How to Add an AI Dungeon Master Bot to Your Discord Server (5 Minutes)

Step-by-step guide to adding Cipher, Scrollbook's AI DM bot, to your Discord server and running your first D&D session — start to finish in under 5 minutes.

Your Discord server. Your D&D group. You just need the AI Dungeon Master to show up.

Here's exactly how to add Cipher to your Discord server and run your first session — the whole thing takes under 5 minutes.

Before You Start

You'll need:

A Discord server where you have Manage Server permissions
A Scrollbook account (free, takes 30 seconds)
That's it

Step 1: Create Your Scrollbook Account

Go to scrollbook.app/register and sign in with Discord. This links your Discord account to Scrollbook and is the fastest way to get started.

Your free account includes 3 AI hours — enough for a full introductory session.

Step 2: Add Cipher to Your Server

From your Scrollbook dashboard:

Click "Add to Discord"
Select your server from the dropdown
Review the permissions Cipher needs:
- Read/Send Messages — to narrate sessions and respond to players
- Manage Messages — to pin session summaries
- Embed Links — to display character sheets and roll results
Click Authorize

Cipher will appear in your server's member list within seconds.

Step 3: Create Your First Campaign

Back in the Scrollbook web app:

Click "New Campaign"
Enter a campaign name (you can change this later)
Choose your ruleset — D&D 5e is the default
Optionally add a campaign description and setting notes

Your campaign is now linked to Cipher in your Discord server.

Step 4: Create Your Character

In Scrollbook, click "New Character" and fill in:

Character name and race
Class and level
Ability scores (you can roll or use point buy)
Background

Scrollbook auto-calculates modifiers, proficiency bonuses, and spell slots. Your character sheet lives in Scrollbook and updates in real time during sessions.

Invite your other players to join the campaign — they can create their own characters from the web app.

Step 5: Start Your First Session

Here's the thing most people don't realize about Cipher: you don't need to memorize commands. Just talk to it the way you'd text a friend.

In your Discord server, go to the channel where you want to play and @ mention Cipher naturally:

@cipher let's start our session with Dan, Katy, and Avery

Cipher reads the message, looks at which campaign is linked to that channel, pulls in the characters for Dan, Katy, and Avery, checks the session history, and either resumes where you left off or opens a new session — all from one sentence. No flags, no options, no commands to remember.

That natural language understanding works throughout the whole session:

@cipher can we get a recap before we start?

@cipher Avery's character tries to pick the lock on the chest

@cipher what's the DC for climbing this wall?

@cipher let's wrap up for tonight

Cipher handles all of it — narrating, resolving actions, tracking what happened, and knowing when you're done. You can also use slash commands if you prefer the structure, but you never have to.

What Cipher Does During a Session

Narration: Describes locations, NPC appearances, atmosphere, and events in response to player actions.

NPCs: Voices characters with consistent personalities, remembers their history with the party, and adapts their reactions based on what's happened before.

Rules: Handles skill checks, saving throws, attack rolls, and spell effects. You can also ask Cipher to explain a rule: /cipher rules grappling.

Dice: Type /roll 1d20+5 or just describe what you're doing and Cipher will call for the appropriate check.

Session tracking: Keeps a running log of the session. When you end with /cipher end, Cipher generates a session summary and posts it to your Scrollbook dashboard.

Slash Commands (Optional Shortcuts)

Most things can be said naturally to Cipher, but slash commands are useful when you want a quick, precise action — especially for dice rolls and status checks.

Command	What it does
`/cipher start`	Begin a new session (or just say "@cipher let's start")
`/cipher end`	End session and generate summary
`/cipher status`	Show party HP, conditions, initiative
`/cipher recap`	Quick recap of recent events
`/roll [dice]`	Explicit dice roll (e.g. `/roll 2d6+3`)
`/cipher hours`	Check remaining AI hours
`/cipher help`	Full command list

For everything else, just talk to Cipher the same way you'd talk to a real DM sitting at the table with you.

After Your First Session

Once your session ends, Cipher automatically generates a session summary — a narrative recap of what happened, major decisions made, and where the story left off. This gets saved to your Scrollbook dashboard and sent to your players.

At the start of your next session, Cipher loads the full history of your campaign: past sessions, current quests, NPC relationships, world state, and character development. It remembers everything.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Cipher

Set the scene at the start of each session. A quick /cipher recap at the start reminds everyone where you left off and primes Cipher's context.

Use /cipher status before combat. Cipher tracks HP and conditions, but a quick check before a fight makes sure everyone's on the same page.

Give players Scrollbook accounts. Players can view their character sheets, read session summaries, and track quest progress from the web app — no more "wait, what did we agree to do next session?"

Tell Cipher your campaign tone. In your campaign settings, add a note about the tone you're going for (gritty low-magic, high-fantasy adventure, horror-adjacent). Cipher adjusts its narration style accordingly.

Ready to Start?

Your free trial includes 3 AI hours — enough for a full session zero and an introductory adventure.

Create your free Scrollbook account →

Have questions? Check the getting started docs or join the Discord community where other DMs are happy to share what's working for their campaigns.