Fantasy Ranks

[ruinvalor]

Greetings!

I am currently working on a culture of high elves who have a sun-like deity. I want to have military ranks but not the same old captain, general ect..

The culture is knight-like in nature. I have a few rank names that I am considering. Ascendant (second in command), Bloodsworn (officers) ect...But nothing is set in stone.

I have tried to think of names dealing with the sun or fire but my mind draws a blank. Hoping someone on here may have ideas or could point me to a source for this kind of thing

Thanks.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Welcome to the boards!

One question you might ask yourself is: Is it worth explaining those ranks to the players? They'll probably know what corporals, sergeants, captains, commanders and generals are, but chances are that if you use new titles, you'll have to use the old ones, anyway - especially if the player characters aren't the millitary type that is confronted with those things on a daily basis.

You might often have to say stuff like: "That's Dawnspeaker Na'Tir - that's like captain, you remember? - over there talking to High Radiant Antar - no, that's not the king, it's the name for general"


The same old ranks have the advantage that people will probably know them. It's like "sword", "axe", or "bow". Sure, you could rename them "aspsting" "doomtalon" and "hornetsbite", respectively, but the old names are fine because you don't have to explain anything.




If you stick to the idea of new titles, consider what they will be applied to: elven knights worshipping a sun god(dess). Incorporate that into the ranks.

Soldiers (the rank and file): Vigilant (coll. "Yellowcoat" Because of the yellow garments their order wears)
Sergeants: Lightbearer (coll. "Glowworm" because of the illuminated banners they carry both to illuminate the battlefield for their soldiers and to provide them with something to rally to)
Captain: Dawmbringer
Commander: Zenith
Gemeral: High Radiant

 

[Ciaran]

One question you might ask yourself is: Is it worth explaining those ranks to the players? They'll probably know what corporals, sergeants, captains, commanders and generals are, but chances are that if you use new titles, you'll have to use the old ones, anyway - especially if the player characters aren't the millitary type that is confronted with those things on a daily basis.

You might often have to say stuff like: "That's Dawnspeaker Na'Tir - that's like captain, you remember? - over there talking to High Radiant Antar - no, that's not the king, it's the name for general"

This is a fair point if the PCs would already have that information. If they don't, however, then it adds a neat exploratory element to encounters with the Sun Elves as the players try and figure out how the rank system works.

Staff officers could be Coronals , though the name works equally well for corporals or sergeants.
A herald or bannerman might be a Morningstar.

 

[ruinvalor]

Thanks those are some great ideas!

I onoly need around 9 or 10 ranks and the campaign will be heavily military based. So the playewrs should grow accustomed to them soon.

Kae'Yoss I liked yours so much I think I will use them verbatim if you don't mind.

 

[reason]

...

Evocative but similar-to-reality titles are good. I use that for the Wohken of Spirits of Rock and Sky: Lutnen, Capnen, Amral, and so forth.

Reason
Principia Infecta

 

[Kwitchit]

Vigilant- private
Lightbearer- sergeant
Dawnbringer- lieutenant
Flamebearer- captain
Illuminate- major
Zenith- colonel
Radiant Minor- Brigadier
Radiant- lieutenant-general
High Radiant- General
Arch-Radiant- Commander-in-chief

Special ranks for military clerics- Healer, Ordinate, Preceptor, Bishop Militant, High Priest

 

[Dark Seraph]

welcome to the forum pages, ruinvalor...here are some suggestions:

Private: Ember-Blade
Corporal: Flame-Blade
Sergent: Blaze-Fist
Senior / Staff Sergent: Fire-Star
Lieutenant: Morning-Star
Captain: Inferno
Major: Radiance
Colonel: High Radiance
General: Solar

BTW, I like the flavour of what you're trying to construct. Interesting concept.

DS

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Kae'Yoss I liked yours so much I think I will use them verbatim if you don't mind.

Go right ahead. If I didn't want anyone using them, I woudln't have posted them.

 

[Li Shenron]

You could check out some websites about masonry, since mason's lodges have hundreds of ranks with colorful names like "Keeper of the holy morning shield of the eastern doubleheaded eagle with the snake in its beak..."

 

[ruinvalor]

You could check out some websites about masonry, since mason's lodges have hundreds of ranks with colorful names like "Keeper of the holy morning shield of the eastern doubleheaded eagle with the snake in its beak..."

Ahh great idea I never thought of that. Is Knights of Columbus a similiar system?

Thanks for the responses the ideas so far have been great and are really helping me flesh out ideas.

Thanks for the welcome I was a member way back when the site was red and black and Eric Noah was leaking out a couple tidbits a week about the release of Third Edition. I took a break from the game for a good amount of time and am just recently come back. Forgotten my login info since.