ChatGPT for Solo D&D: How to Play Without a DM
Not everyone has a fully stacked adventuring party ready to roll dice on a random Thursday night — especially if you’re like me: juggling kids, work, family schedules, and the everyday hustle. Sometimes, you just want the satisfaction of diving deep into a world of your own making.
That’s where ChatGPT can step in — as your Dungeon Master, creative partner, and scribe all rolled into one.
Listen… I know. It sounds cliché — everything these days is AI-this and AI-that. And trust me, as someone still carving out my own D&D journey, it can feel overwhelming to dive in without the right tools. So hear me out.
Need a way to test character builds before bringing them to the table? Want to explore new settings for your next DM session? Or maybe — like me — you’re craving a late-night dungeon crawl once the kids are in bed and you finally have a moment to breathe.
Enter: ChatGPT.
With a few well-placed prompts, it can run surprisingly immersive, flexible solo D&D campaigns. Here’s how.
🧠 Step 1: Define Your Adventure Parameters
Before you jump in, give ChatGPT a clear starting point so it can build the adventure around your goals. Think of this like your session zero.
Example prompts:
“I want to run a solo campaign in a pirate-themed world where I’m a halfling rogue.”
“Let’s do a one-shot mystery in a haunted library. My character is a wizard.”
Or get more creative my personal favorite:
“I read (insert a favorite book or book-world here) and want a campaign designed around it.”
You want to role play your own version of a wizarding world? Go there. You want a little song of fire & ice where the last season of your adventure makes sense? Do it. The worlds and possibilities are endless
👉 The more specific your setting and tone, the better ChatGPT can tailor the world.
🎭 Step 2: Create Your Character (or Let ChatGPT Help)
With the world set in motion, you can roll up your own character or have ChatGPT do it for you. It can:
Suggest fun character concepts.
Roll stats or assign point buys.
Write backstories that tie into the world you described.
Even generate NPC allies or rivals on the fly.
Example prompt:
“Help me create a level 3 human bard who has a secret past as a thief.”
Even if you aren’t as familiar with the ins and outs of D&D classes, the jargon, stats, etc., ChatGPT can explain it all for you. Through it, you can either make it as basic as you want, or generate new complex systems of your own.
🧭 Step 3: Let ChatGPT Be the Dungeon Master
Once your adventure begins, ChatGPT can take on the role of narrator, DM, and dice roller. You describe your actions; it responds with world-building, consequences, and dialogue.
Example exchange:
You: “I carefully open the ancient door.”
ChatGPT: “The hinges groan, echoing down the dusty hall. As light spills inside, you see a broken statue... and the glint of something metallic behind it. Roll Perception.”
You can keep your own dice handy or ask ChatGPT to handle rolls (just specify which method you prefer at the start). I personally like the feel and immersion of using my own dice and trays. If you need some starter gear, check out the ones that I use personally, here.
🧱 Step 4: Use Structured Prompts to Keep It Flowing
When playing solo, structure is your friend. Here are a few prompt styles to keep the game running smoothly:
Decision Making: “Give me three possible paths to take after finding this clue.”
NPC Interaction: “Play out a conversation between my ranger and the suspicious innkeeper.”
Scene Framing: “Describe what happens when I return to town at night.”
Combat Rounds: “Run combat against two goblins using simplified rules.”
🎒 Step 5: Keep a Campaign Log
Once you’ve started a session with ChatGPT, this is arguably the most important step of anything else you do.
Of course, one of the best parts of solo play is having a record of your story. Though depending on which versions of ChatGPT you use (free vs. one of the paid models), the memory of a chat log can only go but so far. I’m telling you because I learned the hard way.
To save yourself the headache of losing hours of story-telling gameplay, when you’ve finished playing make sure to ask ChatGPT to summarize the sessions or keep a “journal” in-character at the end of each scene.
You can also ask ChatGPT to generate a pdf sheet or some version of a saved copy and download them to your computer or phone. If you’re super tech savvy, there are other, fancier ways of doing this like running scripts to automatically publish these notes to a cloud based platform like Google. We won’t cover that in this article, but if you need help doing it…well…just ask ChatGPT! There seems to be a trend here…
Example prompt:
“Write a short, first-person journal entry from my paladin’s perspective about today’s encounter.”
Not only will this makes your campaign feel more tangible, but it’s a fantastic resource if you ever decide to bring your solo character creations into a group game later.
🌟 Bonus: Use ChatGPT for Random Generators
Need a quick tavern name? NPC motivation? Magical mishap table? ChatGPT can generate them on the fly.
Google, of course, has remained a great tool for searching things such as these in the past. Though I find the recall of accessing previous chats and consolidation of info on ChatGPT’s platform much easier than trying to remember what site I clicked on last under Google’s search engine.
Examples:
“Give me 5 unique tavern names for a desert oasis.”
“Generate a random magical effect that happens when I touch a cursed sword.”
“Create a mysterious stranger who gives me a cryptic quest.”
📝 Final Thoughts
Using ChatGPT for solo D&D campaigns turns your imagination into a full adventure engine. Yes, it’s an AI tool. No, it’s not intended to replace the thrill, nuance, and intimacy that an in-person adventure brings. Though whether you’re testing new ideas, fleshing out characters, or just playing for fun, it gives you the freedom to explore without needing a full table.
You set the tone. You make the choices. And ChatGPT brings the world to life.
👉 Grab your dice, fire up a prompt in your favorite cozy spot, and step into a world where you’re both the hero and the storyteller.
