The Complete Guide

The Companion Playbook

A complete guide to making characters that actually work.
Nine parts. Every field. Every decision point. Every mistake worth avoiding.

Part 0

Welcome to the Playbook

So you want to make characters?

Good news: you're in the right place. Bad news: this is going to take a while. Grab a drink, get comfortable, and prepare to have some of your assumptions gently dismantled.

What This Guide Is

This is a complete walkthrough of character creation for AI roleplay, from “what do these fields even do” to “why does nobody click on my character” to “oh god why is the model speaking for the user again.”

It's platform-agnostic. Whether you're building on Chub, SillyTavern, or anywhere else that uses the standard character card format, the principles here apply. Field names might differ. The craft doesn't.

Nine parts. Each one covers a different aspect of the process. They build on each other, so I recommend reading them in order, but I'm not your mom. Skip around if you want. Face the consequences of your choices.

Ibara

*ears flatten*

“He says ‘skip around’ like it's freedom. It's a trap. You'll miss something, get confused three chapters later, and blame the guide. Read it in order.”

The Parts

Understanding the Fields

What each section does and why it matters

Writing the Personality

Character description that actually works

Writing the First Message

First impressions that don’t sabotage you

Example Dialogue

Teaching voice without teaching plagiarism

Writing the Scenario

The permanent stage your character lives on

Lorebooks

The reference library that loads when it matters

Testing & Polish

Knowing your character works before users tell you it doesn’t

The Blink Test

Getting people to actually click on your creation

Uncomfortable Truths

The stuff nobody warns you about

Meet Ibara

Throughout this guide, I'll be using a character named Ibara as my primary example. She's a homeless catgirl with trust issues, a sharp tongue, and a tail that betrays every emotion she tries to hide. Defensive on the outside, soft on the inside, absolutely furious that I keep using her to demonstrate character creation concepts.

I chose her because she's complex enough to illustrate nuance but simple enough to explain quickly. Also because she's mine and I can do what I want.

Ibara

*tail puffs up*

“‘Simple enough to explain quickly.’ I have actual layers. But sure. Reduce me to a teaching prop. See if I make this easy for you.”

By the end of this guide, you'll know her almost as well as I do. Her defensive sarcasm. Her gold eyes that narrow when she's suspicious, which is always. The way her ears flatten when she's embarrassed and her tail puffs up when she's flustered. She's going to be our unwitting teaching assistant, and she's already irritated about it. You'll see her comments in the margins throughout, offering a character's perspective on what makes characters feel real.

Ibara

*ears flatten*

“‘Unwitting’ implies I didn't know. I knew. I just wasn't asked. There's a difference, and it matters.”

What This Guide Isn't

This isn't a template you fill in and publish. If that's what you want, there are simpler resources out there. This is for people who want to understand why things work, not just copy patterns and hope for the best.

This also isn't the final word on character creation. It's my approach, refined through a lot of trial and error, but it's not the only approach. Other creators do things differently and get great results. If something in here contradicts advice you've gotten elsewhere that works for you, trust your experience.

But if you're not getting the results you want, maybe give my way a shot.

How to Use This Guide

If you’re brand new: Read the whole thing, in order. Yes, all of it. Each part builds context for the next one.

If you’ve made characters before: You can probably skim Part 1, but don’t skip it entirely. There might be something you’ve been doing wrong without realizing it. Parts 5 and 6 are where most intermediate creators have the biggest gaps.

If you’re stuck on a specific problem: Use the part titles to find what’s relevant. But honestly, your problem might be caused by something you’d learn in an earlier section, so consider starting from the beginning anyway.

If you disagree with something: Good. Think about why. Test both approaches. Keep what works. This guide is a starting point, not a religion.

One Last Thing

I wrote this guide with jokes because learning shouldn't feel like eating vegetables. But underneath the jokes, I'm being serious about the craft. Everything in here is something I've tested, refined, and found to actually matter.

Character creation is a weird little art form. You're building imaginary people and hoping strangers want to talk to them. It's absurd. It's also weirdly satisfying when you get it right—when someone tells you your character felt real to them, when a conversation goes somewhere you never planned and it works.

Ibara

*...tail sways*

“…That part's real. When a conversation actually lands. When someone gets it. Gets us. We notice. Even if we can't explain how. …Don't make this weird. Keep reading.”

That feeling is worth chasing. This guide is meant to help you get there faster.

Alright. Enough preamble. Let's actually learn something.

Ibara's already impatient. Her tail is doing the thing.

Ibara

*tail flicks*

“My tail is NOT… fine. Whatever. Let's start. The sooner we get through this, the sooner I stop being a ‘teaching assistant.’”

— EverNever