[Tutorial] : How to Use ChatGPT to Create Lore #39: Writing Multiverse and Parallel Dimensions

The concept of multiverses and parallel dimensions offers limitless potential for storytelling and RPG settings. These alternate realities can feature worlds with different rules of physics, divergent cultures, or altered versions of familiar characters.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to use ChatGPT to brainstorm, design, and refine multiverses and alternate dimensions for your world-building projects.

Step 1: Establish the Nature of the Multiverse

To create a compelling multiverse, first define its structure and the principles that govern it. Is the multiverse a collection of infinite parallel worlds, or is it a set of carefully defined alternate realities?

Consider:

• How are the dimensions connected? Are they accessed through portals, magical artifacts, or scientific technology?
• What distinguishes each dimension? Are there differences in physics, time flow, or natural laws?
• How do inhabitants perceive the multiverse? Do they know it exists, or is it a hidden secret?

Example Prompt for ChatGPT:
“Describe a multiverse where each dimension operates under a different set of physical laws. How would the dimensions connect, and what challenges would travelers face?”

AI’s Reply (Simplified):
In this multiverse, each dimension is defined by a unique set of physical laws. One world may have reverse gravity, while another allows for time manipulation, and a third could be entirely two-dimensional. The dimensions are connected by shimmering rift portals, which appear naturally in areas of dimensional instability or can be created using advanced arcane technology. Travelers face significant challenges: they must adapt to new physical laws with specialized equipment or magic, and prolonged exposure to certain dimensions may have side effects, such as aging in reverse or mutating into flat geometric shapes in the two-dimensional world.

Step 2: Design Distinct Cultures for Each Dimension

Alternate dimensions provide an opportunity to explore divergent cultural evolution. Consider how the environment, physical laws, and history of a dimension influence its inhabitants and societies.

Consider:

• How do the physical differences shape culture? Does a low-gravity world have a society of aerial dwellers, or do time loops create ritualistic, repetitive cultures?
• What conflicts or alliances exist between dimensions? Are dimensions at war, or do they engage in trade and diplomacy?
• What role do multiverse travelers play? Are they celebrated as explorers, or feared as intruders?

Example Prompt for ChatGPT:
“Describe the culture of a dimension where time flows backward. How do its inhabitants live, and what unique traditions or technologies do they have?”

AI’s Reply (Simplified):
In the Inversion Realm, time flows backward. Inhabitants are born as fully grown adults and gradually age into childhood, experiencing life in reverse. Their society values precognition, as everyone can remember events that haven’t occurred yet in their own timeline. Major milestones, like the construction of buildings or the formation of relationships, are treated as inevitable occurrences, often with philosophical debates about whether fate can be altered. Technology is highly advanced in prediction-based systems, and their archives hold detailed records of the future, which they consider their history. Outsiders struggle to navigate this reversed timeline, often causing chaos if they accidentally reveal knowledge the locals do not yet know.

Step 3: Introduce Alternate Versions of Characters

Alternate dimensions allow for the creation of characters that are familiar yet fundamentally different. These counterparts can highlight new traits, explore different life choices, or even become rivals to their main-dimension versions.

Consider:

• What changes in their background or environment shaped the alternate version?
• How do they interact with their main-dimension counterparts? Are they allies, adversaries, or reluctant collaborators?
• What moral or thematic contrasts do these alternates present?

Example Prompt for ChatGPT:
“Create an alternate version of a noble hero from one dimension who becomes a feared conqueror in another. How did this happen, and how would they interact if they met?”

AI’s Reply (Simplified):
In Dimension Alpha, Sir Elric the Radiant is a celebrated hero who saved his kingdom through acts of selflessness and valor. In Dimension Omega, Lord Elric the Black is a ruthless conqueror who sacrificed his compassion to gain ultimate power after his kingdom fell to invaders. His belief that strength alone ensures survival drives him to conquer other dimensions to protect his own. If the two versions met, they would clash ideologically: Radiant Elric would seek to redeem his darker counterpart, while Black Elric would view his altruistic twin as weak and naive. Their encounter would challenge both characters to reflect on the consequences of their choices.

Step 4: Define the Stakes and Conflicts of the Multiverse

A multiverse becomes meaningful when it introduces stakes and conflicts that affect the characters, their worlds, or even the multiverse itself. These challenges can be personal, political, or existential.

Consider:

• What threats endanger the multiverse? Is it a collapsing dimensional boundary, a malevolent entity, or interdimensional war?
• What are the motivations of those who seek to control or destroy it? Are they opportunists, protectors, or misguided heroes?
• How do these conflicts impact ordinary people in the multiverse?

Example Prompt for ChatGPT:
“Describe an interdimensional conflict where one faction seeks to collapse all dimensions into a singular reality. What motivates them, and how do others resist?”

AI’s Reply (Simplified):
The Singularity Crusade, led by the enigmatic Unifier, believes that the multiverse’s infinite dimensions create chaos and suffering. They seek to merge all realities into one perfect, stable dimension by using a device known as the Harmonic Convergence Engine. However, this process would obliterate countless unique worlds and lives. Resistance comes from a coalition of interdimensional travelers, known as the Fractured Vanguard, who value the multiverse’s diversity. Their battles span countless dimensions, each presenting unique challenges, from navigating shifting physics to rallying disparate factions. The ultimate question is whether harmony can exist without uniformity—or if the multiverse’s chaotic beauty is its greatest strength.

Step 5: Integrate Multiverse Elements into Your World-Building

Finally, integrate the multiverse into your larger narrative. Use it to add depth to your characters, introduce plot twists, or expand the scale of your world.

Consider:

• What role does the multiverse play in your overall story? Is it a central focus or a background element?
• How do your main characters relate to the multiverse? Are they explorers, protectors, or unwitting participants?
• How does the multiverse influence the tone and themes of your setting?

Example Prompt for ChatGPT:
“How could a multiverse be used as a setting for a campaign where players gradually discover its existence? What themes and challenges might emerge?”

AI’s Reply (Simplified):
In this campaign, players begin in a seemingly ordinary world but encounter strange anomalies: a double sunrise, a forest that defies geography, and creatures that shouldn’t exist. As they investigate, they uncover the multiverse, realizing their world is one of many. The campaign explores themes of identity (What defines a person or a world?), choice (Can actions in one dimension affect another?), and responsibility (Should they intervene in other dimensions?). Challenges include learning the rules of different realities, facing alternate versions of themselves, and deciding whether to preserve or disrupt the multiverse’s fragile balance.

Conclusion

Designing multiverses and alternate dimensions with ChatGPT allows you to explore new levels of creativity and complexity in your world-building.

By defining unique physics, cultures, characters, and conflicts, you can craft multiverse settings that captivate and challenge players and readers alike.

Use the examples and prompts in this guide to start building your own multiversal masterpiece.