He Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken

[Slife]

I haven't read the scry spell in a while, but wouldn't you have to have something like a lock of hair or something you can touch and offer as a material component, rather than just the last person to speak your name. That seems to be stretching it for me. Although I could maybe see a greater scrying spell doing that. Maybe.

Lock of hair just gives a bonus to the spell (or a penalty to the person being spied on. Can't remember which)

 

[DM-Rocco]

I think it'd probably depend on how important names are in your campaign setting. IMC, I think I'd be fine with it just being their real name. So in Harry Potter, you'd have to refer to Tom Riddle, not Voldemort, although in a way, that'd be especially helpful for You Know Who: Those are the people he really wants to kill.

I guess it is a matter of intent versus reality. I would tend to agree with you that it should be his real name, Tom Riddle, but I think that in Harry Potter, since it works on Voldemort, it should cover Tom Riddle, Voldemort, He who must not be named and you know who.

For a spell that you cast such as you are refering to, I might have the cast chose a name, or able to chose 1 name per every 5 levels or something like that.

 

[Pyrex]

The thought occurs to me that while the reserve feats/spells posted above are great for a wizard who wants to know who's saying his name, there is another angle that we should be looking at.

He Who Must Not Be Named doesn't always do his own dirtywork. In fact, he may have quite a few people doing it for him.

Hence:

Better Left Unsaid
Divination
Level: Clr 6, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Crystal Ball or Mirror of Mental Prowess touched.
Duration: 1 hour/level or until discharged
Saving Throw: None // Will Negates (See Text)
Spell Resistance: None

When the caster casts Better Left Unsaid and touches the scrying device, he must include a particular Word, Name or Short Phrase as part of the casting.

The next time that Word, Name or Phrase is uttered by any intelligent creature on the same plane the scrying device under the effect of Better Left Unspoken automatically targets that creature. Instead of using the Save DC of the item, the creature must save against Better Left Unsaid (Similarly, Better Left Unsaid[/b[ must penetrate the creatures Spell Resistance if it has any)

 

[Numion]

In Monte Cook's AU/AE, Magisters can choose that ability at 18th level as a free benefit; Name of Power; they know whenever anyone says their name (when referring to them in particular) and know the name of whoever spoke it.

Well, it's a good thing that it accounts meaning also. Someone named just 'Bill' would go mental if he logged every mention of name 'Bill'.

 

[Slife]

Well, it's a good thing that it accounts meaning also. Someone named just 'Bill' would go mental if he logged every mention of name 'Bill'.

Or even worse, the word bill.

 

[Mycanid]

What sort of spell would it take for a powerful spellcaster to know when someone says his name, presumably well enough to scry on them or teleport minions to them? Is this within the realm of a wish, or would it require regular recastings of a special ninth level spell or what?

I guess what I am puzzled about is why he would want to know such a thing in the first place?

This strikes me as something used primarily by either super powerful foes or deities.... You'd have to have a certain level of "oomph" to be able to sort all the sense data out (including intention and all that "inner" stuff).

As a result I wouldn't really make it accessible to "mere mortals" and such.

Because of this I thought PC's synopsis of how something like this worked in one of his games was a good one.

I also have a 9th lvl spell in my game that lets you hear when someone says your name, gives you a quick glance at the speaker (not their location), and allows you to send a very low-level monster summoning to the location. Sending the monsters can only be used once a day, but the detection spell stays active for 24 hours. It's used by a lich named Hagiok to discourage people from talking about him.

(Okay, let's be honest. It's a great plot device! Everything else is just rationalization.)....

 

[Nyeshet]

I've only read the first page of posts, so maybe this has already been covered, but here are a few considerations, considering as this thread was inspired by the Taboo in Deathly Hallows.

First, Voldemort did not innately have the ability, nor did his followers. He only gained this advantage after he had complete control of the Ministry of Magic - including the Department of Mysteries (which, among other things, created the Time Turners that could - for the wearer - reverse time itself for several hours). This, to my mind, suggests that the "Taboo" is probably the work of a magic item - a minor artifact, no doubt, if not an artifact.

It seemed to have a range great enough to extend from London to northern Scotland - so several hundred miles, at least.

It focused upon a single word, "Voldemort," and those that spoke it immediately had their protections broken and their precise location somehow displayed or otherwise granted to those working with the item. Teams were standing by to teleport upon learning of an incident.


What I find most interesting is that the tradition of calling Voldemort "You Know Who" suggests that Voldemort had gained control of the Ministry of Magic during the prior war as well - or perhaps it was merely Rookwood (his Dept of Mysteries follower) that activated the Taboo last time, or maybe stole it for his lord?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I guess what I am puzzled about is why he would want to know such a thing in the first place?

Like Piratecat, I have a few powerful and crazy/evil spell-casters running around. One group of them in particular has allegedly been wiped off the face of the earth thousands of years ago, but are aware that there's a group that knows they exist and are secretly hunting them. Keeping their magical ears open for anyone mentioning them is a very rational security measure.

And when you're a creepy mirror lich, you have time to listen for anyone in the modern day pronouncing your name.

As a result I wouldn't really make it accessible to "mere mortals" and such.

IMC, most custom spells aren't available to anyone, but for my own satisfaction, I like to have the system worked out, both so the spell works in a consistent way (which is why I worked out the fey-to-gold spell on these boards months ago, for instance) and so that, one day, the victorious player characters can find the spell in the Big Spellbook of Evil Badness, even if they're a long way from casting it themselves (and may never be able to over the course of the campaign).

 

[Pyrex]

First, Voldemort did not innately have the ability, nor did his followers. He only gained this advantage after he had complete control of the Ministry of Magic - including the Department of Mysteries.

Which is exactly why I constructed Better Left Unsaid a couple posts above.

For someone with enough personnel and resources, it allows an organization the ability to police the use of a specific word/name.

 

[Gez]

Osama, other than one or two crack pots in the US, is not common here, but is very common and praised in the middle east and parts of Africa.

Osama means "Lion" and there are a lot of people who have been named that without it being a reference to Osama bin Laden. In fact, I think I remember a story about someone with that first name owning a bar frequented mostly by soldiers, somewhere in the US. More recently, there was a story about a teenager born suing his school because of teacher abuse because of his name, which he got long before OBL become the popular villain he now is. Do not assume that just because someone is named Osama, his parents are devout worshipers of the Saudi terrorist.