- Oligopsony
- May 17, 2007
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IME best practices for using ChatGPT as a creative aid are (1) going for volume, then selecting down, (2) providing examples, and (3) specifying temperature. Most of these are in some way or another about getting the model past its first instinct, which is to go for the most obvious stuff you could create anyway. It's bad at evaluation, but good at just being a workhorse, so if you randomly generate then iterate on the best examples you're in business.
Since we're discussing backgrounds, here's how I might go about that:
quote:Give me 12 potential one-sentence backstories for a Wood Elf Sorcerer. Each of these should involve some kind of motivation or complication for the character, or introduce an interesting NPC. For example, "they are the inheritors of an ancient family curse, and their magic will kill them unless they find a way to undo it" or "she stole an amulet from a forest grove and now has magic, but the druids are after her" or "magic dragon blood (son of the dragon who's a major villain in the campaign)"
"Having been touched by a dying Fey spirit as a child, they inherited its magical prowess, but the spirit's enemies relentlessly seek to extinguish its legacy."
"Inheriting a lineage from an ancient, forgotten elven dynasty, they possess forbidden magical knowledge and are pursued by those wanting to seize this power."
"They traded their voice to a mystical creature of the woods for immense magical power, now they must reclaim their voice without losing their sorcery."
"Once a mere woodcarver, they were struck by a bolt of wild magic and given sorcerous powers; now they seek to understand and control this unruly force."
"An ancient tree in their home forest chose them to be its guardian and imbued them with arcane power, yet they struggle with the responsibility of this role."
"Raised by a reclusive, but magical, forest beast, they've been imparted a unique sorcery that leaves both foes and allies puzzled and astonished."
"Being the reincarnation of a powerful elven sorcerer, they have no recollection of their past life, yet are haunted by ominous visions of a darkness they once defeated."
"A prophecy claims they will either save their forest home with their burgeoning magic, or doom it, and they're not sure which outcome is more likely."
"Infected by magical spores from an otherworldly plant, they gained sorcerous abilities and a deep connection to the forest, but must prevent the invasive flora from overtaking their homeland."
"As the illegitimate child of a powerful sorcerer and a woodland nymph, they're torn between their father's demanding expectations of magic mastery and their mother's nurturing connection to the natural world."
"Having accidentally swallowed a relic of the elemental plane of fire, they now wield fiery magic but risk being consumed by the fierce flames themselves."
"They carry a cursed runestone that granted them magic powers, but also threatens to enthrall them to the will of an ancient, malevolent spirit sealed within the stone."
Expand out with five versions of option 10 ("As the illegitimate child of a powerful sorcerer and a woodland nymph, they're torn between their father's demanding expectations of magic mastery and their mother's nurturing connection to the natural world.") Each version should specify, in bullet points, 1) who the sorcerer father is, 2) who the nymph mother is 3) how they came to be together 4) what their current relationship is with each other 5) how the child approaches the situation, and 6) a relationship the child has with someone else
Version 1:
The sorcerer father is Talmorion, an elven archmage with a reputation for his merciless ambition and vast arcane knowledge.
The nymph mother is Lirael, a gentle and nurturing spirit of the Whispering Woods.
Talmorion was seeking ancient spells hidden within the Whispering Woods and was entranced by Lirael's beauty and wisdom.
The couple is currently estranged; Lirael is deeply saddened by Talmorion's pursuit of power while Talmorion feels Lirael doesn't understand his ambitions.
The child, named Lorn, seeks to balance the elemental and arcane power coursing through their veins, hoping to achieve harmony instead of choosing a side.
Lorn has a close bond with an old treant in the Whispering Woods, who serves as a mentor and confidant in their search for balance.
Version 2:
The sorcerer father is Ghendrin, a notorious human wizard exiled for his dangerous and ethically questionable experiments.
The nymph mother is Thaelis, a radiant, jovial spirit of the Sunflower Meadows.
Ghendrin saved Thaelis from a hunter's trap, and they fell in love during his time hiding in the meadows.
After Ghendrin was forced to leave the meadows by the local fey, Thaelis and Ghendrin now secretly rendezvous during the equinoxes and solstices.
Their child, Elysia, seeks to master her inherited magic powers to protect the natural world, while wrestling with the darker aspects of her father's magical legacy.
Elysia has formed a secretive friendship with a young dragon who also feels misunderstood due to its parentage.
Version 3:
The sorcerer father is Edris, a renowned half-elf sorcerer known for his musical magic and bardic talents.
The nymph mother is Lyra, a serene and melancholic spirit of the Moonlit Lake.
Edris charmed Lyra with his enchanting music and shared dreams, and their love blossomed under the moonlight.
Despite their shared love for their child, the couple now maintain a distant relationship, Edris yearning for the wider world, and Lyra bound to her lake.
Their child, Caelen, copes by weaving his parents' disparate worlds into his magic, combining a love for music and nature in his spells.
Caelen has a complex relationship with a rival bard who envies his unique musical magic, leading to a competitive friendship.
Version 4:
The sorcerer father is Aeon, an ancient, time-traveling sorcerer, always appearing youthful and brimming with chaotic energy.
The nymph mother is Virelai, an ageless forest spirit who embodies the tranquility of the ancient grove she inhabits.
Aeon met Virelai during one of his time travels, and they fell in love, sharing moments outside of time itself.
Currently, their relationship is enigmatic, with Aeon visiting Virelai sporadically through different timelines, creating a complex web of encounters.
The child, Kaelis, struggles to reconcile his unpredictable magical inheritance and his tranquil upbringing, attempting to create a stable identity amidst the temporal chaos.
Kaelis has a strong bond with a wise, old owl, the only creature other than his mother who seems to understand his complex existence.
Version 5:
The sorcerer father is Zephyr, a playful and inventive gnome wizard specializing in wind and storm magic.
The nymph mother is Elandra, a quiet and patient spirit of the Wandering Winds Valley.
Zephyr's curious experiments often led him to Elandra's valley, where they shared knowledge and eventually fell in love.
Their relationship is friendly and cordial, with Zephyr visiting the valley regularly with new inventions for Elandra to appreciate.
Their child, Sylphina, is a curious inventor who uses magic to aid her in understanding the natural forces of the world, aiming to integrate her father's creativity with her mother's wisdom.
Sylphina shares a friendly rivalry with a young goblin tinkerer, their competition pushing both to create ever more wondrous and magical contraptions.
Give me 12 versions of the nymph mother that are more dark and interesting than the examples above (temperature=2.0)
Ravena - A shadow nymph of the Twilight Marsh, she wields the power of nightmares and thrives in places where the moonlight doesn't reach.
Velindra - A blood nymph who haunts the Blood Thorn Forest, her touch can cause plants to shrivel and die, or bloom with deadly, enchanted thorns.
Obsidia - Nymph of the Obsidian Caves, she shapes and manipulates the darkness, and her whispers echo the secret tragedies of the world.
Sylthra - A spectral nymph of the Ghostwood, she exists in both the world of the living and the ethereal plane, her existence a tragic blend of love and loss.
Zephyra - Nymph of the Storm Peaks, she is a tempest of fury and power, summoning storms that reflect her turbulent emotions.
Morwen - An ice nymph from the frozen Wastes of Lorn, her heart is as cold as the icy tundra she presides over, her magic a fierce and chilling force.
Lythalia - A decay nymph of the Dying Glades, she is a symbol of nature's ruthless cycle of life and death, her power capable of rapid growth and ruthless decay.
Eldrissa - Nymph of the Ancient Barrows, she is a silent guardian of the dead and a conduit of ancestral magic, her aura an echo of ages past.
Aurelia - A blight nymph of the Scorched Plains, she is a testament to nature's vengeance, her touch brings forth poisonous plants and her ire, deadly wildfire.
Elys - A moon nymph of the Shadowed Lake, she is a creature of mystery and illusion, her magic as unpredictable and ever-changing as the phases of the moon.
Calista - Nymph of the Gloomfrost Forest, she is bound by a curse that forces her to relive her past mistakes, her presence causing the surrounding flora to bloom with frost.
Threnodia - A dirge nymph of the Mourning Canyons, she sings songs of sorrow and loss that echo through the night, her magic intertwined with grief and mourning.
Write me four versions (with bullet points as per above) of this backstory, using Lythalia (the decay nymph) as the mother
Version 1:
The sorcerer father is Malakar, a necromancer driven by his obsession to overcome death, gaining power through dark and forbidden spells.
The nymph mother is Lythalia, a decay nymph of the Dying Glades, embodying the brutal honesty of nature's lifecycle.
Malakar encountered Lythalia while seeking ancient knowledge of life and death within the Dying Glades, and their bond formed through a mutual understanding of mortality.
Now, Lythalia and Malakar share a complicated relationship, both respecting each other's dominion over decay and death, yet conflicted over the ethics of meddling with life's natural end.
Their child, Morrigan, is a somber individual who attempts to navigate the polarities of their parents' powers, exploring how death and decay can coexist with life and renewal.
Morrigan is guided by an old phantom who was once a great druid; in death, he provides wisdom on maintaining the balance between life and decay.
Version 2:
The sorcerer father is Baelgor, a human wizard notorious for his experiments on the transience and impermanence of life.
The nymph mother is Lythalia, the decay nymph from the Dying Glades, symbolizing nature's ruthless cycle of life and death.
Baelgor was drawn to the Dying Glades and Lythalia in his quest to understand the essence of life's ephemerality and found in her a strange and captivating beauty.
Their relationship is strained; while Baelgor sees Lythalia's decay as a subject of study, Lythalia resents his detachment and his desire to control nature's cycle.
Their child, Faolan, born amidst this tension, seeks to prove that the cycle of life and decay can be respected without being controlled or feared.
Faolan shares a profound connection with a revenant knight, both grappling with the concept of life, death, and what lies beyond.
Version 3:
The sorcerer father is Eldrion, an elven enchanter who traded a part of his immortality for power over time and entropy.
The nymph mother is Lythalia, the decay nymph, an embodiment of the inevitable decline that all life must face.
Drawn to each other by their shared power over endings, Eldrion and Lythalia formed a deep bond amidst the Dying Glades.
Although they respect each other's power, Eldrion's struggle with his fading immortality often puts him at odds with Lythalia, who accepts decay as natural and necessary.
Their child, Elara, born of time and decay, seeks to use her magic to honor the natural cycle and preserve the balance between growth and decay.
Elara forms an unlikely friendship with a timeless spirit trapped in an hourglass, learning valuable lessons about the fleeting nature of life and the beauty of endings.
Version 4:
The sorcerer father is Thanos, a dread necromancer who was seduced by the power of death and oblivion.
The nymph mother is Lythalia, the decay nymph, a living testament to the ruthless decay that exists in harmony with life's vibrance.
Thanos and Lythalia crossed paths during a celestial event that weakened the veil between life and death, leading to a complicated love entangled with power, dread, and fascination.
Their current relationship is cold and distant, bound only by their shared interest in death's domain and their mutual child.
Their child, Nyx, born of this cold union, is driven to understand her parents' complex relationship with death and aims to redefine it, seeking to wield her powers to bring comfort to those fearing decay and the end.
Nyx finds companionship with a ghostly hound, a spectral creature that sees both the vibrancy of life and the calm of death, helping her navigate her complicated legacy.
For Version 3 (Faolan), come up three possible versions, each including in one bullet point each 1) a friend or potential love interest who is an ordinary, mundane "level 0 peasant" human, 2) a rival or enemy who is a normal, mundane "level 0 peasant" human, 3) a "trinket" or interesting but not especially powerful magic item, 4) a hobby or interest, 5) a way that Faolan looks or presents himself. Not all of these should be about death and decay, those themes are already present in the character
Version 1:
Faolan shares a close bond with Evelina, a cheerful human gardener who has an incredible talent for making anything grow, reminding him of the vibrancy of life.
He constantly finds himself at odds with Eamon, a reckless lumberjack who seems oblivious to the harm he causes to the forest.
Faolan carries a "Locket of Remembrance," a small trinket that shows the wearer a brief glimpse of a cherished past memory when opened.
Fascinated by the cycle of life and death, Faolan enjoys painting; his works often depict the progression of the seasons.
Faolan usually appears with earth-toned clothing and often has specks of dirt under his nails, his green eyes mirror the depth of the forest, giving him a rugged, yet ethereal look.
Version 2:
Faolan finds solace in the company of Lila, a simple human baker, her warmth and the smell of fresh bread always pulling him towards the hearth and away from his thoughts of decay.
He's continually challenged by Brodrick, a stubborn human farmer who resents Faolan's attempts to teach the village about natural balance, seeing it as meddling in his work.
He possesses a "Talisman of the Dawn," a charm that allows him to conjure a tiny spark of sunlight, providing warmth and a small amount of light.
Faolan has a keen interest in poetry and often finds himself reciting verses about nature, life, and the passage of time to the rustling trees.
With his long, ash-blond hair often braided with twigs and leaves, and a style composed of worn, but comfortable clothing, Faolan has a humble appearance that blends with the woodland landscape.
Version 3:
Faolan has a complex friendship with Alis, a human seamstress whose vibrant and resilient spirit resonates with his desire to understand life's vibrancy beyond decay.
He holds a simmering grudge against Willem, a human miner whose ruthless extraction of the earth's resources shows a complete disregard for nature's balance.
Faolan carries a "Pebble of Echoes," a small stone that, when thrown, can mimic any sound it has heard before, creating brief, ghostly echoes.
Faolan has developed a fascination for cartography, often charting the changing landscape of the Dying Glades and its surroundings as a testament to nature's cycle.
Cloaked in hues of moss and bark, Faolan's attire reflects his environment. His deep-set eyes, a shade of amber, seem to carry an ancient wisdom, adding a sense of mystique to his otherwise youthful features.
None of this is going to win any awards, but I think I've got a more than workable background.
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Jul 4, 2023 13:36
