From a template to a usable card — structure, PNG gotchas
The file you are holding is usually a PNG whose metadata chunk holds Character Card JSON that Silly Tavern (and compatible tools) can import. Offline iteration—edit, save changes back to the same file, repeat—matters more than getting prose perfect on the first try.
I prefer skeleton first, details later. Below is the order I actually run through—verbs only—so you can follow it once and get unblocked.
Lock in four “minimum viable” blocks
- Names & forms of address — how the model should refer to you and to them.
- Voice — a few adjectives plus one or two line examples beat walls of lore.
- Scene defaults — where the story usually lives and what relationship is assumed.
- Hard nos — what shouldn’t happen; saves arguments later.
First pass? Think fill-in-the-blanks: who, how, where, what to avoid. You can grow lore after that.
TTRPG sheets vs LLM-oriented cards
Tabletop character sheets are often long and stat-heavy; LLM cards care more about stable dialogue. Borrow motivations, flaws, goals from TTRPG writing, then drop dice and numbers the model won’t use. The reverse works too: structure LLM cards as motivation → obstacle → move, and scenes read smoother.
Don’t stare at a blank file
Do this:
- Pick a blank template you trust (community or built into a tool).
- Fill only the four blocks above; save as
v0in the filename. - Import into your client, chat ~10 turns, note where it drifts.
- Patch the two worst drifts only; save as
v1.
Iteration beats writing a sacred tome once.
When saving PNG / embedded JSON
- Don’t ship a billboard: keep cover art reasonably sized—huge files are slow and painful to back up.
- Back up before JSON surgery: duplicate to
name.backup.pngfirst. - Validate: if a tool offers “check format,” click it—faster than debugging blind.
For format depth, see Character Card V2. For readability and fewer rewrites, see How to write a more usable character card.
See also
On a Mac, preview, edit, and organize PNG character cards with Sillycard—write changes back to the file and iterate faster. Capabilities: App Store and in-app copy.