base_dialogoffset.dbss

Binary layout, byte coverage, field semantics, and validation evidence for the base_dialogoffset decoder used by calpheonlabs.

Investigation status

Status	Value
Coverage	100%
Iteration	4
Review state	No open blockers
Last reviewed	2026-07-20
Captures examined	installed client 2923, prior-build ledger
Decoder	`packages/scraper/src/tables/base_dialogoffset.dbss.ts`
Remaining blockers	None

See Decoder methodology for the confidence scale and evidence rules.

base_dialog

Open the payload table whose rows this pointer directory frames.

Field ledger

Field/path	Offset and width	Representation	Claimed meaning	Physical confidence	Representation confidence	Semantic confidence	Evidence	Status
`magic`	file `+0`, 4 bytes	Exact ASCII `PABR`; validated and omitted from output	PABR table signature	Certain	Certain	Certain	Both captures use the self-identifying signature; the shared `pabr` envelope requires it.	Closed
`rowCount`	file `+4`, 4 bytes	Little-endian `u32`; consumes and frames `rows`, then is omitted	Number of pointer rows	Certain	Certain	Certain	The current value `58,537` gives the exact file equation `8 + 58,537 × 12 + 12 = 702,464`; the prior build’s `58,535` rows use the same grammar.	Closed
`rows`	file `+8`, `rowCount × 12` bytes	Count-framed array retained in physical file order	Base-dialogue companion directory	Certain	Certain	Certain	All 58,537 current rows decode to the independently verified key/span inventory and land exactly on the footer.	Closed
`rows[].key`	pointer `+0`, 4 bytes	Little-endian `u32`, retained	Full-width packed base-dialogue lookup key	Certain	Certain	Certain	Keys are unique; every key equals the `base_dialog.dbss` word at `offset`, equals the intrinsic `dialogKey`, and the ordered inventory equals `detail_dialogoffset.dbss`.	Closed
`rows[].offset`	pointer `+4`, 4 bytes	Little-endian `u32`, retained without rebasing	Absolute start of the complete base-dialogue row	Certain	Certain	Certain	Sorted offsets begin immediately after the companion’s four-byte count and each equals the next owned row boundary. An `offset + 1` audit mutation is rejected.	Closed
`rows[].byteLength`	pointer `+8`, 4 bytes	Little-endian `u32`, retained	Exact bytes owned by the complete base-dialogue row	Certain	Certain	Certain	Each interval is `[offset, offset + byteLength)`; the sorted intervals exactly partition companion bytes `[4, 2,038,989)`. A `byteLength + 1` audit mutation is rejected.	Closed
`footer.reserved00`	file `-12`, 4 bytes; current `+702,452`	Required zero word; validated and omitted	Reserved PABR footer word	Certain	Certain	Unknown	Zero in both captures; targeted nonzero corruption is rejected.	Closed
`footer.footerOffset`	file `-8`, 4 bytes; current `+702,456`	Little-endian `u32`; validated and omitted	Absolute self-pointer to the footer start	Certain	Certain	Certain	Current value is `702,452`, exactly its own footer start; targeted corruption is rejected.	Closed
`footer.reserved08`	file `-4`, 4 bytes; current `+702,460`	Required zero word; validated and omitted	Reserved PABR footer word	Certain	Certain	Unknown	Zero in both captures; targeted nonzero corruption is rejected and the word ends the file.	Closed
`base_dialog.dbss` count	companion file `+0`, 4 bytes	Independent raw-DBSS `u32` row count	Frames the data rows addressed by this directory	Certain	Certain	Certain	Its current value is also `58,537`; the data decoder consumes this count and every intrinsically framed row without consulting the offset table.	Closed
Pointer-to-row span relationship	companion `[4, 2,038,989)` in client 2923	Unique sorted `[offset, offset + byteLength)` intervals	Exact ownership of every byte after the companion count	Certain	Certain	Certain	The 58,537 intervals are contiguous, nonoverlapping, in bounds, and end at EOF; key, offset, and length mutations independently fail the aggregate audit.	Closed
Pointer/data key identity	pointer `key`; companion `offset +0`, 4 bytes; decoded `dialogKey`	Three independently decoded `u32` views of one identity	Directory key selects exactly one base-dialogue row	Certain	Certain	Certain	Every current and prior-build pointer agrees with the physical row key and intrinsic decoder; keys are unique and no competing row can satisfy the relationship.	Closed
Base/detail ordered-key identity	complete pointer arrays and decoded data arrays	Exact sequence comparison, not a runtime join	Base and detail tables share the same character/dialog identity inventory	Certain	Certain	Certain	All 58,537 current pointer keys match `detail_dialogoffset.dbss` in order, and all current decoded base/detail `dialogKey` values also match in order; the prior 58,535-row build agreed likewise.	Closed

Active assumptions

Findings

ID	Finding	Evidence	Schema/documentation impact	Status
F-01	The offset file is canonical PABR, not raw count-only DBSS.	Client 2923 is exactly 702,464 bytes: four-byte magic, four-byte count, 58,537 twelve-byte pointers, and a twelve-byte zero/self-pointer/zero footer. The prior 58,535-row capture has the same envelope.	`NpcKey32OffsetPabr` remains the exact physical schema; PABR controls are validated and deliberately omitted from decoded output.	Closed
F-02	Current pointers own every companion byte after its count and repeat no key.	Sorted spans exactly partition the 2,038,989-byte `base_dialog.dbss` from byte 4 through EOF, and all 58,537 keys agree with physical and decoded row keys.	The directory is an exhaustive validator of row identity and boundaries, with no unowned or multiply owned bytes.	Closed
F-03	Corruption coverage distinguishes envelope enforcement from aggregate relationship enforcement.	Magic, `count + 1`, and nonzero mutations of each of the three PABR footer words fail schema decoding; separate unused-key, `offset + 1`, and `byteLength + 1` pointer mutations fail the complete-capture partition/key audit.	Header/footer checks remain rejecting schema checks; pointer semantics remain explicitly verified by the aggregate test.	Closed
F-04	Captured totals are observations, not format invariants.	Pointer count grew from 58,535 to 58,537 while the 12-byte row and PABR grammar remained unchanged.	Neither count, current file size, nor individual observed span length is frozen in the production decoder.	Closed
F-05	Archived semantic sources have no physical offset-table representation.	Archived `Dialog_Table` and targeted BDOCodex NPC/dialogue pages expose logical dialogue identities or content, but no PABR header, pointer offset, byte length, or footer.	Physical confidence comes exclusively from local binaries; neither external source is a decoder, fixture, mapping, cache, or runtime dependency.	Closed
F-06	`base_dialog.dbss` remains intrinsically framed.	Its own row count, nested string lengths, line counts, and row footer decode the complete 2,038,989-byte file independently; the companion audit reaches the same boundaries.	Production data decoding does not require offset-directed slicing or a join to this directory.	Closed