How do I use the AI chat companion during games?

The Session Companion is your AI assistant for brainstorming, in-session help, and developing ideas through conversation. Unlike field-by-field generation, the Session Companion lets you have a back-and-forth dialogue about your campaign.

When to Use the Session Companion

During prep:

• Brainstorm plot directions
• Develop NPC personalities and motivations
• Work through story problems
• Generate dialogue and speeches
• Explore "what if" scenarios

During sessions:

• Voice an NPC on the spot
• Figure out how an NPC would react
• Generate descriptions for unexpected situations
• Get ideas when players do something surprising

After sessions:

• Process what happened
• Explore consequences of player actions
• Develop threads for next session

Opening the Session Companion

Access the Session Companion any of these ways:

• Click the chat icon in the top bar
• Press Ctrl+Shift+C (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+C (Mac)
• Click Session Companion in the sidebar

The chat panel opens on the side of your screen. You can resize it or collapse it as needed.

Basic Conversation

Type your message in the input field and press Enter (or Ctrl+Enter / Cmd+Enter) to send.

Example Prompts

Character development:

• "What would Captain Vance say if accused of taking bribes?"
• "How would the crime boss react if the party offered to work for her instead of against her?"
• "Give me three possible backstory secrets for this NPC"

Plot and story:

• "The party just killed the main villain in session 3. What are some interesting consequences?"
• "I need three plot hooks that could connect to the Thieves Guild"
• "Help me think through how this mystery could unfold"

In-session help:

• "The party is interrogating a guard. What does he know and how does he respond to threats?"
• "Describe a tense standoff between the party and a cornered assassin"
• "What is in this abandoned wizard laboratory?"

World-building:

• "What is the political situation between these two factions?"
• "Help me develop the culture of this city"
• "What would this location look like after 100 years of abandonment?"

Attaching Context

The Session Companion gets dramatically more useful when you attach relevant entities to the conversation.

How to Attach

1. Click the Attach button in the chat input
2. Search for entities (NPCs, locations, session plans, etc.)
3. Select the entities you want to attach
4. They appear as tags in your input area

Why Context Matters

Without context:

"What would she say?"

The AI has no idea who "she" is.

With Mira Thornwood (NPC) attached:

"What would she say if accused of poisoning the merchant?"

The AI knows Mira's personality, goals, relationships, and secrets. The response reflects her actual character.

What to Attach

Automatic Context Detection

As you type, the Session Companion may detect entity names you mention:

• Detected names are highlighted
• Click to quickly attach the detected entity
• The AI uses attached context in its responses

Saving Content from Chat

When the AI generates something useful, save it directly to your campaign:

1. Find a response you want to keep
2. Click Save to Campaign on that response
3. Choose where to save:
   • Create new entity: Makes a new NPC, location, etc.
   • Add to existing entity: Appends to an entity notes
   • Add to session notes: Saves to a session plan
4. Click Save

[!TIP] Save immediately when something clicks. Good ideas get lost in long conversations.

Managing Conversations

Starting Fresh

Click New Chat to start a new conversation. Use this when:

• Switching to a completely different topic
• The conversation has gotten long and unfocused
• You want a clean slate

Conversation History

Previous conversations are saved and accessible:

• Click the history icon to see past conversations
• Resume old conversations if needed
• Delete conversations you no longer need

Keeping Conversations Focused

Long conversations can drift. The AI considers the full conversation history, so tangents affect later responses. When you notice drift:

• Start a new conversation
• Or clearly redirect: "Let us set that aside. Back to the crime boss..."

Session Companion vs. AI Generation

Both tools use AI, but for different purposes:

Use Session Companion when you want to think through something or have a dialogue.

Use AI Generation when you need content for a specific field.

Tier Availability

Session Companion is available on Companion and Power tiers. Power tier includes extended context windows, allowing the AI to consider more of your campaign at once.

Quota Usage

Each message you send uses 1 credit from your monthly quota. The AI responses do not count against your quota.

A typical brainstorming session might use 5-15 messages. Monitor your quota if you use the Session Companion heavily.

Tips for Effective Conversations

Be Specific

Vague: "What happens next?" Specific: "The party just learned the mayor is part of the cult. What does the cult do when they realize they have been exposed?"

Provide Context

Even beyond attaching entities, give the AI context in your messages:

• What just happened
• What the party knows
• What you are trying to accomplish
• Any constraints ("I do not want to kill off this NPC")

Ask Follow-ups

The Session Companion excels at iteration:

1. Get an initial response
2. Ask for variations: "Give me two more options"
3. Dig deeper: "Tell me more about the second one"
4. Refine: "Make it darker" or "That is too obvious, what is a subtler version?"

Save What Works

Do not let good content disappear into conversation history. When something clicks:

• Save it to your campaign immediately
• Or copy the text to paste later
• Or take a note of the key idea

Keep Sessions Manageable

Long conversations lose focus. When you have what you need:

• Save the useful content
• Start fresh for the next topic

Example: Developing an NPC Mid-Session

Situation: Players unexpectedly befriend a guard you improvised. Now they want to know more about him.

You (with "Guard" NPC attached):

The party just convinced this guard to help them. They are asking about his family. What is his story?

Session Companion:

Marcus joined the city guard after his family's farm failed three years ago. His wife Elara works in a textile shop near the market, and they have a young daughter, Pip, who is fascinated by the party's weapons. He took the night shift because it pays slightly better, and he is saving to buy back a small piece of his family's land. He is not corrupt, but he is not naive. He knows the guard captain takes bribes and looks the other way because he cannot afford to lose this job.

You:

They are going to ask him to do something dangerous. What would convince him to risk his position?

Session Companion:

Marcus would need to believe his family would be safe, or in more danger if he does not act. He responds to:

• Threats to his daughter (protective instinct)
• Evidence that the corrupt captain is actually dangerous to ordinary people
• A promise of enough money to get his family out of the city
• An appeal to the person he used to be before desperation made him compliant

You:

Save the first response to Marcus's backstory field.

Now you have a developed NPC with relationships and motivations, created in 30 seconds during play.

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• How do I use quick generators during a live session?
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