FX Bus

FX Bus is a GM-controlled cinematic visual effects module for Foundry Virtual Tabletop v13 and v14.

It lets the GM trigger screen, token, tile, and tether effects across all connected clients during live play. Effects are client-side, visual-only, and reversible: FX Bus does not mutate actors, tokens, tiles, scenes, walls, lights, documents, or world state.

FX Bus is built for quick cinematic feedback at the table: screen shake for explosions, screen pulse for alarms, rolling or distorted views for reality-breaking moments, token oscillation for vehicles, tile oscillation for environmental movement, monochrome grading for flashbacks, and animated token tethers for beams, chains, ropes, lasers, magical links, or targeting effects.

Effects can be started from a GM-facing control panel or copied out as ready-to-use macros. These macros can be reused directly, chained together, embedded into larger automations, or triggered by other modules.

FX Bus is intended to sit between simple manual narration and heavyweight VFX sequencing. It favours effects that are immediate, understandable, easy to stop, and safe to use during live play.

Built-in Effects

• Token Oscillation - adds continuous rocking, bobbing, swaying, or vehicle-style motion to selected tokens.
• Tile Oscillation - animates selected tiles for swaying trees, signs, cables, machinery, lamps, debris, or environmental dressing.
• Token Tethers - draws persistent visual links between tokens, including ropes, chains, beams, arcs, lasers, and animated energy-flow effects.
• Screen Shake - adds impact shakes, explosions, collisions, engine vibration, or sustained rumble.
• Screen Pulse - applies full-screen colour pulses for alarms, danger states, magical surges, or environmental warnings.
• Screen Roll - rotates or wobbles the rendered canvas view for gravity shifts, rift ruptures, crashes, psychic attacks, or reality-breaking events.
• Screen Vignette - darkens or colours the screen edge for tension, low-health states, hazards, or cinematic framing.
• Chromatic Aberration - adds RGB split distortion for digital interference, magical corruption, disorientation, or high-stress scenes.
• Screen Noise - overlays film grain or static for surveillance feeds, damaged optics, corrupted signals, or gritty ambience.
• Screen Blur - applies static or pulsing blur for shock, intoxication, fatigue, dream sequences, or psychic pressure.
• Screen Smear - creates trailing screen-space ghosts for extreme speed, momentum, or temporal distortion.
• Screen Streak - adds directional motion streaks for velocity, warp effects, rapid movement, or transitions.
• Monochrome Filter - applies full-screen monochrome grading for noir scenes, flashbacks, surveillance feeds, dream states, or dramatic reveals.

Demo Videos

Full Cinematic Chase Demo
A layered cyberpunk chase scene combining multiple FX Bus effects during live play.
View video

Token Oscillation
Continuous vehicle-style motion applied to selected tokens.
View video

Screen Roll
Reality tilts, slips, and rolls without changing scene data.
View video

Screen Shake
Short impact shakes and sustained rumble effects.
View video

Tile Oscillation
Environmental tile animation for swaying, bobbing, rotating, or subtle background motion.
View video

Monochrome Filter
Full-screen monochrome grading with fade, contrast, brightness, and opacity controls.
View video

Token Tethers
Animated links between tokens for beams, chains, ropes, lasers, targeting lines, or magical connections.
View video

Compatibility

• Foundry VTT: v13 and v14
• System dependency: none
• External assets: none required