| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Azar |
Posted - 29 Nov 2020 : 01:23:24
Hello everyone.
In your games, do you feature plain real-life names such as James, Pierre, Yusuf, Anne, Sophia, Mei and the like? If you do, how do you determine the rough percentage of NPCs that sound "ordinary"? Is there a rhyme or reason...a method to your madness?
Come to think of it, "Albert" may very well be the exotic individual on a world with Alias, Alustriel and Azoun  . |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Azar |
Posted - 18 Mar 2024 : 13:54:26
Tymora's Luck features the following names ->
* Ada
* Cory
* Erin
* Heather
* Mitchel
* Polly |
| Azar |
Posted - 05 Mar 2024 : 20:13:31
An officially licensed product has a "Madeline" (as far as I am aware, she is not human). |
| Azar |
Posted - 03 Mar 2024 : 23:02:44
Shadowdale (1993) has an "April" (herself especially conspicuous because there is no month of April in The Realms). |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 18 Dec 2023 : 03:14:49
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
At least in 2e, there was one "Munro Cassimar" living in Shadowdale.
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Heh. I've always liked the deity Artemis, so seeing that name used jumped right out at me...
It was sometime after that that I learned of Artemus Gordon from the old TV show Wild Wild West. At least that spelling was changed a bit...
Phonetically speaking, it is - in essence - a distinction without a difference...is it not? Kind of like "Tim"/'Tym"?
At least when you change the spelling, you can claim it's a different name, or maybe say it's inspired by but not a direct lift from, etc... It's a common enough thing; I work with a guy named Jean and my dad goes by Gene. Is it Carol or Carole? Carolyn or Caroline? Kris or Chris? And so on... |
| Azar |
Posted - 11 Dec 2023 : 01:27:56
At least in 2e, there was one "Munro Cassimar" living in Shadowdale.
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Heh. I've always liked the deity Artemis, so seeing that name used jumped right out at me...
It was sometime after that that I learned of Artemus Gordon from the old TV show Wild Wild West. At least that spelling was changed a bit...
Phonetically speaking, it is - in essence - a distinction without a difference...is it not? Kind of like "Tim"/'Tym"? |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 10 Dec 2023 : 16:36:54
Heh. I've always liked the deity Artemis, so seeing that name used jumped right out at me...
It was sometime after that that I learned of Artemus Gordon from the old TV show Wild Wild West. At least that spelling was changed a bit... |
| Azar |
Posted - 09 Dec 2023 : 11:57:04
quote:
Originally posted by TBeholder
quote:
38. Do you see nothing wrong with having two characters from the same small isolated village being named "Tim Umber" and "Belthusalanthalus al'Grinsok"?
Hmmm... 
As much I as derive the occasional chuckle from lists such as those, I find that they can be discouraging and even impractical (some might say "unrealistic") for aspirant entertainers who have yet to accrue enough wisdom to distinguish between good advice and bad advice.
Here is a prime example ->
quote:
16. Do any of your female characters exist solely to be captured and rescued?
Be it the distressed damsel, the brusque magistrate or the grasping proprietor, there are characters whose raison d'etre is to fulfill their appointed roles before exiting stage left. Unless you are working with a remarkably small assemblage of personalities, in the economy of detail, you either cannot or will not afford depth to every individual when other considerations are vying for your investment. Plus, there is another stumbling block: the difference between mediums.
In a novel, you can insert that lengthy (and ideally amazing!) backstory on a character and the reader will be aware of this eventful history (okay, there's theoretically nothing stopping someone from skipping past the paragraphs, but most folks will digest this content at least once). When you are the Dungeon Master for a tabletop roleplaying game, it is entirely possible that the players will remain COMPLETELY oblivious to the genuinely interesting four page story that you've concocted for that NPC...that man who was once a merchant that conflicted with his family before falling on hard times in a cutthroat market, having to support himself by becoming a mercenary of all professions and discovering that he not only had a knack for the blade (a knack inadvertently suppressed by his disapproving parents) but possesses a nobility of spirit that puts many of the knights in his kingdom to shame. That unusually principled sellsword may die in his first battle alongside the Player Characters, may be ignored altogether or may simply never be engaged in meaningful conversation with the Player Characters.
Furthermore, for all the flak people give certain established genre conventions, they are classic for a reason. They endure, for a reason. Trying your hand at a subversion is fine (though, nowadays, many subversions are on their way to becoming old hat), but if you can take the tried and true and put your own spin on it while delighting others...good for you.
-- -- --
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
How'd I miss The Oberons? In any case, they are far from the most incongruous individuals. Mythological names (specifically, for mortal beings) in The Realms tend to reside in a grey zone, at worst; no one bats an eye at a bloke named Artemis...
Actually, that one has bugged me since I first read it back in the 90's.
Correction: Wooly batted an eye (and probably much worse) back in the day  . |
| TBeholder |
Posted - 09 Dec 2023 : 06:28:26
quote:
38. Do you see nothing wrong with having two characters from the same small isolated village being named "Tim Umber" and "Belthusalanthalus al'Grinsok"?
Hmmm... |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 18:48:53
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
How'd I miss The Oberons? In any case, they are far from the most incongruous individuals. Mythological names (specifically, for mortal beings) in The Realms tend to reside in a grey zone, at worst; no one bats an eye at a bloke named Artemis...
Actually, that one has bugged me since I first read it back in the 90's.
|
| Azar |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 07:54:31
How'd I miss The Oberons? In any case, they are far from the most incongruous individuals. Mythological names (specifically, for mortal beings) in The Realms tend to reside in a grey zone, at worst; no one bats an eye at a bloke named Artemis...
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
We can add The Caldwells to the list.
Ugh... At least it's not Smith or Johnson.
Though I'm surprised the family doesn't seem to have any connection to revealing clothing for women, and especially surprised that they don't have a like a ruby mine or something.
What's surprising is that, yes, they "debuted" during the advent of 5e, but someone decided to bring them back for the latest cinematic tie-in. They are now double baked into The Realms  . |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 03 Dec 2023 : 04:36:52
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
We can add The Caldwells to the list.
Ugh... At least it's not Smith or Johnson.
Though I'm surprised the family doesn't seem to have any connection to revealing clothing for women, and especially surprised that they don't have a like a ruby mine or something. |
| Azar |
Posted - 01 Dec 2023 : 09:11:40
We can add The Caldwells to the list. |
| Azar |
Posted - 30 Oct 2023 : 00:15:47
A recent officially licensed product features an "Ethel". |
| Azar |
Posted - 24 Oct 2023 : 01:09:04
Before I take on the unenviable task of reinventing the wheel, I'd like to know: is there anything official on cross-racial marriages regarding name changes (e.g., equivalents to "née")? |
| Azar |
Posted - 19 Sep 2023 : 19:43:40
A 5e adventure in Phlan features (or, should I say, featured) one "Ector Brahms" (Human); they should have went whole hog and slapped in an "H" at the start. |
| Azar |
Posted - 19 Sep 2023 : 03:32:34
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
The original seven fishing villages that founded Nethwril were named after the members of the Ian Gillan Band.
Damn, it feels good to be a philistine. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 11 Sep 2023 : 05:13:53
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
Usually, in fiction (and real life, to an extent), a lengthy name/title is indicative of influence if not outright station. However...what if the opposite were true? What if you - a commoner - are born into a long name and can only shorten this designation by ascending the social strata?
There's a sci-fi novel with AIs like that. The lowest form of AI has 6 names, all common words. The further up the AI food chain, the fewer names -- to the Sovereign AIs, of which there's only a few, who have just one name.
One of the main characters is a robot named Nineteen Black Winter, who is a pop culture junkie. At one point, he's asked what his name would be if he became a Sovereign AI, and his response was "Winter, of course. Heh, 'winter is coming.'" (The person he was talking to didn't catch that reference)
The following is what I have in mind.
quote:
Bobalethoga Macrathiss the Second of the Granite Plains -> Bob (the king).
Each DM/player can decide how the former name is pared/incrementally modified during each intervening step until the (final) latter name is achieved. Yeah yeah...the above example is not particularly germane with this setting of ours (talk about mundane!), but it is firmly illustrative of the concept. Bobalethoga conducts his day-to-day affairs in relative obscurity...the same as his father (Bobalethoga Macrathiss Senior) and his cousin thrice-removed (Bobalethoga Macrathiss the Second of the Azure Sea); however, everyone knows Bob. There's only one Bob.
P.S. Thank you for the supporting example! What is the title of the novel in question?
The Robots of Gotham. I won't say it's the best book I've ever read, but if the sequel ever comes out, I'll buy it in a heartbeat. |
| Azar |
Posted - 08 Sep 2023 : 08:43:31
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
Usually, in fiction (and real life, to an extent), a lengthy name/title is indicative of influence if not outright station. However...what if the opposite were true? What if you - a commoner - are born into a long name and can only shorten this designation by ascending the social strata?
There's a sci-fi novel with AIs like that. The lowest form of AI has 6 names, all common words. The further up the AI food chain, the fewer names -- to the Sovereign AIs, of which there's only a few, who have just one name.
One of the main characters is a robot named Nineteen Black Winter, who is a pop culture junkie. At one point, he's asked what his name would be if he became a Sovereign AI, and his response was "Winter, of course. Heh, 'winter is coming.'" (The person he was talking to didn't catch that reference)
The following is what I have in mind.
quote:
Bobalethoga Macrathiss the Second of the Granite Plains -> Bob (the king).
Each DM/player can decide how the former name is pared/incrementally modified during each intervening step until the (final) latter name is achieved. Yeah yeah...the above example is not particularly germane with this setting of ours (talk about mundane!), but it is firmly illustrative of the concept. Bobalethoga conducts his day-to-day affairs in relative obscurity...the same as his father (Bobalethoga Macrathiss Senior) and his cousin thrice-removed (Bobalethoga Macrathiss the Second of the Azure Sea); however, everyone knows Bob. There's only one Bob.
P.S. Thank you for the supporting example! What is the title of the novel in question?
quote:
Originally posted by BlackAce
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
Usually, in fiction (and real life, to an extent), a lengthy name/title is indicative of influence if not outright station. However...what if the opposite were true? What if you - a commoner - are born into a long name and can only shorten this designation by ascending the social strata?
Ironically, it is often the other way around, particularly in medieval societies.
Take Superman. He's Clark Kent. Or is he?
Well in medieval times, as John and Martha Kent were landowners but were not entitled or enfeoffed (their estate is theirs, not another's grant to them), Clark would be known by where his family's land was located. He'd be Clark DeSmallville.
As Clark doesn't live and work on his family's land and he isn't titled, he might prefer to be known by his professional standing, as it gives him social status as a yeoman rather than a peasant. So he might call himself Clark Scrivener or Clark Newsman.
Alternatively, he might, if Jonathan Kent's social standing outside Smallville was important, call himself or be known as Clark Johnson.
But as Clark's adoption was not exactly a normal one some might question his legitimacy and call him Clark Fitzjonathan.
If he were a mid-ranking noble, on the other hand, he would just be known by his title; Clark, Viscount Smallville.
And finally, if he were a king, he would use even less than that. Just a regnal name; Kal-El I
Then perhaps this (i.e., the implicit association of preeminence with florid titles) is an "anachronistic" quality applied to quasi-medieval fantasy settings? I use those quotation marks because a fictional setting that derives inspiration from the real-world is not strictly beholden to historical fact  . |
| Delnyn |
Posted - 07 Sep 2023 : 07:25:55
Ian Gillan was a member of Deep Purple too, so Wooly's source is technically correct. In any case, I found another reason to roll my eyes at the Netheril boxed set, which was a bit disappointing. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 07 Sep 2023 : 05:53:41
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
The original seven fishing villages that founded Nethwril were named after the members of the Ian Gillan Band.
Wasn't Deep Purple another source of names for that boxed set? I seem to recall reading that somewhere, though I'm not familiar with the group. |
| Delnyn |
Posted - 06 Sep 2023 : 17:42:35
The original seven fishing villages that founded Nethwril were named after the members of the Ian Gillan Band. |
| TBeholder |
Posted - 06 Sep 2023 : 02:06:08
And then there was Tharchion Homen Odesseiron |
| BlackAce |
Posted - 05 Sep 2023 : 23:34:37
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
Usually, in fiction (and real life, to an extent), a lengthy name/title is indicative of influence if not outright station. However...what if the opposite were true? What if you - a commoner - are born into a long name and can only shorten this designation by ascending the social strata?
Ironically, it is often the other way around, particularly in medieval societies.
Take Superman. He's Clark Kent. Or is he?
Well in medieval times, as John and Martha Kent were landowners but were not entitled or enfeoffed (their estate is theirs, not another's grant to them), Clark would be known by where his family's land was located. He'd be Clark DeSmallville.
As Clark doesn't live and work on his family's land and he isn't titled, he might prefer to be known by his professional standing, as it gives him social status as a yeoman rather than a peasant. So he might call himself Clark Scrivener or Clark Newsman.
Alternatively, he might, if Jonathan Kent's social standing outside Smallville was important, call himself or be known as Clark Johnson.
But as Clark's adoption was not exactly a normal one some might question his legitimacy and call him Clark Fitzjonathan.
If he were a mid-ranking noble, on the other hand, he would just be known by his title; Clark, Viscount Smallville.
And finally, if he were a king, he would use even less than that. Just a regnal name; Kal-El I |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 02 Sep 2023 : 18:12:34
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
Usually, in fiction (and real life, to an extent), a lengthy name/title is indicative of influence if not outright station. However...what if the opposite were true? What if you - a commoner - are born into a long name and can only shorten this designation by ascending the social strata?
There's a sci-fi novel with AIs like that. The lowest form of AI has 6 names, all common words. The further up the AI food chain, the fewer names -- to the Sovereign AIs, of which there's only a few, who have just one name.
One of the main characters is a robot named Nineteen Black Winter, who is a pop culture junkie. At one point, he's asked what his name would be if he became a Sovereign AI, and his response was "Winter, of course. Heh, 'winter is coming.'" (The person he was talking to didn't catch that reference) |
| Azar |
Posted - 02 Sep 2023 : 12:41:50
Usually, in fiction (and real life, to an extent), a lengthy name/title is indicative of influence if not outright station. However...what if the opposite were true? What if you - a commoner - are born into a long name and can only shorten this designation by ascending the social strata? |
| Delnyn |
Posted - 13 Aug 2023 : 13:58:01
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
Here's one that I have yet to implement: an NPC with a surname in a foreign tongue, but without any accompanying explanatory mixed heritage. Just why is that Sembian merchant named "Forgesmasher" in old Dwarvish? Such an oddity - once the PCs catch wind of its existence - could be the start of character development, maybe even an adventure...or it could merely be incidental flavor that briefly disrupts cultural homogeneity.
I now picture a shield dwarf with an Elvish language surname that translates to "Orcson" or "Orcdottir". |
| Azar |
Posted - 13 Aug 2023 : 10:08:56
Here's one that I have yet to implement: an NPC with a surname in a foreign tongue, but without any accompanying explanatory mixed heritage. Just why is that Sembian merchant named "Forgesmasher" in old Dwarvish? Such an oddity - once the PCs catch wind of its existence - could be the start of character development, maybe even an adventure...or it could merely be incidental flavor that briefly disrupts cultural homogeneity. |
| Azar |
Posted - 18 Jul 2023 : 23:39:25
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
Are all the "O'" and "Mc" names automatically excluded on the grounds that they are too evocative of people that originate from famous real-world island nations?
I would exclude them, and I would similarly exclude surnames ending in -stein or -ski.
What if we were to exercise a morsel of creativity? I haven't seen many McSteins or O'Skis walking around, have you ?
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
I would exclude nonsense names such as Hdbxllesf
There go the Welsh! |
| Delnyn |
Posted - 03 Jul 2023 : 22:57:02
I would exclude nonsense names such as Hdbxllesf or naming children after extraplanar entities. I am aware some FR characters are named after deities such as Helm or Torm. That said, calling your child "Pazuzu Pazuzu Pazuzu" is bad for in-game and our-of-game reasons. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 03 Jul 2023 : 03:52:39
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
Are all the "O'" and "Mc" names automatically excluded on the grounds that they are too evocative of people that originate from famous real-world island nations?
I would exclude them, and I would similarly exclude surnames ending in -stein or -ski. |
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