Nerve
Free AlphaNerve connects AI assistance to your Fantasy Grounds campaign for narration, scene references, session continuity, prompts, rolls and supported actions. Free during alpha. Bring your own compatible AI account and help shape the product through feedback.
Release 0.68.7 (alpha) · Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) · Fantasy Grounds Unity — 5E
Nerve is available on Fantasy Grounds Forge as a free alpha. Install the Forge extension and the separate Windows companion to get started — you need both, and they must be the same version.
Forge currently delivers extension 0.68.7,
so the button above gives you the companion that pairs with it. Version
0.68.7 is already published on the
downloads page, ready for the Forge update —
don't install it until Fantasy Grounds reports
Nerve Adapter v0.68.7.
The listing is public and free. We have not yet run an end-to-end test of acquiring it while signed in and installing through the Fantasy Grounds updater, so we are not claiming that path is proven. If it gives you trouble, the forum thread ↗ is the place to say so.
The Windows companion is available to download now. The Fantasy Grounds extension has not been released yet, and Nerve needs both halves to run, so there is nothing playable here today. Download the companion if you want to stage it early; release status tracks the extension.
No registration, checkout, subscription, donation or newsletter signup is required to download or use Nerve during the alpha.
What you need before you start
Nerve is not a standalone AI service. Every item below is required, and you supply the AI account yourself.
A Windows GM host
The Nerve companion runs on the machine hosting the campaign. Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit).
Fantasy Grounds, 5E
Fantasy Grounds Unity running the 5E ruleset. Other rulesets are untested in this alpha.
The Nerve extension
Installed through the Fantasy Grounds Forge, free. The extension on its own does not provide any AI service.
The Nerve companion
A separate local Windows companion application. It is downloaded and installed on its own, outside Fantasy Grounds.
Node.js 22 or newer
The companion runs on Node.js. The installer will tell you if your version is too old.
Your own AI account
A compatible external AI application and account. AI access, allowance and costs are not included with Nerve and are billed by your provider, not by us.
Setup and gameplay behaviour are still being tested. Provider coverage and multiplayer coverage are uneven, and we do not present either as certified. Expect to hit rough edges — reporting them is the point of the alpha.
How the pieces work together
Nerve is three separate parts. Each one has to be present and matched to the others for a session to work.
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The Fantasy Grounds extension
Installed through the Forge, it adds the Nerve controls inside Fantasy Grounds and gathers the campaign context a request needs. It talks only to the local companion. It contains no AI model and reaches no provider by itself.
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The local Windows companion
A bridge that runs on your own machine, on the same host as the campaign. It receives requests from the extension, stores your provider selection and launches the selected AI integration, and passes requests out to it. Authentication remains with the provider application — Nerve does not hold your provider credentials. It also applies the guard rails that decide which actions need your approval.
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Your chosen AI application
The provider you sign in to, under your own account. The bridge runs locally, but selected campaign context and source references are sent out to that provider, and the provider's own policies, retention and costs apply. See Privacy and data flow for exactly what that means.
What testers can explore
- Story Cue references. Pull relevant reference context into the moment you are playing.
- Narration. Scene and action description drawn from campaign context.
- Session continuity. Carrying what happened earlier into what happens next.
- Prompts and rolls. Asking for a roll, and responding to one.
- Flow Mode and guarded actions. In Flow Mode, supported narration, proxy actions and pacing can run automatically, including supported exact-source encounters. Guarded actions still require your approval.
Known limitations — read before you download
These are current, real and worth knowing before you install anything. The full list, with troubleshooting, is on the setup page.
- Narration does not prove a record changed. A vivid description of paying the innkeeper is not evidence that currency, inventory, a quest or a combat record was actually updated. Check the native record.
- Inventory, payment and reward bookkeeping is not a complete workflow. Check the record before making a manual correction — an unchecked correction may duplicate an update that already applied.
- Quest completion is hard to see. It can be updated through supported actions, but completion is not clearly reflected in the standard quest interface.
- AI can be wrong. It can contradict earlier narration, misread source material, or repeat a decision. Check outcomes that matter.
- Responses can be slow or rate-limited. Built-in listeners normally time out after three minutes. Avoid repeated Call Nerve clicks while responding; they do not speed up the current request.
- Story Cues are reference only. They do not move characters and do not automatically reveal records.
- Provider and multiplayer testing is incomplete. We are not publishing provider rankings or upgrade recommendations off a handful of local comparisons.
Privacy and AI usage, in short
The bridge runs on your machine, but Nerve is not an offline product and campaign data does not stay on your computer. Selected campaign context and source references are sent to the external AI provider you choose, and that can include GM-only material — "GM-only" governs what players see in Fantasy Grounds, not what the provider receives. Your provider's policies and retention apply. Provider charges and account limits are controlled by your provider: Nerve does not include an AI allowance or guarantee a spending cap for signed-in application usage. Get your group's agreement before you put their campaign through a provider.
Read the full privacy and data-flow page →
Where to go next
Setup guide
The ordered install sequence, provider setup, your first session, and troubleshooting.
Open the setup guide → Get the filesDownloads
Current companion release, checksum, Forge status and what each file is for.
Go to downloads → HistoryRelease notes
Version history, known issues per release, and how to update each half of the product.
See release notes → Help usReport a problem
Bugs, suggestions and performance observations. The most useful thing you can send us.
How to report → CommunityDiscussion and bug reports
The public Fantasy Grounds thread for Nerve. Good for questions other testers can answer.
Open the forum thread ↗Nerve is free during alpha. If you would like to support development, visit our Forge listing for the available support options. Donations do not unlock features or priority support. Future stable releases or additional products may be paid; pricing and availability will be announced separately.