How to Use ChatGPT (AI) to Prep and Run D&D

August 12, 2025
Posted by Luke Hart

By Luke Hart

There’s a secret most dungeon masters are keeping—and chances are, your DM is in on it too.

They’re using ChatGPT to prep their D&D games.

Not to write full campaigns or automate entire sessions, but to brainstorm traps, generate NPC names, write flavor text, and—let’s be honest—make prep a lot faster and a lot more fun. And yet, few want to admit it. As if using an AI tool for your homebrew is some kind of tabletop heresy that’ll get your DM screen revoked by the Dice Gods.

But let’s be real: ChatGPT is an absolute game changer for DMs. Not a replacement for your creativity—but an engine that supercharges it. And once you start using it for your prep, you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.

In this post, I’m pulling back the curtain. We’re going to break down what ChatGPT is great at, where it still stumbles, and exactly how I use it to prep—and even run—my own D&D games. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by game prep or hit a creative wall, this tool might just be your new favorite sidekick.

By the way, are you a NEW GAME MASTER feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything involved with running a role-playing game? If so, the Secret Art of Game Mastery can help. Get over 100 years of GM experience distilled into practical, easy-to-read advice.

Watch or listen to this article by clicking the video below.

What ChatGPT Is Actually Good At

So, let’s talk about what ChatGPT is actually good at—because no, it’s not going to write your entire campaign for you while you kick back and roll dice like a medieval CEO.

But when it comes to brainstorming and idea generation, it’s downright magical.

Need an idea for your next adventure? It’ll spit out ten hooks in five seconds. Some might be mid. Some might be weird. But a couple? Chef’s kiss. You will have something you can build on.

Need names for NPCs, taverns, cities, spells, or your players’ five pet ferrets? Done.

Puzzles? Easy. Traps? Rock and roll. Want interesting things to scatter around a ruined library? It’ll give you a list that’s better than half the tables in official books. Why? Because you can literally tell it to customize those items for your specific adventures—and it’ll do it in a heartbeat.

The trick? You must review and tweak what it gives you. It’s not perfect. It’s not polished. But it’s a fast, brilliant jumping-off point.

And don’t even get me started on read-aloud text. You can describe a dusty tomb with “uh, it’s old and… spooky,” or you can input some high-level details and get something that sounds like it was written by a gothic novelist in under thirty seconds.

It’s not about replacing your creativity—it’s about fueling it. And saving time. Let’s not forget. Saving LOTS of time!

What ChatGPT Is Not Good At

Alright, let’s pump the brakes for a second—because while ChatGPT can be a total lifesaver for brainstorming, there are areas where it… kind of falls apart.

Game mechanics? Not its strong suit.

Ask it to build a stat block or design a balanced encounter, and you’re rolling the dice on whether it gives you something usable—or something that accidentally creates a CR 12 goblin with 400 hit points and a spell that deletes the sun. It also is likely to screw up the mechanics, or give you a stat block that mixes both Shadowdark and D&D 5e mechanics.

It struggles with the technical side of game design. Sure, it can describe a dungeon or outline an adventure, but if you want that adventure to be balanced across all three pillars—combat, exploration, and social? You’re going to have to do that work yourself.

Want it to write an encounter that matches your group’s power level, playstyle, and tone? Yeah… don’t count on it.

For technical things like this, you can ask for them, and sometimes it’ll get close, but you need to heavily review everything it gives you. And I do mean heavily.

Use it as a starting point, not the final product. Because when it comes to precision game design, ChatGPT is still more “inspirational muse” than “rules lawyer.”

How I Use ChatGPT

If you want to learn exactly how I use ChatGPT to prep for and run my games, you can watch the second part of this video.

100 Years of GM Experience at Your Fingertips!

Are you a NEW GAME MASTER feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything involved with running a role-playing game? Are you a VETERAN GAME MASTER looking for new tips and tricks to take your games to the next level? Look no further than the Secret Art of Game Mastery.

We at the DM Lair have distilled our CENTURY of accumulated GM experience into an easy-to-read guide of practical advice that you can immediately apply to your games! We've even included our own templates–the things that we use to prepare our ACTUAL games.

Get all three books to master your game:

The Secret Art of Game Mastery. Contains over 100 years of GM advice distilled into an easy-to-read format. It introduces and explains the tools of the trade, scheduling, playstyle, post-game notes, getting player feedback, and more.
The Secret Art of Preparation. Brings to your fingertips the actual templates and guides that the DM Lair team uses to prepare games, Lair Magazine, and more. Designed as a three-ring binder, it's intended for you to write directly into for your entire campaign!
The Secret Art of Notetaking. Gives you the keys to tracking your campaign from session to session just like the DM Lair team. Designed as a three-ring binder, it's intended for you to write in and keep track of your whole campaign!

With so much knowledge and experience on its pages, The Secret Art of Game Mastery is guaranteed to become an indispensable tool for all game masters, new and veteran alike. And if that isn’t enough, the information applies to all game systems and all genres!