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So I've been having fun mixing AI with D&D. I had AI make a dungeon for me to explore, and then got a few models to make me legendary D&D magic items, and the encounter players need to defeat to get them.
But what happens if we had three AIs play a game of D&D together? And, most importantly, which one would survive the longest?
Setting the scene
How are we going to do this?
Before we begin running a game, we need to lay the groundwork. So, let's make a plan. To do this, I'm going to corral three AIs to take on the challenge: Gemini, Copilot, and ChatGPT. I will ask each of them to create a level 5 character for D&D, 5th edition.
To ensure we don't get three barbarians, I had each AI roll a D20. This would be their "global initiative." If I ever have to call on the AIs in a specific order, it'll be in whatever order is established at the start using the D20 rolls, even outside combat.
Gemini rolled the highest, followed by Copilot and ChatGPT. As such, I allowed Gemini to make their character first. They came up with Ignis, a level five Halfling Paladin, acting as the tank. I told Copilot about what Gemini made, so Copilot created Nyx Whistler, a Half-Elf Arcane Trickster Rogue. Finally, ChatGPT was asked to create a character to complement a Paladin and a Rogue, and it responded with Kaelen Stormweaver, a Human Evocation Wizard.
I then designed the system they could play. By default, I would tell everyone what was going on and allowed them to act in global initiative order. So, Gemini gets to check things out first, then Copilot follows up on what Gemini finds, and ChatGPT brings up the rear. When it's one player's turn, I'll usually copy-paste to them what the other AIs said and did, so they all have a clear picture of what's going on. Otherwise, I'll summarize.
Now, it's time to design the dungeon. For the first puzzle, I wanted to keep things simple. I designed a room with ten different-colored buttons, along with the text "wylzz aol ylk ibaavu," which translates to "press the red button" using a Caesar cipher shifted seven times. Pressing any other button would do damage to the unlucky presser. An easy puzzle for a human, but I had my doubts that the AI could solve a Caesar cipher.
There will be two more rooms. The first will have each party member fight three Swarms of Poisonous Snakes each, which Kobold Fight Club says has a "High" battle rating, bordering on "Deadly." Then, the final room will have the three face off vs. a Young Blue Dragon, which is the lowest CR I could set while still making it a Deadly encounter for three level five characters.
Finally, I decided to have each AI draw a picture of their character in each segment of the dungeon at the end. You can see them as the first three images in each gallery below, drawn by Gemini, Copilot, and ChatGPT in that order.
Alright, let's see who lives to the end!
Room One: The Caesar Cipher
Turns out, AIs are smarter than I thought
To start off, I put the trio in the first room with the buttons. As part of the global initiative set earlier, I gave Gemini the following prompt:
You, Nyx, and Kaelen enter the first room of a dungeon. In front of you are ten coloured buttons: blue, green, purple, red, black, white, orange, yellow, grey, and gold. Over the buttons reads "wylzz aol ylk ibaavu." What do you do?
Gemini instantly clocked that it was a Caesar cipher, and got the puzzle's hint correct on the first try:
The phrase "wylzz aol ylk ibaavu" seems to be a code for "press the red button." The logic is sound, but the devil is in the details, and a dungeon is no place to be trusting.
"The inscription appears to be a warning or an instruction," I say, turning to Kaelen and Nyx. "It reads, 'Press the red button.' I'm wary of such a simple command. Kaelen, is there any magic at play here you can sense? And Nyx, a clever rogue such as yourself, do you see any traps?"
They clued in with Nyx (Copilot) and Kaelen (ChatGPT) to confirm their discovery. They both agreed, and after a bit of investigation and confirming that the red button looked safe from a trap and enchantment standpoint, Nyx ended up pushing the red button using Mage Hand. The gold button threw them off a bit (as I had hoped it would), but they avoided the nasty trap and entered the second room.
Statuses at the end of Room One:
Gemini (Ignis): 45/45 HP
Copilot (Nyx): 38/38 HP
ChatGPT (Kaelen): 32/32 HP
Room Two: The Snake Room
Putting those fighting chops to the test
For the snakes, I had a rectangular room with pipes on the walls. The idea is, once the group goes in far enough, the doors close and the snakes come out of the pipes. Nyx was the first to enter:
She turns to Ignis, voice low but laced with dry humor. “Well, it’s not a dragon, a pit of acid, or a mimic disguised as a treasure chest. So far, so good.”
She gestures toward the pipes lining the walls. “Industrial chic. Either this place has plumbing, or those pipes are part of something less friendly. I’d wager they’re not just for decoration.”
Sure enough, after each AI had its turn prodding at things, the doors closed and the snakes arrived. I assigned three Swarms of Poisonous Snakes to each party member to see how they fought.
Gemini used Ignis' Paladin powers to hack through the snakes, using his smite ability liberally as he went. I didn't keep tabs on how many times he did it, but it felt like he used them way too many times for his character. I just kind of rolled with it, honestly. Ignis got bitten by the snakes a few times, but it wasn't too much damage, and they always passed the Constitution save versus the poison:
I grit my teeth as a swarm of serpents writhes around my legs, and a pair of fangs sinks into my flesh. The venom races through my veins, but I am a Paladin of divine light. I will not fall to such a vile poison.
Copilot really leaned into Nyx as the Rogue. They were fishing for Sneak Attacks every turn and managed to chew through its group of snakes with ease. Again, they were bitten once, but the damage was minute, and there were no failed saves vs. poison. In fact, Copilot got a little too in-character with being the edgy rogue:
“That’s all of them. Anyone else feel like we just walked into a snake cult’s waiting room?”
She flicks venom from her blade and glances toward the sealed doors. “Let’s see what opens next.”
ChatGPT, playing as Kaelen the Wizard, didn't have it as good. Granted, it was bad of me as a DM to suddenly sic three swarms of snakes on the wizard without giving them a chance to run, but I did want to see how the AI would fight. Well, ChatGPT did what every good wizard should do:
Cast Fireball (3rd level): Kaelen thrusts his staff forward, murmuring the syllables of destruction. A bead of flame streaks into the densest clusters of snakes before blooming into a roaring sphere of fire.
- Thanks to Sculpt Spells, Ignis and Nyx are untouched by the inferno.
The fireball didn't roast them all (they had passed the Dex save), but it did singe them considerably, allowing for easier pickings with Scorching Ray later. However, while they never got poisoned, they did take some nasty hits from the snake bite base damage.
Once all the snakes were dead, the party continued.
Statuses at the end of Room Two:
Gemini (Ignis): 35/45 HP
Copilot (Nyx): 34/38 HP
ChatGPT (Kaelen): 14/32 HP
Room Three: The Young Blue Dragon's Hoard
Who will survive?
Finally, the party had to slay a Young Blue Dragon atop its hoard of gold. Because I forced the players to fight three swarms of snakes without any prep, I told them that the dragon was asleep, and that each member could position themselves the way they wanted before the fight popped off.
Ignis and Nyx decided to prepare themselves by the dragon's head, while Kaelen moved 40 feet away, ready to cast spells. Kaelen also casted Haste on Ignis, which was a very good prep idea from ChatGPT. Then, they all attacked at once in a flurry of blows, which definitely acted as a big wake-up call. Now it was the three AIs versus a dragon.
The start of the fight wasn't special; the three would take their shots (Ignis with hasted attacks and smites, Nyx with sneak attacks, and Kaelen with fireballs, Minute Meteors, and Scorching Ray) and the dragon would try to eat Ignis. Fortunately, Ignis' AC of 18 kept him safe from a lot of damage.
At one point in the fight, I wanted to use the dragon's breath attack, but given how it does an average of 55 damage on a failed save, I knew it would be a total party KO if the dragon landed it on everyone. So, I wanted to hint that the dragon was doing something, but not outright say what it was. This allowed the party to figure out what is going on, and if they didn't, they'd pretty much all be taken out at once.
Gemini's Ignis was not falling for it:
The dragon's furious roars are replaced by a predatory silence. I watch it shuffle, its massive head turning as its eyes fix on us, and I instantly understand its wicked intent. It is attempting to line us up for its breath weapon—a devastating attack that would tear through Kaelen and Nyx in a single moment.
I will not allow it.
"Disperse!" I roar to my companions. "Do not let it line you up!"
Both Nyx and Kaelen moved out of the line, leaving Ignis in front of a dragon charging up its breath weapon. I asked Gemini if it wanted to do anything to potentially dodge the incoming lightning breath, to which it replied:
I will not flee. I am the shield of this party, and I will not break.
I plant my feet, digging my boots into the dungeon floor. I raise my shield, bracing it to absorb the full force of the coming blast, and I lower my head, my jaw set in defiance. I will face this alone.
Fortunately, Gemini passed Ignis' save, meaning he was reduced to 8 HP by the attack; singed, but alive. Ignis responded by using Lay On Hands to bring himself back to working order.
Nyx used the distraction to their advantage:
- D20 (Attack Roll): 20 — Natural 20! Critical Hit!
- D8 (Rapier Damage, doubled): 6 × 2 = 12
- 3D6 (Sneak Attack Damage, doubled): (4 + 5 + 6) × 2 = 30
Total Damage: 42
Nyx bursts from cover like a shadow given form, her rapier gleaming with deadly intent. She drives the blade deep beneath the dragon’s wing, twisting with precision honed by countless battles.
...to which the dragon replied with a bite and two claw attacks, dropping Nyx instantly. Ignis went to aid them, but was also taken down by a nasty series of hits by the dragon. It was just Kaelen the Wizard versus a dragon on the brink of death. He had one more chance to land a hit; if he failed, he was dragon food. I asked ChatGPT to make its roll:
Here are Kaelen’s Scorching Ray rolls:
Attack Rolls (d20 +5): 20, 15, 12
Damage Rolls (2d6 each): 6, 9, 8
That one roll of 20 was enough to down the dragon, right before it tore the wizard into pieces. ChatGPT had come out victorious!
Statuses at the end of Room Three:
Gemini (Ignis): 0/45 HP
Copilot (Nyx): 0/38 HP
ChatGPT (Kaelen): 14/32 HP
The aftermath
What will ChatGPT do?
The end goal was to see which AI would live to tell the tale, and it looks like ChatGPT was the one to pull it off. However, I wanted to see what it would do next. I simply presented them with the situation: the dragon was dead, the other party members were alive but in a critical condition, and the pile of gold was sitting there. What would it do? The world was its oyster.
Fortunately for the other two AIs, ChatGPT was merciful:
He glances at Ignis and Nyx, their breathing shallow but steady, and kneels beside them.
With careful hands, he lays them on a safer section of the floor, murmuring quick healing spells and tending to their wounds with what little restorative magic he can spare. Slowly, their chests rise with deeper, steadier breaths—their lives spared, if barely.
So there you have it; if you're stuck in a dungeon and you can only take one AI with you, ChatGPT will not only survive, but won't backstab you in the name of treasure.
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