy item sheet and also exposes the enable toggle in the Tidy details area.

The workflow is the same:

• enable levels on the item
• configure stages in the Levels tab
• capture the item state per stage
• apply or advance when needed

SC - Simple Sockets

If SC - Simple Sockets is active, socket layout data becomes part of the snapshot workflow.

When Simple Sockets is active on the item, Ascendant Items can include socket layout data in its stored levels.

The socket integration is practical rather than magical:

• socket layout is saved in the snapshot
• inserted gems are handled conservatively
• valid gems can be preserved when applying a new level
• extra slots may be removed if the restored level has fewer sockets

That makes it useful for evolving weapons, relics, or artifacts that gain and lose socket capacity across different stages.

Notes

Two practical habits make this module much smoother to use:

• Add Level already creates a baseline snapshot from the current item state
• if you edit the item after that, you should capture again before expecting that level to restore the new version

For evolving items, the safest loop is: set up the stage, finish the edits, capture the level, then move on.