Lorebooks
Lorebooks let you create keyword-triggered lore entries that inject into NPC conversations only when relevant. Instead of stuffing every detail into an NPC's backstory, you write standalone entries about places, factions, history, customs, or secrets — and the system surfaces them at the right moment.
Every user gets unlimited entries. The number that can activate in a single conversation depends on your plan.
Creating an Entry
Open the Atlas and go to the Lorebook tab. Click + New Entry to open the editor.
Each entry has the following fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | A short label for the entry (max 100 characters). Visible to the AI. |
| Keywords | Comma-separated trigger words (up to 25, each max 50 characters). The entry activates when any keyword appears in conversation. |
| Content | The lore text injected into the conversation (max 1,500 characters). Content past the limit is highlighted in red so you can shorten it. |
| Scope | Controls where the entry can activate. Default is "Everywhere." |
| Priority | A number (default 100). Lower numbers = higher priority when more entries match than the budget allows. |
| Enabled | Toggle the entry on or off without deleting it. |
| Always On | When checked, the entry activates in every conversation (within its scope) regardless of keywords. |
How Activation Works
When you talk to an NPC, the system checks your lorebook in two passes:
- Always On entries fill first — these activate in every conversation within their scope.
- Keyword matches fill next — if any of the entry's keywords appear in the conversation, the entry activates (case-insensitive, whole-word matching).
Entries can also activate semantically — even without an exact keyword match, the system can surface entries that are topically relevant to the conversation. If the player mentions "the old war," an entry with keywords like "the Sundering" or "siege" might still activate.
The total number of entries that can activate per conversation is capped by your plan's budget.
Budget
| Plan | Slots per conversation |
|---|---|
| Adventurer | 5 |
| Hero | 10 |
The budget bar at the top of the Lorebook tab shows how many Always On entries you're using versus your total slots. The remaining slots are available for keyword and semantic triggers.
Best practice: Keep Always On entries to 1–2 per world. If too many entries are set to Always On, there's no room left for keyword triggers to fire. The budget bar warns you when Always On entries are crowding out dynamic activation.
Scopes
By default, entries are scoped to "Everywhere" — they can activate in any conversation in the world. You can narrow this by adding scopes.
Click + Add Scope to open a searchable list of your world's entities. Scope types:
- Region — only activates when talking to NPCs in that region
- Settlement — only activates within a specific settlement
- District — only activates within a specific district
- Building — only activates when talking to NPCs at that building
- NPC — only activates in conversations with that specific NPC
You can add one scope per type. Multiple scopes are AND-gated — an entry scoped to both a region and a building only activates when the NPC is at that building in that region.
Removing all scopes resets the entry to "Everywhere."
Secondary Keywords
For finer control, expand the Secondary Keywords section in the entry editor. Secondary keywords add a second condition on top of the primary keyword match.
Check Require secondary keys to enable, then choose a logic mode:
| Logic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AND ANY | Primary keyword matches AND at least one secondary keyword is present |
| AND ALL | Primary keyword matches AND all secondary keywords are present |
| NOT ANY | Primary keyword matches AND none of the secondary keywords are present |
| NOT ALL | Primary keyword matches AND not all secondary keywords are present |
Example: An entry about a tithe scandal might have primary keywords "taxes, money, church" with secondary keywords "Embla, the ledger" set to NOT ANY — the entry fires when the player discusses taxes, but not if they've already mentioned Embla or the ledger.
Import & Export
Importing
Click Import to upload a .json file. RPBuddy accepts lorebooks in the SillyTavern / Character Card V2 character_book format — compatible with SillyTavern, Chub, Risu, Agnai, Kobold, and any platform using the Character Card V2 spec.
Imported entries are safety-screened. Flagged entries appear in a yellow "needs review" section where you can edit the content and re-save.
Exporting
Click Export to download your lorebook as a .json file in SillyTavern character_book format. RPBuddy-specific data (scopes) is preserved in an extensions field, so re-importing into RPBuddy restores your scope settings.
Managing Entries
The list view shows all entries with their title, keywords (first three shown), Always On badge, scope tags, and a content preview.
- Enable/disable entries with the checkbox on each row
- Delete individual entries or use Clear All to remove everything (export first if you want a backup)
- Edit any entry by clicking on it
Tips
- Start small. A few well-scoped entries are more effective than dozens of broad ones. Quality over quantity.
- Use scopes generously. An entry about a building's history should be scoped to that building — there's no reason for it to activate in conversations across town.
- Keep content under 1,500 characters. Anything past the limit is highlighted in red and won't reach the AI. If an entry needs more detail, split it into multiple entries with different keyword triggers.
- Reserve Always On for essentials. World rules, tone guidelines, or critical lore that must always be present. Everything else should trigger on keywords.
- Don't overthink keywords. You don't need to anticipate every word a player might use — the system can pick up on related topics even without an exact match.