D&D 5E Warlord Name Poll

[Tony Vargas]

I always saw Heralds as just a spokesperson - a mouthpiece - someone who only participates or influences behind the scenes, but is mostly just a spokesperson and messenger.

More in front of the scenes, really, since they're right up there, speaking for someone in power, maybe getting shot or poisoned in his stead.

Consul just seems so ROMAN, like super-Roman. Its a cool word, and I'd very much us it in some sort of pseudo-Roman context, OTOH it just comes across to me as too context-specific, especially when D&D tends towards a pretty early medieval sort of default milieu.

Medieval Europe was still heavily influenced by ancient Rome, Latin was the language of scholarship, law, the clergy and record-keeping. In PoLand you could imagine Nerath taking the place of Rome in that context, so Praetors, Consuls, Auxiliaries, Centurions and whatnot could all still titles thrown around, perhaps not with their original meanings. In FR, maybe not so much.

 

[Remathilis]

Medieval Europe was still heavily influenced by ancient Rome, Latin was the language of scholarship, law, the clergy and record-keeping. In PoLand you could imagine Nerath taking the place of Rome in that context, so Praetors, Consuls, Auxiliaries, Centurions and whatnot could all still titles thrown around, perhaps not with their original meanings. In FR, maybe not so much.

That's the problem, it just screams niche or campaign specific. Warlord might have negative connotation to some, but it doesn't require knowledge of ancient Roman history to explain.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Another possibility: how about the 'Herald' for a class name?

A herald was an officer of arms, the leader of an armed force. A herald proclaims and commands. A herald may be a prophet, a messenger, a bannerman, a military commander, an ambassador, or a noble. A herald exists as both a noun and a verb, much like 'marshal.' 'Herald' lacks negative modern connotations.

And when you look at the synonyms listed, it includes many of the alternative names and related concepts proposed, including even the core idea of "supporter":

The 'herald' is also broad enough of a concept that it could easily work with a variety of backgrounds. The 'herald' could be a prophetic acolyte, a noble messenger, a military captain, a knightly cavalier, a hermit (whose voice cries out in the wilderness), the outlander outrider, or even the charlatan who cries wolf.

I'll give it this much. Its the best NEW alternative I've seen proposed yet. I think I'm still pretty comfortable with Warlord, and not having a HUGE issue with Marshal, but I might like Herald better than Marshal. I think it generally most easily connotes one who announces the coming of a sovereign or noble, but the word HAS taken on a much broader set of meanings in modern times.

Its not perfect though. For one thing it doesn't really connote leadership, at least in my mind. If you're the herald, then there's a guy behind you that you're heralding. Still, its far from being a fatal flaw.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Medieval Europe was still heavily influenced by ancient Rome, Latin was the language of scholarship, law, the clergy and record-keeping. In PoLand you could imagine Nerath taking the place of Rome in that context, so Praetors, Consuls, Auxiliaries, Centurions and whatnot could all still titles thrown around, perhaps not with their original meanings. In FR, maybe not so much.

Possibly. Since PoLand was never really fleshed out as a setting in that sense we don't really KNOW. There is in fact very little information on the cultures and social systems etc of any of PoLand, either historical or contemporary.

So, yeah, Nerath as Rome works fine. Romanistic titles surviving in Nentir Vale kinda works, though there are some folks there described with medieval sorts of titles you could tweak that easily enough. Really so little of NV outside adventure locations is actually described that you can do practically anything. All we really know is there's a Lord Protector in Fallcrest, and some similar guy in Wintervale. I think a couple other settlements are fleshed out a bit in other adventures, but not much. Outside of NV we really have nothing, except Hammerfast and adventure locations, which tend to be uninhabited.

 

[Tony Vargas]

any class name is what a character aspires to be if they survive the ordeal. Otherwise every class name must change as the character levels from stable hand to squire then knight.

Which is how they worked in AD&D. You reached 'name level' sometime around 8-11th or so.

And since I've already done it:

1 Hussar
2 Sergeant
3 Centurion
4 Hipparch
5 Tactician
6 Oberst
7 Brigadier
8 Strategist
9+ Warlord

Read more: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...y-The-Warlord-in-prior-editions#ixzz3qN4pnm00

(I suppose, it'd be better alternate-history to salt those level titles with later (sub)classes the way Sorcerer & Warlock appear in the MU level titles, or Champion and Swashbuckler among the Fighters. Marshal could fit in at higher level. Banneret at a lower one.)

Not that the lower level names made any sense, either, with the Cleric, for instance, being demoted from Priest to Curate upon attaining 4th level, then converting from psuedo-Christian to Tibetan Buddhist for a level at 7th, and never actually getting it's class name as a title (topping out at High Priest), a distinction it shared with the Fighter & Magic-User, most other classes & sub-classes though, all got to go by their class name at some point - the Ranger, only at exactly 8th level, for some reason (or probably no reason), while the Druid had to wait for 12th, and beat out an existing Druid. The Magic-user rapidly changed methodology from a Warlock, to a Sorcerer, to a Necromancer as he approached name level (Wizard, which later became his class name), too (yep your LG MU has to spend 10th level being a Necromancer), but not stopping there and going on to Mage and Arch-Mage (because somebody has to be making the Staff of the Magi and Robe of the Archmage...).

Really can't worry too much about class names. A PrC that has a place in the campaign world, and includes some sort of formal membership might very well have it's name really mean something IC. Some specific sub-classes, like PDK, may also be that way (though, really, that's an indication they'd've made better PrCs). Aside from special cases like that, a PC could go his whole career without ever claiming the name of his class (or classes). A class name just has to be clearly suggestive of the class concepts and sound cool. Too obscure, and it might sound cool, but it creates no impression (a problem with some of the possibilities on El Mahdi's list).

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Another possibility: how about the 'Herald' for a class name?

A herald was an officer of arms, the leader of an armed force. A herald proclaims and commands. A herald may be a prophet, a messenger, a bannerman, a military commander, an ambassador, or a noble. A herald exists as both a noun and a verb, much like 'marshal.' 'Herald' lacks negative modern connotations.

And when you look at the synonyms listed, it includes many of the alternative names and related concepts proposed, including even the core idea of "supporter":

The 'herald' is also broad enough of a concept that it could easily work with a variety of backgrounds. The 'herald' could be a prophetic acolyte, a noble messenger, a military captain, a knightly cavalier, a hermit (whose voice cries out in the wilderness), the outlander outrider, or even the charlatan who cries wolf.

This is the best alternative I've never heard of before. I really like it.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Another possibility: how about the 'Herald' for a class name?

Not too great. A herald goes before an important personage to announce his coming, one might even rise to the level of an ambassador until his liege arrives, that and keeping track of coats of arms & noble lineages (heraldry), maybe officiating at jousts. Really doesn't add up to much of a class. A Bardly PrC or Background, perhaps.

A herald was an officer of arms, the leader of an armed force.

Not what 'officer of arms' means. It's not someone bearing arms or under arms (mobilized for combat) or leading same, it's someone keeping track of coats of arms (heraldry).

A herald proclaims and commands. A herald may be a prophet, a messenger, a bannerman, a military commander, an ambassador, or a noble.

That was stretching it quite a bit.

'Herald' lacks negative modern connotations.

It also lacks any connotations or meanings that cover Warlord concepts. It's a pretty weak entry.

But at least it doesn't sound lame or obscure, nor imply high formal military rank like a Marshal.

Banneret (the generic PDK) doesn't exactly suck, either, it's just very specific (not as specific as PDK, a PDK is in essence of Cormyrian banneret), and, unfortunately, obscure.

 

[El Mahdi]

I'll give it this much. Its the best NEW alternative I've seen proposed yet.

Actually, it's not that new. I saw it mentioned a few times in the old threads I dug up prepping for this thread. Some of them went back to 2009. It didn't get a whole lot of traction, but it did get a few mentions.

 

[ChrisCarlson]

Actually, it's not that new. I saw it mentioned a few times in the old threads I dug up prepping for this thread. Some of them went back to 2009. It didn't get a whole lot of traction, but it did get a few mentions.

And yet you left it off the options in the poll. Good to know this poll is all about you and not what anyone else wants.

I think Herald is better than 75% of the options listed in the poll (other than "other" and "lemon curry"). Apparently I'm not alone in this.

 

[Aldarc]

Not too great. A herald goes before an important personage to announce his coming, one might even rise to the level of an ambassador until his liege arrives, that and keeping track of coats of arms & noble lineages (heraldry), maybe officiating at jousts. Really doesn't add up to much of a class. A Bardly PrC or Background, perhaps.

Not what 'officer of arms' means. It's not someone bearing arms or under arms (mobilized for combat) or leading same, it's someone keeping track of coats of arms (heraldry).

I know that's not what an officer of arms means, but herald does mean that quite literally:

Middle English, from Anglo-French heraud, herald, from Frankish *heriwald-, literally, leader of an armed force, from *heri- army + *wald- rule; akin to Old High German heri- army, waltan to rule — more at harry, wield

If 'druid' can come to mean a "shape-changing nature priest" then I don't see why it's unfeasible for the herald's own meaning to be repurposed for D&D.

That was stretching it quite a bit.

Naturally it stretches quite a bit when one is inflexible.