Guide sections

Foundry VTT import

Import Foundry exported JSON and understand what actors, items, scenes, and journal material become in Campaign Familiar.

What you need

Foundry import reads files you export from Foundry into a folder - the actors.json, items.json, and scenes.json arrays plus an exported journal.db - not your live, running world. Export the data you want from Foundry before you import.

The importer looks for these files in the folder you select:

  • actors.json - your NPCs and creatures
  • items.json - equipment, treasure, magic items
  • scenes.json - maps and locations
  • journal.db - chapters, read-aloud text, notes (a NeDB database file, not JSON)

You don’t need all four. Any one of actors.json, items.json, or scenes.json is enough for Campaign Familiar to recognize the folder as a Foundry export.

What imports

Foundry ContentCampaign Familiar CreationNotes
ActorsNPC creationsName, description, and stats (AC, HP, speed, CR) when present
ItemsItem creationsType, rarity, properties, value, attunement
ScenesLocation creationsName, description, and the map image reference
Journal entriesNarrative contentChapters and pages, with read-aloud/boxed text preserved

What doesn’t import

  • Encounters (Foundry has no direct equivalent, so none are created)
  • Map images and tokens as files (the map reference is kept, but artwork stays in Foundry)
  • Automation, macros, and modules
  • Anything still locked inside your live, running Foundry world - export it to a folder first

Import steps

Step 1: export from foundry

In Foundry, export the actors, items, scenes, and journal you want into one folder. (Foundry’s document and compendium export produce the actors.json / items.json / scenes.json arrays and the journal.db file Campaign Familiar reads.)

Step 2: open the import wizard

  1. Launch Campaign Familiar
  2. Open the Library from the sidebar and click Import to Library
  3. Choose Foundry VTT as the source

Step 3: select your export folder

Browse to the folder containing your actors.json, items.json, and scenes.json. Campaign Familiar scans the folder and shows what it found.

If the wizard can’t detect a campaign, double-check that the folder holds the exported JSON files directly - not a Foundry world folder or a .db file.

Step 4: review and import

Review the counts (actors, items, scenes, journal entries) and run the import. Everything lands in your campaign-neutral Master Library, and each creation is tagged with its Foundry source so you can tell what came from where.

Re-importing the same Foundry export doesn’t pile up duplicates - the Master Library recognizes the source and only adds what’s new. And Assign to Campaign is idempotent, so assigning the same creation to a campaign twice returns the existing copy instead of a second one.

Step 5: assign to a campaign

Imports land in the Master Library, not in a campaign directly. To use a creation in a campaign, open it in the Library and click Assign to Campaign - you get an editable copy in that campaign while the Library master stays the original. Assigning the same creation to a campaign twice returns the existing copy rather than duplicating it.

After import

  • Check your NPCs. Stats come across when present, but Foundry’s biography text is converted from HTML, so give descriptions a quick read.
  • Fill in the gaps. Foundry doesn’t export relationships - connect your NPCs, locations, and items by hand, or let the engine suggest connections.
  • Tag imports. A tag like imported-foundry makes it easy to find and tidy everything later.

Troubleshooting

”could not detect a valid foundry campaign”

  • The folder needs actors.json, items.json, or scenes.json directly inside it
  • Point the importer at a folder of exports, not your live world database - export from Foundry first
  • Make sure the JSON exported as an array of documents, not a single packed file

Missing stats on NPCs

  • Stats are read from Foundry’s D&D 5e system fields. Actors from other systems, or with non-standard sheets, may import with descriptions but no stat block.

Journal text looks plain

  • Journal pages keep their text and structure (chapters, read-aloud/boxed text), but Foundry-specific styling and embedded rolls don’t carry over.