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Using AI to Create Thugs and An Introduction to Mistral AI

by Joshua Levy

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2026 issue.

Author’s Note: This article is the second of a series of articles on how gamemasters can use AI chatbots to help prepare for their games.

One problem that I have solved many times is creating thugs. In the past, I’ve done this by rolling on tables, but here I’m going to do it by crafting a prompt for a chatbot-style AI.

Problem Statement

Creating thugs is an interesting experiment for me, for several reasons. First, you often need a bunch of them and often at unexpected times. Second, you need a lot of stats for them, because they get into fights and sometimes have social interactions as well. Plus they need weapons and armor. They also need descriptions, but not full descriptions. Typically, you need enough description to make them interesting in a bar or in a fight (“the guy with a parrot on his shoulder attacks you”) but not height, weight, and eye color for each one.

There is also complexities that arise from the fact that you often need a group of thugs. So even if you have some tables or some prompts which generate perfect thugs, you don't really want 4 or 6 perfect thugs, you want one group of 4-6 thugs that are perfect together.

In short, thugs are an interesting NPC creation problem where the answer is useful in many adventures.

Exploratory Work

I’m going to start out by using Mistral (https://chat.mistral.ai) as the AI for this, specifically because it is not a well known AI, and I like trying new things.

Mistral has two modes, fast and thinking. I used fast for all of these prompts, but I encourage you to experiment with both and compare the results. In the past, I’ve found that fast is sometimes better than thinking for RPG related work, but other times, thinking has been better. 

Below is the prompt:

Create one Cepheus Engine NPCs: non-player characters that use the Cepheus Engine (or Traveller) rules. 

The setting for these characters is a far-future science fiction “space opera” setting.  It is the standard third imperium setting for Traveller.

Each character should include this information:

Name, strength, dexterity, endurance, intelligence, education, social, physical description, skills, traits, equipment, secret.  These characters will all be hired thugs working for a big smugger operations and hanging out in a starport bar.  Equipment should be one or more weapons, armor, or tools interesting to the adventurers.  Secret should be zero or one goals for the character or facts about them that they don’t want known.

This results in a perfectly workable thug:

Name: Vex “The Knife” Darrin

Attributes (UPP):
Physical Description:

Vex is a wiry, scarred human with a cybernetic left eye that glows faintly red in low light. His dark hair is cropped short, and he wears a perpetually smug grin. He’s often seen leaning against a bar, cleaning his knives or sipping cheap synth-whiskey. His clothes are functional but worn, with reinforced patches on the elbows and knees.

Skills:
Traits:
Equipment:
Secret:

Vex was once a member of a pirate crew that betrayed and left him for dead. He’s been quietly hunting down his former crewmates one by one, and he’s only got two left on his list. He won’t turn down a job, but if one of his targets crosses his path, he’ll prioritize revenge—even if it means double-crossing his current employer.

Now that looks pretty good, especially as a first result. However, it has problems. One of the obvious problems is that most of the equipment is not really Traveller standard.

But Mistral has a feature called “projects”, so I create a project called “Traveller” and uploaded my PDF copy of the Cepheus Engine System Reference Document, and then I ask the exact same prompt again, but this time in a chat inside the project.  This is the result:

Name: “Razor” Vex Drayko

Characteristics (UPP):
Physical Description:

Razor is a burly human with a shaved head, a jagged scar running from his left eyebrow to his cheek, and cybernetic implants in his right arm and left eye. He wears a tattered leather jacket over a reinforced vest, and his boots are scuffed from years of bar fights and dockside brawls. His voice is a gravelly growl, and he always smells faintly of engine grease and cheap whiskey.

Skills:
Traits:
Equipment:
Secret:

Razor isn’t just a thug—he’s also a former Imperial Marine who deserted after a black-ops mission went sideways. He’s wanted by the Imperial Navy for war crimes he didn’t commit (or so he claims). He keeps his military tattoo hidden under a sleeve, and his real name is buried under layers of fake IDs. If word gets out, bounty hunters and Imperial agents will come calling.

Roleplaying Notes:

I do think this is a little better, and certainly good enough to use.  My only complaint is that the skills don't actually match what I would expect for most ex-Imperial marines.  Maybe the pistol skill is because he is an officer?  But he doesn't have any other officer style skills.  In real life, maybe I would just switch the Slug Pistol to a Rifle.

But aliens are a big part of Traveller, and this guy is not an alien.  Plus Mistral has asked me specifically if I want any adjustments to this character.  So I try adding this prompt:

Please generate another thug, but this time make sure it is a Vargr.

And just as a reminder, the Cepheus Engine SRD doesn’t have any discussion of Vargr in it.  So when I mention Vargr, the AI is using general knowledge, not the specific document I have uploaded.

Name: “Gnasher” Karrl the Red

Characteristics (UPP):

▪    Strength: 10 (+2)

▪    Dexterity: 9 (+1)

▪    Endurance: 11 (+3)

▪    Intelligence: 5 (-1)

▪    Education: 4 (-1)

▪    Social: 3 (-2)

Physical Description:

Gnasher is a hulking Vargr, standing nearly 2.2 meters tall, with thick, matted red fur and a permanent snarl revealing jagged, yellowed fangs. His left ear is notched from an old knife fight, and his claws are filed to razor sharpness. He wears a reinforced leather harness over his fur, studded with metal spikes, and a bandolier of stim injectors. His eyes glow faintly in the dim light of the bar, and he always seems to be growling under his breath.

Skills:
Traits:
Equipment:
Secret:

Gnasher isn’t just a thug—he’s the exiled enforcer of a Vargr pirate clan. He was cast out after a failed coup attempt against his clan’s leader, and now he’s biding his time, waiting for a chance to reclaim his status. He’s been secretly funneling credits and information back to a loyalist faction within the clan, and if he ever gets the upper hand, he’ll vanish overnight to reclaim his birthright. Until then, he’s happy to break bones for the right price—but he’ll never work against his own kind.

Roleplaying Notes:

Again, I'm very happy with the results.  I think I could throw all three of these thugs into a bar and run them with no problems.

However, I am a little worried about the overlap of skills, and also that the secrets have the same form.  But lets see what happens when I generate six thugs at once.

The Final Answer, And The Final Prompt

So as a final experiment, lets try generating a group of thugs, and making sure they are different from each other:

Create a group of six Cepheus Engine NPCs: non-player characters that use the Cepheus Engine (or Traveller) rules. 

The setting for these characters is a far-future science fiction “space opera” setting.  It is the standard third imperium setting for Traveller.

Each character should include this information:

Name, strength, dexterity, endurance, intelligence, education, social, physical description, skills, traits, equipment, secret.  These characters will all be hired thugs working for a big smugger operations and hanging out in a starport bar.  Equipment should be one or more weapons, armor, or tools interesting to the adventurers.  Secret should be zero or one goals for the character or facts about them that they don't want known.

The group should include at least one non-human and a mix of men, women, (or alternative sexes for aliens).

Make sure the thugs, as a group, have a variety of weapons, skills, attitudes, and looks, so that they are fun to play and do not all look or act the same.

Which results in the six thugs below.  You might notice that the are presented in a slightly more compact and less detailed format than the single thugs created before. I'm not sure why that is, but I appreciate the slightly more compact presentation, and the less detail does not make them harder to run, at least as far as I can tell.

1. “Razor” Vex Drayko (Human, Ex-Imperial Marine)

Characteristics (UPP):
Physical Description:

A burly human with a shaved head, a jagged scar from eyebrow to cheek, and cybernetic implants in his right arm and left eye. Wears a tattered leather jacket over a reinforced vest. Smells of engine grease and whiskey.

Skills:
Traits:
Equipment:
Secret:

Razor is a former Imperial Marine wanted for war crimes he claims he didn’t commit. His military tattoo is hidden, and his real name is buried under fake IDs. If exposed, Imperial agents will come after him.

2. “Gnasher” Karrl the Red (Vargr, Exiled Pirate Enforcer)

Characteristics (UPP):
Physical Description:

A towering Vargr with thick red fur, a notched ear, and filed claws. Wears a studded leather harness and a bandolier of stim injectors. Eyes glow faintly in the dark.

Skills:
Traits:
Equipment:
Secret:**

Gnasher is the exiled enforcer of a Vargr pirate clan. He’s secretly funneling credits and intel back to his clan, waiting for a chance to reclaim his status.

3. “Silk” Marisol Vex (Human, Smooth-Talking Smuggler)

Characteristics (UPP):
Physical Description:

A slender human with dark, wavy hair, sharp features, and a perpetually amused smile. Dresses in expensive but practical clothes, with a concealed holster under her jacket.

Skills:
Traits:
Equipment:
Secret:

Silk is embezzling from the smuggling ring and plans to disappear with the credits as soon as she has enough. She’s been selling intel to a rival syndicate on the side.

4. “Iron” Tessa Vorn (Human, Cybernetic Bruiser)

Characteristics (UPP):
Physical Description:

A heavily augmented human with a metallic jaw, cybernetic arms, and a hulking frame. Wears a reinforced combat vest and heavy boots. Speaks in a monotone, mechanical voice.

Skills:
Traits:
Equipment:
Secret:

Iron was once a gladiator in an underground fight ring and is wanted for killing her owner during an escape. She’s hiding in the smuggling operation, but if recognized, bounty hunters will come after her.

5. Zyx’lith (Aslan, Honor-Bound Mercenary)

Characteristics (UPP):
Physical Description:

A towering Aslan with golden fur, intricate clan tattoos, and piercing amber eyes. Wears a ceremonial leather kilt and a bandolier of trophies from past battles.

Skills:
Traits:
Equipment:
Secret:

Zyx’lith is hunting a dishonored Aslan who fled to this sector. If he finds them, he’ll leave the smuggling operation immediately to fulfill his oath—even mid-job.

6. “Doc” Elira Voss (Human, Rogue Medic)

Characteristics (UPP):
Physical Description:

A wiry human with tired eyes, unkempt hair, and a perpetually bloodstained lab coat. Carries a battered medkit and smells faintly of antiseptic.

Skills:*
Traits:
Equipment:
Secret:

Doc is forging death certificates for people who disappear in the smuggling operation. She’s been paid to "lose" bodies—and ask no questions.

Group Dynamics:

My fears about secrets are resolved, since the four new thugs have secrets which are quite different from the first two, and yet fit in well with a thug NPC. The only problem I see, and it is minor, is in skills. The doctor does not have any combat skills, and if I ask for a thug, I want some combat skills. Also, while Brawling is common, and should be, the weapon skills look a little light. But that is really nit picking. 

Final Notes

I think it took me a little more than an hour to develop the first prompt, and a little less than an hour to develop the rest of the prmopts in this article. I also think it would take me over an hour to create 4-6 thug NPCs. So I'm not sure I would “break even” from a time point of view the first time I used AI to create thugs, but I do think I would do better than break even starting the second time I needed thugs. Reusing prompts saves a lot of time.

A more advanced technique, which I have not shown here, is to add prompt details to make the thugs fit in better with your exact setting and even the specific world. For example, tell it what sort of weapons are common among thugs, what sort of armor (if any) someone is likely to wear to a bar, and so on. You could also upload a description of the planet, either a PDF file or a text description.

 

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This page last updated on 5 March 2025 by Jeff Zeitlin. Text ©2026 Jishua Levy. Page design ©1998-2026 Jeff Zeitlin
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