Flavorful Names That Make No Difference

[pawsplay]

Okay, here's the vibe I'm getting. A kind of "shape spell" feat is going to be called Golden Wyvern Adept. On the other hand, a lot of cool moves are going to be class abilities. So if I want a skirmishing fighter, I may have to play a Fighter/Rogue. "But I'm not a rogue!" Well, Saga has told us that we should admit we have roguish tendencies. But Saga doesn't have Golden Wyvern Adept.

So are we supposed to accept that our wizard is a little Golden Wyvern Adeptish? Or ignore the name? Or everyone uses the name? Is it an in-game name? Out of game? Depends on the setting?

Thoughts?

 

[theredrobedwizard]

If you want to play a dexy, tumbly fighter; you're already trying to play a half-rogue. Admiting it is the first step towards recovery. Nothing says you have to refer to yourself as a rogue, it's just a smattering of abilities you're picking up.

Same thing with taking a level or two of Cleric to supplement your fighterishness. You're just drawing inspiration from your god to be a better fighter. Nothing about having Cleric levels means you've got to be a wandering proselytizer.

That said, I like the names. I hope that there are in game orders such as the Order of the Golden Wyvern which specializes in spell shaping. A much different group than the Guild of the Emerald Frost, a group of mage-assassins that specialize in elemental substitution and trickery.

-TRRW

 

[pawsplay]

If you want to play a dexy, tumbly fighter; you're already trying to play a half-rogue. Admiting it is the first step towards recovery. Nothing says you have to refer to yourself as a rogue, it's just a smattering of abilities you're picking up.

Then why is it called rogue?

 

[Zweischneid]

Okay, here's the vibe I'm getting. A kind of "shape spell" feat is going to be called Golden Wyvern Adept. On the other hand, a lot of cool moves are going to be class abilities. So if I want a skirmishing fighter, I may have to play a Fighter/Rogue. "But I'm not a rogue!" Well, Saga has told us that we should admit we have roguish tendencies. But Saga doesn't have Golden Wyvern Adept.

So are we supposed to accept that our wizard is a little Golden Wyvern Adeptish? Or ignore the name? Or everyone uses the name? Is it an in-game name? Out of game? Depends on the setting?

Thoughts?

/shrug

Without flavor, you're sitting in some basement, roll dice, push plastic figures and drink too much soda.

"Golden Wyvern Adept" isn't so different from "Fighter" when all is said and done.

Both intend to create a mental image/concept that is supposidly represented by the combining of a few numbers on your piece of paper with the number on the DM's piece of paper and a few more numbers generated by random (usually using dice).

That "flavor-term" may fit your image.. or it might not. In the latter case, change it.

 

[Rechan]

Then why is it called rogue?

I guess for the same reason Barbarian is the class name, even though that's a cultural slur, and they all have illiteracy.

Would you prefer Dextrous Class? Skill Class? It's leaps and bounds over calling them Thief.

 

[Engilbrand]

My seniors are writing research papers. A girl was freaking out and asking about just how many points she needed in it. I asked her how many she thought she'd have. "Well, the packet you gave us says 6." I took the packet and threw it. "You're missing the point. I don't care what that says. It's just a guide. It's not the Bible. How many points did we just come up with?" "Oh. Ok. 4." "Good."
So many people freak out about stupid nonsense. They're missing the point. You're not "Golden Wyvern Adeptish". You have an ability that lets you miss some squares. That's it. It's the same thing with the Warlord. The name is a place-holder for the relevant information and because it's more evocative than saying "A" and "B". If it doesn't specifically require you to belong to the Golden Wyverns, why does the name even matter?
Do your characters talk about their XP? What about their hit points? Those are just place-holder names for the people playing the characters. Characters don't even know they get feats. They just know that they can do things. The "DING!" for levels only happens in Order of the Stick.

 

[Keefe the Thief]

I´d rather have some badly thought-out names with flavour than none at all. Pulling stuff you think cool out of your arse has been part of RPGin since 1851.

But if threads on ENworld have their way, we´ll see the wizard renamed Supernatural Effects Administrator. :\

The cheese is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[pawsplay]

Fighters fight, hit points are points that you subtract from when you are hit. My wizard most certainly does not wyvnerly adept in a gold fashion.

 

[Frostmarrow]

They just need to find a theme that is actually cool. I like the flavorful names but I think emerald, lightning, golden, wyvern, and the lot we've seen so far sounds more corny than cool. However just from the top of my head thorn, striding, rose, killer, are cooler. Still it stands to reason people who live in a fantasy world would name things after the things that awe them found in nature.

From an outsider it looks like British game designers have a lot better naming conventions than the American. The stuff found in Warhammer is heavy compared to 4E D&D. Still there is hope for the Americans as we witness in 7th Sea. Names in 7th Sea are trés cool, in my opinion.

And to be on the safe side. The names of Dragonlance and Ravenloft were great too.

 

[Baduin]

Wizard is too fluffy, The class should be called simply - magic user. Fighter fights, thief thieves, magic user uses magic.