Runic Character Vault

Runic Character Vault keeps the authoritative copy of each player's character on your dedicated server. When a player joins, the server securely sends that character to the client; while playing and when leaving, validated saves return to the vault.

Install

Install this package on the dedicated server and every connecting client. Do not combine it with ServerCharacters, Landoria CharacterVault, or another server-character mod.

Select your existing character when joining. With AllowExistingCharacters = true (the default), a character without a vault copy enrolls using its current inventory, skills, appearance, and progress. No starter items are granted to imported characters. The first save is uploaded after spawning, validated, and stored without rewriting its bytes. Wait for the save confirmation before leaving.

Once the vault has a copy, later joins use that authoritative copy. Enrollment cannot replace it. By default, only one character name is allowed per platform account. Set AllowExistingCharacters = false if your server intentionally requires fresh characters.

Server data is stored under:

BepInEx/config/RunicCharacterVault/characters

Automatic server backups are stored in the backups folder. The first enrolled save is retained separately in enrollment-backups and is not removed by rolling retention. A verified local safety copy is made before sending an existing character's enrollment request or replacing the selected profile. A failed local backup stops that operation.

Configuration

Edit BepInEx/config/chazman.RunicCharacterVault.cfg on the server, then restart it.

• AllowExistingCharacters: allow first enrollment of previously played characters. Default: true. Disable after migration if subsequent new players must start fresh. This never overrides an existing vault character.
• AllowMultipleCharacters: permit more than one character name per platform account. Default: false.
• StartingItems: optional comma-separated prefab and quantity pairs, such as Hammer:1,Torch:1, granted only to genuinely new characters.

The legacy command-line switches --charactervault-allow-multiple-characters and --charactervault-starting-items remain supported and override the configuration file.

Runic Character Vault supports normal saves, world checkpoints, logout, voluntary disconnect, kicks, and graceful dedicated-server shutdown handshakes. The server rejects malformed, oversized, mismatched, or unverified character transfers.

First-release safety note

Keep normal world and BepInEx backups. Never manually edit vault files while the server is running.

Attribution

This mod is derived from the MIT-licensed Landoria CharacterVault project. See NOTICE.md and LICENSE.

Language files

This version follows Valheim's selected language using files in Translations/RunicCharacterVault beside the DLL. Missing translations fall back to English. Copy English.json to the selected language name and translate its values. See TRANSLATING.md. No additional translation plugin is required.

Administrator characters

Accounts in the server's adminlist.txt can enroll more than one character even when AllowMultipleCharacters is false. Normal players retain the configured limit. This exception does not bypass character validation, bans, or existing-character import policy.

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1.0.3

• Server administrators in adminlist.txt can enroll multiple characters while normal players retain the configured character limit. Other enrollment validation still applies.
• Added per-mod language files using Valheim's selected language, with English fallback and no new plugin dependency.

Changelog

1.0.2 - 2026-09-10

• Added AllowExistingCharacters (default true) so existing players can enroll without creating replacement characters.
• Existing-character enrollment grants no starter items and still enforces the account's character limit.
• First enrollment preserves the complete validated profile bytes in the vault and a permanent enrollment backup; it cannot overwrite an existing vault profile.
• Concurrent enrollment for the same account is serialized, including when multiple character names are allowed.
• Existing-character joins create and verify a local safety backup. Backup failure now stops profile replacement.

1.0.1 - 2026-09-10

• Reused Valheim's live minimap text template for the character-save status display, preventing Unity 6 from assigning the removed LiberationSans default font while the label is created.
• The status display now fails closed when the live Valheim font template is unavailable instead of creating an unreadable label.

1.0.0

• Added server-authoritative character download and upload for Valheim 1.0.
• Added admission gating, identity validation, transfer hashing, size limits, and chunk validation.
• Added durable server commits plus rolling recent and daily backups.
• Added client safety backups before authoritative profile replacement.
• Added protected saves for checkpoints, logout, disconnect, kick, and graceful shutdown.
• Added Steam and crossplay transport diagnostics.
• Added server configuration for single- or multi-character enrollment and optional starting items.