T O P I C R E V I E W |
Dennis |
Posted - 26 Apr 2012 : 02:15:40 ...uses magic?
The scope is the entire genre of fantasy, not just FR. And I mean the ‘common’ practitioners of magic only, not their lowly counterpart like hedge wizard, nor the more powerful one like Archmage/Archwizard/High Wizard, and not priests, either---though theurge is acceptable. |
30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
Dennis |
Posted - 08 Dec 2012 : 08:04:49 quote: Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
A friend of mine had a brief phase where he tried feminizing a lot of words unnecessarily... Using words like sorceress and tigress as inspiration, he came up with words like warrioress and rangeress. I had to subject him to much merciless mockery before he finally dropped that trend!
I know one feminist who's fond of creating totally new words, instead of just adding a suffix to denote the female counterpart. For example, instead of your friend's 'warrioress,' she uses 'havehdrah,' if I remember it correctly. |
Dennis |
Posted - 08 Dec 2012 : 08:00:40 quote: Originally posted by Kentinal
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by MrHedgehog
The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user.
Not really. It depends what setting we're talking about. This poll is not just exclusive to D&D. What I don't like about magic-user is that it's too simple, unflattering, and crude. Would you rather call a swordsman a sword-user?
Well if the fighter was a woman, I would think sword-user better then swordsman *G*
Maybe. Though in the all the books I've read, AFAICR, sword-user was never used. Instead, female characters who are good with the sword are simply referred to as fighter or warrior. I have not encountered swordswoman either. |
Old Man Harpell |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 22:03:33 Mage (magi, magus). Generic arcane spell-user.
I just can't use wizard so much any more, because:
1) Wizard versus sorcerer. Yes, artificial distinction brought about by D&D, but it still sticks in my brain. So either term as a generic classification doesn't work for me any more.
2) After seeing Ralph Bakshi's Wizards however many times, I get that image of Avatar stuck in my memory, and it just won't go away.
3) Tolkien. Wizards are Maiar, wizards are Istari, wizards are something no mortal can ever be. A mage, sure, but a wizard? Nah.
- OMH |
Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 19:30:03 quote: Originally posted by Kentinal
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by MrHedgehog
The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user.
Not really. It depends what setting we're talking about. This poll is not just exclusive to D&D. What I don't like about magic-user is that it's too simple, unflattering, and crude. Would you rather call a swordsman a sword-user?
Well if the fighter was a woman, I would think sword-user better then swordsman *G*
A grand title/label that covers all types of magic use likely is hard, because of all the sub-types already used.
Maybe Enchanter though not all magic uses chants.
A friend of mine had a brief phase where he tried feminizing a lot of words unnecessarily... Using words like sorceress and tigress as inspiration, he came up with words like warrioress and rangeress. I had to subject him to much merciless mockery before he finally dropped that trend! |
Entromancer |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 18:18:23 To my mind, the term "magician" conjurs up Randall Flagg/Walter O'Dim. Someone who maybe is/maybe isn't supernaturally gifted. |
Kentinal |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 11:44:49 quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by MrHedgehog
The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user.
Not really. It depends what setting we're talking about. This poll is not just exclusive to D&D. What I don't like about magic-user is that it's too simple, unflattering, and crude. Would you rather call a swordsman a sword-user?
Well if the fighter was a woman, I would think sword-user better then swordsman *G*
A grand title/label that covers all types of magic use likely is hard, because of all the sub-types already used.
Maybe Enchanter though not all magic uses chants. |
Dennis |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 07:32:32 quote: Originally posted by Chosen of Asmodeus
One I'm not a particular fan of is magician; to me, a magician is someone who fakes it.
We're kind of on the same boat here. Even after immersing myself in Feist's novels for years [which, for those familiar with them, often use "magician" and "sorcerer" interchangeably, and "warlock" in later books], I could hardly dissociate the word "magician" from its RW usage. |
Dennis |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 07:26:40 quote: Originally posted by MrHedgehog
The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user.
Not really. It depends what setting we're talking about. This poll is not just exclusive to D&D. What I don't like about magic-user is that it's too simple, unflattering, and crude. Would you rather call a swordsman a sword-user? |
MrHedgehog |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 04:13:43 Magic-user. The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user. |
Entromancer |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 00:39:38 In my brew:
Warlocks: Draw their energy from the blood of victim who were dealt a brutal, messy death.
Witch: Draw their energy from the blood of a specific animal that died a brutal, messy death. They are able to reanimate the chosen animal as a familiar and receptacle of their magic. The animals used are those with a close link to the Borderlands between the physical plane and the extraplanar reaches.
Shaman: Draw their magic from the spirits of the dead that remain anchored to the physical plane. This puts them at odds with priests, preachers etc. etc. whose duties are the discharge of the spirit to the other plane in the interest of maintaining magical equilibrium.
Sorcerer: Enters into a covenant with an extraplanar being. There aren't many sorcerers because they generally have a short life span. The majority "die" by failing to outwit the being they bargained with for their power. As a result, they are dragged bodily to that being's elemental domain.
Mage: General magic user who creates spell shards from chemical and powder-based components via inorganic and organic chemistry.
Battle-Mage: A fighter who augments their armor/weaponry with spell shards. Their blades/armor are extremely expensive; they have to be able to support the magic released from the spell shards during combat. Thus Battle-Mages are typically found among the upper class of society. |
Kentinal |
Posted - 06 Dec 2012 : 22:40:28 I looked back over the thread, I still say magic - user appears to be the best to describe those that use any form of magic, BD&D only had arcane casting Magic Users, however the question was one term to cover a far larger body of works that have spell casting ability i.e. not just D&D spell casters.
The only other term that would include most of all systems and novels would appear to be Witch, however something like 50 percent of people appear to believe Witches are female and Witch Doctors are males, or course there is that abused term Warlock out there that a sit com popularized in the mid 20th Century (_BeWitched_ )as the belief is the proper term for a male witch. |
Chosen of Asmodeus |
Posted - 06 Dec 2012 : 21:56:25 I enjoy there being multiple terms, some interchangeable, other's specific, others more slang or slur. One I'm not a particular fan of is magician; to me, a magician is someone who fakes it. |
Kyrel |
Posted - 06 Dec 2012 : 21:45:17 Across all types of fantasy I'll go for "Arcanist", but with "Mage" an increadibly close 2nd. |
Dennis |
Posted - 06 Dec 2012 : 03:19:23 The third one is close, MT.
----
On topic: No one wants Bender? I think it sounds cool, though their powers are very limited. Vurdmeister is a good one, too. It inspires awe/fear/respect. And it doesn't necessarily have to be associated with evil practitioners of magic.
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
Yes. Though I would have voted for Magician, if not for the fact that it's been often used to refer to RW tricksters/illusionists; and I can hardly shake off the association from my mind.
Can I change my vote to Arcanist? I think it rings with magic and mystery, compared to just plain wizard/magician. |
Markustay |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 21:38:59 MiB?
Illuminati?
Professional Torturer?
Is your other name 'little Nicky'?
One of my ex's friends has the darkest job you can imagine - she gives enemas in a nursing home. Thats DARK, baby. |
Dennis |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 04:25:25 quote: Originally posted by sfdragon
DArk MAgician??????
We're talking real life here.
Anyway, I'm giving clues no more. Because seriously, no one outside the organization could know that I exist. Besides, I'm not going to continue to derail my own thread. So let's get back on topic, shall we? |
Dalor Darden |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 04:21:42 quote: Originally posted by Dennis
Not even close. My job's far, far darker than that...
|
sfdragon |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 04:04:39 DArk MAgician?????? |
Dennis |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 03:56:15 quote: Originally posted by sfdragon
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by Malcolm
So, re. this:
"If you knew what I do for a living, you'd likely say she'd be lucky to escape alive."
Huh? Dennis, you posted you were a writer. Do you, um, write on the hides of live tigers or lions, or some such?
I used to teach, and have been writing for..awhile. But what I earn from writing constitutes only 0.00000001% of my bank accounts. I've recently taken over my dad's 'organization,' which, to put it mildly, deals with the darker aspects of life.
would this by chance be? Mortician funeral parlor worker coroner or undertaker?
I'm soory for disrailling... but I couldnt resit asking
Not even close. My job's far, far darker than that... |
The Sage |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 02:39:28 quote: Originally posted by Markustay
@Sage - Skald wouldn't work?
Not really, since Skald already has a well-defined -- an alternate -- definition in my campaigns.
quote: For a more Finnish spin, try väinämö (which Väinämöinen is derived from). It means 'minstril'
Consequently, väinämö is actually reserved for my Counter-Earth campaign adventures. |
sfdragon |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 02:29:05 quote: Originally posted by Dennis
quote: Originally posted by Malcolm
So, re. this:
"If you knew what I do for a living, you'd likely say she'd be lucky to escape alive."
Huh? Dennis, you posted you were a writer. Do you, um, write on the hides of live tigers or lions, or some such?
I used to teach, and have been writing for..awhile. But what I earn from writing constitutes only 0.00000001% of my bank accounts. I've recently taken over my dad's 'organization,' which, to put it mildly, deals with the darker aspects of life.
would this by chance be? Mortician funeral parlor worker coroner or undertaker?
I'm soory for disrailling... but I couldnt resit asking |
Dennis |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 02:21:10 quote: Originally posted by The Sage
quote: Originally posted by Dalor Darden
quote: Originally posted by The Sage
quote: Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
Well, of the ones listed, I tend to use either wizard or sorcerer, depending on the type of magic. In my own setting, however, I also use the terms witch, mage, spellsinger (for bard-types, mostly, althouth my own HB world has a strong bent toward song-magic), or spellcaster. So I voted other, as it really depends, for me.
Which does remind me... I really need to settle on a term for my own specialised music-mages in the Realms and other settings. Super-heroic bards just doesn't work for me.
I had this problem for a while too Sage, I love Music as part of "Good Magic" because I got spoiled in my Christian Youth and by Tolkien on thinking Music should have a critical component in Magic and Creation.
I messed around for a while with terms like "Song Crafters" and "Song Scions" but finally settled on "Amhrán Amhránaí" which just means "The Song" Singers in Irish.
In my Forgotten Realms (and in my World of Aerk), that is what they are often called...because the term Bard just doesn't fit for what I'm often after in the "Druidic" feeling I got from AD&D.
Hmmm. I like the Irish option, since it ties in somewhat with my own ideas on a Welsh-derivative term I've been tinkering with. They only problem with that, is it can be hard for some folk to pronounce at the gaming table.
You might want to consider rhapsodomancer---a bard adept at predicting the future. |
Dennis |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 02:15:13 quote: Originally posted by Malcolm
So, re. this:
"If you knew what I do for a living, you'd likely say she'd be lucky to escape alive."
Huh? Dennis, you posted you were a writer. Do you, um, write on the hides of live tigers or lions, or some such?
I used to teach, and have been writing for..awhile. But what I earn from writing constitutes only 0.00000001% of my bank accounts. I've recently taken over my dad's 'organization,' which, to put it mildly, deals with the darker aspects of life. |
Dennis |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 02:06:42 quote: Originally posted by entreri3478
quote: Originally posted by Dennis
Nope. Other than she and I are not close, I don't particularly like the term druid myself. (Isn't it obvious? It's not even on the list!)
Terry Brooks' Druids were always more wizardly/sagely to me, even though they to technically look after the land.
Druids are often 'primitive' in their thinking and use of magic; not to mention 'farmer-ish.' |
Markustay |
Posted - 29 Apr 2012 : 01:48:57 @Sage - Skald wouldn't work?
For a more Finnish spin, try väinämö (which Väinämöinen is derived from). It means 'minstril'
In my world, the term 'Enchanter' is used, which means 'to chant' (in my setting - not sure of its RW source). Either way, it works - one of the definitions is "One that delights or fascinates.".
I also go with a very music-based cosmology/mythos/creation (even though I personally have ZERO musical talent). The 'Voice of God', Primal Music (Seekers of the Song, Metatext, 'Music of the Spheres', Sublime Chord, etc... its all inter-related. It was the first language - the pure thoughts of god. Every other language that came after is a corruption of that (talking about D&D here still, lest anyone thinks I'm going religious).
In scientific terms, This music would be Dark Energy... talk about a bad name. It is the sound of creation itself, and is ever-expanding.
Speaking the language in reverse is blasphemous, and is sometimes called The Dark Speech, or the 'black tongue'. Ordinary mortals can be driven insane by its use, it is used by the Defilers of Athas, and it was the power behind the Ritual of Desecration performed by Kevin Landwaster in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever.
I like those scenes in City of Angels where the angels all go to the beach at sunrise and sunset, to "listen to the music". Very powerful stuff.
Anyhow, just some more of my homebrew musings I've been working with in my setting. |
BARDOBARBAROS |
Posted - 28 Apr 2012 : 20:43:29 Mage or wizard |
Dalor Darden |
Posted - 28 Apr 2012 : 06:46:15 quote: Originally posted by Ayrik
Isn't the bard class already set apart? Many musicians and minstrels, composers, singers, poets, orators, and dancers can earn a living through entertainment and performance. But a true bard (in D&D) works magic into and through these things, his talents are multifaceted, and to top it off he's also a moderately sturdy adventuring class welcome in any party of heroes. Simply being a member of the bard class is already remarkable, and experience levels can measure relative merits and accomplishments between bards ... why the need for another elite designator?
In my game it has more to do with REPLACING Bard. Fighters can be called: Swashbuckler, Myrmidon and etc. depending on where they come from. In my games, a Fighter just doesn't introduce himself as a "Fighter from Village X"...but instead might say "I'm a Myrmidon from Chessenta"...and so too Bards. |
Ayrik |
Posted - 28 Apr 2012 : 05:05:32 Isn't the bard class already set apart? Many musicians and minstrels, composers, singers, poets, orators, and dancers can earn a living through entertainment and performance. But a true bard (in D&D) works magic into and through these things, his talents are multifaceted, and to top it off he's also a moderately sturdy adventuring class welcome in any party of heroes. Simply being a member of the bard class is already remarkable, and experience levels can measure relative merits and accomplishments between bards ... why the need for another elite designator? |
The Sage |
Posted - 28 Apr 2012 : 04:35:42 quote: Originally posted by Dalor Darden
quote: Originally posted by The Sage
quote: Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
Well, of the ones listed, I tend to use either wizard or sorcerer, depending on the type of magic. In my own setting, however, I also use the terms witch, mage, spellsinger (for bard-types, mostly, althouth my own HB world has a strong bent toward song-magic), or spellcaster. So I voted other, as it really depends, for me.
Which does remind me... I really need to settle on a term for my own specialised music-mages in the Realms and other settings. Super-heroic bards just doesn't work for me.
I had this problem for a while too Sage, I love Music as part of "Good Magic" because I got spoiled in my Christian Youth and by Tolkien on thinking Music should have a critical component in Magic and Creation.
I messed around for a while with terms like "Song Crafters" and "Song Scions" but finally settled on "Amhrán Amhránaí" which just means "The Song" Singers in Irish.
In my Forgotten Realms (and in my World of Aerk), that is what they are often called...because the term Bard just doesn't fit for what I'm often after in the "Druidic" feeling I got from AD&D.
Hmmm. I like the Irish option, since it ties in somewhat with my own ideas on a Welsh-derivative term I've been tinkering with. They only problem with that, is it can be hard for some folk to pronounce at the gaming table.
|
Dalor Darden |
Posted - 28 Apr 2012 : 02:47:00 quote: Originally posted by The Sage
quote: Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
Well, of the ones listed, I tend to use either wizard or sorcerer, depending on the type of magic. In my own setting, however, I also use the terms witch, mage, spellsinger (for bard-types, mostly, althouth my own HB world has a strong bent toward song-magic), or spellcaster. So I voted other, as it really depends, for me.
Which does remind me... I really need to settle on a term for my own specialised music-mages in the Realms and other settings. Super-heroic bards just doesn't work for me.
I had this problem for a while too Sage, I love Music as part of "Good Magic" because I got spoiled in my Christian Youth and by Tolkien on thinking Music should have a critical component in Magic and Creation.
I messed around for a while with terms like "Song Crafters" and "Song Scions" but finally settled on "Amhrán Amhránaí" which just means "The Song" Singers in Irish.
In my Forgotten Realms (and in my World of Aerk), that is what they are often called...because the term Bard just doesn't fit for what I'm often after in the "Druidic" feeling I got from AD&D. |
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