What are the best practices for using AI in SwiftPrep?

AI does not read your mind. The more specific your prompt, the more useful the output. A vague request gets generic fantasy. A specific request gets something you can actually use.

Write Prompts That Work

Be specific about what you want:

Include the key details:

• Who or what is involved
• The mood or atmosphere you want
• Any constraints ("no magic," "must be in the city," "connected to the cult")
• Connections to existing content ("knows about the missing prince")

Leave room for surprise: You do not need to specify everything. "A tavern with a dark secret" lets the AI surprise you with what that secret is. Over-specifying kills the creative value.

Use the Creativity Slider

The creativity slider controls how predictable or surprising the output is:

[!TIP] Low creativity for things that should fade into the background. High creativity for things that should stand out.

Match Tone to Content

Choose the tone preset that fits what you are creating:

Campaign consistency: If your campaign is dark and serious, use Dark Fantasy or Gritty for most content. Save Comedic for intentional contrast.

Entity variation: Even in a heroic campaign, your villain might use Dark Fantasy while the mentor uses Heroic. Mix tones for depth.

Example: Creating a Memorable Villain

Weak prompt: "A villain"

Output:

Lord Malachar is an evil sorcerer who seeks to conquer the realm. He commands dark forces and will stop at nothing to achieve ultimate power.

Generic. Forgettable. You could have written that yourself.

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Strong prompt: "A charming noble who secretly leads a cult, genuinely believes he is saving the world, and has a soft spot for children"

Tone: Mysterious Creativity: High

Output:

Lord Castellan Varen presents himself as the city's most generous philanthropist, funding orphanages throughout the lower wards. Behind closed doors, he leads the Hollow Circle, a cult convinced that only through controlled sacrifice can the coming darkness be averted. He genuinely believes he is doing what must be done - and he is terrifyingly reasonable when he explains his logic. The worst part? His predictions about the darkness have been accurate so far.

Notice the difference. The specific prompt produced a nuanced antagonist with internal logic, visual hooks (orphanages, secret meetings), and a reason the party might hesitate before attacking.

Edit Instead of Regenerate

AI rarely produces perfect content on the first try. But regenerating costs credits and might not get you closer.

Better approach:

1. Use the output even if it is not perfect
2. Edit the parts that do not fit
3. Add your own ideas on top
4. Cut what does not work

AI is a starting point, not a finished product. A mediocre result you spend 2 minutes editing is usually better than burning 5 credits trying to get perfection.

Choose the Right Tool

SwiftPrep offers two AI tools. Use the right one for the job:

Use on-demand generation when:

• You need content for a specific field (NPC personality, location description)
• You want structured output that fits entity fields
• You are filling in details during prep

Use the Session Companion chat when:

• You want to brainstorm and iterate
• You need back-and-forth conversation to develop ideas
• You are asking "what if" questions
• You are roleplaying NPC dialogue during a session
• You need help mid-game

Maximize Context

On Companion and Power tiers, AI considers your campaign when generating content. This makes a huge difference.

Enable campaign context in generators: Generated content references your existing NPCs, locations, and factions. The output fits your world instead of being generic fantasy.

Attach context in the Session Companion: Click Attach to add specific entities. The AI considers attached content in its responses.

More context = better results: The more you fill in your entities with good descriptions, create relationships, and use consistent tags, the better AI understands your world and generates relevant content.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Too vague: "Make it good"

• Be specific about what "good" means for this content

Too long: Three paragraphs of requirements

• Focus on 2-3 key details. Let the AI fill in the rest.

Wrong tone: Using Comedic for a villain in a serious campaign

• Match tone to both the content and your campaign

Chasing perfection: Regenerating 10 times looking for the perfect output

• Edit what you have. Your creativity combined with AI is better than AI alone.

Ignoring context: Not enabling campaign context when it is available

• Always enable it on Companion/Power. It is the difference between generic and useful.

Tips Summary

Related Articles

• How do I import my content from Fantasy Grounds?
• How do I use AI to generate session content?
• How do I use the AI chat companion during games?