Shinra CC

What this is

Module ID	hlo-importer-abyssal-engine
HLO tool name	HeroLab to Foundry - Powered by Abyssal Engine
Author	Shinra CC
License	MIT
Foundry compatibility	V13 minimum, V14.361 verified
Target systems	pf2e, sf2e
Brand family	Part of the Abyssal Engine suite
Source repository	github.com/ShinraEngineer/hlo-importer-abyssal-engine

Why this exists

This module exists because the previous two, zarmstrong's hlo-importer and its companion conversion service, are dead. They served the Pathfinder 2e Foundry community well from 2020 through September 2022, and then they stopped. The PHP backend was the single point of failure, and once it stopped getting updated the whole pipeline froze at PF2e Foundry data version 3.13.5. Anyone running a current Foundry world has been stuck pasting characters by hand for years.

I'm an avid PF2e and SF2e player, and HeroLab Online is the authoritative character builder for both systems. The slot is empty, nobody else has stepped up to fill it, and the people who would benefit from this module have been quietly going without. So I'm building it again, properly this time: the conversion logic lives inside the module, there is no third-party service in the critical path, and Starfinder 2e is supported from day one rather than bolted on later. If you love HeroLab and you live in Foundry, this is for you. If you used the old hlo-importer and miss it, this is for you too.

Quick start

Install via manifest URL

In Foundry V13.351 or V14.361, open Add-on Modules, click Install Module, and paste this into the Manifest URL field:

https://shinra.cc/hlo-importer-abyssal-engine/module.json

Foundry fetches the manifest, downloads the release zip from releases/hlo-ab-v1.0.0.zip, and installs into Data/modules/hlo-importer-abyssal-engine/. Enable the module in a PF2e or SF2e world to start importing.

Install via Foundry package search (when approved)

Once the module clears review and is added to the Foundry package registry, it will show up in the in-app Install Module search by name (HLO Importer (Powered by Abyssal Engine) or hlo-importer-abyssal-engine). One-click install at that point. Until then, the manifest URL above is the supported install path.

Architecture in one paragraph

The Foundry module sends a request directly to https://api.herolab.online, runs the response through an in-module parser, then through an in-module compendium matcher (hybrid strategy: slug-first, fuzzy-name second, curated overrides third), then through an in-module Foundry actor builder, and finally hands the result to Actor.create() (or Actor.update() for re-imports). There is no third-party hosted service in the critical path. Three input modes feed the same parser: element token (API), pasted JSON, and uploaded JSON file.

Pack routing

PF2e and SF2e use different logical pack names in their system.json manifests. PF2e kept legacy names (feats-srd, actionspf2e, spells-srd, equipment-srd, classfeatures, ancestryfeatures, conditionitems); SF2e (built fresh in 2024) uses consistent kebab-case throughout. The matcher's routing is per-system. Cross-system content (PF2e characters in an SF2e world or vice versa) routes through the optional pf2e-anachronism and sf2e-anachronism modules' packs as fallback.

Support & Contact

Channel	Link
Ko-Fi (tip jar)	ko-fi.com/adamantiteadventurer
Discord (direct message)	shinra.engineer
GitHub Issues	github.com/ShinraEngineer/hlo-importer-abyssal-engine/issues
Brand home	shinra.cc

For bug reports and feature requests, file a GitHub Issue. For design questions or quick chats, Discord is the fastest route. The Ko-Fi tip jar is for anyone who wants to support continued development; it is appreciated, never required.