Naming Fey characters

[Dannyalcatraz]

Sometime last year, I designed a 3.5Ed PC who was centered around taking those Fey Heitage feats plus a few other wildcards. I figured out most of the mechanical details, but- strangely for me- I’m having trouble settling on a good NAME. Everything I’ve come up with is too much of an inside joke, too modern, too meta, etc.

So I’m looking for resources on generating good, old fashioned names for Fey beings. Possibly even with Eastern European and/or Asian influences.

Gimme whatcha got!

 

[Aldarc]

If we are talking about fey beings, I would possibly suggest descriptive epitaphs rather than names: e.g., the winter prince, the evergreen lord, the horned one, etc. Then you could let their "true names" be secrets that require discovery.

 

[niklinna]

My tango instructor has a little French play on her shelf, titled Le Renard Argentin et la Poule aux Yeux d'Or, and featuring an illustration of a sly Argentine fellow dancing with a 20's style flapper in Art Deco style. Somehow your request brings it to mind.

The title translates to The Argentine Fox and the Hen with Eyes of Gold, which doesn't sound nearly as cool. Things in Foreign often sound very otherworldly, to be sure. Run some descriptive phrases through Google Translate and see what you get! Or look up worldwide fairy tales.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My preference is plant names. For the Seelie court, I go with floral names, of which there are many very colorful ones. For the Unseelie, I go with poisonous plants, of which there are also many.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Thank you! Those all have potential!

I often try translating words when naming PCs, and hadn’t done that with this PC. Probably evidence of my mental block.

Since he’s not fully Fey, he probably wouldn’t have a title. But again, being Fey, he might try putting on airs, aggrandizing himself with a florid appellation. Maybe SEVERAL names.

He’s a purely a warrior of some kind, so might might call himself “Sir ________” and/or a “Knight of __________”, even if he technically isn’t.

I had already envisioned him favoring blue, so “Azure” could be part of his list of aliases.

 

[Haplo781]

Toot-Toot Minimus, Major-General of the Za-Lord's Guard

 

[ilgatto]

(...)

So I’m looking for resources on generating good, old fashioned names for Fey beings. Possibly even with Eastern European and/or Asian influences.

Gimme whatcha got!

Have you tried Gary Gygax's Extraordinary Book of Names? Say, p. 186-188?

It cannot be recommended enough.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If we are talking about fey beings, I would possibly suggest descriptive epitaphs rather than names: e.g., the winter prince, the evergreen lord, the horned one, etc. Then you could let their "true names" be secrets that require discovery.

(I think you meant “epithet”.)

The more I struggle with this, the more I’m thinking this might be the way. I can come up with several for the character, including some that would be more archaic versions of some of the names I‘m rejecting.

That gives the character a memorable quirk and a malleable “identity”. Heck- I might not even really need to give the character a proper name, and just let the others in the group come up with something to call him.

OTOH, letting the others choose an in-party ”call sign” could npbe dangerous. One guy in a RIFTS campaign had “Scooter” hung around his PC‘s neck.

So I guess I still need a “Robin Goodellow”, “Puck”, “ Ariel” type name.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Have you tried Gary Gygax's Extraordinary Book of Names? Say, p. 186-188?

It cannot be recommended enough.

That could come in handy!

 

[Aldarc]

(I think you meant “epithet”.)

I think that I do mean that. It's what I get for typing my post in a hurry on my phone. I nevertheless appareciate the correction.

The more I struggle with this, the more I’m thinking this might be the way. I can come up with several for the character, including some that would be more archaic versions of some of the names I‘m rejecting.

That gives the character a memorable quirk and a malleable “identity”. Heck- I might not even really need to give the character a proper name, and just let the others in the group come up with something to call him.

OTOH, letting the others choose an in-party ”call sign” could npbe dangerous. One guy in a RIFTS campaign had “Scooter” hung around his PC‘s neck.

I like the idea of a fey character being wary about giving away their true name due to their own familiarty with the ways of fey. Since you like Champions, it may be fun to think of the character's name like their superhero call sign. Their called name could be something simple: e.g., Robin, Sparrowhawk, etc. (Though maybe not Sir Robin. ) But yeah I would be wary about letting other players name my character.