You are currently on the root page for the GURPS Character Assistant 4 File and Data Specifications v3 documentation. From here you can go to the docs for the various parts of what makes GCA 4 data files work.

Most of this documentation is woefully incomplete. It is all still being written as time allows.

This material is not an official Steve Jackson Games release. This material is written by Armin D. Sykes for the users of GCA4, on his own time and on his own dime, and has not passed through SJGames in any way, shape, or form. This means that you may find the editing and writing style different than you are used to, but it also means that I can provide this information as it becomes available, rather than it getting held up "in editing".

This material is Copyright © 2007 Armin D. Sykes. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced anywhere for any reason, without explicit written permission of Armin D. Sykes. This material is NOT covered in any way by the SJGames Online License.

Data File Features

File Structure: The general file structure of Version=3 data files, covering the sections and sub-sections they may contain.

Data File Commands: Data file commands are commands embedded within Version 3 data files. To help GCA find them, commands always start a new line, and always begin with the # sign, unless the command appears within a command block, in which case, the # sign is optional.

Item Features

System Variables & Keywords: System variables and keywords allow you to reference things in a convenient fashion that may not normally be accessible, or may not be accessible in a desireable fashion.

Math Functions: Functions are feature of the math engine that provide you access to sometimes complex features, in a simple fashion.

Directives: Directives are a kind of internal command that is processed when GCA adds an item to the character. Until the item is added to the character, the directive does nothing. Directives always begin with the # sign, so they will often be referred to as #directives.

Tags: Tags are the basic feature of items in GCA data files, and are the basic building blocks for anything you define in GCA.

Target Tag Bonuses: Certain types of tags can be the target of bonuses from traits or modifiers, and doing so results in other tags containing the modified result; those are discussed here.