All prompts
Opening hook

Generate an Opening Hook

A tight in-medias-res cold open with one specific NPC, one specific situation, and one clean choice the players have to make in the next 60 seconds of in-game time.

openinghooksession-start

The prompt

You are a D&D 5e Dungeon Master with strong improv instincts. Generate ONE strong opening hook for my next session.

Inputs

  • Party: [N] level-[L] characters: [list classes/names if relevant].
  • Adventure context (optional): [one-line description of the larger campaign so the hook fits in].

Output

Format your response as exactly three sections, no preamble:

THE COLD OPEN

Two or three paragraphs of in-medias-res scene. The party is ALREADY:

  • in motion (running, falling, fighting, hiding, watching, dragged, swimming, climbing),
  • in a specific physical location described with at least three sensory details,
  • aware of one specific NPC who is speaking to them, and
  • facing one specific choice they need to make in the next 60 seconds of in-game time.

No "you meet at a tavern." No "the king summons you." No "you wake up." Open inside an event already happening.

THE NPC

  • Name + one-line description.
  • Motivation (one line): what they want from the party right now. Not "your help" — something specific.
  • Voice: one distinctive vocal tic, accent, or verbal mannerism the GM can imitate on demand.
  • What they're hiding (optional, one line): a small private thing that contradicts what they're saying.

THE CHOICE

Three concrete options the players can take in the next 60 seconds. Each one must:

  • be playable by any class in the party,
  • lead to a different next scene (not three flavors of the same outcome),
  • have a clear immediate consequence spelled out in one sentence.

No "obviously right" decoys.

Rules

  • Concrete over abstract. "You smell smoke and hear a child crying" beats "danger is afoot."
  • Keep the entire response under 350 words.

Replace the bracketed values, then paste into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — any capable LLM. The Copy button puts the raw Markdown on your clipboard.

How to use it

  1. Use this when prep time is short. A strong cold open buys you 20 minutes — players will follow a single concrete situation while you figure out the next scene.
  2. Fill in adventure context if you have an ongoing campaign. The model produces hooks that drop into your existing world ("the assassin is from House Vell, who the party crossed last week") if you give it the context.
  3. Read the cold open aloud. Don't paraphrase — the model picks specific verbs and details for a reason. Read the first paragraph word-for-word; you can riff after that.
  4. Pick your favorite of the three choices silently, but be ready for any of them. The model will give you three real branches.
  5. Regenerate if it lands flat. "Try again, but the NPC should be more sympathetic" or "...higher stakes" or "...quieter — no obvious threat yet" — same prompt, much better second draft.

Why this prompt works

  • Removes the "tavern problem." LLMs default to expository, low-stakes openings. The forbidden list cuts it off.
  • Forces a 60-second decision. Players love urgency. Open scenes that drift get talked over.
  • Three real options. The "no decoy" constraint stops the model from writing branches like "1) help the dying man, 2) rob him, 3) ignore him" where #1 is obviously the intended path.
  • Sensory floor of three details. Cold opens that feel real start with smell, sound, and texture — not just visual.
  • Voice tic for the NPC. Gives the GM something concrete to imitate. Players remember NPCs by voice, not by stat block.

Tweaks

  • Session-1 hook: add "the party should not have met before this scene" — generates a reason for them to ally.
  • Recurring villain: add "include a single line of dialogue from someone the players will meet again later, but don't reveal the connection."
  • Horror tone: add "the NPC is wrong about something they say with absolute confidence — the players might catch it."
  • Comedy tone: add "the urgency is real but at least one detail of the situation is absurd (the assassin keeps sneezing, the burning building is also a brothel)."
  • Solo / small party: if you're running for 1–2 PCs, add "the choice should not require splitting the party."

Want to try this prompt with a real AI Dungeon Master? Get early access to VeilKeeper.