Do you come up with surnames (last names)?

[Ed_Laprade]

I always give my dwarves last names. As they are likely to identify themselves as being from a particular clan, this seems as important to RPing a dwarf as deciding their class to me.

In the same vein, I might pick a surname for an elf, but it doesn't come up as much. As chaotic creatures, my elves feel like they should make their own names rather than resting on the laurels of some legendary ancestor.

Humans of noble birth I give last names to. It's important to them. Humans of common stock usually only get a first name, usually with an appellation that describes them in some way ("Jozan, the Pelorite cleric of Shiboleth").

So in short, I give last names where approriate (like everyone else said). Just thought I'd give you a little more insight as to the situations where I consider it appropriate.

This is pretty much how I do it as well.

 

[Aexalon]

Surname or not should be a choice made based on cultural and personal givens. I.e. a cultural baseline should determine the general case; specific instances (the exile, the orphan, the mysterious stranger ...) could also affect this. A distinction between PCs and NPCs in this regard makes little sense, from an campaign consistancy PoV.

All in my humble opinion, naturally

 

[Arkhandus]

Humans of common stock usually only get a first name, usually with an appellation that describes them in some way ("Jozan, the Pelorite cleric of Shiboleth").

Wait --- Jozan actually serves an Elder God of the Far Realm, and just plays at being a Pelorite to get people's trust? :\

 

[Dykstrav]

Wait --- Jozan actually serves an Elder God of the Far Realm, and just plays at being a Pelorite to get people's trust? :\

Take 10 on your Knowledge (geography) check). Shiboleth is a town in the Gran March. My first Greyhawk character was a cleric names Asatra ("of Shiboleth," to distinguish herself from the Asatra from Furyondy- yes, there's a story there), but I figured Jozan would be a better-known name for these purposes.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I would always think up a surname for PCs or NPCs who would logically have one.

 

[Nifft]

Wait --- Jozan actually serves an Elder God of the Far Realm, and just plays at being a Pelorite to get people's trust? :\

Shiboleth =/= Shuggoth.

Cheers, -- N(yarlathotep)

 

[Arkhandus]

.....You just had to kill my devious glee, didn't you?

I hadn't known it was the name of a town in Oerth....wierd. Sure looked like a Lovecraftian name.

 

[airwalkrr]

Most of my characters are known primarily by one name, often a nickname or just a variation that is easy to pronounce (e.g. Arivellion becomes Ari). However, for those characters who come from a society where a distinguishing title or "surname" is often required, I often compose one. I usually follow middle-age convention when playing D&D. There are plenty of John's in the town, but John Smith is the blacksmith and John Farmer is the farmer. If more than one farmer is named John, more descriptive surnames are required, like John Rye or John Shucker/Cornshucker. Most of my characters come from at least a semblance of civil society where such descriptors are at least necessary, but they rarely use them unless introducing themselves to a king or similar personage. When naming characters with an orphan background or a nomad family with little need for such distinction, I usually go with one name only.

 

[Dykstrav]

.....You just had to kill my devious glee, didn't you?

I hadn't known it was the name of a town in Oerth....wierd. Sure looked like a Lovecraftian name.

Yeah, I'm a party pooper. Guess it does sorta have that Lovecraftian tone to it though.

 

[Set]

Depends on the genre.

In Vampire, set in the modern day and age, all of my characters had first, middle and last names, and, usually, different identities that they had assumed after their mortal deaths. In some cases, for the older ones, several such identities existed, and in other cases, of *really* moldy ones, they only had one name and had been using it for centuries, skipping the whole mortal alias nuisance and having retainers handle the paperwork and such.

In D&D, I rarely come up with surnames, unless there is a specific cultural reason, or a fun nickname that says something about the character. If a character is a member of a noble family, such as the Belabranta of Waterdeep, or House Cannith in Eberron, then yeah, otherwise, I can rarely be bothered. I tend to like names to have a certain 'sound' to them, a certain 'flow,' and often a last name completely bollixes whatever 'flow' was going on with the first name.

A name like Arathilor 'Battlehammer' just comes to a clunking grinding crashing halt for me.

Arathilor Laferanil, whatever. Bleakfist Battlehammer, sure, fine. But mix them up and it's like a musical train-wreck to my ears.