Why CompoundWord Monsters Don't Bother Me

[Dannyalcatraz]

Someone needs to stat out a Feyote.

 

[Aegeri]

Strongclaw CombatBrain OwlLion BearMan.

Make it now wizards.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Feymire Swordwing Axebeak!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It occurs to me...this is a bit humanoidcentric. What if other intelligent species used this naming convention?

To a dragon, a dwarf paladin might be a Holyaxe Buttertasty Crunchydumpling.

 

[vaultdweller]

Owlbear isn't a silly name. Given the nature of the monster, that's the only thing it could be called. Now, whether it's a silly monster or not...

I think the answer to that is yes.

It occurs to me...this is a bit humanoidcentric. What if other intelligent species used this naming convention?

To a dragon, a dwarf paladin might be a Holyblade Buttertasty Crunchydumpling.

They'd probably just call them snacks.

 

[MrMyth]

Would calling it a strongclaw owlbear make it sound cooler or more evocative?

This gets back to what I don't understand - equating all compound names as equally good/bad.

Sure, Strongclaw Owlbear sounds silly to me. Feymire Crocodile sounds awesome. Just like everyone in my group loves saying Babau! but couldn't remember the names for Barbed Devils or Ice Devils if their lives depended on it. Or find Ixitxachitl completely unpronounceable.

 

[billd91]

This gets back to what I don't understand - equating all compound names as equally good/bad.

Sure, Strongclaw Owlbear sounds silly to me. Feymire Crocodile sounds awesome. Just like everyone in my group loves saying Babau! but couldn't remember the names for Barbed Devils or Ice Devils if their lives depended on it. Or find Ixitxachitl completely unpronounceable.

I think one of the underlying issues is how often to you want to hear the compound words? With about 1/6 having one as a modifier (like feymire) + some additional number of base creatures (like owlbear) and some overlap (warthorn battlebriar), when do you get a fit of the giggles or find it cumbersome? Maybe I get to it earlier than Fifth Element does or you do. So, it appears, would other people who were also making jokes at 4e's expense like with the donkeyhorse thread some months ago.

 

[Zaran]

These threads always make me think of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Platypus Bear!

 

[Ryujin]

All of the good names are already taken. If someone hadn't named the griffin, a couple of thousand years ago, then we'd be stuck with the Lionhawk.

 

[Fifth Element]

So no wonder 4e is being called the compoundword monster edition. You've shown me it is.

That's a product of them having different types of each monster, each with its own name. My point in all this is that in the vast majority of cases, the adjectives used to differentiate monsters of the same species are not CompoundWord adjectives, they are simply descriptive terms.

The amount of attention CompoundWord adjecives receive is not proportionate to the frequency of their use.