How do I add and manage player characters?

Player Characters are the heroes controlled by your players. SwiftPrep helps you track their details, goals, and connections to your world so you can create personalized content and remember what matters to each character.

Creating a Player Character

1. Click Player Characters in the sidebar
2. Click Create Player Character
3. Enter a name (required)
4. Fill in additional fields as needed
5. Click Save

Player Character Fields

Basic Information

Character Details

Mechanical Information

World Connections

DM Notes

Organization

Why Track Player Characters?

Personalized Content

When you know a character's backstory, you can:

• Create NPCs from their past
• Place meaningful items in the world
• Design encounters that matter to them
• Reference their history in plot hooks

Consistent World Response

When you know a character's affiliations, you can:

• Have faction members recognize them
• Create appropriate faction conflicts
• Track reputation and consequences

Better Session Prep

When you know a character's goals, you can:

• Align plot hooks with motivations
• Create obstacles that feel personal
• Reward engagement with relevant content

What to Track

Essential

• Name and player - Who is this, who plays them
• Class/Level - Basic mechanical info
• Goals - What drives them
• Backstory highlights - Key facts, not full novels

Useful

• Related NPCs - People from their past
• Personality notes - How they act, what they care about
• Faction ties - Who they are connected to

Optional

• Full ability scores - If you need to reference them
• Equipment - If you track inventory centrally
• Complete backstory - If the player provides one

You do not need everything. Track what helps your prep.

Connecting PCs to Your World

NPCs from Backstory

When a player mentions characters in their backstory, create NPC entries:

• The mentor who trained them
• The sibling they are looking for
• The rival who wronged them
• The love interest back home

Then create relationships linking PC to NPC. Now that mentor can show up, have goals, and create plot hooks.

Faction Membership

If a PC belongs to an organization:

1. Find or create the faction
2. Link the PC via Faction affiliations
3. Consider what rank or role they have
4. Think about faction obligations and benefits

Significant Locations

Places that matter to a PC:

• Hometown
• Training ground
• Place of trauma
• Destination they seek

Create location entries and link them. Now you can prep these places with extra detail when the party visits.

Development Notes

The Development notes field is for your planning:

Arc Ideas

"Elara's mentor is actually alive, captured by the cult. Finding him could be session 20-25 focus."

Growth Opportunities

"Grimjaw struggles with anger. Look for moments where restraint would serve him better than violence."

Dangling Threads

"Player mentioned a brother once but never followed up. Ask about this, might be useful."

What Is Working

"Player really engages when we involve guild politics. More of this."

Character Secrets

Use the Secrets field for:

Things Only You Know

"Elara's father is the cult leader she has been hunting."

Things the Player Knows But Others Do Not

"Grimjaw killed a man in cold blood before the campaign. Player knows, others do not."

Potential Revelations

"The artifact Kai carries is slowly corrupting him. Will reveal through dreams."

Keep secrets that create future story possibilities.

Tips for Using PC Data

Ask Players for Input

Do not invent backstory. Ask questions:

• "Tell me about your character's mentor."
• "Who would you most want to see again?"
• "What place does your character think about when they are homesick?"

Document their answers. Now you have personalized hooks they have already bought into.

Update After Sessions

When things change:

• Level up? Update level.
• New faction relationship? Add it.
• Goal achieved? Note it, add new goal.
• Important item acquired? Track it.

Keep PC records current.

Use Goals for Hooks

Every session, ask: "Does this session advance any PC goals?"

If the answer is always no, your campaign might feel disconnected from the characters. Look for ways to tie plot hooks to what PCs actually want.

Balance Spotlight

Track which PCs have had recent focus:

• Whose backstory NPCs appeared recently?
• Whose goals got advanced?
• Who has not had a personal moment in a while?

Rotate attention to keep everyone engaged.

Example: Creating a Player Character

Name: Elara Nightwhisper

Player name: Sarah

Class: Wizard (Divination)

Level: 5

Race: Half-Elf

Background: Sage

Backstory: Elara's mentor, Archmage Vethren, disappeared five years ago while researching the Hollow Circle cult. She joined the party hoping to find clues to his fate. She does not know he is still alive, held by the cult for his knowledge.

Personality: Cautious, analytical, but fiercely loyal once trust is earned. Uses humor to deflect emotional conversations.

Goals:

• Find out what happened to Vethren
• Understand the cult's true purpose
• Master divination magic (wants to see the future clearly)

Ideals: Knowledge should be used to protect, not control.

Bonds: Vethren (mentor), the Arcane Academy (trained there), her spellbook (contains Vethren's notes)

Flaws: Cannot let mysteries go unsolved, even when it is dangerous. Trusts books more than people.

Related NPCs:

• Archmage Vethren (mentor, missing) [linked]
• Headmaster Oris (academy contact) [linked]
• The Hooded Figure (stalker, unknown identity) [linked]

Faction affiliations: The Arcane Academy (alumnus, good standing)

Development notes:

• Vethren reveal planned for Act 2 climax
• Player loves investigation scenes, include more mysteries
• Academic rivalry with Kai is fun, keep developing
• "The Hooded Figure" is Vethren's captor checking on her

Secrets:

• Vethren is alive, held by the Hollow Circle
• The Hooded Figure knows who she is
• Her divination magic is stronger than she realizes (prophecy bloodline)

Tags: party-1, active, arc-2-focus

Related Articles

• What are entities and how do they work in SwiftPrep?
• How do I create and manage NPCs?
• How do I define relationships between entities?
• How do I create and manage plot hooks?