Who cares about Otiluke, Mordenkainen, Rary and whatever geezer names they trot out.

[DM Howard]

I would never be in support of removing those names from D&D. They are part of what makes D&D D&D, to me at least. To say let's get rid of those names then we might as well get rid of the Dragons in Dragons and Dragons and just call it Dungeons.

 

[Empath Negative]

"Jim's Floating Disk".

Or Jim Ward's instant summons.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Cadfan]

I think its ok to use spell names to imply a world.

I just think they've done a terrible job at it. The implied characters don't have any character. You can add character, but that's kind of a stupid way to go about things. The whole point of implied character is that its supposed to imply something. Its not supposed to imply that something could, theoretically, be made up to fill in a detail of the game world.

And yeah, yeah, I know that Mordekainen has some lengthy history in some dusty book that isn't going to be explained in the 5e phb. That makes it irrelevant to this conversation.

Greywiki tells me that Mordenkainen developed a spell entitled "Mordenkainen's Defense Against Nonmagical Reptiles and Amphibians." This does not imply a game world. And the addition of a completely empty proper noun at the front of that spell title does not do much except imply that there are other wizards, that some of them make up spells, and that they suck at naming things.

You can't even add up all the spells Mordenkainen ever made, and deduce things about his character. There's no thematic connection between them.

Its just not well done. Maybe it was, once. Maybe it was... once. When everyone knew Greyhawk, cared about its lore, and wanted to play games in it. But now we're just hearing the decrepit echos of an earlier era, rasping unwelcome in unexpected places.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I think its ok to use spell names to imply a world.

I just think they've done a terrible job at it. The implied characters don't have any character. You can add character, but that's kind of a stupid way to go about things. The whole point of implied character is that its supposed to imply something. Its not supposed to imply that something could, theoretically, be made up to fill in a detail of the game world.

And yeah, yeah, I know that Mordekainen has some lengthy history in some dusty book that isn't going to be explained in the 5e phb. That makes it irrelevant to this conversation.

Greywiki tells me that Mordenkainen developed a spell entitled "Mordenkainen's Defense Against Nonmagical Reptiles and Amphibians." This does not imply a game world. And the addition of a completely empty proper noun at the front of that spell title does not do much except imply that there are other wizards, that some of them make up spells, and that they suck at naming things.

You can't even add up all the spells Mordenkainen ever made, and deduce things about his character. There's no thematic connection between them.

Its just not well done. Maybe it was, once. Maybe it was... once. When everyone knew Greyhawk, cared about its lore, and wanted to play games in it. But now we're just hearing the decrepit echos of an earlier era, rasping unwelcome in unexpected places.

You have traveled to the floor of the pit of your own free will.

 

[El Mahdi]

You have traveled to the floor of the pit of your own free will.

Who knew somebody would find an appropriate use for that abysmal line.

Well Done!

 

[thedungeondelver]

At first I thought ol' Herschel there was trolling, but no, it's an impassioned plea to give some meaning and texture back to spells. I, like Umbran, well recall seeing Tenser's Floating Discin the copy of B2 KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS (which was the only - rules included - D&D book I had for about a year, and we still played!) Who was Tenser? What was with this Disc? It was never "Floating Disc" it was never "Wizard's Hoverboard" - Tenser was as integral to the name as any part of it. And it would rock on toast if we could know why. I know some guys who got in to FORGOTTEN REALMS who'd still call it Mordenkaninen's Faithful Houndor Otiluke's Freezing Sphereor the like, irrespective of campaign world.

I think Herschel's idea would be great. Just like how modules often have boxed text, let the spells have a little too! Put some mystery and history back in those spells. Heck, you don't have to do it but once - under Tenser's Floating Disc, mention "Tenser was a mage of renown who blah blah blah and was also a character played in the original D&D games by...and is also responsible for Tenser's Transformation (pp 123.)" and so forth.

Do you guys know one of the reasons the 1st edition AD&D DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE is so cool? In addition to the "Gary's Cookbook" feel of it, there's a story, or more accurately many stories in there. Machine of Lum the Mad? Whoa, where'd that come from? Ring of Gaxx? SIXGUNS & SORCERY? There's a whole section with texture and atmosphere!

Later editions didn't do such a good job out of the chute. I'd like to see that change. I think spell-name explanation boxed text would be wonderful. Thanks for the suggestion, Herschel. Fight on!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Who knew somebody would find an appropriate use for that abysmal line.

Well Done!

It wasn't the line, it was the delivery.

(I was using my lucky Lawrence Olivier talisman as opposed to the magical Master Thespian Underoos that other dude was wearing.)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Game history is preserved and passed down to new gamers, and DMs get seeds from which new adventures could grow. I could see an adventure in which the PCs discover a portion of a scroll that hints at other spells from Evard or Tenser...

And my idea there has juuuust blossomed. I just posted it in the "Campaign Ideas" thread linked to in my sig.

 

[FireLance]

There is also a very subtle implication about having names in spells: so-and-so invented a spell, and your character can, too!

Besides, they make for excellent in-jokes. As Khelben said of Bigby (can't remember the source offhand, so apologies if I got the quote wrong): "The old goat gets one good idea, and then beats it to death with a rock."

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Isn't that a cantrip, Bigby's Stoning Hand?