The Magic of Modularity
Core Foundry already does a lot, but its real trick is that it can grow. Add-on modules are packages written by community developers (and some publishers) that change or extend what Foundry does: 3D dice, animated effects, richer journals, smarter tiles, or whole published adventures. You add them when you need them and switch them off when you don't.
That flexibility cuts both ways. Every module is someone else's code running in your world, and each new Foundry version can break modules that haven't been updated yet. The goal isn't to install everything; it's to pick a small set that solves real problems at your table and keep that set healthy.
The Module Ecosystem
Modules come in a few broad flavours. Some are visible to everyone at the table; others are libraries that only exist so other modules can work.
Game systems (such as dnd5e or pf2e) are a separate kind of package, installed from the Game Systems tab. Many modules only work with one system, so always check which systems a module supports.
Installing Your First Module
Modules are installed once for your whole Foundry installation, then switched on separately in each world. That two-step split confuses almost everyone the first time.
The Short Version
- Install from Setup: On the Setup screen, open the Add-on Modules tab and click Install Module. Search the package browser, read the module's description and compatibility, then click Install.
- Enable per world: Launch the world, open the Settings tab in the sidebar and click Manage Modules. Tick the module, save, and let the world reload.
- Configure: Most modules add their own section to Configure Settings. Some settings are per world, some are per player (client), so players may need to change them too.
Only the GM (or another user with the Game Master role) can enable modules for a world. Players don't install anything: modules are served to their browsers automatically when they join.
Reading Compatibility
Every package has a manifest that states which Foundry versions it supports, using three values: minimum, verified and maximum. Foundry enforces the minimum and maximum; the verified value is the newest version the developer has actually tested.
Check compatibility in three places: the package browser before you install, the Manage Modules list inside your world, and the Setup screen's update check before you upgrade Foundry itself, which reports how many of your packages are ready for the new version.
Dependencies and Libraries
Many modules rely on others. The manifest lists required packages, and when you install or enable a module Foundry offers to bring its dependencies along. Two libraries you'll meet often:
- libWrapper: lets several modules safely modify the same core Foundry function without overwriting each other, and helps report which module caused a conflict.
- socketlib: lets modules send messages between connected clients, for example so a player's action can ask the GM's client to do something only the GM is allowed to do.
Libraries do nothing visible on their own. If you disable one, every module that needs it stops working, so leave them on while their dependents are enabled.
Modules Worth Knowing
The package list changes constantly, so this guide only names modules whose package pages showed them verified for Version 14 when they were checked in October 2026. Treat this as a starting point, not a shopping list, and check each package page before installing.
- Dice So Nice! adds 3D animated dice for every roll. It's a module, not a core feature, and players can tune or switch off the animation for their own screen.
- Token Magic FX applies visual filters (glows, distortions, auras) to tokens and tiles.
- Sequencer plays animations and sounds in a scripted order; current versions no longer need socketlib.
- Monk's Enhanced Journal adds extra journal styles and tools for organising campaign notes.
- Monk's Active Tile Triggers turns tiles into triggers that run actions. Before you reach for it, check whether a core Scene Region with a behavior such as Teleport Token or Execute Macro already does the job.
- libWrapper and socketlib are libraries; install them when another module asks for them.
- Find the Culprit! and Big Bad Module Manager are covered under troubleshooting below.
More Modules Verified for Version 14
These popular modules were also verified for Version 14 when checked in October 2026. Several only make sense with a particular game system, so read the package page first.
| Module | What it does | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Midi-QOL | Automates the attack, damage and saving-throw sequence | Built for the D&D 5e system; usually paired with DAE |
| Dynamic Active Effects (DAE) | Extends Active Effects with more fields, durations and macro hooks | Took over the effect-expiry features of the retired Times Up |
| Item Piles | Loot piles, merchants and trading between characters | Works with many game systems |
| FXMaster | Weather and special effects such as rain, fog and embers, plus screen filters | Version 8 supports V14 Scene Levels; heavy effects cost performance |
| Token Action HUD Core | A clickable action bar for the selected token | Needs a companion module for your system; the D&D 5e, WFRP and SWADE ones were verified for V14, the Pathfinder 2e one was not yet |
| Automated Animations | Plays an animation whenever an attack, spell or item is used | Needs Sequencer and an animation asset pack |
| Simple Calendar Reborn | An in-game calendar, clock and notes | The successor to the abandoned Simple Calendar |
| Monk's TokenBar | A bar of the party's tokens for requesting rolls, controlling movement and handing out experience | From the same author as Monk's Enhanced Journal |
| Monk's Scene Navigation | A more useful scene navigation bar | Helpful when a world has many scenes |
| Monk's Little Details | Dozens of small interface and quality-of-life tweaks, each one optional | Turn on only the tweaks you want |
| Dice Tray | Dice buttons under the chat box for building a roll without typing | Formerly called Dice Calculator |
| Quick Insert | A search box for finding any actor, item, journal or compendium entry fast | Opens from a keyboard shortcut |
| Narrator Tools | Narration and scene descriptions displayed across everyone's screen | Good for dramatic reveals |
| Chat Portrait | Shows the speaker's portrait beside their chat messages | The V14 build was on the author's GitHub release before the package page caught up |
Retired, Replaced or Not Yet on Version 14
Older guides and videos recommend these. Here is where each one stood in October 2026.
| Module | Status | Use instead |
|---|---|---|
| Levels | Retired; its last build only converts old Levels scenes | Core Scene Levels (V14) |
| Drag Ruler | Stopped at Version 12 | Core drag measurement (V13 and later) |
| Compendium Folders | No longer needed | Folders inside compendiums are core |
| PopOut! | Allows V14 but was verified only for V13 | Core pop-out windows (V14) |
| Times Up | No Version 14 release planned | Core Active Effect expiry, plus DAE |
| Simple Calendar | Abandoned | Simple Calendar Reborn |
| Perfect Vision | Abandoned | Core vision and detection modes |
| Ambient Doors | Abandoned | Core door sounds, or the Door Sounds module |
| Combat Utility Belt | Abandoned; its successor Condition Lab & Triggler was V13 only | Your system's conditions and core status effects |
| Tidy UI, Parallaxia, Ping Logger | Abandoned | Nothing needed |
| Token Attacher, Pin Cushion, Chat Images, Elevation Ruler | Version 13 only when checked | Check the package page; they may catch up |
Your game system will have its own ecosystem of add-ons too. Look for modules built for that system and verified for your Foundry version.
Premium Content Modules
Some modules are official, paid content from publishers rather than community tools. They install the same way, from the Add-on Modules tab, once the purchase is linked to your foundryvtt.com account.
- Wizards of the Coast: official Dungeons & Dragons modules for the dnd5e system, such as the Player's Handbook (2024). These are separate purchases from D&D Beyond; owning a book there doesn't unlock it in Foundry.
- Paizo: official Pathfinder modules for the pf2e system, including the Beginner Box, Abomination Vaults, Gatewalkers and Hellbreakers.
Premium modules usually arrive as compendium packs or Adventures you import into a world. Prices vary, so check the store page for each one.
Module Management Best Practices
Back Up Before Updates
Foundry has built-in backups. On the Setup screen you can right-click a world, system or module and take a backup, or use the backup manager to create a snapshot of everything installed. Foundry also prompts you to back up before a major update. Do this before updating modules, and always before moving to a new Foundry version, such as V13 to V14.
Snapshots have a blind spot: they cover your worlds, systems and modules, but not images or sounds you stored elsewhere in your Data folder. Back those folders up separately.
The Testing Routine
- Back up first: take a backup of the world before adding or updating modules.
- Use a test world: try new modules in a throwaway world before your campaign.
- One at a time: add modules gradually and test each one.
- Check compatibility: read the package page, changelog and known issues.
- Watch for errors: open the browser console (F12) and look for red error lines after enabling something new.
Organisation Tips
- Keep a list: note what each module does and why you installed it.
- Prune regularly: disable, then uninstall, modules you no longer use.
- Note versions: record which module versions work together for your campaign.
- Save module sets: Big Bad Module Manager can save and switch between sets of enabled modules. Older guides recommend Module Management+, which has not been updated in years and no longer works; don't install it.
What a Manifest Says
Compatibility and dependencies, from a module's manifest (simplified)
"compatibility": {
"minimum": "12",
"verified": "14.368",
"maximum": "14"
},
"relationships": {
"requires": [
{ "id": "lib-wrapper", "type": "module" },
{ "id": "socketlib", "type": "module" }
]
}
You never need to edit this file; it's what Foundry reads to decide whether a module can run and what else it needs. Load order is handled by these declared dependencies, not by you.
Troubleshooting Modules
When something breaks, the first question is always: is it a module? Foundry gives you a clean way to find out.
The Tools
- Launch in Safe Configuration: on the Setup screen, edit the world and choose this launch option. It disables all modules, deactivates scenes and stops audio for that one launch. If the problem disappears, a module (or a combination of modules) is responsible.
- Find the Culprit!: core Foundry has no built-in tool for narrowing down which module is at fault. This module does it for you by switching halves of your modules off and on and asking whether the problem persists, until only one is left.
- The browser console: press F12 and look at the Console tab. Error lines often include the module's folder name, which points straight at the suspect.
Common Module Issues
- Version mismatch: the module hasn't been verified for your Foundry version yet.
- Missing dependencies: a required library such as libWrapper is disabled or not installed.
- Overlapping modules: two modules trying to change the same thing.
- System mismatch: a module built for one game system enabled in a world using another.
- Too much at once: many heavy visual modules on a modest computer (see Performance).
Module Performance Impact
Every enabled module adds code that loads for every player. Some barely register; others put real load on graphics cards.
Try It in Foundry: Build Your Setup
Choosing Modules on Purpose
Step 1: Define Your Needs
- Do you play theatre-of-the-mind or tactical maps?
- How much automation does your group want: none, some, or lots?
- What annoys you most about core Foundry? Write down one specific problem.
- How comfortable is your group with technical fixes?
Step 2: Research
- Search the package browser (Setup, Add-on Modules, Install Module) for your problem.
- Check each candidate's verified version and supported systems.
- Look at when it was last updated and whether issues get answered.
- Note its dependencies.
Step 3: Test World
- Take a backup, then create a world called "Module Testing" with your system.
- Enable one candidate at a time in Manage Modules.
- Try the feature, watch the console for errors, and check how the scene feels.
- If something breaks, practise with Launch in Safe Configuration and Find the Culprit!.
Step 4: Sort Into Sets
- Essential: you'd miss them every session.
- Nice to have: enable when a scene calls for them.
- Experimental: test world only.
Answer
There's no single right set, but a healthy result is usually small: a few essentials, their libraries, and nothing you can't explain. If a module only solves a problem you no longer have, or a core feature (Scene Regions, Scene Levels, pop-out windows) now covers it, disable it.
Advanced Module Topics
Module Sets for Different Games
If you run several campaigns, each world keeps its own list of enabled modules, so a horror one-shot and a tactical dungeon crawl can use different sets on the same installation. Big Bad Module Manager can also save named sets you switch between.
- Horror: minimal interface, atmospheric lighting and sound.
- Dungeon crawl: tile triggers, 3D dice, Item Piles for loot, your system's combat helpers (for D&D 5e, Midi-QOL and Token Action HUD).
- Intrigue: journal tools for notes and relationships, and Simple Calendar Reborn to track the days.
- One-shot: as few modules as possible, so setup is fast.
Making Your Own
The deepest customisation is writing your own module.
- Start with macros (see Macros & Automation).
- Read the code of open-source modules you use.
- Use the official API documentation and the community developer channels.
- Share what you build once it's stable.
Module Resource Hub
Where to Find Modules
- The package browser: built into Foundry's Setup screen.
- Package pages on foundryvtt.com: description, compatibility and links to source code.
- Community forums and Discord: recommendations and help from other GMs.
Before You Update Anything
- Read the module's changelog.
- Use the Setup screen's update check to see which packages are ready for a new Foundry version.
- Take a backup or snapshot first.
What's Next?
You can now install modules, enable them per world, read their compatibility, keep them backed up and track down the one that's misbehaving. A small, well-chosen set does more for your table than a long list.
Next up is Player Experience: seeing Foundry through your players' eyes.