AI Chat

[Booker Grimm]

Some of the other VTTs are already taking advantage of AI chat to voice thier NPCs.

What is the plan for FGU?

[Zacchaeus]

I haven't heard of any plans to introduce that. What use case would there be for it? What sort of stuff would that bring to the table?

[LordEntrails]

I suspect using AI (or really, it's just text to speech) for voicing NPCs is going to best be handled by a dedicated program, like Dragon, Clownfish or something new (I'm not real informed on that market). Sure, in some years when such programs are mature then I can see an interface like we now have with Syrinscape. But I would hate to see the devs that already have a huge list of feature requests spending hundreds of hours incorporating something like NPC voices.

[Vass_Dts]

I suspect using AI (or really, it's just text to speech) for voicing NPCs is going to best be handled by a dedicated program, like Dragon, Clownfish or something new (I'm not real informed on that market). Sure, in some years when such programs are mature then I can see an interface like we now have with Syrinscape. But I would hate to see the devs that already have a huge list of feature requests spending hundreds of hours incorporating something like NPC voices.

Plus, if a GM really cares for voice alteration, there are already apps/services that do that in real time. I personally use voicemod to change my voice for specific NPCs.

A full AI integration would enable NPCs that reply on their own without GM input, which is something I personally don't care at all about. If automated spell animations push a VTT to full video game territory on a grade of say 3, then AI would push that to 11. That's not my cup of tea.

[DaddieCat]

I would also second Voicemod or just plain making voices, silly or otherwise.

[Booker Grimm]

I tried a test with Chat GTP open and gave it a few lines about an NPC. It voiced the results using a different voice for Narrator and NPC. The following was all generated on just these few spoken lines.

Colt is a male cultist. He's arrogant, dangerous but above all self preserving. He taunts the PCs in their fight, threatening them. Make up a few lines for something he might say while fighting the heroes.

[Remember Colt's characteristics and come up with some lines for him. The party are engaged in a fight and now it's Colt's turn. And he has already been wounded by Amber, the party's female leader.

ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT

Colt staggers back, clutching the wound Amber inflicted, his eyes burning with a mix of rage and arrogance. He snarls, sneering at her through gritted teeth.

In a voice dripping with contempt:
"Amber, is it? I’ll make sure your name is the first to be erased when I’m done with you."

He glances at his bleeding wound, his smirk returning.
"You think this? This is enough to stop me? I’ve bled before—far worse than this—and I still stand. You? You’ll crawl."

Colt raises his weapon, taunting Amber, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper:
"I’ll carve you apart piece by piece, and when you beg for mercy, I'll laugh."

He shifts his gaze to the rest of the party, voice rising in cruel mockery:
"You’re following her? How sweet. Watch her fall, and then maybe you’ll understand the futility of defying me."

He lunges forward, reckless but dangerous, driven by his desperation to survive.

Hearing that and have the lines generated by just a few simple phrases that can be set up before hand and having them in the game is really amazing. An gives the DM great ideas even if he doesn't use them. I note that Fabled (and some of the more recent VTTs are going to include AIs as standard. I think FGU should get onboard.

[Laerun]

I tried a test with Chat GTP open and gave it a few lines about an NPC. It voiced the results using a different voice for Narrator and NPC. The following was all generated on just these few spoken lines.

Colt is a male cultist. He's arrogant, dangerous but above all self preserving. He taunts the PCs in their fight, threatening them. Make up a few lines for something he might say while fighting the heroes.

[Remember Colt's characteristics and come up with some lines for him. The party are engaged in a fight and now it's Colt's turn. And he has already been wounded by Amber, the party's female leader.

ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT

Colt staggers back, clutching the wound Amber inflicted, his eyes burning with a mix of rage and arrogance. He snarls, sneering at her through gritted teeth.

In a voice dripping with contempt:
"Amber, is it? I’ll make sure your name is the first to be erased when I’m done with you."

He glances at his bleeding wound, his smirk returning.
"You think this? This is enough to stop me? I’ve bled before—far worse than this—and I still stand. You? You’ll crawl."

Colt raises his weapon, taunting Amber, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper:
"I’ll carve you apart piece by piece, and when you beg for mercy, I'll laugh."

He shifts his gaze to the rest of the party, voice rising in cruel mockery:
"You’re following her? How sweet. Watch her fall, and then maybe you’ll understand the futility of defying me."

He lunges forward, reckless but dangerous, driven by his desperation to survive.

Hearing that and have the lines generated by just a few simple phrases that can be set up before hand and having them in the game is really amazing. An gives the DM great ideas even if he doesn't use them. I note that Fabled (and some of the more recent VTTs are going to include AIs as standard. I think FGU should get onboard.

Most of these tools incur third party costs. There are text to voice AI apps already, but they usually have limits in Free mode. If you had an example of the VTT that uses a built in tool and such it'd be interesting to see or hear in action.
A one off situation works well, but any form of consistency is still difficult to achieve due to context, token length, and where AI tools are at currently. Recall is tough. Eventually an AI generated NPC voice dialog will hallucinate or drift and forget the previous conversations.
Until consistency, stability, and more voice type selections are available, it does not seem viable enough to use currently without a bunch of work, time, and potentially cost.
We will have to see what the future brings.

[Zacchaeus]

How did you set this up and what software is needed to play these voices and how did you pipe that to the players?

[Booker Grimm]

How did you set this up and what software is needed to play these voices and how did you pipe that to the players?

I have Chat Gpt app on my phone and set up an encounter in FGU.

So far I have only done a few tests. Here is the chat log: Chat made up the voice for Colt and the narrator, and they sound insanely good.

Here is the log.

Can I use you as a dungeon Master in a Dungeons and Dragons game?
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Yes, I can be your Dungeon Master! I can help you create adventures, run NPCs, craft engaging storylines, manage battles, and navigate the rules of Dungeons & Dragons. We can also work on creating your campaign setting, characters, and encounters.

Would you like to start a campaign from scratch, or do you already have something in mind?







You said:
We have a campaign - It would be great if you could provide voices for the npcs!
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Memory updated
That sounds like a lot of fun! I can definitely provide voices for NPCs to help bring the game to life. Let me know the characters or situations, and I’ll give them distinct voices or accents based on their personality, race, or background.

Do you have any specific NPCs you need voices for, or should I just jump in when they appear during gameplay?







You said:
Let's do a short test. Colt is a male cultist. He's arrogant, dangerous but above all self preserving. He taunts the PCs in their fight, threatening them. Make up a few lines for something he might say while fighting the heroes.
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Sure! Here’s how Colt, the arrogant and dangerous cultist, might taunt the PCs in combat:

In a sneering, haughty tone:
"Pathetic! You really thought you could stop me? You’ll die like the rest—screaming and forgotten."

Laughing cruelly as he dodges an attack:
"Is that the best you’ve got? I expected more from so-called heroes. Pathetic!"

His voice drops, mocking, but with a sharp edge of malice:
"Keep struggling... It's amusing, but we both know how this ends. My life? Far more valuable than yours."

With a smirk, after landing a blow:
"How does it feel? Knowing you're facing someone who already knows they’ll win?"

Let me know if you want to tweak Colt's tone or style!







You said:
What's the best way to work the NPCs voices into the game? How would you know when to 'jump in'?
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
The best way to work NPC voices into the game is to integrate them naturally into the flow of the narrative, jumping in when an NPC needs to speak or react during interactions or combat. Here’s how we could approach it:

1. Cues from You
You could give me a quick signal when an NPC is about to interact with the party. This can be as simple as typing the NPC’s name or a short phrase like, "Colt taunts the players." That way, I’ll know it’s time to jump in with dialogue.

2. Scene Descriptions
As you're narrating events, I’ll follow the pacing and setting. When an NPC logically needs to speak (during combat, when asked a question, or if they're reacting to an event), I can take over with their dialogue or taunts.

For example, if the players are interrogating an NPC or in the middle of a battle, I can provide the voice for the character without needing explicit cues. I’ll keep my responses concise to avoid disrupting the flow.

3. Scripted Moments
For key moments (like pre-planned villain monologues, critical information from quest-givers, or even death scenes), we can plan ahead, and I’ll deliver the NPC’s lines at the right time, making sure it adds to the drama.

4. Combat or Interaction Flow
During combat, NPCs like Colt could speak during their turns, when a player misses an attack, or when they land a critical hit. You can give me the freedom to add some spontaneous dialogue based on the events unfolding.

Would you prefer cues, or should I handle it based on the pacing?







You said:
Another test: Remember Colt's characteristics and come up with some lines for him. The party are engaged in a fight and now it's Colt's turn. And he has already been wounded by Amber, the party's female leader.
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Colt staggers back, clutching the wound Amber inflicted, his eyes burning with a mix of rage and arrogance. He snarls, sneering at her through gritted teeth.

In a voice dripping with contempt:
"Amber, is it? I’ll make sure your name is the first to be erased when I’m done with you."

He glances at his bleeding wound, his smirk returning.
"You think this? This is enough to stop me? I’ve bled before—far worse than this—and I still stand. You? You’ll crawl."

Colt raises his weapon, taunting Amber, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper:
"I’ll carve you apart piece by piece, and when you beg for mercy, I'll laugh."

He shifts his gaze to the rest of the party, voice rising in cruel mockery:
"You’re following her? How sweet. Watch her fall, and then maybe you’ll understand the futility of defying me."

He lunges forward, reckless but dangerous, driven by his desperation to survive.

How’s that for Colt’s turn? Does it feel in line with his character?

This content may violate our usage policies.
Did we get it wrong? Please tell us by giving this response a thumbs down.





You said:
That's incredible. So during the game if I paste a line such as : Fight: Colt's turn. Roleplay Colt, and you have some info of the NPCs before hand, you could jump in then?
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Memory updated
Absolutely! If you paste a line like "Fight: Colt's turn. Roleplay Colt," I can jump right in with his dialogue, using any relevant info about the NPCs and the context of the fight. Just let me know ahead of time about key NPC traits or the dynamics with the party, and I can seamlessly jump into character when needed.

Would you like me to keep track of other NPC details as we go, or would you prefer to provide that info right before each session?







You said:
What I'll do is when we come to play. I'll give you a brief outline of each story character. For general fights where the monsters or villians are not named, you'll just make up characteristics. For example in a fight versus five skeletons, on the skeletons turns give a short description of what each one does when attacking. Try that example now.
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Got it! For general fights, I'll give each nameless monster some personality, even if they're as simple as skeletons. Here's how I’d describe the actions during a fight with five skeletons on their turns:

Skeleton 1 clatters forward, its bony fingers curling around a rusted sword. It swings wildly at the nearest hero, the sound of rattling bones louder than the impact of the dull blade.

Skeleton 2, missing part of its jaw, lets out a hollow hiss. It lunges with a spear, movements jerky and disjointed, as if the magic animating it is barely holding its frame together.

Skeleton 3 locks its empty eye sockets on Amber, staggering toward her. It scrapes a clawed hand across the ground, raising a cloud of dust before slashing at her with surprising speed.

Skeleton 4 seems almost indifferent, shambling toward the back of the party. Its attack is sluggish, but its grip on its axe is unnervingly tight as it brings it down in a slow, heavy arc.

Skeleton 5, draped in a tattered cloak, moves with an eerie silence. It circles the group, then strikes suddenly, trying to catch one of the heroes off guard with a precise jab of its blade.

Does that work for how you'd like to handle general encounters?







You said:
Yes, but instead of saying skeleton 1, 2 etc, give them a short description to identify them. Like, 'a partial armoured skeleton moves in with suprising speed, its jaws clicking together in pure hate.' Something like that.
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Got it! Here’s the revised version with each skeleton described uniquely:

A partially armored skeleton, its rusted breastplate hanging loosely from its frame, lunges forward. It moves with surprising speed, jaws clicking together in what seems like pure hate as it swings its broken sword toward the nearest hero.

A skeleton missing part of its skull, one eye socket cracked and hollow, stumbles clumsily. It wields a spear with both hands, thrusting it forward in a desperate, jerky motion as if held together by sheer will.

A tall, robed skeleton, draped in tattered remains of some long-forgotten robe, advances silently. It lifts a chipped scythe high above its head, its bony fingers clutching the weapon with unnatural strength.

A skeleton covered in scorch marks, its bones blackened and brittle, shambles awkwardly into the fight. It raises an axe, its movements slow but deliberate, the heavy weapon dragging in the dirt before swinging downward.

A skeleton with one arm missing clatters toward the group, its remaining hand gripping a rusted dagger. It darts in with unnerving speed, weaving between the other undead as if guided by some unseen force.

How's that? It gives each skeleton a bit of flavor while keeping things concise for combat.

[Booker Grimm]

So when I say, 'It's Colt's turn' Chat remembers what the situation is and adds in his lines of dialogue, reading them in his voice. It listened to the encounter and waited until it heard that phrase then did the rest.

With the skeletons it added good flavour, and during our test we were impressed with the results. Even when muted, the descriptions alone it can quickly provide for each encounter added a lot.

[LordEntrails]

This is much more promising than I was expecting.
Is it possible to save personalities between game sessions though?

[Booker Grimm]

This is much more promising than I was expecting.
Is it possible to save personalities between game sessions though?

Yes. It remembers every chat. The free version is text only. You have to subscribe for full audio, but so far I am very impressed.

[LordEntrails]

Would love to see a video of you using it like this. The text descriptions are nice, but still leave some questions. ;)
But, if you're not setup for that, it's ok, I hope to be able to try this myself in the next few weeks.

[Booker Grimm]

Would love to see a video of you using it like this. The text descriptions are nice, but still leave some questions. ;)
But, if you're not setup for that, it's ok, I hope to be able to try this myself in the next few weeks.

Have a look at any decent chat AI and play around with it. I used Chat GTP because it was free to register. The desktop version has what you need to test encounters and roleplaying too.

Here's another example of an encounter with some thugs. Again I told it we are playing 5e and this time to include attacks and damage.

You said: 5 thugs, armed with crossbows and scimitars attack the party. Sar Bonecarver is the party leader and has an AC of 14, Alexi is his friend and has an AC of 19. It's the thugs turn.


Chat GPT:
Five thugs, their faces obscured by shadowy hoods, surround the party, armed with crossbows and scimitars. They move in sync, calculating their strikes as they aim to overwhelm their targets.

A thug with a scar across his cheek raises his crossbow, aiming directly at Sar Bonecarver. He pulls the trigger with a sneer.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 10)
The bolt flies wide, missing Sar completely.
"You’re quicker than you look, old man!" he growls, frustration creeping into his voice.

Another thug, with a chipped scimitar glinting in the dim light, lunges at Alexi with a wicked grin.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 14)
His blade bounces off Alexi’s armor with a clang, the strike ineffectual.
"What? Is that all you’ve got?" Alexi taunts, deflecting the blow.

A third thug, slightly larger than the rest, fires his crossbow at Sar with a determined look.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 16)
The bolt strikes true, embedding itself in Sar’s shoulder.
(Damage: [1d6 + 2] = 4 piercing damage)
"Take that, Bonecarver!" he shouts, his voice filled with glee.

The fourth thug, eager to join the fray, charges in with his scimitar drawn, aiming for Sar as well.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 8)
His swing goes wide, barely missing Sar as he dodges out of the way.
"You can’t run forever!" he yells, panting from the effort.

Finally, the last thug, a wiry figure, steadies his aim on Alexi with a wicked smile.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 19)
The bolt finds its mark, striking Alexi hard in the side.
(Damage: [1d6 + 2] = 6 piercing damage)
"That’ll teach you to mess with us!" he cackles, reveling in the moment.

This was all read by the narrator (which is an American Female).

I'll try and get a recording going soon.

[Laerun]

Have a look at any decent chat AI and play around with it. I used Chat GTP because it was free to register. The desktop version has what you need to test encounters and roleplaying too.

Here's another example of an encounter with some thugs. Again I told it we are playing 5e and this time to include attacks and damage.

You said: 5 thugs, armed with crossbows and scimitars attack the party. Sar Bonecarver is the party leader and has an AC of 14, Alexi is his friend and has an AC of 19. It's the thugs turn.


Chat GPT:
Five thugs, their faces obscured by shadowy hoods, surround the party, armed with crossbows and scimitars. They move in sync, calculating their strikes as they aim to overwhelm their targets.

A thug with a scar across his cheek raises his crossbow, aiming directly at Sar Bonecarver. He pulls the trigger with a sneer.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 10)
The bolt flies wide, missing Sar completely.
"You’re quicker than you look, old man!" he growls, frustration creeping into his voice.

Another thug, with a chipped scimitar glinting in the dim light, lunges at Alexi with a wicked grin.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 14)
His blade bounces off Alexi’s armor with a clang, the strike ineffectual.
"What? Is that all you’ve got?" Alexi taunts, deflecting the blow.

A third thug, slightly larger than the rest, fires his crossbow at Sar with a determined look.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 16)
The bolt strikes true, embedding itself in Sar’s shoulder.
(Damage: [1d6 + 2] = 4 piercing damage)
"Take that, Bonecarver!" he shouts, his voice filled with glee.

The fourth thug, eager to join the fray, charges in with his scimitar drawn, aiming for Sar as well.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 8)
His swing goes wide, barely missing Sar as he dodges out of the way.
"You can’t run forever!" he yells, panting from the effort.

Finally, the last thug, a wiry figure, steadies his aim on Alexi with a wicked smile.
(Attack roll: [d20 + 4] = 19)
The bolt finds its mark, striking Alexi hard in the side.
(Damage: [1d6 + 2] = 6 piercing damage)
"That’ll teach you to mess with us!" he cackles, reveling in the moment.

This was all read by the narrator (which is an American Female).

I'll try and get a recording going soon.

The GPT models have a token length limit. After awhile, the context gets lost, buried, and irrelevant. Conversations hit a wall after awhile. Also, the memory is not always accessed or used in the way one would hope, it's very hit and miss. The token length has increased over the months, but it is still not quite there yet. Anthropic's Sonnet does a lot better with this, but still has similar context length limits and no images. Google's Notebook LM is pretty good for keeping notes, world building, and creating content based upon what documents, links, and text that you feed it, but it too has limitations and is in Beta still.

When you're deep into a long RPG chat, like designing or playing through a campaign, running into token limits can disrupt the flow. Even though this version of GPT-4 has a much larger context length (128k tokens), which is roughly equivalent to 96,000 words, it will eventually hit a wall after extensive back-and-forth.

When that happens, older parts of the conversation start getting pushed out of memory, which can cause some of the earlier details to be forgotten or misunderstood. If you're building a complex world or campaign, this can mean needing to repeat certain aspects or clarifying things you've already mentioned.

To potentially help avoid that in long RPG sessions:

1. Summarize Key Points: We can summarize major plot points, character details, or rules periodically. This way, I keep track of what’s essential without holding onto the entire conversation.


2. Segment Conversations: If we break the game into smaller arcs or sessions, each with its own set of important details, we can focus on specific areas without overwhelming the token limit.


3. Keep an External Log: You can export summaries or logs to refer back to when needed, reducing reliance on in-chat memory.

[claedawg]

One of my players recently took my player campaign document and loaded into Google's Notebook LM to create a podcast. It was pretty cool.
https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/5b0e7ea6-e505-4585-a268-3a375291d968/audio?pli=1

[The Hermit King]

I certainly could understand why someone would like to use ai to voice npcs. we are not all voice actors. but for me the whole point of FG is so i dont have to do all that typing. Perhaps you might be better served by using a voice changer instead.