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NPC Profile Generation

Generate full NPC profiles using Codex CLI. Reads character appearance from YAML files and generates complete profiles with agenda, disposition modifiers, memory triggers, sample dialogue, secrets, and plot hooks.

Usage

/profile <character_name>
/profile cipher
/profile elder_kara
/profile vex --context "He's been promoted recently"

How It Works

1. Read the character YAML from assets/characters/{name}.yaml
2. Build a detailed Codex prompt with faction context
3. Call codex exec --full-auto directly via Bash
4. Parse JSON from response
5. Save to sentinel-agent/generated_npcs/{name}.json
6. Report success with key profile details

Step 1: Find and Read Character YAML

Look for the character file:

C:\dev\SENTINEL\assets\characters\{name}.yaml
C:\dev\SENTINEL\assets\characters\{name}_detailed.yaml

If not found, ask the user for basic details (name, faction, role) to generate without physical description.

Step 2: Build Physical Description

From the YAML, build an explicit physical description string:

Person Descriptor Mapping

For elderly characters, prepend "elderly" (e.g., "elderly olive-skinned woman").

Build Order

1. Person descriptor with build (e.g., "Black man with lean build")
2. Hair description (length, style, color)
3. Eye description (color or "cybernetic eyes")
4. Facial features (comma-separated)
5. Distinguishing marks (scars, augmentations, tattoos, other)

Step 3: Build Codex Prompt

Faction Context

Role Suggestions

Prompt Template

You are generating an NPC for SENTINEL, a tactical tabletop RPG about navigating political tension and ethical tradeoffs in a post-collapse world.

## NPC Details
- **Name:** {name}
- **Faction:** {faction_name} - "{tagline}"
- **Role:** {role}

## Faction Context
- **Values:** {values}
- **Culture:** {culture}
- **Speech patterns:** {speech}

## Role Context
{role_description}

## Physical Appearance (USE THIS EXACTLY)
{physical_description}

## Output Format

Generate a complete NPC profile as JSON with this exact structure:

{
  "name": "{name}",
  "faction": "{faction_id}",
  "role": "{role}",
  "physical_appearance": "{physical_description}",
  "description": "2-3 sentence presence/demeanor description (NOT physical)",
  "agenda": {
    "wants": "Primary goal (specific, personal)",
    "fears": "What they're afraid of (specific)",
    "leverage": "What they could hold over the player (or null)",
    "owes": "What they might owe the player (or null)",
    "lie_to_self": "The self-deception that lets them sleep at night"
  },
  "disposition_modifiers": {
    "hostile": {
      "tone": "How they speak when hostile",
      "reveals": ["What they share at this level"],
      "withholds": ["What they hide"],
      "tells": ["Behavioral cues"]
    },
    "wary": { ... },
    "neutral": { ... },
    "warm": { ... },
    "loyal": { ... }
  },
  "memory_triggers": [
    {
      "condition": "tag like 'helped_ember'",
      "effect": "What happens",
      "disposition_shift": -2 to +2
    }
  ],
  "sample_dialogue": {
    "greeting_neutral": "...",
    "greeting_warm": "...",
    "refusal": "...",
    "bargaining": "...",
    "under_pressure": "..."
  },
  "secrets": ["Things the GM knows but player must discover"],
  "hooks": ["Plot hooks involving this NPC"]
}

## Guidelines
- Make the NPC feel like a real person with contradictions
- The "lie_to_self" is crucial - everyone justifies their actions
- Disposition modifiers should show meaningful progression
- Memory triggers should reference realistic player actions
- Secrets should create interesting dramatic irony
- Hooks should tie into faction politics and player choice

Generate the NPC now. Output ONLY the JSON, no explanation.

Step 4: Execute Generation

Run the command directly via Bash:

codex exec --full-auto "PROMPT_HERE"

For long prompts, write to a temp file first to avoid shell escaping issues:

# Write prompt to temp file
# Then run:
codex exec --full-auto "$(cat /tmp/npc_prompt.txt)"

Use a 5-minute timeout (300000ms) since Codex generation can be slow.

Step 5: Parse and Save

1. Extract JSON from Codex response (may be wrapped in ```json blocks)
2. Validate required fields exist
3. Save to C:\dev\SENTINEL\sentinel-agent\generated_npcs\{name}.json

Step 6: Report Result

Show the user:

• Name and faction
• Brief description
• Key agenda items (wants, fears)
• One sample dialogue line
• File path

Suggest running /portrait {name} to generate a matching portrait.

Example: Full Prompt for Cipher

Character YAML:

name: Cipher
faction: nexus
role: analyst
gender: masculine
age: adult
skin_tone: brown
build: lean
hair_color: black
hair_length: short
hair_style: dreadlocks
eye_color: augmented
facial_features: [sharp, high cheekbones]
augmentations: subtle blue data overlay in eyes, small temple implant
other_features: always wears a data visor
default_expression: neutral

Physical description built:

Black man with lean build, short dreadlocks black hair, cybernetic eyes, sharp, high cheekbones features, subtle blue data overlay in eyes, small temple implant, always wears a data visor

Error Handling

• YAML not found: Ask for name/faction/role to generate without physical description
• Codex not available: Report error, suggest checking Codex CLI installation
• JSON parse fails: Show raw response, suggest retrying
• Missing fields: Fill with sensible defaults, warn user

Creating New Characters First

If the user wants to create a new character with full appearance details first:

python scripts/create_character.py

Then run /profile {name} to generate the NPC profile.

Chaining with Portrait

After generating a profile, suggest:

/portrait {name}

This generates a matching portrait using the same character YAML.