Coming up with Yuan-ti names...

Jürgen Hubert · Jun 17, 2005

Coming up with names has always been one of my problems. For most of my naming needs I can use the Everchanging Book of Names, but it doesn't have a decent set of names for Yuan-ti, or even generic snake-people that would be appropriate for their hissing sounds...

Can anyone give me some good suggestions?

Turanil · Jun 17, 2005

Shaaneks, Shiisthel, Loothu'n, Saliatho, Uhlaash, etc.

isoChron · Jun 17, 2005

Take a look at "Serpent Kingdoms". I don't have the book right here now but I think it is full of hisssssssed names.

Turanil · Jun 17, 2005

There is indeed several appropriate names in the Serpent Kingdom supplement, but they are scattered over the whole book. There is not a single table compiling a list of Yuan-ti names. Then, while the book is nice, it is useful only if you plan to run a campaign which arching plot is centered around Yuan-ti and the like. However, the original poster (and whoever is interested in the subject) may prefer to get some actual name suggestion, not the advice to buy yet another book. That said, here is a list of names I came up with / compiled a while ago:

Male names: Akris, Athanos, Daziss, Ischyros, Kress, Mariss, Oshphim, Salethar, Sarek, Selanu, Sellak, Shanastar, Shiraal, Silass, Thaxos, Tithian, Xamres, Xutan, Zorai, Zureth.

Female names: Ashissa, Caress, Daïsha, Deryssa, Ibisis, Ivaniss, Lalassu, Nassirah, Nessa, Nysia, Pyrrha, Saaveed, Sadai, Salah, Shallia, Suehra, Thassia, Veeshis, Ydriss, Zivlil.

Warrior Poet · Jun 17, 2005

You could also try some variants relative to Yuan-ti type and position.

The purebloods are most close to humanoids, so try the various hissing-sound names for them, as that seems to fit with regard to a particular cultural characteristic (humanoids with distinct, vocalized names).

As you get further along into the half-bloods and abominations, you could eliminate names altogether. I don't know very much about snakes, but in addition to hissing, I know the various pit vipers can sense heat, and some snakes probably have some sort of tactile communication form, or perhaps smell (?). I've heard that snake eyesight isn't necessarily very good, although it probably varies by species. So maybe the more snake-like Yuan-ti have names that simply consist of variations in hissing, or different heat signatures, or particular scale colors and patterns, which could be a cool variant (and a nice way to get out of having to name some of them!). Maybe even the way a particular abomination flicks its tongue as it tests the air is a way of saying, "I am the overlord of this pit, who slew the humans of the lower valley, liberator of the egg caves, and right hand of the Anathema-Who-Lives-In-Darkness."

Obviously, if someone in the party speaks "Yuan-ti" that foils it somewhat, unless you want to allow the Speak Language: Yuan-ti to encompass recognizing scale patterns, hissing, and heat or scent variations as names. Maybe it's a Knowledge: Heraldry skill, or other Knowledge subset.

Good luck!

Warrior Poet

cildarith · Jun 17, 2005

Try the 'ophidian' option at: http://www.squid.org/tools/random/index.php?Table=ophidian

Hope that helps.

The_Universe · Jun 17, 2005

When I had a lot of Yuan-ti, I tended to use human names that subtly (or not) referred to snakes, serpents, or other reptiles, rather than just going with sibilant sounding names. Obviously, this works better for the human-appearing ones, but....

Thomas Aspen
Selenor Pythan
Ahrianna Blackadder
Phillip Boan

etc.

Kobold Avenger · Jun 17, 2005

Out of characters I've written about, there's Ravi Asurasti a Yuan-Ti Pureblood from the Brood of Vasuki cult, who came from the city of Bhogavati from the plane of Naga-Loka.

His (disfunctional) family (all Purebloods) included his brother Kabir and sister Jarita, his father Chandra and mother Padma. All of their names were typical Indian names except for Asurasti which was based off of the typical family name of Devati.

For the most part Ravi's family was at odds with him because he decided to leave his family by becoming an Adventurer...

I also played a Weresnake by the name of Seth Raji, who was almost a Yuan-Ti... And I'm surprised no one has mentioned the name Seth yet, it would probably be a common Yuan-Ti name.