Sean Reynolds rant about terminology

[Bran Blackbyrd]

My girlfriend spent a semester in England once, and she swears by digestive biscuits. A more unappetizing name for a cookie I can't imagine (well, actually, I can -- haggis drops, hemorrhoid jewels, sweaty crackers -- but you know what I'm saying). Hmm? I got sidetracked there, forgot my point.

Okay, I was about to ask what exactly digestive biscuits are, but I found the answer (I guess) here. Has anyone besides me ever even heard of National Arrowroot cookies? How about Zweiback? I believe they're both made by Nabisco.

Crud, I guess I'd better say something on topic. Umm. I agree with those who think that Sean was targeting the rant at the industry, in hopes to have them stick to a clearly defined standard. I don't think he gives a crap what words the players use, as long as the people they play with know what they're talking about.

 

[Scarab]

Digestives with cheese. Mmmm. And some green grapes. And assorted other crackers and cheeses. And a good movie.

Yup, I know what I'm having tonight.

 

[Darkness]

Damnit, reading this thread is making me hungry...

 

[Tsyr]

No, but there is a Sorceror class. And Sorceress is the name for a female Sorceror. Just because there's no feminized version of "Cleric", "Fighter", or "Wizard" doesn't mean that the word Sorceress shouldn't be used.

Actualy, around here, we have always used (Probably wrongly, and no doubt to the infinite fury of SKR) the following gender conventions:

Druid f= Druidess
Sorcerer f= Sorceress
Cleric f= Priestess (After the older convention of clerics being of the priest class)
Illusionist f= Enchantress

 

[Wolfspider]

Dammit!!! (Sorry, Eric's Granny.)

I go to bed reading about cookies. I get up and read more about cookies.

Stop!!!

Don't you guys realize that I'm on a diet?

 

[Plane Sailing]

Just to add a short (non-biscuit related) contribution to this thread...

I find it interesting that SKR feels so strongly about in-game terminology when the PHB actually *encourages* us to use our own made-up terms for things!

I'm thinking of the bit where Lidda writes down "creepin" on her character sheet for move silently, while Ember writes down "rice paper walk".

I really enjoy the way that 3e encourages us to make up our own terms and change things to suit our games. To rant against that seems trivial and very, dare I say, 1st edition AD&D feel. I thought we had left all that behind when we entered our brave new world

Cheers

p.s. I'd love to hear Eric rant about Mastertools...

 

[Wolfspider]

Sorceror is more general than Sorceress...

Not in the D&D rules lexicon. Sorceress has no meaning in that context, while sorceror conveys a very precise meaning.

Oh, and concerning you guys who said it didn't matter what language a surgeon spoke, may you never hear in a drug induced haze your heart surgeon give the following order:

"Ok, go ahead and snip that itty bitty little vein there. You know, the blue one filled with blood there on the left."

I find it interesting that SKR feels so strongly about in-game terminology when the PHB actually *encourages* us to use our own made-up terms for things!

How so? Does it encourage game module writers to do the same?

I can see it now. The DM pauses with a confused look on his face. The players inquire as to what's wrong.

"Well, the adventure says that the lich casts Mumbo Jumbo's Lubrication on you and that his Dragoonie cohort leers at you afterward. I'm not exactly sure what that spell is supposed to do or exactly what monster it's talking about, but I imagine it means that you guys are pretty screwed."

MUST! HAVE! COFFEE!

 

[Wicht]

[Banana Cream Pie is] definitely a Southern specialty, but possibly one that's spread, in the same way that Southern-fried chicken has spread.

Well, all I know is I have been served it in the south and I have been served it in the north. But you could be right.

One thing I miss from the southwest is proper chili. Everyone in these parts, excluding myself, insists on making a soup with beans and calling it chili. AFAIAC proper chili should be thick, without beans and should go good on rice or tortillas.

 

[Ristamar]

What was he afterwards?

Anyhoo,

Sorceress, SOrceress, SORceress, SORCeress, SORCEress, SORCERess, SORCEREss, SORCERES, SORCERESS!!!!!!

The next ten products I write are going to feature nothing but groups of sorceresses. Collectively, I will refer to them as Sorceri and each will carry a large Large Orcish Mithril blade enchanted to slay only elvish folk.

LOL!

So, eh.... will these Large Orcish Mithril blades be "enchanted"...?

 

[Aaron L]

Actually, in our game on Sunday, we found an opposing wizardess(!) had the spell Evards Black Testicle in her spellbook after we defeated her.
(or at least thats what the DM said, we were a little goofy at that point )