How to use "True Names" in roleplaying

[Niveria]

Earthdawn and Names

However, I'm not familiar with Earthdawn so I couldn't tell you how true names work. I can say, however, it has a much more arcane and mystical feel (as it seems to me, anyway) than D&D's number-crunching "OK, I attack with my magic longsword +1."

This is pretty accurate. In Earthdawn, an object or being didn't have the potential for gaining power until it was Named. By Naming a weapon, for example, you created in it the potential for it to become legendary. Named weapons that were used in the commission of great deeds gained powers that were associated with those deeds. Over time, when the weapon's owners had passed into legend, new owners had to learn the Name of the weapon before they could tap into the weapon's powers.

The rules of Earthdawn required that characters "tie threads" to magic items, spending story points to build a spiritual connection to the item that drew out the item's power. The greater the strength of the connection, the more of the item's powers you could use. In order to increase the thread strength, characters were required to carry out a quest associated with the item's history. These quests typically included learning the name of the item's maker or completing some unfinished task by the hero who weilded it in ancient days.

It was a very interesting concept, and since the majority of it fell into roleplaying, rather than rules, it shouldn't be difficult to tie that into d20. FFG's Legends & Lairs: Spells & Spellcraft includes rules for magic items that grow in power with a character, so that might provide the germ of a "thread" concept for d20.

As for true names, it would be a simple thing to require that magical items be given a true name upon creation, with the implication that the magic would not work for anyone who does not know the true name of the item. Greater powers could be unlocked as the new owners learned more about the weapon's history.

Of course, the function of spells like identify would have to be altered to allow people to learn about how to unlock a weapon's powers, rather than simply what the weapon does.

Just a thought.

Cheers!

 

[Matt Black]

The best published effort I've seen to incorporate True Names into d20 is in Occult Lore's Sympathetic Magic (by the recently famous Keith Baker). The crux of it: knowing a creature's True Name reduces the DC to invoke more powerful magics, or increase range, duration or area, or (I think) to reduce your target's saving throw.

Of course, in regular wizardly magic all of these enhancements are handled by metamagic feats. So, how about this: if you know a creature's True Name you get 3 free levels to use on metamagic enhancements for any spell which targets that creature personally. Thus, you could maximize a spell, or enhance + enlarge it, or extend X3, or increase effective level by 3, or any combination of those, without increasing the spell slot level.

This'd be particularly nice for wizards, who wouldn't have to worry about definining their metamagics beforehand, as these spells stay in their base level slots. Casting time would still be increased, I guess, as per normal metamagic casting.

Three free metamagic levels sounds like a lot, but I've always felt that obtaining a creature's True Name should be a big deal. Having lesser sympathetic links (check out Occult Lore for the comprehensive list) could grant one or two free metamagic levels. Of course, the ability to access these lesser sympathies might require taking whole new feats.

Matt Black

 

[Fayredeth]

A thought on who has True Names....

Perhaps True Names could be linked to souls that are "recycled" through the ages, and everyone has one of these "recycled" souls. Discovering the True Name could then be a process of figuring out which soul the person has and tracing this through history, trying to find the True Name; a good source for a True Name in this case would be an immortal, planar creature or something that lives for a very long time, such as dragons. Some creatures might not have souls, and that is how you could cop out some exception.

 

[Wyvern]

Re: Earthdawn and Names

This is pretty accurate. In Earthdawn, an object or being didn't have the potential for gaining power until it was Named. By Naming a weapon, for example, you created in it the potential for it to become legendary. Named weapons that were used in the commission of great deeds gained powers that were associated with those deeds. Over time, when the weapon's owners had passed into legend, new owners had to learn the Name of the weapon before they could tap into the weapon's powers.

Another interesting feature of Earthdawn is the idea that using names is the mark of sentience; the sentient races are referred to as "Name-givers".

As for true names, it would be a simple thing to require that magical items be given a true name upon creation, with the implication that the magic would not work for anyone who does not know the true name of the item. Greater powers could be unlocked as the new owners learned more about the weapon's history.

This is best reserved for artifact-level items, otherwise magic items become much less useful.

Also something to consider... Something powerful as an archfiend or other very very powerful npc type... may be AWARE when someone even UTTERS their True Name. This is a concept that I am fond of, though I've never put to use in a gaming session.

In "Charmed Life" by Diana Wynne Jones (my favorite author) there's a very powerful enchanter who always comes when he's called. No matter where he is or what he's doing, he just shows up. There are several scenes in which people avoid referring to him by name because of this, and his enemies eventually use it against him by luring him into an ambush.

On a related note, I once invented a type of magic item called a token for a homegrown RPG. A token can be any small item -- a coin, a feather, a stone, etc. -- and the magician can give it to whoever he likes, but once it's given to someone (directly or indirectly), only the person it was given to can use it. When they hold it and speak the magician's name, he'll instantly know who's calling him and exactly where they are.

Wyvern

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

This is an excellent thread. I like the idea of giving out three metamagic levels - but what if you don't have any metamagic feats, or the creature has powerful magical defense anyway?

In Earthsea, even a very ancient dragon is cowed by Sparrowhawk because he knew it's name. Even you call him a, oh pick-a-number-at-random, 10th Wizard at that point he would have no chance against a CR20+ creature even with those abilities. So maybe it needs to be even more powerful for that kind of game?

PS: Love the idea about naming magical weapons too!

 

[Matt Black]

This is an excellent thread. I like the idea of giving out three metamagic levels - but what if you don't have any metamagic feats, or the creature has powerful magical defense anyway?

I guess if you don't have the feats you're out of luck. If you're going to make use of true names in magic, it's assumed that you're a competent caster already, and so probably have a metamagic feat or two. If not, well, this gives you all the more reason to take them.

As for the creature having a powerful magical defense - true, there's no metamagic feat to help overcome spell resistance (perhaps there should be). Maybe grant simple +2 to the caster's spell resistance roll per bonus metamagic level assigned to overcoming that resistance.

In Earthsea, even a very ancient dragon is cowed by Sparrowhawk because he knew it's name. Even you call him a, oh pick-a-number-at-random, 10th Wizard at that point he would have no chance against a CR20+ creature even with those abilities. So maybe it needs to be even more powerful for that kind of game?

Agreed. You'd want to assign the number of bonus metamagic levels dependent on how important True Names are in your game. In Earthsea they were the basis of all magic, so you might even grant six levels in such a world. Of course, Ged was probably higher than 10th level, even back in those days.

 

[Wyvern]

Spell resistance

As for the creature having a powerful magical defense - true, there's no metamagic feat to help overcome spell resistance (perhaps there should be). Maybe grant simple +2 to the caster's spell resistance roll per bonus metamagic level assigned to overcoming that resistance.

It's not a metamagic feat, but Spell Penetration already provides this without using a higher-level spell slot. Of course, there's something to be said for being able to increase the bonus the way you suggest.

Wyvern

 

[Aeris Winterood]

Magic....

I can understand that Magic-Users gain power, but what everyone is not looking at are those who do not use magic and invoke a true name....

Does anyone have ideas for that?

 

[AngelTears]

Not to drag religion in, but I was doing research into angels and I came across this:

And when thy Lord said unto the angels, ‘I am about to place a vicegerent in the earth,’ they said, ‘Wilt Thou place therein one who will do evil therein and shed blood? we celebrate Thy praise and hallow Thee.’ Said (the Lord), ‘I know what ye know not.’ And He taught Adam the names, all of them; then He propounded them to the angels and said, ‘Declare to me the names of these, if ye are truthful.’ They said, ‘Glory be to Thee! no knowledge is ours but what Thou thyself hast taught us, verily, Thou art the knowing, the wise.’ Said the Lord, ‘O Adam declare to them their names;‘ and when he had declared to them their names He said, ‘Did I not say to you, I know the secrets of the heavens and of the earth, and I know what ye show and what ye were hiding?’ And when we said to the angels, ‘Adore Adam,’ they adored him save only Iblis, who refused and was too proud and became one of the misbelievers

(The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 2 - The Heifer)


True names would then seem to be a bit older then what might be expected. I suspect there is a similar passage (or was) in the Bible.

Just an interesting point

-Angel Tears

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

Re: Magic....

I can understand that Magic-Users gain power, but what everyone is not looking at are those who do not use magic and invoke a true name....

Does anyone have ideas for that?

A spell's save is 10+Mod from the spellcaster, spell levels are not factored. The idea of spell "levels" is a mental construct that aids in casting, but bears no real significance. The greater ones intellect, personality, or connection to the divine source is what really determines that power. Knowing a true name negates the benefits of that mortal veiw of some magics being more powerful than others. The person gets this vs ALL spells if they know their own true name.

They gain the effects of a Pro. vs Evil or equivelant spell, upon making a Will save of 12-15. This is to reflect the power of the "common" man knowing the name, but still potentially falling to the beings implied power.

They may cast spells from a scroll, staff, or wand, or thay may cast spells from a book or tablet as a ritual, which takes one hour per spell level.

Then the whole telepathic bond between family thing

Just some ideas.