D&D 5E Do you love Awesome Names?

[Sunseeker]

OTOH, a player in our group chose a nice name for his gnomish monk, and somehow got dubbed "Scooter". It happens.

As a player, I tend to object, both in and out of character to being given stupid nicknames by the party. If it comes up once or twice, no big deal, but if it is basically my "new name" when I've actually taken the trouble to name my character, I can be fairly upset. It shows a lack of respect that makes me question if I want to keep playing with the group.

 

[werecorpse]

One silly one I liked is a ranger called Thelone.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

They really don't only have to be comedy names to be 'awesome'...

"Agreed!" says Magnus Skyhammer of Clan Skyhammer, Dwarven Warlock/Psion, and ancestral foe of all things venturing from the Far Realms.

 

[mrpopstar]

You lost me at Fonkin Hoddyspeak.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

I think awesome is akin to cool - the harder you try, the more you miss the mark.

Dave the Cleric. Most awesome character to grace our tables. He was a cleric. His name was Dave.

His name was mundane. His actions..

...legend.

This wouldn't be the same Dave that covered his wounded forearm with fresh leopard pelt, healed himself, and unwittingly grafted said pelt to his arm... would it?

 

[Caliban]

Sometimes an awesome name is all you need to turn an otherwise mundane character concept into something special.

Such as a dwarf barbarian named "Flynt Hardstone, Dwarf of Action". You know he's not messing around. (Either that or he moonlights as dwarven porn star.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As a player, I tend to object, both in and out of character to being given stupid nicknames by the party. If it comes up once or twice, no big deal, but if it is basically my "new name" when I've actually taken the trouble to name my character, I can be fairly upset. It shows a lack of respect that makes me question if I want to keep playing with the group.

As a person who has accrued a couple dozen nicknames over my lifetime- from endearing to insulting- I take such actions at the table as just being part of the fun.

 

[flametitan]

My favourite names are the ones where the devil is in the details. You wouldn't think of Lessnard as an obviously jokey name at first, until you realize he was played by a Mike Mornard.

I prefer evocative names as a general rule. It makes it easier to remember. As long as you have a name that's actually a name (I'm looking at you, "What are you, Casual?" from my LMoP game) and can be easily remembered, I'm not too concerned about what the contents of the name are.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

Overall I dislike pun or jokey names when it's an ongoing "serious" campaign. (Serious in the way LotR, Star Wars, and Firefly are serious.) But I don't mind them for one-shots.

At a convention there was a group running a Star Wars session that was part of a decade-long campaign that they ran at a few conventions each year and they offered my friends and I to participate. We were ecstatic for the offer and enthusiastically joined them. Soon after we were given our pregen characters, which consisted of the standard human pilot NPC block, we figured out that we were extras and got to mostly sit around while the campaign regulars played the game. We should have left but we stuck around, filled out names on our character sheets, and wisecracked amongst ourselves to pass the boredom.

After far too long we finally got to play in a space battle and when the rest of my squadron dead, I turned tail and ran. It was all worth it when my character was taken before our leader and dressed down for cowardly fleeing.

Our leader: "How dare you leave the battle? WE do not leave the field of battle!"
me: "We don't?"
Our leader: "What are we called, soldier?"
me: "What are we called?"
Our leader (exasperatedly): "The Commitments!!"
me: ...
me: ....
me: .....OH!!
Our leader: "You are a disgrace. What is your name, soldier?"
me (looking down at my character sheet): "Greedo Calrissian, sir!"

Our leader's player fell out of character laughing, then proceeded to order poor, cowardly Greedo's execution.

 

[JonnyP71]

1. I don't misspell. I make additions to canon! /duck

2. Many Gygaxian names were anagrams (Drawmij - Jim Ward, Tenser/Serten = Ernest, Zagyg = Gygax).

3. This is a good starting point-
http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_anagrams.html

Re 2/3, yes I know - Robilar was allegedly 'Rob Liar' too.

But the actual piece I read dissected those famous NPC names from G1-2-3, and found that while being silly, some of them were also very clever.

'Faffle' - means to stammer or stutter
'Cloyer' - claim a share in profits
'Bulse' - a small purse for diamonds
'Frush' - to break into small pieces

Some were just made up nonsense, but others were, in true EGG style, a little cleverer than that


My newest character (for a 13th Age game using Dark Sun) is a Roguish Entertainer by the name of Khanjali Mac - Khanjali = a form of Asian knife, Mac 'the knife'. His form of entertainment - Knife Throwing.