I make no apologies, I'm afraid. Having said yesterday I would put a stop to all this discussion of AI, I've decided there is YET MORE to say about the matter.
This morning when I was supposed to be working I spent a little time dicking around some more with ChatGPT. This time, instead of trying to get it to DM an adventure for me, an experience which I described as being 'reassuringly shit', I decided this time to put my mechanical turk to work on creating a hexmap. The results were, well, reassuringly shit, and confirmed me in my suspicion that when it comes to creative endeavours all AI will really do is produce lowest common denominator pastiche that is only indiscernible from 'legit' material if said 'legit' material is itself unimaginative and dull.
Here is the exchange:
I began by deciding to create a pseudo-Japanese setting, thinking I would get ChatGPT to produce it for me hex by hex. I chose Miyagi prefecture because it is an area of the world with which I am very familiar.
OK, so ChatGPT 'knows' what pseudo-Japan looks like. But we instantly see here the problem identified in yesterday's post. It is on its face impressive that a language model can produce this text. But is it anything better than what the average 11 year old could have come up with given a paper and pencil and two minutes? At best, in other words, what we get is a simulacrum of a by-the-numbers throwaway cliche that anybody could create for themselves, but merely spat out a bit quicker.
Importantly, we would also very soon get into the territory of diminishing returns, here. Let's say you wanted not just one village, but thirty spread across a large hexmap. Hot springs, rice paddies and ninjas is passably ok for one of them. Variations on those themes are going to get mightily repetitive for the rest. (I asked ChatGPT to produce another village for me, and it came up with, er, Takayama, which also, it turns out, is famous for hot springs, architecture, and local cuisine, although this one had - hold onto your hats! - a market.)
The same point is made with respect to NPCs. A friendly noodle restaurant owner, you say? A skilled woodworker always looking for new challenges? And, what's this? A hardworking, quiet farmer. And he's always willing to lend a hand to those in need? Well, I never.
What we get, I repeat, is bad pastiche - or, perhaps I should say, good pastiche of the worst kind of thoughtless hackery that you might have encountered at the height of the d20 era's splatbook bloat, or in hastily written doggerel available on DriveThruRPG today. Nobody needs this kind of material. Anybody with two brain cells can think it up on the fly.
The NPCs and village itself being entirely hookless and bland, I asked ChatGPT to come up with some explicit ones. Again, nothing that a reasonably competent child couldn't have come up with, although I'll grant you that ChatGPT produced it in a matter of seconds whereas said child may have taken, say, 10-15 minutes. The results, actually, if anything remind me of the results that would be listed in a single column table in Yoon-Suin, except (to my eye, at least), more generic and less interesting, and certainly nothing like as rich as what a multi-column random table can come up with using the more fun method of rolling lots of dice.
OK, cheers for that, ChatGPT. I obviously outfoxed it with that one. 'The village is troubled by a monster - now think it up for yourself' is not exactly what I would call a useful tool for helping create materials for a game.
Same again. As a series of prompts, this is superficially impressive, but deeply uninspired. The lost temple contains [drum roll....] treasure, dark magic, ancient artifacts, and/or a portal to another world. Do lost temples ever not contain any of these things?
What we're getting, you see, is the very basic, least creative stuff, vomited out very quickly. The stuff that is interesting and/or difficult (what the treasure/dark magic/ancient artifacts/other world consist of, and that which requires hard work to detail) is up to human creativity, as it has always been. ChatGPT in other words does the boring bits for you, rapidly, but in a way that can only itself be bland and sapped of life and enthusiasm.
And here again we get the same mixture of the uninspired and not-useful. Vague ideas for traps, puzzles and magic items which are in themselves dull, and leave all the hard yards (the details and nuances which will make things really sing) to the human brain once more.
I repeat my conclusion from yesterday: all the Artificial 'Intelligence' is doing is mashing together pre-existing material to produce tasteless pastiche, which is not what creativity really is, and if one can't tell what it comes up with from something 'legit', then that 'legit' thing is itself, I am afraid, insipid and formulaic.
AI models usually interpolate given a bunch of data, they almost never extrapolate. Human creativity usually is extrapolation.
ReplyDeleteNicely put.
DeleteI'm certainly not any more enthusiastic about using AI as a surrogate for my own thinking and creativity than you are. But perhaps if you ask more inspired questions, and give specific instructions about what you would like, you'll get answers that seem put more surprising. Perhaps try telling it directly to surprise you. (I haven't used it myself.) As it is, all one can expect from a generic question put to a robot is a generic and vague answer. It mashes together pre-existing material because that's what it's been created to do: re-use what exists and mirror human discourse. Also, something tells me that if you got into the business of reviewing human-made RPG materials and modules (that you would never actually use, the sad standard of reviews today), you'd have the same kinds of remarks about what most of those humans made: a tasteless pastiche, not creative, etc. But this particular theme of your blog, disdain for mediocrity, is bound to be especially stoked by these new engines of mediocrity.
ReplyDeleteI did try, that, but the results are not very good. I may have to do a follow-up post on this.
DeleteAnyway yes, I agree with your wider point about tasteless pastiche. I don't read a lot of human-made RPG modules precisely because they are in that category, and have been for a long time. I guess my wider point is that if the presence of AI is just going to result in a proliferation of mediocrity, that's lamentable, but hardly the worst thing in the world and hardly 'Agh, AI will replace us all!'
I think that's absolutely true. There's a vast landscape of really low grade RPG supplements out there already. ChatGPT will probably only make that worse, as the hacks find faster ways to churn out the same level of dross.
DeleteThat said, I use GPT every day for all sorts of work and non-work stuff, and there is a knack to prompting. In some cases, you quickly hit a wall and no matter what you write, the responses remain dull. In some cases, however, the more you engage and develop a thread, the responses get richer (and stranger).
ChatGPT isn't intelligent or creative in the human sense you describe, but as a tool it can (sometimes) be extremely useful, and I suspect will quickly become more and more so.
For the budding RPG creative, there's definitely a use case to aid with inspiration, first drafts of stuff etc, but not to produce anything close to a good quality product.
If nothing else, you can sense-check the quality of your own ideas - If ChatGPT can produce the same idea (e.g. a list of an Edo period town's inhabitants), try harder.
Yes, I definitely agree with the last paragraph!
DeleteTo elaborate what I wrote in response to a previous post, so apologies for the repetition: you seem to be saying it's now at human level: same as the hackery of the d20 era, or the average dross of DriveThruRPG, or most of the forgettable modules you don't read.
DeleteIsn't that impressive and concerning in itself?
When you consider the capabilities of a year ago, isn't it even more so?
"AI will replace us all" is an overstatement that obscures the issue by making itself easy to dismiss. If it instead only replaces the mediocre, which doesn't seem nearly as unlikely, won't that be a significant societal shift? If can't compete on quality, but can compete on price by orders of magnitude, won't that be?
Yes, don't get me wrong - it is both impressive and concerning. What concerns me more is that, actually, producing amateurish crap is a nice thing to do. When I was 11 I was terrible at writing, but I did it a lot and got better. With AI to produce terrible writing for us, there will be little incentive for people to hone that skill. This should not be the future we want for our children.
DeletePrecisely so. I don't feel threatened as a writer (yet), but I do feel threatened as a reader: if the mediocre writers all get squeezed out of writing, where will the great writers come from?
DeleteYep. Fortunately there are still a lot of old books out there, more than you can ever read in a lifetime. Just make sure you get them in hard copy before the sensitivity readers mangle them!
DeleteOn the surface, yes. But also I think your prompts are very flat and lacking as well. If you want specific things/better results you’ve got to “feed it”/“nudge it”/“prompt it” to return what you want. It’s always going to be very surface level, at least initially.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s a huge mistake to expect it to be a replacement for anything. That’s false foundational assumption. It’s a “bro-bot”. It can help churn out tons of lists and combinations rapidly. It can spark new ideas.
I think you should try this experiment again, but start off with say, 3-4 paragraphs of description of your pseudo Japanese setting and ask chatgpt to expand on what you’ve done. It can be helpful to also tell it more explicitly what it is: “chatgpt you are an Ivy League professor of classical linguistics with a special focus in Japanese mythology. You are also an experienced table top rpg dungeon master. You are planning out a blah blah blah, and you always describe things in a short, direct and evocative way.”
The “prompt engineering” really does make a difference in the responses.
for towns, you may also want to try an approach where you give it, or ask it for, a list of natural resources, then choose a couple and ask for it to expand on the industries/people in the town based on that.
Anyone who’s saying Chatgpt is a replacement, or is going to do all the work for people, is absolutely wrong. However, it can, with prompting, work very nicely as an idea soundboard for a solo creator.
Fair enough - I obviously need to do a further post on this!
DeleteWell - in my own parallel efforts to churn out RPG material, I harangued the chatbot to "be more creative" after one dull and vague though superficially impressive output, but it had about as much impact as the command "Stop worrying! Go to sleep!"
DeleteWhile I have yet to give it a serious try myself, I am curious as to how it would handle Sci-Fi, specifically my preferred settings of Star Trek and Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteThat said, were the above attempts any worse than AD&D's Oriental Adventures? They seemed pretty typical of most of the Fantasy Hexmap Crawls I've seen. Not saying that's good but rather I would imagine it's use would be to populate a few basic villages so the GM could focus their creativity on those more unique and special locations of their own design.
Just some thoughts.
Yes, that's kind of what I mean. It's very much ten-a-penny stuff of the type we're already familiar with.
DeleteWould it be good at a brute force non-creative task like creating a dozen RuneQuest or 4E stat blocks?
ReplyDeleteI assume yes, if you gave it some samples.
DeleteUsing chatgpt 4 with this prompt
ReplyDeleteI want you to create a unique NPC set in a rustic village in a mythical land of Vikings. It should have unique personality, goals, proclivities, weaknesses, secrets, and potentially have relationships with the other NPCs in the village. Provide detailed caricatures, their demeanors, and face.
laf the Stout - Blacksmith
Appearance: Olaf is a towering, broad-shouldered man with a bushy beard and a wild mane of thick, dark hair streaked with silver. His hands are calloused, and his forearms display the strength of a lifetime spent at the forge. His piercing green eyes are keenly observant, missing no detail. He dresses in simple leather garments, adorned with a heavy apron and gloves to protect him from the sparks of his work.
Personality: Olaf is hardworking and dedicated, taking immense pride in his craftsmanship. He is known for his stubbornness and determination, unwilling to give up on a project until it meets his exacting standards. He values loyalty, honesty, and integrity and has little patience for those who do not share these virtues. Though he appears gruff on the outside, Olaf has a hidden tender side, especially for the children of the village, whom he enjoys teaching and mentoring in the blacksmith trade.
Goals: Olaf's primary goal is to forge a weapon of legendary status that will be remembered for generations, earning him a place among the great blacksmiths of Viking lore. He also aims to pass on his skills and knowledge to the next generation, ensuring the survival of his craft and the prosperity of the village.
Proclivities: Olaf is fascinated by the intricate patterns and designs found in Viking art and often incorporates them into his metalwork. He also enjoys collecting rare and exotic metals, experimenting with their properties to create unique and powerful weapons and armor. Olaf has a love for mead, spending many evenings at the local mead hall sharing stories and laughter with his fellow villagers.
Weaknesses: Olaf's greatest weakness is his fear of fire, a result of a traumatic childhood accident that left him with deep physical and emotional scars. This fear often conflicts with his profession, requiring him to face it daily. His fondness for mead can also lead to impulsive decisions, occasionally causing conflicts or setbacks in his work.
Secrets: Olaf is secretly researching ancient texts and runes in hopes of discovering a long-lost technique for imbuing weapons with supernatural powers. He has found some promising leads but keeps his findings hidden, fearing ridicule or theft of his work.
Relationships: Olaf has a close friendship with Bjorn, the village healer, who not only treats his burns and injuries but also shares his love for mead and camaraderie. Olaf also has a friendly rivalry with Einar the Silent, often crafting custom arrows and bows for the huntsman and challenging him to test their effectiveness. Lastly, Olaf has a deep respect for Freyja the Strong, admiring her courage and leadership and striving to equip her and the village warriors with the best weapons and armor possible.
Again, that's impressive, but also reassuringly crap in the sense that it is the stuff, again, of pastiche/cliche. I'm yet to be convinced. Sorry - I am being a curmudgeon and it will take some doing to shake me out of that.
DeleteAlso, in my blog I did the opposite, I was the dungeon master and chatgpt 4 acted as my players. It was both impressive and pathetic. and funny.
ReplyDeletehttps://hexbrawler.com/dice-and-musings/chatgpt-lets-me-be-the-dungeon-master/
Really interesting. Don't get me wrong - it is amazing that it can even begin to play along. But, as with the experience of being the player, it is too biddable. It just goes along with what you want it to do, which is not how players behave.
DeleteIf you uploaded a large corpus of text like Yoon-Sui as training data to Open AI’s developer platform (not ChatGPT), the results replicate your style and tone, and be indistinguishable from your own writing. Not only that, but the creative breadth of the output would vastly improve. It would blow your mind.
ReplyDeleteWould it blow my mind or would it make me feel like Nick Cave? I kind of think the latter...
DeleteI suppose both things could be true at the same time
DeleteYes, no doubt!
DeleteIn the coming 3-5 years, AI will have the capability to produce complete books comprising text, art, and layout, and convert it into a high-resolution PDF ready for printing. It is likely that many independent role-playing game writers and certainly larger companies will be utilising AI to aid them in their work.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that is true, as there is a big difference between creating chunks of material and a coherent whole. Be that as it may, such a future is not one I would look forward to.
DeleteAs an experiment you should you your original prompts but add "make the village as cliche as possible". Just to see if it's any different.
ReplyDeleteWhat gets me is how little *adventure* is in these "adventure site" descriptions. The innkeeper is known for her hospitality and goes above and beyond in order to make her guests comfortable? BORING! Even if all you can do is generate lukewarm D&D pastiche, at least make the innkeeper a wererat poisoning her guests in their sleep or selling them to... the generic, undescribed bandits on the road, I guess.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's all like this. ChatGPT has quickly developed a distinctively bland and anodyne voice. Everything I read from it gives me a strong sense of déjà vu, that I've read it before, even if this exact arrangement of words is new.
Yes, that was my feeling as well. It makes the mistake bad adventure/module writers always make, which is creating reams of fluff to 'flesh out' the setting without thinking why the PCs would want to interact with it or the consequences of doing so.
DeleteOne thing to keep in mind about AI is that it's been improving at a pretty astonishing speed. Sure a lot of it is shit now but who knows what it's going to be doing in a few years let alone a few decades.
ReplyDeleteAs far as its applications to RPG stuff, where I see the most utility currently is more AI art than AI text. If you're a small press RPG publisher with a shoe string budget then free AI art has got to look pretty tempting. Also useful for me making PC and NPC portraits.
I've been spending a good bit of time mucking about with AI art and its gotten MASSIVELY better over just the last few months. Sure it still fucks up hands etc. a lot but it can nail faces really well when it was giving me constant Eldritch Horror faces back in January.
I understand that, but I will resist it like a luddite. It's evil.
DeleteI'm very leery of big predictions about the future. We are now over 10 years into the "in five years all cars will be self-driving" predictions. It turns out it's a lot harder that it looked, even any pouring over $100 billion into development.
DeleteI agree with that, Jesse, and I have actually used that analogy myself elsewhere. There's also a big incentive for AI companies and people who work at tech companies that stand to profit from adoption of AI to bang the drum for how awesomely transformative it is going to be. We'll see.
DeleteYeah, a lot of big predictions aren't going to pan out but stuff like "AI art will stop sucking at hands pretty soon" seems pretty safe since it doesn't suck at eyes anymore. Stuff detailing specifically how a bunch of people are interacting seems a lot harder so things like a comic book fight scene looks hard, but stuff like NPC portraits it can already do pretty well.
DeleteI don't think "AI art will be a staple for small press stuff fairly soon" is much of a reach at all.
For text stuff, I can see "give me 100 hexes for such and such a setting" giving me useful stuff to use as a jumping off point for brainstorming.
That's, for me, the interesting conceptual leap. At the moment all I've seen it do is quite short, snapshot, set-piece type chunks of text or pictures. There's a world of difference between that and something which strings together many such chunks into a proper short story, let alone a novel.
DeleteRight, which is why I think figuring out how to best use those snapshots is where AI is going in the medium term rather than figuring out how to make it string together those snapshots better.
DeleteLong term? Who the fuck knows.
The thing that makes me sad about "AI" technology is that instead of being used to enable and empower human creativity and artistry, it's being used to mechanize and industrialize some of the most fundamental elements of our humanity. AI could be the most incredible tool to allow humans to create things that were formerly impossible. AI upscaling and colorization of historic film has created genuinely moving footage that gives us vivid glimpses into what the past actually looked like. I read that Peter Jackson's "Get Back" documentary used AI software to extract and isolate vocal and instrument lines from a mushy mono recording, so they could be cleaned up and remastered. Those are the kinds of uses of AI that enable us to create new things in ways that weren't possible.
ReplyDeleteBut instead I see a rapid push to replace the entire creative process of art and music and writing. Greedy (er, "efficient") corporations are driving this process to eliminate an entire sector of paid labor. Movie reviews, weather reports, news articles, etc., will all be written by AI, bland and banal but sufficient to get clicks. AI pop music will be churned out based on last year's hits, eventually feeding on itself (much like D&D is now primarily inspired by D&D itself instead of its sword and sorcery roots). And people will buy it because that's what's being offered by ubiquitous corporations like Amazon.
At times I feel very 'blackpilled', as the saying goes, by this kind of thought. The thing to remember is that this AI-produced stuff will not, cannot, properly satisfy. There will always be a desire for authenticity as long as it is being produced.
DeleteI also wonder if in the long term if AI blandness begins to proliferate across the web, people will recognise how awful it is and stop using either it or the web itself. I don't think that's really likely but you never know.
For art specifically, I think it will proliferate for the same reason that photography proliferated at the expense of hand-drawn portraits a long time ago (easier/cheaper/faster). The default for a lot of things is going to end up being AI with some hand-done tough-ups via photoshop just like photography displaced painted portraits for a lot of things.
DeleteI'm less sold on that being inherently being a bad thing. Using a camera loses something compared to doing it by hand but it opens things up for a lot more people. I think of being able to make images at the push of a button with AI as being fairly analogous to making images with the push of a button with a camera.
Prompt engineering is becoming a real thing. I slightly modified your first prompt and plugged it into ChatGPT 4
ReplyDelete"Describe a hex in a hexmap for a fantasy roleplaying game set in a region that is designed to resemble Miyagi prefecture in Japan. Avoid cliches. Use lateral thinking to add interesting details."
Hex: F12 - Kuroyama Hamlet
Description:
Kuroyama Hamlet, a small and remote settlement nestled in the lush, verdant foothills of the region, is known for its striking black mountain landscape. Modeled after Miyagi prefecture's Zao mountain range, the dark, basaltic rock formations here give the area an otherworldly appearance.
The villagers of Kuroyama are primarily farmers and artisans who have managed to maintain a harmonious balance with the mystical creatures that inhabit the surrounding forests. These creatures, called Kodama, are tree spirits that emit a faint, bioluminescent glow. The villagers have a strong bond with these Kodama and have learned to communicate with them through an ancient form of nature-based sign language.
The local economy is centered around the cultivation of a rare black rice, known as Kuroyama Forbidden Rice, which is believed to possess healing properties. The villagers use the rice as a currency, bartering with traders from other regions who seek out this valuable commodity for its rumored abilities to boost energy levels and restore vitality.
One of the hamlet's unique features is the Kuroyama Shrine, a mysterious and ancient temple with a hidden underground chamber. It is said that the temple was constructed by an unknown civilization that once inhabited the area. The chamber holds an enigmatic artifact, known as the Prism of Equilibrium, which has the power to balance the forces of light and dark. The people of Kuroyama Hamlet consider it their sacred duty to protect this artifact and maintain the balance in the region.
The region experiences frequent, yet mild, earthquakes due to its proximity to active tectonic plate boundaries. The villagers have developed innovative ways to deal with the quakes, such as constructing their homes using a technique called "sway-frame" architecture, which allows the buildings to move slightly during tremors, reducing damage.
Kuroyama Hamlet is also home to a unique festival, the Kodama Dance, which takes place every spring. The villagers dress in intricately crafted, wooden masks resembling the Kodama spirits and dance alongside the creatures to celebrate the renewal of life and the harmonious bond between humans and nature. The festival is both mesmerizing and eerie, drawing visitors from far and wide to witness this one-of-a-kind spectacle.
In summary, Kuroyama Hamlet is a perfect location for fantasy roleplaying adventures, offering a rich cultural setting, a unique environment inspired by Miyagi prefecture, and numerous possibilities for interesting encounters, quests, and mysteries.
I also asked it to create a unique monster for the region.
Delete"create a monster that is threatening the village. Make it thematic but non-obvious"
Monster: Hikarimono
Description:
The Hikarimono is a mysterious and enigmatic creature that has recently begun to threaten the tranquility of Kuroyama Hamlet. This creature, a chimera of sorts, combines features of various bioluminescent deep-sea creatures, creating a hauntingly beautiful yet dangerous entity.
At first glance, the Hikarimono resembles a large, translucent jellyfish, its bell adorned with eerie, shifting patterns of light. Beneath the bell, long, trailing tendrils emit an entrancing glow, attracting the attention of both humans and animals alike. However, as one looks closer, they may notice the faint outlines of a distorted human face within the creature's body, a remnant of its transformation from its original human form.
The Hikarimono was once a villager who sought to wield the power of the Prism of Equilibrium, but their selfish desires led to an imbalance between light and darkness. As a result, they were transformed into this monstrous form, their body infused with the luminescence of deep-sea organisms. Now, the Hikarimono seeks to consume the life essence of the Kodama spirits, hoping to restore their own humanity by absorbing the creatures' energy.
The Hikarimono's abilities include emitting blinding bursts of light, which can disorient and temporarily blind its foes. It can also use its tendrils to entangle its victims, sapping them of their life energy. Additionally, the Hikarimono has the power to manipulate shadows, using the darkness to conceal itself and strike from unexpected angles.
As the Hikarimono grows in power, the balance between light and darkness in Kuroyama Hamlet becomes increasingly unstable, causing the region to experience an influx of dangerous shadow creatures. The villagers, fearing the destruction of their beloved home, must find a way to restore the balance and defeat the Hikarimono before it is too late.
This monster, while thematically linked to the region's focus on equilibrium and luminescence, presents a non-obvious threat to the villagers. It also offers opportunities for interesting character development and storylines, as the players may discover the Hikarimono's tragic backstory and grapple with the moral implications of their actions.
Again, impressive that machine learning can do that, but very much in the realms of pastiche. 'Kodama' are a direct lift from Japanese folklore. Kuroyama still feels pretty cliched to me. 'Hikarimono' (literally 'shiny thing') is a word for certain types of sushi and it's not all that difficult to imagine how ChatGPT mashed that up with 'undersea monster and also light/darkness/energy-related powers - nor how it leapt from the randomly generated 'prism of equilibrium' to that.
DeleteAgain, not saying it's not impressive, but its main appeal is as a way of very efficiently generating lots of fairly mediocre content.
I think a better use of this kind of thing is "here is some mediocre content, now change it so it's good content." Often that is easier than "create some good content from scratch."
DeletePersonally just letting my brain go over that text I focused on the black rice and the logistics of transporting something so bulky from a distant area. Trying to lead overburdened pack animals through passes etc. people selling knock-off black rice, etc.
That's not exactly inspired either but just laying out a whole slew of mediocre hexes would certainly help get my brain to have something to chew on in order to make good hexes.
Ok, here is my last attempt to create something interesting with GPT using a variation of the base prompt.
ReplyDelete"Describe a hex in a hexmap for a fantasy roleplaying game set in a region that is designed to resemble Miyagi prefecture in Japan. Make it fantastical. Avoid cliches. Don’t take creatures directly from Japanese mythology - rather, create new creatures that are thematically appropriate. Use the lateral thinking technique of random stimulation to add fresh ideas"
Hex #21: Luminous Tidewood Sanctuary
Description:
The Luminous Tidewood Sanctuary is a magical realm where land and sea intertwine harmoniously, creating a unique and enchanting environment. This captivating sanctuary is adorned with trees bearing iridescent leaves and bark, shimmering in a kaleidoscope of colors that shift with the ebb and flow of the tides. Perpetually in bloom, the foliage is illuminated by ethereal flowers with delicate, translucent petals that emit a gentle, otherworldly glow and release a soothing, fragrant scent.
The rising tide partially submerges the sanctuary's lower regions, creating a spellbinding scene of blossoms floating upon the water's surface. The tide's ebb and flow influence the magical creatures inhabiting the sanctuary, who have adapted to this exceptional environment.
Inhabitants:
* Nijiiro Serpents: These mesmerizing serpents, with their opalescent, shimmering scales, slither gracefully through the trees and water. Though territorial by nature, they can be pacified with offerings of Suijin Fruit—a rare and coveted fruit found exclusively in this enchanted sanctuary.
* Shiomori Ents: Resembling trees with seawater-soaked bark, these gentle beings possess the power to control water in their vicinity. They maintain the sanctuary's fragile balance by directing the tides and nurturing the flora.
* Koralomim Turtogs: These amphibious creatures boast shells composed of living coral. When threatened, they can retract into their shells, camouflaging themselves as ordinary coral formations. Feeding on underwater plants during high tide, they venture ashore to bask in the sun at low tide.
* Hoshikage Wisps: These minuscule, bioluminescent entities appear as floating stars that emit a soft, melodic hum. They illuminate the sanctuary at night, their movements synchronized with the moon's phases.
Points of Interest:
* Suijin Fruit Grove: This rare and mystical grove is home to the prized Suijin Fruit. Guarded by Nijiiro Serpents, adventurers seeking the fruit's potent healing properties may attempt to harvest it.
* Crystalline Lagoon: A secluded lagoon with pristine, magical waters that bestow temporary water-breathing abilities upon those brave enough to submerge themselves.
* Whispering Caverns: Accessible only during low tide, this intricate network of underwater caverns houses the reclusive Shiomori Ents. Those who approach peacefully may gain their trust and have a chance to seek the Heartstone of the Tides, a powerful artifact that grants unparalleled control over water, hidden deep within the caverns.
* Seashell Shrine: An enigmatic, ancient shrine, half-submerged within the sanctuary, dedicated to a long-forgotten ocean deity. Crafted from intricately carved seashells and coral with mysterious runes etched across the surfaces, the shrine houses the Echoing Conch, a mystical relic with the power to communicate with sea creatures, control the weather, and summon tidal forces.
Unique Features:
* Bioluminescent algae blankets portions of the sanctuary floor, casting a soft radiance and forming intricate, glowing patterns visible at night.
* The sanctuary serves as a migratory path for the rare and majestic Azure Sky Mantas, a species of winged sea creatures that visit the region once every few years. Their appearance is considered a fortuitous omen by locals.
Interesting. My complaint this time is it feels inert. Where are the hooks? What would the PCs do there?
DeleteAlso - the prose is a bit too purple and florid for my taste. 'Enchanting', 'captivatinig', 'spellbinding' - I'll be the judge of that!
With all that said, 'AI prompt engineer' is clearly a future career path. Very cyberpunk.