I'm a creative person, as such I've never really felt the need for creative help like chatGPT, but I'm not so vain to think I can create anything, so I'm often curious.. what would chatGPT do?
Playing with AI to see what's outside my box
As you may (or may not) know, my world building, back when I was a teenager, was to assign each of the classic fantasy races to a roll of a die, when making maps. Its an old concept, I'm sure I didn't invent. You grab a bucket of dice, and roll them on a blank sheet of paper, the dice colour, type, and number represent what is 'there' under that die.
As an example, a blue die is water, d4s are for large cities, 1s are abandoned, 2 and 3 is a decent, but less important city, nothing special, and a 4 is a special. for me, I'd assign the 4 on blue, as an underwater city, or a floating city, a 2 or three as an island city with ports and ships, and a 1 is maybe a sunken city, or the ruins of a city on the island.. this might be decided based on nearby other rolls.. d10s are transports, so if lots of nearby d10s were in the generic range 2-9, then maybe its a still used ruin, but any 1s or 10s nearby, and maybe its a well visited dungeon, or an underwater lair of a boss monster.
As time went by, I'd write down the rules for these dice, and assign races to certain dice, and eventually that became a code or sorts, which then lead to my 'creation myth' that each race was born on a dice shaped world. as an Example, the Elves come from the d8 world. This also ties into their 8 lifestyles and philosophies, as Examples: war, wisdom, peace, change, nature, magic, commerce, and love. Elves would only seek out the adventure life, if they were in the right stage of their life, seeking wisdom, war, or commerce were the 3 main reasons.
Eventually I came up with some pretty wild ideas as to how each of the monsters had evolved from those worlds, as counterparts, how some worlds had become corrupted and shattered the core race into many lesser races, i.e. the fae, or the magics had warped races from other worlds, creating half-breeds or half-half races, such as Mermaids, Centaurs, or Beastmen, Tieflings etc. There were some sub-rules that if two dice were touching you had to mix the results for something unique, that lead to this.
That creation lore sat in a folder somewhere, and I added to it over the years, even wrote a blog how Dwarves, from the d6 world, being so 'strict' on creating new technology, and not using magic, eventually turned their entire world into a space craft, and started 'assimilating' tech from other races, which got corrupted, and they started assimilating races too, ending up becoming the Borg.
But that was then, and 20 years have passed (hmm, maybe closer to 30) so I'm going over my.. lets say, less mature concepts, and started considering more deeper explanations, and it just occurred to me to ask AI. "how would you do this"
As usual, its very literal, you need to give it very explicit instructions to get in the direction you want, but it did give me this concept which I thought humorous enough to share.
In case you don't quite get it.. the AI seems to be saying the races, cities and even culture is also shaped like the world.. which I guess.. maybe? so the d6 world has a bunch of cube people..
SO here it is, maybe you might be inspired:
This is such a cool idea! You're essentially turning the different polyhedral dice into "worlds" and tying each one to a race and a corrupted form, which gives each world a unique flavor. Here's a breakdown of fantasy races, the dice-worlds they come from, why they match their world, and how they corrupt into monsters:
1. Coin (d2) - Race: The Coinborn
Origin: The Coinworld
Race Theme: The Coinborn are beings of pure chance, living in a world where every decision, action, and event is governed by the flip of a coin. Their existence is about balance—heads or tails, win or lose. They are eternal gamblers, their lives constantly teetering on the edge of fortune.
Why It Matches: The Coinworld is a realm of duality. Everything in it is based on the binary outcome of a coin flip: two sides, two choices. The Coinborn embody this randomness and uncertainty.
Corrupted Version: The Luckless – A fallen race, cursed by a great imbalance in fate. The Luckless are twisted versions of the Coinborn, unable to ever experience fortune, always suffering the "losing" side. They are hunched, cursed creatures, with eyes that bleed from never seeing any chance of good fortune. Their corruption manifests as monsters that steal luck from others, bringing misfortune and ruin in their wake.
2. D4 (d4) - Race: The Forthkind
Origin: The Pyramidal World
Race Theme: The Forthkind are a race of precision and sharpness. Their world is made of angular, pyramid-shaped mountains that form a geometric perfection. They are highly disciplined, strategic, and thrive on organization. The number 4 is sacred to them, and they build their society on the concept of stability through strict control and order.
Why It Matches: The d4's sharp points and perfect symmetry reflect the world the Forthkind inhabit. They value structure and the balance between the four cardinal directions, the four seasons, and the four stages of life.
Corrupted Version: The Razorclaw – These beings were once like the Forthkind, but after a devastating war, they became consumed by anger and disorder. Their bodies are jagged, like broken pyramids, with sharp, pointed limbs and erratic movements. They are relentless in their quest for destruction, and their forms have become monstrous, twisted with rage. Their ability to create perfect strategies now manifests as violent, chaotic outbursts.
3. D6 (d6) - Race: The Hexari
Origin: The Sixfold World
Race Theme: The Hexari are a hardworking, community-oriented race that thrives in a world of six interconnected regions, each governed by a different principle of life: labor, knowledge, growth, artistry, spirituality, and trade. They build their society around these six fundamental pillars, and each region is shaped like a cube, with every face representing a different value.
Why It Matches: The d6 has six sides, reflecting the Sixfold World’s equilibrium of values. The Hexari are practical, dependable, and cooperative, seeking balance and harmony across all their domains.
Corrupted Version: The Crumblers – A group of Hexari who rejected balance in favor of unchecked ambition and greed. They seek to control and dominate each of the six principles, twisting them into a singular vision of power. Their bodies, once solid and grounded, now fracture and disintegrate, becoming more like piles of debris or shifting sand. They sow chaos and destruction, using their knowledge of all six principles for corrupt purposes.
4. D8 (d8) - Race: The Octaliths
Origin: The Octagonal World
Race Theme: The Octaliths are an ancient race that lives in a world with eight distinct regions, each a mirror of different aspects of life: war, wisdom, peace, change, nature, magic, commerce, and love. Each region is ruled by its own philosophy, and the Octaliths have mastered the art of balancing and navigating between these complexities.
Why It Matches: The d8 is a symbol of balance and complexity, and the Octaliths, with their mastery of eight facets of life, mirror the polyhedral world perfectly. Their lives are about mastering all aspects of existence.
Corrupted Version: The Nihiliths – Once balanced in their understanding of the world, the Nihiliths fell into despair after trying to unite the eight aspects into one singular truth. The effort left them broken, their forms now composed of shadowy voids that corrupt and consume everything around them. Their monster-like forms lack clear shape and appear to flicker in and out of existence.
5. D10 (d10) - Race: The Decadons
Origin: The Tenfold World
Race Theme: The Decadons are a race of perfectionists, obsessed with mastering every detail of existence. Their world is divided into ten zones, each representing a different area of expertise—art, science, technology, philosophy, etc. They view the world as a complex system of interwoven parts that must all function perfectly together.
Why It Matches: The d10 represents the totality of these interconnected systems, where every number matters. The Decadons are deeply analytical and highly skilled in each of their chosen fields.
Corrupted Version: The Dissectants – The Dissectants are the Decadons who became obsessed with dissecting reality itself, reducing everything to numbers and formulas. Their bodies are no longer whole, instead made up of fragmented parts that constantly shift and separate. They have become terrifying creatures that manipulate the laws of reality and break the boundaries of existence, tearing apart the fabric of the universe itself.
6. D12 (d12) - Race: The Twelvians
Origin: The Dodecahedral World
Race Theme: The Twelvians are a philosophical race, deeply connected to the cycle of time and seasons. Their world is structured like a dodecahedron, with twelve faces, each representing a different stage of life or era in their history. They live in harmony with the eternal flow of time, respecting both the old and the new.
Why It Matches: The d12 is a symbol of cyclical perfection. The Twelvians see time as a never-ending circle, each phase flowing into the next with order and purpose.
Corrupted Version: The Timelocks – These are Twelvians who sought to master and control time itself. In doing so, they broke the natural flow, freezing themselves in a single moment of existence. Their bodies are now like statues, trapped in time, and they attack those who try to disrupt the balance of time, becoming monstrous, frozen in unyielding poses of violence.
7. D20 (d20) - Race: The Vigeants
Origin: The Dodecahedronal Sphere (D20 World)
Race Theme: The Vigeants are beings of choice and chance, living in a world where every decision is an opportunity for greatness. Their world is a vast, interconnected web of infinite outcomes, with 20 different potential futures that constantly change and intertwine. The Vigeants believe in the power of action and free will, always seeking to influence the future with their choices.
Why It Matches: The d20 is a perfect representation of their world—every decision, every action, and every choice could lead to a different outcome. The Vigeants live in a world where possibility is endless, and their lives revolve around this concept of infinite outcomes.
Corrupted Version: The Fateweavers – The Fateweavers are Vigeants who became obsessed with controlling the outcome of every choice. Instead of leaving the future to chance, they try to weave the threads of fate themselves, forcing their will upon the world. Their bodies are now twisted, their faces hidden behind masks, as they manipulate others’ destinies. They have become horrific beings that cast curses and influence reality to suit their desires.
8. The Sphere (Earth) - Race: The Earthenborn
Origin: The Earthworld
Race Theme: The Earthenborn are a deep, ancient race that exists in harmony with the natural world. Their world is a perfect sphere, full of lush forests, towering mountains, and endless oceans. They are tied to the cycles of nature, and their culture revolves around balance with the environment.
Why It Matches: The spherical shape of their world represents wholeness and unity, and the Earthenborn are the guardians of this balance.
Corrupted Version: The Earthshapers – Once protectors of nature, the Earthshapers became consumed by their power. They tried to reshape the earth itself to fit their vision, and in doing so, they corrupted the land, turning it into a barren wasteland. Their bodies are made of cracked stone and shifting soil, and they are now monstrous figures of destruction, trying to impose their will on the world.
As you can likely tell, very much NOT like anything I have, except maybe the concept of sides relating to life cycles or stages of development, which I think is the fascinating core of my game too.
