Monster names?

[Doug McCrae]

Seriously, I love the M:tG style names. All we need now is M:tG style art and this game will own.

 

[Trolls]

Gotta be a tossup between the Crushgrip Constrictor, Legion Devil Legionnaire, Earthrage Battlebriar, and Sorrowsworn Soulripper for worst name, honestly.

For me, it's got to be Rockfire Dreadnought and Earthwind Ravager.

 

[Blackeagle]

The new undead excerpt has the "Zombie Hulk" that uses its "Zombie Smash".

My only problem with Zombie Smash is it's ambiguous. It sounds like it could be a power for a character who hunts undead.

Am I supposed to actually say that in game?

You don't have to call your attacks unless you want to. This isn't Dragonball Z.

 

[MinionOfCthulhu]

I find most of 4th Edition's verbnoun/nounverb monster names irritating.

 

[MindWanderer]

My only problem with Zombie Smash is it's ambiguous. It sounds like it could be a power for a character who hunts undead.

That would be Smash Zombie. Besides, since the only place Zombie Smash appears is in the Zombie Hulk's stat block, the risk of confusion is pretty small.

 

[2eBladeSinger]

I played with a DM once who, everytime we encountered a creature, would describe it by making an adjective of the MM name. (e.g. You see a beast creeping toward you from the shadows... it's very GRIM with long, matted LOCKS) I can see that I might want to skip his 4e game.

 

[Jack Colby]

I find most of 4th Edition's verbnoun/nounverb monster names irritating.

Agreed completely. I can't imagine an adult actually coming up with these names and thinking they are okay to print, much less cool-sounding or badass, or whatever. Luckily there's no reason to ever use them in-game, they are just identification terms. Silly ones!

 

[Rechan]

I hate compound names. So unimaginative!

Before 4e, we had Imaginative names! Like Grey-hawk, Black-moor, Raven-loft, Spell-Jammer, Plane-scape, Draco-Lich, Necro-Mancer, Hob-goblin, Bug-bear, Were-Wolf, Arrow-hawk, Dark-Mantle, Doppel-ganger, Etter-Cap, Task-Master, hippo-griff, Lizard-Folk, Mag-men, Mer-folk, Night-Mare, Owl-Bear, Pseudo-dragon, Grim-locks, Plane-touched, Scorpion-Folk, Sun-Rods, Great-Axe, Great-sword, Short-spear, Long-sword, Morning-star, Quater-staff, Cross-bow, Hand-axe, War-hammer, Long-bow, Chain-Mail, or Battle-Axe!

Hell, there are far more imaginative things in my garage! A jack-hammer, a door-knob, a philips-head screw-driver inside a tool-box, a picture of a swallow-tail, some cotton-mouth, rattle-snake and copper-head skins, a hammer-head tooth, a step-ladder, a busted mail-box, an old switch-blade...

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Agreed completely. I can't imagine an adult actually coming up with these names and thinking they are okay to print, much less cool-sounding or badass, or whatever. Luckily there's no reason to ever use them in-game, they are just identification terms. Silly ones!

Assuming they actually come up with the names themselves. Check back at the beginning of the thread, there's been a 4e random monster name generator that ends up about on par with the MM. I don't see why they couldn't just be doing something similar?

As for why? Because commonly used language can't be copyrighted or retained as IP. And they have a desperate need driven by Hasbro to make everything protectable as IP to match up to common mainstream business practices.

 

[The Little Raven]

Agreed completely. I can't imagine an adult actually coming up with these names and thinking they are okay to print, much less cool-sounding or badass, or whatever. Luckily there's no reason to ever use them in-game, they are just identification terms. Silly ones!

Many languages derive new words by forming compound words. Adults do this all the time. And it's worlds better than "skum" and "flumph."