Not every DM loves a page worth of backstory, but I do...
So DMs (or heck, even players!) - how do you feel about using AI to generate backstories? Or, perhaps some DMs use AI to generate campaign ideas?
I tried using GPT 3.5 to help refine some D&D ideas, but in general the stories it spits out are just not as good as people are giving it credit for. The backstories I've seen people drop on this forum are particularly terrible. See this thread for an example. My comment is the last in the thread, for reference.
Using it for backstories is also probably a waste of its potential. A good backstory should be short, and establish the connection that a character shares with the world, and leaves room for the DM to expand. Remember, Luke Skywalker's backstory was just that he was a talented pilot on a backwater desert planet with unknown parentage, and is stalked by a weird old dude.
As far as campaign ideas go, Chat GPT is strongest when it does the lightest lifting. It can help refine ideas if given a detailed set of inputs, but will settle back on tropey played-out ideas if not given guidance.
I wouldn't use AI, but I wouldn't mind a player or DM using it as a tool. They could use it to get ideas or lay down something basic as long as they build on it and add their own touch to it. When AI first became a thing, a friend made it write a DND campaign set in a fantasy version of the reformation where you played Martin Luther and the Pope was the BBEG.
Yeah - one of my GMs (this was for the World of Darkness setting) used AI to generate some ideas. And then he just took that, and filled it with what was needed to unify the different sessions.
I’ll admit to having asked AI for advice and inspiration on a few occasions, but I’d never try to use it in the place of my own writing. I’m far too egotistical for that ;)
As for my players using AI, it’s really a case-by-case basis. The biggest issue is that it feels sort of disrespectful — you only needed to write two or three sentences, after all.
Question - if a player approached you where you're the DM and said, "Could you give my character a backstory? Inspiration isn't hitting me."
Would you also do two or three sentences, or write something out? I ask, since you mentioned being a writer. Curious, if it was on you, if you'd still only write two or three sentences, or find a way to tie things in with your own campaign?
Not every DM loves a page worth of backstory, but I do...
So DMs (or heck, even players!) - how do you feel about using AI to generate backstories? Or, perhaps some DMs use AI to generate campaign ideas?
Using it for backstories is also probably a waste of its potential. A good backstory should be short, and establish the connection that a character shares with the world, and leaves room for the DM to expand. Remember, Luke Skywalker's backstory was just that he was a talented pilot on a backwater desert planet with unknown parentage, and is stalked by a weird old dude.
As far as campaign ideas go, Chat GPT is strongest when it does the lightest lifting. It can hep refine ideas if given a detailed set of inputs, but will settle back on tropey played-out ideas if not given guidance.
Yes, at the core - that's what Luke was. However, if it were fleshed out more to talk about how Luke grew up, moisture farm, arid desert, pretty much alone, uncle didn't seem to care too much because he was so strict, aunt seemed more forgiving, that's who he was raised by, then go into detail about this is why Luke often spent time with the only friend he truly had, a young man his same age, named Biggs. So that, if this were a D&D (Star Wars) game - when Luke gets with the Rebellion - and a familiar voice calls out, "Luke, is that you?" The reunion scene between play and NPC feels stronger (rather than the DM saying, "A familiar voice calls out your name - it's Biggs." And the player having no idea of the significance. (I am, for example, referencing this scene).
I wouldn't use AI, but I wouldn't mind a player or DM using it as a tool. They could use it to get ideas or lay down something basic as long as they build on it and add their own touch to it. When AI first became a thing, a friend made it write a DND campaign set in a fantasy version of the reformation where you played Martin Luther and the Pope was the BBEG.
Yeah - one of my GMs (this was for the World of Darkness setting) used AI to generate some ideas. And then he just took that, and filled it with what was needed to unify the different sessions.
I’ll admit to having asked AI for advice and inspiration on a few occasions, but I’d never try to use it in the place of my own writing. I’m far too egotistical for that ;)
As for my players using AI, it’s really a case-by-case basis. The biggest issue is that it feels sort of disrespectful — you only needed to write two or three sentences, after all.
Question - if a player approached you where you're the DM and said, "Could you give my character a backstory? Inspiration isn't hitting me."
Would you also do two or three sentences, or write something out? I ask, since you mentioned being a writer. Curious, if it was on you, if you'd still only write two or three sentences, or find a way to tie things in with your own campaign?
Not every DM loves a page worth of backstory, but I do...
So DMs (or heck, even players!) - how do you feel about using AI to generate backstories? Or, perhaps some DMs use AI to generate campaign ideas?
Using it for backstories is also probably a waste of its potential. A good backstory should be short, and establish the connection that a character shares with the world, and leaves room for the DM to expand. Remember, Luke Skywalker's backstory was just that he was a talented pilot on a backwater desert planet with unknown parentage, and is stalked by a weird old dude.
As far as campaign ideas go, Chat GPT is strongest when it does the lightest lifting. It can hep refine ideas if given a detailed set of inputs, but will settle back on tropey played-out ideas if not given guidance.
Yes, at the core - that's what Luke was. However, if it were fleshed out more to talk about how Luke grew up, moisture farm, arid desert, pretty much alone, uncle didn't seem to care too much because he was so strict, aunt seemed more forgiving, that's who he was raised by, then go into detail about this is why Luke often spent time with the only friend he truly had, a young man his same age, named Biggs. So that, if this were a D&D (Star Wars) game - when Luke gets with the Rebellion - and a familiar voice calls out, "Luke, is that you?" The reunion scene between play and NPC feels stronger (rather than the DM saying, "A familiar voice calls out your name - it's Biggs." And the player having no idea of the significance. (I am, for example, referencing this scene).
I mean sure, but we're still a far cry from some of the over-the-top epic poems that you see people write as backstory on these forums. The major information we needed from the first act of ANH (ignoring the scene with Leia) was that Luke had no known parents (bond & flaw), that Obi-Wan and the droids are his path onto the hero's journey and space magic (bond & ideal), and that the Empire is evil and needs to be defeated (ideal). Biggs (bond) was a nice touch that added some emotional heat through his death during the trench run, but ultimately I suspect you and I are the only people that recognize his significance there. Luke was seemingly much more affected by Obi-Wan's death than Biggs'.
Hi! I'm EJO. I am a silly billy who forgets to play Genshin Impact every day and totally DOESN'T simp for at least three different ninja girls. Some other facts about me:
Milio has been ditched. Now Xerath is my friend.
My average accuracy in Marvel Rivals is about 15%.
It's gonna take some getting used to as I have never played anything except 5e and don't really see any reason otherwise.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hi! I'm EJO. I am a silly billy who forgets to play Genshin Impact every day and totally DOESN'T simp for at least three different ninja girls. Some other facts about me:
Milio has been ditched. Now Xerath is my friend.
My average accuracy in Marvel Rivals is about 15%.
I’ll admit to having asked AI for advice and inspiration on a few occasions, but I’d never try to use it in the place of my own writing. I’m far too egotistical for that ;)
As for my players using AI, it’s really a case-by-case basis. The biggest issue is that it feels sort of disrespectful — you only needed to write two or three sentences, after all.
Question - if a player approached you where you're the DM and said, "Could you give my character a backstory? Inspiration isn't hitting me."
Would you also do two or three sentences, or write something out? I ask, since you mentioned being a writer. Curious, if it was on you, if you'd still only write two or three sentences, or find a way to tie things in with your own campaign?
I’d probably write 2-3 paragraphs, with ten sentences at most. IMO, that’s a good length for a backstory that seems detailed without being unnecessarily intricate. However, as I mentioned earlier, I hold myself to a higher standard than I’d expect from my players and I don’t expect them to put a great deal of thought into their characters. After all, we’re just a group of friends looking to have some fun over the weekends.
As for tying things into my campaign, I would likely avoid doing so because that feels sort of like railroading/lore-dumping when it isn’t needed. It’s much easier to get invested in a simple character than an overly complex one.
My average backstory length for real-life campaigns is around three paragraphs. In PBPs and online campaigns, it can be anywhere from three to ten, usually erring on the low side. Going past that is doable, but more annoying than impressive — and I try to avoid the stereotypical chapter-book-backstory because I don’t want the DM to fall asleep in our session zero!
Storytellers! I return once more from the grim and oft-feared place known as “writing deadlines” to bring you a game!
Icarus is a wonderful roleplaying game about the fall out a great society! I highly recommend, particularly to GMs who wish to have a fun and interactive way to design great civilizations that fell for the histories of their campaigns. That’s right! Icarus is not only a game in its own right, but a great way to design the past of your own D&D games!
What old D&D mechanic do you wish you could have in 5e? Or, if you feel a bit more creative, what mechanic do you want to steal from another rpg for not just your D&D games, but as a new core rule for D&D?
Personally, I want to bring back prestige classes. But, if that feels more like a character option than a mechanic, I want to see the equipment traits mechanic from Pathfinder 2e.
nice! I'm a big fan, and I'm trying to figure out one of their old discontinued rpgs.
I am not sure if you use Discord - but I am pretty sure the DM that I played with - used the folks on Discord for some good information.
i do actually. check my profile
Even in your extended profile, I don't see a reference to discord... I see your favorite D&D Beyonders, some metal quotes from lyrics, some images... But not discord? Unless I zipped right by it?
What old D&D mechanic do you wish you could have in 5e? Or, if you feel a bit more creative, what mechanic do you want to steal from another rpg for not just your D&D games, but as a new core rule for D&D?
Personally, I want to bring back prestige classes. But, if that feels more like a character option than a mechanic, I want to see the equipment traits mechanic from Pathfinder 2e.
I'll be honest, I was never really interested in 40k, and nowadays I'm doubly offput by the growing sub-community of neo-Nazis that don't seem to appreciate that the empire of man is a cautionary tale rather than an aspirational one.
I tried using GPT 3.5 to help refine some D&D ideas, but in general the stories it spits out are just not as good as people are giving it credit for. The backstories I've seen people drop on this forum are particularly terrible. See this thread for an example. My comment is the last in the thread, for reference.
Using it for backstories is also probably a waste of its potential. A good backstory should be short, and establish the connection that a character shares with the world, and leaves room for the DM to expand. Remember, Luke Skywalker's backstory was just that he was a talented pilot on a backwater desert planet with unknown parentage, and is stalked by a weird old dude.
As far as campaign ideas go, Chat GPT is strongest when it does the lightest lifting. It can help refine ideas if given a detailed set of inputs, but will settle back on tropey played-out ideas if not given guidance.
Yeah - one of my GMs (this was for the World of Darkness setting) used AI to generate some ideas. And then he just took that, and filled it with what was needed to unify the different sessions.
Question - if a player approached you where you're the DM and said, "Could you give my character a backstory? Inspiration isn't hitting me."
Would you also do two or three sentences, or write something out? I ask, since you mentioned being a writer. Curious, if it was on you, if you'd still only write two or three sentences, or find a way to tie things in with your own campaign?
Heh! What do you typically use AI for?
Yes, at the core - that's what Luke was. However, if it were fleshed out more to talk about how Luke grew up, moisture farm, arid desert, pretty much alone, uncle didn't seem to care too much because he was so strict, aunt seemed more forgiving, that's who he was raised by, then go into detail about this is why Luke often spent time with the only friend he truly had, a young man his same age, named Biggs. So that, if this were a D&D (Star Wars) game - when Luke gets with the Rebellion - and a familiar voice calls out, "Luke, is that you?" The reunion scene between play and NPC feels stronger (rather than the DM saying, "A familiar voice calls out your name - it's Biggs." And the player having no idea of the significance. (I am, for example, referencing this scene).
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
I mean sure, but we're still a far cry from some of the over-the-top epic poems that you see people write as backstory on these forums. The major information we needed from the first act of ANH (ignoring the scene with Leia) was that Luke had no known parents (bond & flaw), that Obi-Wan and the droids are his path onto the hero's journey and space magic (bond & ideal), and that the Empire is evil and needs to be defeated (ideal). Biggs (bond) was a nice touch that added some emotional heat through his death during the trench run, but ultimately I suspect you and I are the only people that recognize his significance there. Luke was seemingly much more affected by Obi-Wan's death than Biggs'.
Oh god
My DM is doing a 2E CAMPAIGN
WHYYY
Hi! I'm EJO. I am a silly billy who forgets to play Genshin Impact every day and totally DOESN'T simp for at least three different ninja girls. Some other facts about me:
Milio has been ditched. Now Xerath is my friend.
My average accuracy in Marvel Rivals is about 15%.
I like cheese.
Hold on to your butt.
Black is white, up is down, and high AC represents worse armor.
¯\_ (ツ)_/¯
It's gonna take some getting used to as I have never played anything except 5e and don't really see any reason otherwise.
Hi! I'm EJO. I am a silly billy who forgets to play Genshin Impact every day and totally DOESN'T simp for at least three different ninja girls. Some other facts about me:
Milio has been ditched. Now Xerath is my friend.
My average accuracy in Marvel Rivals is about 15%.
I like cheese.
I’d probably write 2-3 paragraphs, with ten sentences at most. IMO, that’s a good length for a backstory that seems detailed without being unnecessarily intricate. However, as I mentioned earlier, I hold myself to a higher standard than I’d expect from my players and I don’t expect them to put a great deal of thought into their characters. After all, we’re just a group of friends looking to have some fun over the weekends.
As for tying things into my campaign, I would likely avoid doing so because that feels sort of like railroading/lore-dumping when it isn’t needed. It’s much easier to get invested in a simple character than an overly complex one.
My average backstory length for real-life campaigns is around three paragraphs. In PBPs and online campaigns, it can be anywhere from three to ten, usually erring on the low side. Going past that is doable, but more annoying than impressive — and I try to avoid the stereotypical chapter-book-backstory because I don’t want the DM to fall asleep in our session zero!
Terra Lubridia archive:
The Bloody Barnacle | The Gut | The Athene Crusader | The Jewel of Atlantis
It's because they want to murder your characters.
Because 2e is extremely lethal. While I grew up playing 2e, I much prefer, both as DM and player, 5e.
Because 2e, while fun (and lethal) is overly complicated.
For example, a Fighter might need to roll an 11 to hit a monster, but a Rogue has to roll a 14, and the Wizard an 18.
Because they all have different "to hit" dynamics.
And that's just the beginning.
You don't want AC 10.
You want, one day, to be OP and have AC -10.
It's a silly place.
Played in in the pen and paper - not to say I am not a fan - but truly not familiar.
I just played it for a few months because the DM of that game was a player in mine, so I was willing to give it a try.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
I am not sure if you use Discord - but I am pretty sure the DM that I played with - used the folks on Discord for some good information.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Storytellers! I return once more from the grim and oft-feared place known as “writing deadlines” to bring you a game!
Icarus is a wonderful roleplaying game about the fall out a great society! I highly recommend, particularly to GMs who wish to have a fun and interactive way to design great civilizations that fell for the histories of their campaigns. That’s right! Icarus is not only a game in its own right, but a great way to design the past of your own D&D games!
And of course, a QotD:
What old D&D mechanic do you wish you could have in 5e? Or, if you feel a bit more creative, what mechanic do you want to steal from another rpg for not just your D&D games, but as a new core rule for D&D?
Personally, I want to bring back prestige classes. But, if that feels more like a character option than a mechanic, I want to see the equipment traits mechanic from Pathfinder 2e.
Even in your extended profile, I don't see a reference to discord... I see your favorite D&D Beyonders, some metal quotes from lyrics, some images... But not discord? Unless I zipped right by it?
FYI - literally same question, two pages ago: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=4790
lol
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Oops! Repeat question… I’m not active enough to know anymore! XD
I'll be honest, I was never really interested in 40k, and nowadays I'm doubly offput by the growing sub-community of neo-Nazis that don't seem to appreciate that the empire of man is a cautionary tale rather than an aspirational one.