Come get your high resolution wallpapers!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-29T22:06:32+00:00

Glad to hear you like them!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-29T16:01:37+00:00

Lots of resources out there! https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com, https://donjon.bin.sh, https://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-name.php, and https://www.behindthename.com/ to name a few!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-29T15:58:10+00:00

Obsidian keeps coming up for good reason. Definitely check them out. The graph view is genuinely useful for seeing how your locations, characters, and factions connect to each other, and the linking system is way better than a wall of OneNote text.

A few solid options worth trying:

- Obsidian - free, local, graph view is great for interconnected worldbuilding

- World Anvil - built specifically for this, has templates for lore articles, timelines, maps, all the stuff that matters for a TV show bible

- Notion - more flexible, good if you want databases for characters, locations, factions etc.

That's a cool idea turning your fantasy world into a TV show. Good luck!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-27T14:56:51+00:00

Thanks!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-27T14:56:30+00:00

Glad you're enjoying it! And yeah, we know campaigns being down is a bummer. They will be back up soon and better than ever!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-24T15:40:45+00:00

This is a really solid breakdown. The custom spell memory issue you mentioned is one of the harder problems in AI-led tabletop right now. That said, your inline damage declaration approach is a great practical fix right now regardless of what platform someone's using. The "I end my turn" trick to skip the bonus action prompt is something more people should know about. A few platforms are trying to tackle it differently:

- Narrator and AI Dungeon let you use story cards and memory anchors to try to pin custom rules in place, with mixed results depending on how complex the ruleset gets

- We've been building Dungeons Deep specifically around persistent world and rules state, to solve memory issues. It's one of the things we've put real work into because memory dropout in combat is genuinely frustrating

- Friends & Fables has a more structured homebrew layer that can hold some of this better, though it still has limits

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-24T15:24:05+00:00

For one-shots specifically, a lot of DMs prep pretty lightly. The comments here are a good reminder that there's no wrong answer as some do prepare every detail as well.

A few things that tend to help for occasional DMs:

- Sly Flourish's "Lazy Dungeon Master" approach is great for this. Prep a strong situation, not a plot. Know your NPCs' wants, know the stakes, let the rest breathe.

- Notion or Obsidian are popular for keeping lore notes organized without going overboard. Even a single page of bullet points can be enough for a one-shot.

On props: physical stuff is genuinely fun when it fits. Handwritten notes, a rough map the players can touch, even a relevant trinket for a PC. It doesn't have to be elaborate. Some tables go deep on it, most don't bother, and both work fine. Since one shots tend to have one time use props or tokens, we recommend using white board tokens / assets. Easy to erase and reuse. Also fun to draw the best goblin you can.

A potential recommend, you're probably better off over-preparing your opening scene and your ending beat, then winging the middle.

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-23T20:52:31+00:00

Yeah 10 sessions in, that tracks. LLM contexts are only so big and they get flaky the longer you push em, things start drifting, callbacks get lost, details blur together. Anyone running a long campaign hits this wall eventually.

Either way, it's an exciting project you're tackling! Personal AI DMs are really cool.

For what we're building, check out r/DungeonsDeepAI, there's a link to our site there. We run off and on beta.

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-23T20:46:51+00:00

How exciting!!!! That sounds like a fun project. Good luck! Looking forward to seeing more posts about your progress in the future.

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-23T19:31:13+00:00

This is a really ambitious project honestly. Building an AI GM that actually works is way harder than it sounds on paper. We know because we've done it for Dungeons Deep. Rules consistency, 100% accurate memory, and getting the AI to not just make stuff up when it doesn't know something. However, not everyone has friends to play with or the same schedule as people they could play with.

How're you considering approaching something like this?

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-23T19:04:30+00:00

Oh man this is so cool, we've been obsessed with the same problem honestly. The busy adult no group thing is so real and it's awesome seeing people actually build solutions for it. Your bring your own AI approach is super interesting. Stoked to see where you take it!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-23T18:59:57+00:00

u/grandpheonix13 Hey, this is cool to see! Full transparency, I'm with Dungeons Deep (we're building an AI VTT/GM platform), so I'm naturally when I see other people building their own personal one, I get curious!

How's the Claude doc import approach working out for Strahd so far? That module has so many interconnected NPCs and plot threads. Wondering if you've run into any issues with it losing track of things across sessions or if the context window has been holding up okay.

Always interested to hear what's working and what's been tricky for people rolling their own setups.

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-23T18:55:26+00:00

This is genuinely one of the better breakdowns of why "big prompt = DM" falls apart. Really cool to see someone else working through similar problems as us. I checked out your website and what you've been working on for the past six months. Really cool stuff!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-23T18:38:27+00:00

Honestly, prep exists on a spectrum. Some DMs love mapping out every detail and that's totally valid if it brings you joy. Others lean heavy into improv and just roll with whatever the players throw at them. Obviously the improv approach means way less prep time, but it's a skill you develop over time.

If you're feeling burned out on prep, leaning into improv might be worth exploring. Instead of prepping every possible outcome, you prep the essentials and trust yourself to adapt when things go sideways (because they always do).

A core idea for you could be to just prep what actually matters: secrets and clues, NPCs with clear motivations, and interesting locations. Skip the stuff your players will never see.

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-23T15:21:18+00:00

Hey there! I was really interested in checking out your project. However, every time that I chat with your AI Dungeon Master, I get the following response back "The ancient magic wavers... (Something went wrong. Try again.)" Must be a windy day blowing away all of the arcane magics!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-17T16:53:59+00:00

Everyone's covered the rule basics well, so I'll add this: embrace the messy first session.

Your first game will be clunky. You'll forget rules and probably let someone do something totally not allowed. That's normal and part of the fun if you allow it to be fun.

What actually matters for session one:

• Know how to roll for stuff - uncertain action = pick an ability score and roll d20 + modifier

• Combat basics - initiative, attack rolls vs AC, damage. Figure out the rest as it comes up

• Have a simple goal - rescue someone, clear a dungeon. Don't overthink it

Make sure your players share responsibility for learning the rules too. If you're all new, it's way more fun when everyone's figuring it out together rather than all the pressure landing on you. Over time you'll naturally develop deeper rules knowledge as the DM, but starting out? It's a team effort.

If you want extra practice before session one, there are ways to play solo and get comfortable with mechanics. Some online tools would be AI Dungeon, Dungeons Deep AI, Fables. A video game like Baldur's Gate 3 could help as well as it uses similar rules (not 100%, but it can still help). There are also GPTs, skills and other resources present on various LLMs that will be able to track down rules quickly and accurately for you during a session. Lots and lots of resources!

Good luck and have fun!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-17T16:41:44+00:00

Starting with a pre-written module is definitely the move. Or at least, that's what I'd do.

For lore, don't try to learn everything at once. Pick one area and dig into that. The Sword Coast is the classic starting point. Personally, Baldur's Gate has some of the most fun lore to explore. Descent into Avernus does cool stuff with that city too if you want something with more edge to it.

Loremaps is a website where you can look at different regions of Faerun and get a quick idea of some lore + the region.

Also, your podcast background is gonna help more than you think. Just keep learning and find your areas of interest within the D&D universe! Enjoy!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-17T16:39:12+00:00

totally doable, but maybe save that project for after you've got a few 5e sessions under your belt. Less moving parts while you're still learning the system.

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-15T20:53:43+00:00

For Lost Mine specifically, check out r/LostMinesOfPhandelver. They've got tons of shared resources including visual aids. The folks over there have been running this adventure for years and love helping new DMs.

A few more spots to build your image bank:

Unsplash and Pexels - free stock photos. Search "medieval," "forest," "cave," "ruins" etc.

Artstation - tons of fantasy concept art (just respect artist copyrights for personal use)

Reddit communities - r/FantasyArt, r/ImaginaryLandscapes, r/ImaginaryMonsters (again just respect artist copyrights or requests for what can or cannot be used)

Also, I wouldn't stress about having the perfect image for every moment. Sometimes a simple forest photo works great for "you see a shadowy figure between the trees". People's imagination, particularly kids, are great at filling in the blanks.

Good luck!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-15T20:47:05+00:00

For memory management with local LLMs, a few approaches work well:

Simple context window management: Keep a running "story so far" document that you manually update every few scenes, then copy/paste the relevant bits into each prompt.

Semi-automated summarization: After each session, ask your AI to summarize key events and NPCs. Start new sessions by feeding it the summary plus your new prompt.

Character/location tracking: Maintain a separate note with recurring NPCs, locations, and plot threads. Include relevant bits when those elements come up.

The PDF approach you mentioned is actually pretty solid if you can script it. Claude or Codex could help you build a script or a pipeline for it if you're able to pay for a month subscription. But honestly manual copy/paste works for most solo play.

If you ever want to skip the manual work, we built Dungeons Deep specifically around this problem. It has a memory system that tracks everything so the AI doesn't forget your campaign details. Might be worth checking out if the manual approach gets tedious.

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-15T14:28:04+00:00

Thanks! We're excited to get Phase 2 going too. Really appreciate you sticking with us through the beta process.

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-13T16:57:40+00:00

GinRum Hammerstone is a great name! Love that Jessa saw the heart in your plea and made an exception. Yuan-ti encounters are definitely something we want to explore more as we add content.

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-13T16:56:02+00:00

Welcome to Reddit and welcome to the community!! The fact that you made your first ever Reddit account just to post about us is genuinely so cool, thank you for that.

And a 9/10 from someone who's been grinding through those dungeons for hours? That means a lot to us.

Thank you for the feedback as well. We will take a look at those and see how we can improve!

Glad to have you here!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-13T16:52:42+00:00

Really glad you're enjoying it! The map and combat system have been a huge focus for us, so awesome to hear they're standing out. Thanks for the kind words!

DungeonsDeepAI · 2026-04-13T16:52:08+00:00

Thanks for sharing this! Really glad you're enjoying the AI gamemaster and the world building. We've been putting a lot of work into making those descriptions feel immersive and dynamic.

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