A rewrite of the plot generator.

plot-dat.js

var objvocab = {// Data object
    "FIRST": [
        "The average member of this race <build> and <height>. "
            + "They <epidermis>. "
            + "They have <feature>. "
            + " <wardrobe>. "
            + " <theylive> <environment>. "
            + " <personality> <trivia>."],
    "build": [
        "has a delicate build",
        "has a slender build",
        "has a stocky build",
        "has a build similar to that of humans"],
    "height": [
        "is extremely tall",
        "is quite tall",
        "is a little taller than humans on average",
        "is extremely short",
        "is quite short",
        "is a little shorter than humans on average",
        "is around the same height as the average human"],
    "epidermis": [
        "have <complexions-human> skin and <hair>",
        "have <complexions-human> skin and <hair-human>",
        "have <complexions> and <hair>",
        "have <deccolors> skin and <hair>",
        "have skin covered in <deccolors> scales"],
    "complexions": [
        "<complexions-unwild> skin",
        "<complexions-human> skin",
        "<deccolors> skin"],
    "hair": [
        "are completely hairless",
        "are completely hairless",
        "are completely hairless",
        "are covered with <haircolor> hair",
        "have <haircolor> hair",
        "have <haircolor> hair",
        "have <haircolor> hair",
        "have <haircolor> hair",
        "have <haircolor> hair"],
    "hair-human": [
        "are completely hairless",
        "are covered with <haircolor-human> hair",
        "have <haircolor-human> hair"],
    "haircolor": ["<haircolor-human>", "<deccolors>"],
    "haircolor-human": [
        "black",
        "black to brown",
        "blond",
        "blond to brown",
        "brown",
        "red",
        "red to brown",
        "red to blond",
        "white",
        "white to blond"],
    "complexions-unwild": [
        "<shade-g><tint> gray",
        "<shade-g><tint>",
        "<shade-un-2>green",
        "<shade-un-2>blue",
        "<shade-g>grayish <grayish>",
        "<shade-nv>brownish <brownish>"],
    "complexions-human" : [
        "brown",
        "dark",
        "dark brown",
        "light to medium brown",
        "medium brown",
        "medium to dark brown",
        "fair to dark brown",
        "pale to dark brown",
        "fair",
        "pale",
        "fair to pale"],
    "feature": [
        "<featureMarkings> and <featureEyes>",
        "<featureEyes>",
        "<featureEars> and <featureEyes>",
        "<featureEars>, <featureMarkings>, and <featureEyes>",
        "<featureMarkings>, <featureFace>, and <featureEyes>",
        "<featureFace> and <featureEyes>",
        "<featureEars>, <featureFace>, and <featureEyes>",
        "<featureEars>, <featureMarkings>, <featureFace>, and <featureEyes>",
        "<featureMarkings> and facial features "
            + "that put you in mind of <animal>",
        "<featureMarkings>, <featureEyes-2>,"
            + " and facial features that put you in mind of <animal>",
        "<featureEyes-2> and facial features that put you in mind of <animal>"],
    "animal": [
        "a cat", "a dog", "a rabbit", "a moose", "a seal", "an iguana",
        "a snake", "a deer", "a rat", "a mouse", "a lizard", "a wolf",
        "a monkey", "a turtle", "a bird", "an owl", "a beetle", "a moth",
        "a horned toad", "a spider", "a buffalo", "an antelope", "a frog"],
    "featureMarkings": ["<Markings> on their <BodyPart>"],
    "featureEars": [
        "antennae rather than ears",
        "cat-like ears",
        "ears shaped like leaves",
        "long, pointed ears",
        "very large ears",
        "very small ears"],
    "featureEyes": [
        "<eyecolor> eyes",
        "<eyecolor> <eyetype> eyes",
        "large, <eyecolor> eyes",
        "small, <eyecolor> eyes"],
    "featureEyes-2": ["<eyecolor> eyes"],
    "eyetype": [
        "cat-like", "fish-like", "bird-like", "insectoid", "octopus-like"],
    "eyecolor"      : ["<eyecolor-human>", "<deccolors>", "<metallic>"],
    "eyecolor-human": ["black", "blue", "brown", "dark", "gray", "green"],
    "Markings": [
        "colorful markings",
        "distinctive markings",
        "<spotcritter>-like spots",
        "<stripecritter>-like stripes"],
    "spotcritter": ["leopard", "cheetah", "giraffe", "fawn", "jaguar"],
    "stripecritter": ["tiger", "tabby", "okapi"],
    "featureFace": ["<FaceFeature> on their <FacePart>"],
    "FaceFeature": [
        "small ridges",
        "delicate ridges",
        "extensive ridges",
        "prominent ridges",
        "ridges",
        "small hornlike protrusions",
        "hornlike protrusions",
        "prominent hornlike protrusions"],
    "FacePart": ["ears", "foreheads", "heads", "noses"],
    "BodyPart": [
        "faces",
        "faces, necks, and bodies",
        "arms and legs",
        "bodies"],
    "wardrobe": ["They wear <clothing>",
                 "They wear <clothing> and <accessories>"],
    "clothing": [
        "<clothingDesc> clothing",
        "<clothingDesc> clothing that covers most of their bodies",
        "<clothingDesc> clothing that covers the essentials",
        "<clothingDesc> clothing that leaves very little to the imagination",
        "<clothingDesc>, modest clothing",
        "highly technological suits"],
    "clothingDesc": [
        "colorful",
        "drab",
        "richly-decorated",
        "simple"],
    "accessories": [
        "very little jewelry",
        "a lot of jewelry",
        "decorations that show their rank",
        "<jewelryDesc> bracelets",
        "<jewelryDesc> jewelry",
        "<jewelryDesc> pendants",
        "cybernetic implants"],
    "jewelryDesc": [
        "finely crafted",
        "ostentatious",
        "simple",
        "tasteful"],
    "theylive": [
        "Their native habitat is",
        "They are well-adapted to",
        "They come from"],
    "environment": [
        "a cold climate",
        "an aquatic environment",
        "an extremely cold climate",
        "a hot, dry climate",
        "a temperate climate",
        "a tropical environment",
        "a warm climate"],
    "trivia": [
        "they are well-known for their <stuff>",
        "their leaders are interested in learning about other peoples' <stuff>",
        "many of them have expressed interest" +
            " in learning about other peoples' <stuff>",
        "<conquestystuff>"],
    "conquestystuff": [
        "at large they are out for conquest",
        "many of their leaders have an aggressive expansionist policy",
        "they have started several new colonies lately"],
    "personality": [
        "They are generally <trait> and",
        "They tend to be <trait> and",
        "They are often <trait> and",
        "For the most part, their culture highly regards <trait2> and",
        "Many of them place high importance on <trait2> and"],
    "trait2": [
        "caution",
        "curiosity",
        "intellectualism",
        "loyalty",
        "patriotism",
        "tenacity",
        "tradition"],
    "trait": [
        "cautious", "friendly", "intellectual", "mystical", "optimistic",
        "pessimistic", "peaceful", "playful", "religious", "warlike",
        "xenophobic"],
    "stuff": [
        "advances in medicine",
        "art",
        "contributions to science",
        "cuisine",
        "literature",
        "music",
        "philosophies"],
    "deccolors": ["<warmcolor>", "<coolcolor>", "<gradient>", "<bw>"],
    "mostlycoolend": [
        "and <mbwwc>",
        "and <mbwwc>",
        "<warmcolor>, and <bw>",
        "<metallic>, and <bw>"],
    "gradient": [
        "<shade-un>red-to-yellow",
        "<shade-un>red-to-brown",
        "<shade-un>red-to-orange",
        "<shade-un>orange-to-yellow",
        "<shade-un>orange-to-brown",
        "<shade-un>magenta-to-pink",
        "<shade-un>magenta-to-brown",
        "<shade-un>magenta-to-orange",
        "<shade-un>yellow-to-green",
        "<shade-un>yellow-to-blue",
        "<shade-un-2>green-to-turquoise",
        "<shade-un-2>green-to-blue",
        "<shade-un-2>turqoise-to-blue",
        "<shade-un-2>blue-to-indigo",
        "<shade-un-2>blue-to-purple",
        "<shade-un-2>indigo-to-purple",
        "<shade-un>brown"],
    "warmcolor": [
        "<shade-nv>brown",
        "magenta",
        "<shade-nl>red",
        "<shade-nl>red",
        "<shade>pink",
        "<shade-nd>yellow",
        "<shade-nd>yellow",
        "<shade-nd>orange"],
    "coolcolor": [
        "<shade>aqua",
        "<shade>green",
        "<shade>green",
        "<shade>blue",
        "<shade>blue",
        "<shade>blue",
        "<shade>purple",
        "<shade>purple",
        "<shade>turquoise"],
    "metallic": ["brass", "copper", "gold", "silver"],
    "grayish":  ["green", "blue", "purple", "indigo", "turquoise", "brown"],
    "brownish": ["red", "orange"],
    "bw":       ["black", "<shade-g>gray", "<shade-g><tint> gray", "white"],
    "mbw":      ["<metallic>", "<bw>"],
    "mbwcc":    ["<metallic>", "<bw>", "<coolcolor>"],
    "mbwwc":    ["<metallic>", "<bw>", "<warmcolor>"],
    "shade":    ["variating ", "light ", "vivid ", "dark ", "muted ", "drab ",
                 ""],
    "shade-g":  ["variating ", "light ", "dark ", ""],
    "tint":     ["greenish", "bluish", "pinkish", "purplish", "tealish"],
    "shade-nl": ["variating ", "dark ", "vivid ", "muted ", "drab ", ""],
    "shade-nd": ["variating ", "pastel ", "vivid ", "muted ", "drab ", ""],
    "shade-nv": ["variating ", "light ", "dark ", "rich ",
                 "muted ", "drab ", ""],
    "shade-un": ["variating ", "gradiating ", "muted ", "drab ", ""],
    "shade-un-2": ["<shade-un>", "<shade>"],
    "THIRD": [""]};

// In order for the plot generator to know what to expand,
// you need to feed it objvocab or aVocab.
// it will be able to figure out which one you used automatically.
plotGenerator.feedData(objvocab);

// This can be left alone.
function GenPlot() {
    document.GENFORM.STORY.value = plotGenerator.expandAllVariables("<FIRST>");}

plot-generator.js

var plotGenerator = {
    // This object holds all the functions and data
    // required to process the input string.
    // it can be separated out to a second file.
    dataObj: {},
    dataArr: [],
    dataVersion: "",
    // ------
    feedData: function(list) {
        // Feeds a list written elsewhere into the object.
        // Automatically decides whether or not it is an old-style array
        // or an associative array/object.
        // updates the data variables above.
        if (list instanceof Array) { // is an array
            plotGenerator.dataArr = list;
            plotGenerator.dataVersion = "array";}
        else { // is an object
            plotGenerator.dataObj = list;
            plotGenerator.dataVersion = "object";}},
    randomEntry: function(array) {
        // Returns a random element in an array.
        return array[Math.floor(Math.random() * array.length)];},
    makeErrorOutput: function(variableName) {
        // function to insert into output string if variable is not found.
        return "[Variable " + variableName
            + " not defined – contact developer!]";},
    expandVariable: function(variableName) {
        if (plotGenerator.dataVersion === "array") { // Array version
            for (var i in plotGenerator.dataArr) {
                if (aVocab[i][0] === variableName) {
                    return plotGenerator.randomEntry(
                        plotGenerator.dataArr[i][1]);}}
            // Fallthrough case
            return plotGenerator.makeErrorOutput(variableName);}
        else { // object version
            if (plotGenerator.dataObj.hasOwnProperty(variableName)) {
                return plotGenerator.randomEntry(
                    plotGenerator.dataObj[variableName]);}
            else { // Fallthrough case
                return plotGenerator.makeErrorOutput(variableName);}}},
    expandAllVariables: function(string) {
        var matches = "";
        var variablePattern = /<([^<>]+)>/;
        // ^ Regex pattern matching variables of the form <FOO>.
        while (variablePattern.test(string)) { // some variables still found
        matches = variablePattern.exec(string);
        string = string.replace(matches[0],
                                plotGenerator.expandVariable(matches[1]));}
        return string;}};