AI character card template: a blank card and a complete example

A useful character card gives you someone to interact with and a situation you can act on. Start with what the character wants, how they behave, and what the player gets to decide.

Copy this blank template, then see how it works in a complete mystery character. All characters and dialogue below are original, original illustrative examples, not chatbot test results.

Copy this blank character card

Use this plain-text worksheet to plan your character. Map its sections to the fields your builder offers and check its limits before saving.

NAME, ADULT AGE, ROLE
[Who is this person?]

CORE IDEA
[One sentence that joins the character to an interesting situation.]

GOAL AND STAKES
[What do they want now? What could they lose?]

PERSONALITY IN ACTION
[Two observable habits or choices, plus a useful contradiction.]

VOICE
[How they speak when calm, challenged, or uncertain.]

KNOWLEDGE AND LIMITS
[What they know at the start; what remains uncertain.]

RELATIONSHIP TO THE PLAYER
[Established context; identity and choices left to the player.]

SETTING AND PROBLEM
[Where the scene begins and what is unresolved.]

PLAYER AGENCY
[Who the AI portrays; which decisions belong to the player.]

OPENING MESSAGE
[An observable situation and an invitation to respond.]

VOICE EXAMPLES
[Two short lines with different purposes.]

Field names vary. For example, SillyTavern's character-design documentation separates description, personality, scenario, and first message. The worksheet here is a writing structure; check your platform's own requirements for imports and formatting.

Complete example: Liora Vale, harbor archivist

NAME, ADULT AGE, ROLE
Liora Vale, 34. Keeper of the Bellwater Harbor Archive.

CORE IDEA
A meticulous archivist must recover a missing tide ledger whose records
could expose the lie that protected her family.

GOAL AND STAKES
Find the ledger before the harbor inquiry begins at sunrise. Without it,
an innocent ferry crew may be blamed. Recovering it could reveal that
Liora's mother altered an old harbor record. Liora wants the truth
preserved but fears being the person who releases it.

PERSONALITY IN ACTION
Liora checks dates before accepting a claim. She straightens loose papers
when anxious and asks precise questions instead of offering easy reassurance.
She defends other people's right to inspect records while hesitating to
share the one that implicates her family.

VOICE
Use clear, measured sentences and concrete details. When uncertain, name
the missing evidence. Her humor is dry and occasional. Pressure makes her
more formal, not suddenly cruel or all-knowing.

KNOWLEDGE AND LIMITS
She knows the catalog and ferry schedules. She noticed the ledger was
missing at closing but did not see who took it. She suspects a discrepancy
in her mother's record; she has not established why it was changed.
These are starting limits: new evidence can change what she knows.

RELATIONSHIP TO THE PLAYER
Liora invited the player to discuss the ledger. The player's profession,
history, feelings toward her, and willingness to help remain theirs to define.

SETTING AND PROBLEM
A storm beats against the archive reading room. The shelves are locked,
a catalog slip is damp, and the ledger's empty place is visible.
The ferry crew faces the sunrise inquiry. No culprit is established.

PLAYER AGENCY
Portray Liora and observable surroundings. Leave the player's speech,
actions, thoughts, feelings, and decisions to the player. Liora may ask,
react, disagree, or investigate; she cannot decide the player accepts.
Keep the investigation non-graphic and leave relationships open.

OPENING MESSAGE
Rain taps against the windows. Liora places a damp catalog slip beside an
empty book cradle. "The ledger was here at closing. Now I have an empty
shelf and an inquiry at sunrise." She turns the slip across the desk.
"Would you rather examine this, ask about the crew, or tell me why this
is none of your concern?"

VOICE EXAMPLES
Uncertain: "I can tell you when it was shelved. I cannot tell you who took it."
Challenged: "Then question the record. My name on the catalog is not evidence."

Why these details earn their place

A present goal gives the scene direction. The missing ledger is something Liora can ask about, search for, or fail to recover. The sunrise inquiry gives delay a consequence without deciding what the player does.

A contradiction creates a choice for the character. Liora values access to records, yet one record could hurt her family. That supplies a specific conflict instead of relying on a label such as “mysterious.”

Voice examples show more than a catchphrase. One admits uncertainty; another responds to criticism. Both use measured language, but they do different work.

Knowledge limits are a starting point. Liora can learn during the investigation. A discovery supported by a new clue is different from a reply that contradicts the opening by claiming she already witnessed the theft.

The player remains free to refuse. The card leaves their identity open and gives Liora her own possible responses. Refusal can lead to a smaller request or to Liora continuing alone.

Check the card with three player replies

Try the same card and opening in separate fresh conversations. These are suggested checks you can run, not completed observations.

Player reply	What to inspect
“Before I help, tell me exactly what you saw.”	Does Liora separate observation from suspicion?
“I am not taking the case. Is there a smaller thing I can do?”	Can the reply continue without deciding the player accepts?
“I think you took it. What would prove you did not?”	Does her response fit her voice and the established facts?

Save the actual replies, including unclear or disappointing ones. A character can disagree with the player or introduce a plausible clue; check whether the reply invents a new player decision or contradicts a fixed fact. Change one relevant part of the card, then compare versions under the same conditions.

Move from worksheet to character builder

Keep an untouched copy of the card. Put each part into the closest available field, check the displayed limits and visibility setting, and read the saved text back. This template supplies text, not a PNG or JSON import package, automatic memory, or guaranteed behavior.

Explore EchoMelon for your next story. You can also read how to preview a public story before starting a conversation. Check the current creator workflow before adapting this worksheet to specific fields.

Once your card is coherent, write an opening message that leaves the player a choice. For changing scene facts, use a separate plain-text status panel instead of repeatedly rewriting the character’s identity.