| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Magean |
Posted - 25 Jan 2022 : 22:46:41
Hey everyone,
Something that's long bugged me: how did Forgotten Realms authors make up all those odd names, from Drizzt to Fzoul Chembryl to, well, pretty much every other Realms names?
And how am I supposed to come up with fitting names of my own?
Some follow the classic fantasy procedure of starting off with a real-world culture. Calishite names are an obvious example. Or those English or Western-inspired names you can see here and there.
But for the majority of Realms names I'm just baffled, I'd never have thought of calling NPCs Hunn Irlbast or Shalush Myrkeer (just picking random names from Westgate characters out of Cload & Dagger).
It feels like they randomly drew from a table of syllables assembled from a lot of languages.
Do we know how they achieved that? And do you make up your own names too or simply draw from lists of FR names when needing one?
Thanks in advance.
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| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Azar |
Posted - 02 Feb 2022 : 21:58:08
quote:
Originally posted by Magean
Good advice all over, thank you guys - and for the laugh too :-)
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
I start to notice common syllables for different cultures and then mix them up.
Yup, this seems to be the best way to preserve a specific cultural theme.
Keith Baker wrote about this regarding languages of Eberron.
With that said, it doesn't answer the original question, which was the method employed by Greenwood and the main FR contributors.
Why not try reaching out to Ed Greenwood? |
| Magean |
Posted - 02 Feb 2022 : 20:46:09
Good advice all over, thank you guys - and for the laugh too :-)
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
I start to notice common syllables for different cultures and then mix them up.
Yup, this seems to be the best way to preserve a specific cultural theme.
Keith Baker wrote about this regarding languages of Eberron.
With that said, it doesn't answer the original question, which was the method employed by Greenwood and the main FR contributors. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 31 Jan 2022 : 23:36:26
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I don't mind the idea of rabbit people, but come on, "haregon"? That's just weak sauce. It's either "let's add a syllable onto a word for rabbit" or "let's make a play on 'here 'n gone' since rabbits are quick!"
Rabbits are part of the order Lagomorpha... So call these rabbit people Lagora or Lagoran. It's not as obvious a lift and it's not as silly a name.
Sometimes I don't know if the designers aren't trying, or if they think people want jokes and pop culture references in their RPG material, or both.
They could have followed the trend and named them Hasenpfeffers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4UWdlfH86s |
| Azar |
Posted - 31 Jan 2022 : 19:21:05
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
New race from "The Wild Beyond the Witchlight". Rabbit humanoid (think the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland or rabbit from Winnie the Pooh or Bugs Bunny wearing clothes). Size varies by your choice (either small or medium). Jumps far. Bonus to init. Proficiency in perception. Use your reaction to roll 1d4 and add it to a failed dex bonus. The name of course comes from Yosemite Sam (as do all those... if you say them aloud, you'll get it).... the haregon's being "Varmint, Say your Prayers".
Oooh. That is horrifying. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 31 Jan 2022 : 16:35:37
I don't mind the idea of rabbit people, but come on, "haregon"? That's just weak sauce. It's either "let's add a syllable onto a word for rabbit" or "let's make a play on 'here 'n gone' since rabbits are quick!"
Rabbits are part of the order Lagomorpha... So call these rabbit people Lagora or Lagoran. It's not as obvious a lift and it's not as silly a name.
Sometimes I don't know if the designers aren't trying, or if they think people want jokes and pop culture references in their RPG material, or both. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 31 Jan 2022 : 14:57:27
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Take something Yosemite Sam used to say and turn it into a name (i.e. Dagnabbit )
Take two common words native to a region of our world and put them together, then twist their wording (i.e. Bistro Batenrooj)
.... stir.... stir .... stir ....
Runabout Kickastone!
Nanfoodle!
I think I'm gonna make a haregon character named Var'mint Sayerprairs and have him be friends with an anikiwah (elk centaur) named Namby-Bamby of the Reograndy (the Reograndy being a clan of anikiwah that live along a river). Then they're gonna meet an owlin from the forest on the western side of Anchorome named Hutiness'Tutinest and his brother Rutyness'Shutinest. They'll also befriend the woodland urskan (bearfolk) Ferberyn Cryttir. They'll have to face off against the evil young green dragons, Rackafrackyn, and its sister, Rassafrassyn.
What be a "haregon"?
New race from "The Wild Beyond the Witchlight". Rabbit humanoid (think the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland or rabbit from Winnie the Pooh or Bugs Bunny wearing clothes). Size varies by your choice (either small or medium). Jumps far. Bonus to init. Proficiency in perception. Use your reaction to roll 1d4 and add it to a failed dex bonus. The name of course comes from Yosemite Sam (as do all those... if you say them aloud, you'll get it).... the haregon's being "Varmint, Say your Prayers". |
| Azar |
Posted - 31 Jan 2022 : 12:40:18
Adjective+Noun, Noun+Noun, Noun+Adjective and Noun+Verb are easy to produce and rarely objectionable; at worst, they're merely simple. I recommend merging consecutive identical consonants.
Examples ->
"Sablemane"
"Richhelm/Richelm"
"Firehill"
"Golddelver/Goldelver"
"Auroraborn"
"Fortbroken"
"Wealcraft"
"Copperfetch"
--- --- ---
--- --- ---
--- --- ---
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Take something Yosemite Sam used to say and turn it into a name (i.e. Dagnabbit )
Take two common words native to a region of our world and put them together, then twist their wording (i.e. Bistro Batenrooj)
.... stir.... stir .... stir ....
Runabout Kickastone!
Nanfoodle!
I think I'm gonna make a haregon character named Var'mint Sayerprairs and have him be friends with an anikiwah (elk centaur) named Namby-Bamby of the Reograndy (the Reograndy being a clan of anikiwah that live along a river). Then they're gonna meet an owlin from the forest on the western side of Anchorome named Hutiness'Tutinest and his brother Rutyness'Shutinest. They'll also befriend the woodland urskan (bearfolk) Ferberyn Cryttir. They'll have to face off against the evil young green dragons, Rackafrackyn, and its sister, Rassafrassyn.
What be a "haregon"?
Here's a name for a Green Dragon: "Nahzteebress". |
| ericlboyd |
Posted - 31 Jan 2022 : 08:53:07
I start to notice common syllables for different cultures and then mix them up.
|
| bloodtide_the_red |
Posted - 31 Jan 2022 : 04:07:55
To make up a name you just start with a vague sound, and then work it out to sound just about right. An elf has a light, soft sounding name; a dwarf has a short hard name; a goblin has a 'creepy' name, and so on.
g
An easy trick is to just take a real name and switch around a couple letters. Bob Smith then becomes Vod Kmith or Nancy Jones becomes Wancy Lones.
Taking a word that describes the character, and twisting it around works great. A tough character can be Tourg or Tog or Tuho.
Brand names work, often with a twist. Sony becomes Zony or Aony; Pepsi becomes Yepsi or Gepsi. |
| Diffan |
Posted - 27 Jan 2022 : 14:07:19
I take common names and then change them to be more unique or take ideas from literature and modify |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 27 Jan 2022 : 12:02:24
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Take something Yosemite Sam used to say and turn it into a name (i.e. Dagnabbit )
Take two common words native to a region of our world and put them together, then twist their wording (i.e. Bistro Batenrooj)
.... stir.... stir .... stir ....
Runabout Kickastone!
Nanfoodle!
I think I'm gonna make a haregon character named Var'mint Sayerprairs and have him be friends with an anikiwah (elk centaur) named Namby-Bamby of the Reograndy (the Reograndy being a clan of anikiwah that live along a river). Then they're gonna meet an owlin from the forest on the western side of Anchorome named Hutiness'Tutinest and his brother Rutyness'Shutinest. They'll also befriend the woodland urskan (bearfolk) Ferberyn Cryttir. They'll have to face off against the evil young green dragons, Rackafrackyn, and its sister, Rassafrassyn. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 27 Jan 2022 : 03:04:16
Sir Loyne of Beafe? Dud'onahorz?
Many of the now famous names from Greyhawk were anagrams based on player names. A few (like Rary and Melf) were originally conceived as shameless and tasteless puns. The names of many characters from Dragonlance (like Raistlin and Caramon) were based on various forms of wordplay.
But the conceptual origins for the names of Greenwood's and Salvatore's most famous characters don't seem quite as well documented. |
| Azar |
Posted - 27 Jan 2022 : 02:29:09
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Take something Yosemite Sam used to say and turn it into a name (i.e. Dagnabbit )
Take two common words native to a region of our world and put them together, then twist their wording (i.e. Bistro Batenrooj)
.... stir.... stir .... stir ....
Runabout Kickastone!
Nanfoodle! |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 26 Jan 2022 : 18:45:21
Please, for your players, and anyone else that might ever read your work, please do not follow the RAS school of naming conventions.
That being said I have named characters after other things. A mulan spy in Unther called Mah-Lentee for example, but it sticks to my own naming convention rules that I invented for Unther.
Dragons are the most fun, take a saying and pad out the word with odd sounds and misspelling to create a dragon named. For example I named a plague like dragon that travels around the Sea of Fallen Stars by padding out the words Meandering Lizard and joining them together.
Not saying anyone should follow my example as I'm just the local nut, but there is no reason why you cant make naming a little bit fun. After all, it's hard enough to do so try and get what you can from it. |
| Delnyn |
Posted - 26 Jan 2022 : 17:57:50
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Take something Yosemite Sam used to say and turn it into a name (i.e. Dagnabbit )
Take two common words native to a region of our world and put them together, then twist their wording (i.e. Bistro Batenrooj)
.... stir.... stir .... stir ....
So RAS used Looney Tunes as his name inspiration? |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 26 Jan 2022 : 11:47:21
Take something Yosemite Sam used to say and turn it into a name (i.e. Dagnabbit )
Take two common words native to a region of our world and put them together, then twist their wording (i.e. Bistro Batenrooj)
.... stir.... stir .... stir .... |
| Azar |
Posted - 26 Jan 2022 : 01:57:02
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
A savvy DM will happily claim or repurpose names submitted by his players.
Ski mask optional. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 26 Jan 2022 : 01:30:22
An active and enthusiastic gaming group can invent many names per session. A savvy DM will happily claim or repurpose names submitted by his players.
I think it's evident that many of Ed's early characters - OGB-era stuff - were originally named in this fashion. |
| Azar |
Posted - 26 Jan 2022 : 00:41:17
In my experience, it takes imagination plus time. |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 25 Jan 2022 : 23:54:29
Ed has said that he makes up names, says them out loud, modifies as necessary and then they are done. I make up all my own names and occasionally recycle Realms names for different individuals (Cormyr should have lots of Azouns and Tanalastas, for example). The published Realms however has been very wary regarding repeating names because it thinks it would be too confusing for the feeble brains of us fans. If you search hard enough there fantasy name generators on the web as well as lists of "Realms names" or names created by Ed, etc. I enjoy a good name - my most recent example was "Lord of the Eyrie Targandar Belabranta" (the Belabrantas are a Waterdhavian noble family". Earlier in that piece I had Saerth Bormorar and on the weekend I came up with the wizard Randartho Glimhollow and his ranger brother Thalmaro. Just give it a go, it's not so hard really.
-- George Krashos |
