Running combat with AI
SoonHand the bookkeeping to Familiar: initiative, attacks, saves, conditions, and NPC turns, while you stay in the scene.
Guides
Run D&D with AI, honestly.
Practical guides for running your Foundry table with Familiar. Plain method, no hype.
The thread through all of them is the same. Good AI D&D is good prep. You bring a published adventure with its maps, NPCs, and journals, structure it into Foundry, and the AI reads and runs what is on the page. It does not invent your story, and it does not replace you at the table. These guides show you how.
Get started
How to add AI to Foundry VTT
NewInstall Familiar, connect the AI you already pay for, and let it run the published adventure you import. The on-ramp to an AI co-pilot in Foundry.
Connect Familiar via MCP
NewDrive Familiar from the Claude, ChatGPT, or Codex subscription you already pay for. No API key, no per-token bill, just the assistant you know.
Choosing an AI model
NewWhich model, and how hard should it think? A capable model with reasoning headroom is the second lever behind good prep. Turn thinking up for fiddly rules, down to keep replies fast.
Give your AI the house rules
NewA copy-paste rules pack that makes any AI a disciplined Game Master. Roll only when it matters, run the adventure you prepared, never decide for the players.
MCP vs API: which to choose
NewSubscription or API key? MCP subscription versus a pay-per-token key, and which is cheaper for how your table actually plays.
Run your game
How to play D&D with AI
NewGood AI D&D is good prep. Structure a published adventure, then hand the running to the AI.
Prepping a published adventure for AI
NewLay a published adventure into Foundry as journals, sheets, and a one-page outline, so the AI has the pages to run from.
Writing characters the AI can play
NewGive an NPC who they are, what they know, what they want, and how they speak. Anchored to that, the AI voices them and fills the small edges itself.
Staying consistent across sessions
NewA long campaign overflows any context window. Keep a searchable record in Foundry so the AI reads from your notes, not from a fading window.
Voice and transcription
SoonSpeak instead of type. Familiar transcribes the session in real time and saves it to a Foundry journal you can search later.
Looking for the full list? See everything Familiar can do.