Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Location: ANU, behind the coffee mug (+10 GMT)
Xavier wrote:
Yurell wrote:
On that note, elves apparently don't scar either, according to a 2e sourcebook entirely on elves whose name I don't remember but was quoted to me. But do my elves scar - yes. And I really don't care.
It seems like the only way to play an interesting and well written (for lack of better words) elf is to ignore the countless lore about how perfect and flawless they all are.
Physically perfect. Mentally they're right arrogant bastards to be honest, at least from what I've read.
_________________ 2009's Second Most Overall Contributing Player
Joined: 01 Jul 2006 Location: The City of Fallen Angels, Ca
Yurell wrote:
Xavier wrote:
Yurell wrote:
On that note, elves apparently don't scar either, according to a 2e sourcebook entirely on elves whose name I don't remember but was quoted to me. But do my elves scar - yes. And I really don't care.
It seems like the only way to play an interesting and well written (for lack of better words) elf is to ignore the countless lore about how perfect and flawless they all are.
Physically perfect. Mentally they're right arrogant bastards to be honest, at least from what I've read.
Took the words right outta my mouth. We all know Hin are the ones that are perfect on the inside
Tormak: I agree, actually. They can be quite lame if they're used like that. "Hey ho, I'm Elminster the Mage!" I think it would be quite awesome, though, if there was some more thought to it. A couple of devoted Ilmatari name their son Sollars Westhill or whatever, after the Ilmatari St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred (patron of the Yellow Roses) in honour of their faith and hoping that their child will become a great champion of the church. And the irony would be savoury when little Sollars grows up to be a thief, a bully or a heartless wizard turning away from Ilmater.
Just like one of the Knights of Myth Drannor, Torm the Thief, has quite a cool name.
Cori: We can't really draw a clear line. It would be quite unfair to say "No references whatsoever" when half the posters in this topic have admitted to using them with success, DMs included. We already do have a "No direct copies" rule in place, so that should take care of the worst issues. I sure wouldn't mind seeing a Cyrus of Unther, for example, even if it is an obvious reference to the king. The way we should continue to deal with references that cross the line, IMO, is to look into them individually when/if we get complaints about them (from players or DMs).
Camthrax: I understood your sarcasm, but was there an actual point you wanted to make to the conversation?
_________________
On Joon, Kjetta wrote:
The guy that probably has sexual fantasies about masturbation. I mean, Iron, you're a bookworm nerd that even in your wildest escapism fantasies flee to the internet to play the role of another bookworm nerd? Come on!
Joined: 10 Aug 2005 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
I understand no clear line can be drawn. But I think it is just outright easiest to say "no popular culture names that aren't so common as to not immediately infer a connection to the popular culture it's drawn from".
So now, that said....would you consider "Atreyu" an acceptable name? I didn't....but i'm no longer a dm, so what I did or did not think was "okay" doesn't matter anymore. I'd kill to use that name if it's allowable. I've always loved it.
_________________ Role with the Punches...
Elan: A 10% chance is pretty unlikely, but everyone knows that a one-in-a-million chance is a sure thing!
Joined: 10 Aug 2005 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
But that's the kicker. I almost never use last names. I prefer single names that sound cool, and appropriate to the character. Last names just seem so....fake, for some reason.
_________________ Role with the Punches...
Elan: A 10% chance is pretty unlikely, but everyone knows that a one-in-a-million chance is a sure thing!
A different last name is generally the easiest way to save an otherwise borderline name, yeah. But without one, hum.. Personally, I'd probably say it's fine as long as the concept wasn't close to the original character. But as you say, it's a really arbitrary line to draw. At which point does a cool name become a reference to an existing character? It's not as if every name in existance hasn't already been used in literature or other entertainment, so you'd be left with only the option of making up new names.
When I said I enjoyed obscure and witty references, though, I didn't mean outright name borrowing. I was mostly thinking about using parts of a name and twisting them beyond immediate recogintion. The aforementioned Luthor Ultionis is a good example of that. I don't know if the original intention even was to refer to Martin Luther, but it comes off as a relatively obvious, but witty enough a reference. The same, I suppose, goes for Diane Arbor (though I don't remember the joke behind that name, because I wasn't familiar with the person referenced when I heard about it). As a more simple example, if I were to create a musketeer-style Duellist gentleman, I might give him the last name Dumas as tribute to A. Dumas who wrote about the Three Musketeers etc.
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On Joon, Kjetta wrote:
The guy that probably has sexual fantasies about masturbation. I mean, Iron, you're a bookworm nerd that even in your wildest escapism fantasies flee to the internet to play the role of another bookworm nerd? Come on!
Joined: 01 Jul 2006 Location: The City of Fallen Angels, Ca
Cori wrote:
So now, that said....would you consider "Atreyu" an acceptable name? I didn't....but i'm no longer a dm, so what I did or did not think was "okay" doesn't matter anymore. I'd kill to use that name if it's allowable. I've always loved it.
Joined: 17 Aug 2005 Location: Land of the Scorching Sun, Empowered by Global Warming
555444333 wrote:
We've got/had an Alt'air too.
Altair can be a brazilian name. Uncommon, but not rare.
Auron could reference to latin (a different way to write aurum).
_________________ BlackDahlya
Once Upon A Time Played Adr'ael Ken'rahel, Auron Teken’ath, Aurora Mesodias, 'Daniel' Daoskinaxarijikkym, Eilin'ira, Helena Rios, Layla Faircurrent, May'Une Do'Ndar, Mellinda Tellus, Michael of Cliffside, Rizzen of Twilight, Valkirya d'Claddath
Most of my PCs' names have no reference to the real world at all, but my Lathanderite priestess Dora Mekkemun (who I never have time to play) didn't get her first name from the cartoon/show, no.... Gah, I should have known about that before I made her. Anywhoo, "d'Or" means "of gold" and "a" means to, so her name loosely translates to "From Gold to Mekkemun", which is her family name. Yep, it's not super brilliant, but it sounded good to me.
Iron: I can agree about naming them after someone famous but then there should be a last name as well or something to set the character apart. I also doubt many parents would name their child after one of the Lords of Hell or any evil deity unless they themselves were evil and even then I think there'd be more changes than just 1 letter but whatever if the dms are cool with it then i'll just grit my teeth or make a paladin that hunts evil named people believeing them tob e the real deal bua hahahahahahhahahahhahah erm....
_________________ Must I at length the Sword of Justice draw? Oh curst Effects of necessary Law! How ill my Fear they by my Mercy scan, Beware the Fury of a Patient Man -John Dryden, 1681
I just make sure names I make won't pop up in the plethora of random name generators on the interwebs and that other people won't come up with the same name accidentally. If it coincides with RL people and the name is... unique enough that a google search reveals tons of sites about said person, I scrap the name altogether.
Poor old Opustus learned that lesson the hard way. Not being familiar with Friends at all, he made a character called Matt Le Blanche and spent the next few weeks being tellspammed with "JOEY!" until he got it changed.
When I create some NPCs, particularly the "function, not form" NPCs, they might have slightly humorous names. But I often have the feeling no one notices.
Like, oh, the statistical analyst for the Ministry of Finance named Marge Inavera.
Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Location: ANU, behind the coffee mug (+10 GMT)
Yossarin wrote:
When I create some NPCs, particularly the "function, not form" NPCs, they might have slightly humorous names. But I often have the feeling no one notices.
Like, oh, the statistical analyst for the Ministry of Finance named Marge Inavera.
*Laughs*
I don't notice those things unless I read them out loud.
_________________ 2009's Second Most Overall Contributing Player
I tried to read the thread but my brain died when it saw Cori's Avatar.
_________________ Dwagin [Duh-wa-GIN] N. - 1a. Small and cute thingum, particularly fond of four legged scaled creatures of the metalic and chromatic varieties.
My personal pet peeve is "cool" single noun names. Characters called "Death" or "Scar" or "Night". Arghhh... even mentioning them as an example hurts my sense of taste.
Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Location: ANU, behind the coffee mug (+10 GMT)
Dev Disco wrote:
My personal pet peeve is "cool" single noun names. Characters called "Death" or "Scar" or "Night". Arghhh... even mentioning them as an example hurts my sense of taste.
Like Cordorian Guard Fears?
_________________ 2009's Second Most Overall Contributing Player
Taste? What is that? *has just been playing Stillborn*
It's hard to explain to a kilt owner, I am afraid.
Yurell wrote:
Dev Disco wrote:
My personal pet peeve is "cool" single noun names. Characters called "Death" or "Scar" or "Night". Arghhh... even mentioning them as an example hurts my sense of taste.
Like Cordorian Guard Fears?
Sounds like a normal last name to me? I don't get the feeling that means he's just called Fears.
I shamelessly ripp of less known historic names when I feel like it. One of my chars has the same name as a moorish general. Why? Because I cant make a name that sounds moorish myself. Other chars have first, last or middle names from characters in books, movies or games. In my humbledore, the only name restrictions I care about is to not copy a name and concept entirely.
_________________ "Edwin do this, Edwin do that. Somebody get this jerk a banana!" - Edwin, BG II
Valygar 'Stonesnake' Stark -Human Ranger Garret Smith - Archer and peddler of deity-statuettes Dáin Saltbeard - Dwarven sailor and fencer. No, I'm not joking.
Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Location: ANU, behind the coffee mug (+10 GMT)
QPR wrote:
I shamelessly ripp of less known historic names when I feel like it. One of my chars has the same name as a moorish general. Why? Because I cant make a name that sounds moorish myself. Other chars have first, last or middle names from characters in books, movies or games. In my humbledore, the only name restrictions I care about is to not copy a name and concept entirely.
I think it's fair enough so long as it's obscure - it won't ruin anyone's immersion. But if I see a Gaius Julius Caesar or a Salah-ed-din running around, I'll be rather annoyed.
_________________ 2009's Second Most Overall Contributing Player
I honestly didnt get Marge Inavera until Yoss pointed it out in a previous thread on names. And me with a background in statistics, too!
Also in that previous thread, I mentioned some 'musical' names I had used for previous characters on other servers (highlight the text for the source if you possibly dont get it):
an elf, Tureh Luraijae (lyric from the Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles", 'toora loora toora loo rye aye') a paladin, Shanna Lamedhin Dawn ("Shama Lama Ding Dong" by Otis Day & The Knights) an east-indian sounding name, Shubeh Dua Bhapshibah (derived from the song "We Go Together" on the Grease soundtrack, which goes 'Our names are signed boogedy boogedy boogedy boogedy shooby doo-wop she-bop'
_________________ ~Sharess on AmiaWiki~ Priestess, politician, prostitute "[They] were moving in on me like Sharessans on a new broad in the bath house" - Tracer Bolt AmiaWiki mod (mostly inactive)
Altair can be a brazilian name. Uncommon, but not rare.
Auron could reference to latin (a different way to write aurum).
*smells another Brazilian player*
And just to add to Dahlya, EMAIL is actually a name in Brazil too. Was the source of a popular internet photojoke here.
As for my characters, Leitha Er was taken from an elven internet dictionary (means The Free One in literal and half-broken translation) and Magni Sif Thorlief comes from Norse Mithology. Other than that I sometimes use the sounds of words of Portuguese to create names (Kanthor, sounds like singer in Portuguese) for a bard I have, for instance.
What I sometimes do is go to one of the bazillion baby name generator sites, and look up a name that has a meaning for something that is distinctly your character concept. Then look for a less commonly used version of the name. BINGO!
_________________ Dwagin [Duh-wa-GIN] N. - 1a. Small and cute thingum, particularly fond of four legged scaled creatures of the metalic and chromatic varieties.
What I sometimes do is go to one of the bazillion baby name generator sites, and look up a name that has a meaning for something that is distinctly your character concept. Then look for a less commonly used version of the name. BINGO!
Or add or take a few letters from it and it will work.
_________________ "Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." "I think we are the only group where AD&D stands for Attention Deficit Disorder."
What I sometimes do is go to one of the bazillion baby name generator sites, and look up a name that has a meaning for something that is distinctly your character concept. Then look for a less commonly used version of the name. BINGO!
Is that what you did for Ramla too?
_________________ Ael'thil Rilyn'tlithar Previously known as: Anubis
She didn't ram as much as she burned people though.
My toon can still feel the hot poker on his chest.
Then again, he deserved it.
"Holy earth? I show you what I think of it!"
_________________ "Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." "I think we are the only group where AD&D stands for Attention Deficit Disorder."
Delarwyn was my first elven character ever. I have no clue how did I get that. The rest is just... ummmm how about this.. oooooh, I list this and such. Nothing special, just creativity.
I don't generally make silly names and I enjoy taking my time with finding the perfect name for a char. I like stereotypical names more than anything and wouldn't name a dwarf "Rhil'nafaee" or somesuch, although it might sound alright for a drow female.
Exactly what I do too. I usualy take so much time in making char's name and all that I have to fear booting. I always try to think best name to my char I can. Like my drow male wizard Cai'den Cy'stariadin, my Strongheart halfling female Riksi Joldelibeth, my (snow)dwarf wizard Magnar Deepmind (Yea, well Magnar quite good dwarf name, don't nik-pick me on it anymore) and my personal favourite alonside Cai'den, my Ghostwise halfling male Ethrolian Quaradholonrath. Those are quite unique names right?
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