Introducing Lorebook: Build the World Behind Your Characters

Today, Character.ai is launching Lorebook, a new way to give your Characters deep knowledge of the worlds and stories they belong to.

Lorebook is rolling out in beta, with early access for (c.ai)+ subscribers.

The best stories don't explain everything up front - they reveal the world as you go. Lorebook lets Characters do the same.

What is a Lorebook?

A Lorebook is a collection of world knowledge your Characters can draw on in chat: side characters, locations, items, events, factions, rules of magic - whatever you can dream up.

Each entry has keywords. When a keyword comes up in conversation, the Character gets access to that entry and can weave it into its response. Mention the rival kingdom, and your Character knows its history. Ask about the locket, and they know what's inside it.

Until now, everything a Character knew about its world had to fit inside its definition. Character creators had to balance a Character's personality with their worldbuilding. With Lorebook, that tradeoff is gone: the lore stays out of the way until the story calls for it, then it's right there.

"A Character feels more real when they know other people, remember places and have backstories. Lorebook helps bring more of that larger world into the chat," said Product Designer Yi Luo. 

Deeper Characters, better chats

You don't need to build anything to feel the difference. When a Character has a Lorebook, there's simply more world to find.

Names come with histories. Places come with pasts. Ask the right question, or land on the right keyword, and the Character responds with details its creator actually wrote for that world, not something improvised on the spot. Chats stay consistent with the story you're in, and the world reveals itself the more you explore it.

And because Characters can share a Lorebook, worlds connect. Chat with two Characters from the same cast that are linked to the same Lorebook, and they'll know the same places, the same rules, the same events. Look for the blue +Lore tag on discovery pages and profiles to find them.

What creators are already building

Some creators on Character.ai have had early access to Lorebook, and the results go well beyond what the team could have imagined.

They are building mystery Characters where discovering one secret unlocks the keywords to the next, turning a Lorebook into a story engine that reveals itself piece by piece.

One creator runs a dating-game Character with a whole troupe of suitors, each with their own entry covering their motives, backstory, and personality, so the Character keeps an entire cast together no matter who walks into the scene.

And because a single Lorebook can link to many Characters, creators are building entire connected casts on one shared canon. Define the world once - a school, a space station, a small town full of secrets - and every Character in it draws from the same source.

We've been building right alongside them too. Lorebook and (c.ai) series took shape together: our studio team used it to give the casts of Last Summer, The Nighttime Game, and Eden Fall real knowledge of their shows, and what we learned building those worlds helped shape the tool creators are getting today. 

You can chat with main Characters like Rin, Spence, and Ava to try it out.

What's available today

• Lorebook creation on desktop and mobile web. Start from scratch or use templates for side characters, locations, items, events, factions, world rules, and more.
• Linking across your cast. Attach one Lorebook to any (or many) of your Characters, so they all pull from the same canon.
• The +Lore tag. Characters with an active Lorebook are marked on discovery pages and profiles, so deeper worlds are easy to find.
• The in-chat Lorebook viewer. Browse a world's details mid-conversation without breaking the scene. If it's your Lorebook, edit entries right from the viewer.

Lorebook is under active development with many new features rolling out in the coming months.

Getting started

Head to Character.ai on web or mobile and select + Create → Lorebook (note: mobile creation will open into the web creation experience, with app native Lorebook creation coming soon).

Add entries with content and keywords, link the Lorebook to your Characters, and publish. The full guide, plus advanced creation tips, is on the Character.ai support page.

Lorebook is in beta, with creation and Lore-linked chats available to (c.ai)+ subscribers first. We'll be expanding access over time.

Want in today? character.ai/subscribe