Prompt Decorators for D&D Game Masters: Unlock Smarter AI with Less Guesswork

+++Prompt Decorators are powerful tools for GMs

🧙‍♂️ When ChatGPT Just Doesn’t Get It

You sit down to prep for your next D&D session. You open ChatGPT, toss in a prompt about a cursed forest, and get back a string of generic forest names. You try again—this time, more detail, a longer description, maybe a list of themes. The output changes, but it’s still hit or miss.

You’re not alone. Most GMs using ChatGPT go through this. The tool is powerful, but unless you know how to guide it, you spend more time trying to get the answer than using the answer.

That’s where Prompt Decorators come in. A simple set of prefixes, +++Reasoning, +++StepByStep, +++Debate, and more, that tell ChatGPT how to think before it speaks.

With a few characters, you can turn vague replies into helpful ones. You get answers that make sense, build logically, and give you exactly what you need for your story, your players, and your prep time.

This isn’t a feature you’ll find in the UI. It’s a prompt trick. But once you try it, you’ll wonder how you ran games without it.

Let’s walk through how these decorators work—and how they can help you dream, build, run, and publish your next campaign with less stress and a lot more fun.

💡 What Are Prompt Decorators?

Prompt Decorators are short commands you add to the beginning of your message in ChatGPT. Think of them as giving the AI a heads-up on how you want it to behave—before it even starts typing.

Instead of rewriting the same detailed prompt every time, you can use a decorator like +++Reasoning to ask the AI to explain its thought process before giving you an answer. Or use +++StepByStep to have it break a task into clean steps without missing anything. It’s like flipping a switch to get more organized, useful responses.

These decorators were inspired by how coders use the @ symbol to modify the behavior of functions in Python. But since the @ symbol is already used in tagging and other formats, decorators in ChatGPT often start with +++ to keep things clean and clear.

Here’s the difference:

Without a decorator:

Create an NPC who runs a tavern.

With +++Reasoning:

+++Reasoning Create an NPC who runs a tavern.

Now the AI will explain the tavern’s location, clientele, personality traits of the owner, and what makes the place stand out—before delivering the finished result.

🧠 Why It Works: Most AI prompts only tell the model what to do. Decorators tell it how to do it.

With just a few of these added to your prompt, your prep becomes faster, more consistent, and surprisingly creative.

“The tools we use have a profound (and devious!) influence on our thinking.” — John Culkin

🧰 The Core Decorators Every GM Should Know

There are a lot of ways you can steer ChatGPT, but these decorators cover the most useful ground for Game Masters. Whether you're dreaming up your next campaign, building encounters, running a session, or polishing content to publish, these will help you get better answers with fewer prompts.

Each decorator below includes a quick look at how it can be used in the four phases of campaign work: Dream, Build, Run, and Publish.

+++Reasoning

Make ChatGPT explain its logic before giving an answer.

• Dream: Use it when brainstorming factions, NPCs, or setting details that need purpose and backstory.

• Build: Helps when balancing encounters or planning villain motivations.

• Run: Ask why an NPC might react a certain way in the middle of a live session.

• Publish: Let the AI walk through its narrative choices so you can refine or edit with purpose.

🎲 GM Tip: Use this when the output feels too random or too shallow.

+++Step-by-step

Have ChatGPT break the task into clean, ordered steps. Combine this with 5 Room Dungeon to get a structured flow for an encounter.

• Dream: Use to create timelines, campaign arcs, or multi-phase quests.

• Build: Turn vague goals into solid prep, like outlining dungeon rooms or side quests. Try using 5 Room Dungeon in the prompt as well.

• Run: Handle on-the-fly rule decisions or puzzle-solving logic mid-session.

• Publish: Structure content guides or how-to sections for others.

🎲 GM Tip: Use this decorator when you’re staring at a big idea and don’t know where to start. Instead of asking ChatGPT to “build a dungeon,” ask it to walk through the process room by room. You’ll get clearer prep and avoid the dreaded “blank page boss fight.”

+++Debate

Ask for pros and cons or multiple points of view.

• Dream: Shape conflicting factions, political tensions, or moral dilemmas.

• Build: Let the AI show different ways a player could approach an encounter.

• Run: Use it to roleplay heated arguments between NPCs.

• Publish: Add depth to branching storylines by exploring different outcomes.

🧠 Why It Works: This one adds complexity fast, perfect for sandbox GMs.

+++Critique

Ask ChatGPT to evaluate the good, the bad, and what needs work.

• Dream: Get feedback on a new god, magic system, or campaign premise.

• Build: Use it to review an NPC, trap, or boss fight before adding it to your notes.

• Run: Double-check if a riddle or skill challenge is too easy or too hard.

• Publish: Ask for improvement ideas on your intro text, quest hooks, or item descriptions.

🎲 GM Tip: Great for when you’ve got something solid but want a second opinion. I use it to give me feedback on my campaign ideas.

+++Refine(iterations=3)

Improve a result through multiple passes—ChatGPT will revise and polish it.

• Dream: Clean up lore ideas, god names, or world myths.

• Build: Refine encounter descriptions or magical item mechanics.

• Run: Polish a recap or dramatic speech before or after a session.

• Publish: Sharpen your pitch, summary, or campaign title.

+++CiteSources and +++FactCheck

Ask the AI to support its answers with references, or verify information.

• Dream: Use when blending real-world history or myth with fantasy elements.

• Build: Fact-check your inspirations for accuracy or consistency.

• Run: If a player says “wait, that’s not how the Feywild works,” you’re covered.

• Publish: Add credibility when referencing real-world folklore or TTRPG lore.

🎲 GM Tip: Works best for research-heavy prompts or anything inspired by real-world cultures, events, or history.

+++Tone(style=Creative) or +++Tone(style=Dramatic)

Adjust how the AI writes, from casual to spooky to poetic.

• Dream: Shape regional flavor, myths, or celestial visions.

• Build: Give boxed text and narration the tone it needs.

• Run: Use dramatic tone for a big reveal or emotional moment.

• Publish: Lock in a consistent writing style that matches your campaign vibe.

🧠 Why It Works: Lets you set the mood instantly, without rewriting every line.

+++Socratic

Prompt the AI to ask questions back to you—great when you’re still figuring it out.

• Dream: Use it when you're stuck or don't know what part of the world to flesh out next.

• Build: Let it guide you through designing a villain, city, or story arc.

• Run: Use to simulate NPCs who turn the conversation back on players.

• Publish: Make sure you’re covering what readers will ask.

🎲 GM Tip: You don’t need to know what you’re building, just start with this and follow where it leads.

🧙‍♀️ Closing Thoughts: You’re Still the GM — This Just Makes You Faster

Prompt decorators aren’t magic items, but they sure feel like it.

Instead of typing walls of text and hoping for the best, you can add a few simple commands and steer ChatGPT like a co-GM who finally understands your style. You’ll get better worldbuilding ideas, more consistent NPCs, cleaner notes, and story beats that make sense without digging through a dozen revisions.

This isn’t about giving up control. It’s about making your creativity easier to use.

So toss a +++Reasoning into your next prompt. Build your encounters with +++StepByStep. Let +++Critique point out the weak spots in your villain’s monologue.

Then polish it all with +++Refine.

It’s not about working harder. It’s about not working alone.

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Stay smart. Stay weird. And may your dice never betray you.