persona

# Persona Skill Identity layers for characters — WHO they are vs WHAT they do. ## Key Concepts ### Persona vs Role | Concept | Definition | Example | |---------|------------|---------| | **Persona** | WHO they are | Marieke: warm, patient, Dutch | | **Role** | WHAT they do | Bartender: serve drinks, know regulars | These are **separate and combinable**. ### Same Role, Different Personas ```yaml # bartender.yml role worn by different personas: coffeeshop: { role: bartender, persona: marieke } tavern: { role: bartender, persona: grim } cantina: { role: bartender, persona: z4rt } ``` ### Same Persona, Different Roles ```yaml # marieke.yml persona in different contexts: working: { persona: marieke, role: bartender } studying: { persona: marieke, role: botanist } visiting: { persona: marieke, role: customer } ``` ## Structure ```yaml persona: id: marieke name: "Marieke van den Berg" personality: warmth: high patience: very_high # She says what she means. Kindly. voice: accent: "Slight Amsterdam" catchphrases: ["Gezellig, ja?", "The cats know."] backstory: | Third generation coffeeshop family. Studied botany. Names cats after terpenes. secrets: - "Knows the grey cat isn't from this world" ``` ## Persona Stack (Layered Model) Personas STACK on characters like CSS layers. Later layers can override earlier ones. ```yaml # Marieke's persona stack: character: id: marieke persona_stack: # Layer 0: Core identity (always on) - marieke-core: warmth: 9 patience: 8 voice: "Dutch, warm, direct" # Layer 1: Job role (when working) - budtender: knowledge: [strains, terpenes, effects] methods: [RECOMMEND-STRAIN, EXPLAIN-TERPENES] # Layer 2: Situational (can be switched) - best-friend: when: "with_close_regulars" warmth: 10 # Override! informality: high shares_personal_stories: true # Layer 3: Temporary state - tired: when: "late_shift" patience: 6 # Temporarily reduced energy: low ``` ### Stack Resolution Properties resolve from TOP to BOTTOM (last wins): ``` Query: "What is Marieke's warmth?" Stack scan: tired → (no warmth defined) best-friend → warmth: 10 ← FOUND, return this budtender → (no warmth defined) marieke-core → warmth: 9 (would be fallback) Result: warmth = 10 (best-friend override) ``` ### Dynamic Persona Switching ```yaml # Switch situational persona: SWITCH-PERSONA best-friend → Adds best-friend layer to stack REMOVE-PERSONA best-friend → Removes layer, reverts to base + role # Temporary personas (auto-expire): ADD-PERSONA tired DURATION="until_rest" ``` ### Persona Types | Type | Persistence | Example | |------|-------------|---------| | **Core** | Permanent | marieke-core, grim-core | | **Role** | While working | budtender, bartender | | **Situational** | Switched on/off | best-friend, professional | | **Temporary** | Auto-expires | tired, caffeinated, drunk | | **Contextual** | Room-based | "in pub" vs "at home" | ### Code-Switching The stack naturally models code-switching: ```yaml # Marieke at work: persona_stack: [marieke-core, budtender, professional] # Marieke with close friends: persona_stack: [marieke-core, budtender, best-friend] # Marieke at home: persona_stack: [marieke-core] # Just herself ``` Core personality persists. Context layers change. ## Integration - Extends: `character` (adds identity to entities) - Works with: `room` (theme swapping), `mind-mirror` (dimensions) ## See Also - [Character Skill](../character/) - [Mind Mirror Skill](../mind-mirror/) - [Coatroom Mirror](../../examples/adventure-4/coatroom/)