WORMY'S WEDNESDAY WHAT? Using proper names in the game


Gamer Life General Discussion

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games

This week's Wednesday question asks about the use of proper names in game rules. Does using eponymous rules elements add to the game? Is it more fun to cast Mordenkainen's this or Tenser's that than the off-brand generic equivalent? What are some of your favorite named spells, items, feats, and the like?

Check out the full blog post in this week's WORMY'S WEDNESDAY WHAT?


I prefer nameless.

Names are tied to specific characters, events, settings, and stories. Outside of those specifics the names have no relevance. For instance, anyone who isn't familiar with the history of the Greyhawk setting isn't going to have any idea who Mordenkainen, Rary, Tenser, Ottiluke, Bigby, or Evard were. Nor are they likely to care.

I understand that these were most likely characters someone played long ago, and they (the players) enjoyed the recognition. I'd say they've been recognized in enough editions now.

I should probably read the post before I comment too much more though. :P


There was some joke that I can't place about the Eye of Vecna, The Hand of Vecna, The Head of Vecna. I think it went on from there with putting Vecna back together, maybe with with his foot and god knows what else.

On topic, it's too bad that a lot of spells had to lose there name with Pathfinder. I really liked the long name of Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter.

Of coarse in an epic game or a home game where your old character has researched a new spell, it becomes kind of neat to have that spell as part of the system that is later used by a new character. Something like "Tofu Bob's Magical Platter". It's unique and you know you won't find it anywhere else.


Attaching character names to spells and items in the core rules of a system that is meant to be playable in any number of different fantasy worlds defeats the purpose of that system.

Attaching such names to options in setting-specific material is a completely different matter though.

I don't think such names matter, because realistically they would probably fall into forgottenness sooner or later anyway. At some point nobody will remember or care that Interposing Hand was once invented by a guy caled Bigby, unless someone else also made a spell called interposing hand that does something different.


ngc7293 wrote:
There was some joke that I can't place about the Eye of Vecna, The Hand of Vecna, The Head of Vecna. I think it went on from there with putting Vecna back together, maybe with with his foot and god knows what else.

Short version: Vecna's Hand and Eye were artifacts created when the lich ascended to godhood. You could chop off your hand/pluck out your eye and replace it with the artifact for cool powers.

The Head of Vecna was a prank created by a GM who added a false third artifact to the list. Like the others, it presumably required you to remove the part to be replaced. So half a party fought over who got to decapitate themselves in an attempt to replace it with a powerless, non-magical skull.


As for my own, count me in on those who are happy for the loss of such names. I'd still use them if I was playing in Greyhawk, or elsewhere that those characters existed (I vaguely remember Bigby, Melf, Tensor, and one or two others of that bunch being mentioned in one of the FR novels). But since I don't use those settings, or any published setting nowadays, those references have no in-world foundation. And as most of my players are too new to understand them anyway, it's doubly irrelevant.

That said, should a player in my games invent a spell in my setting, I would likely keep their name attached to it (if they so desired), as that would be a reference my players would get, and could explain to anyone new who came along.


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Mordenkainen's mansion and Leomund's secure shelter were always a personal favorite of mine. Anything with elminster's name attatched to it has brand recognition that cant be argued. I frankly always disliked the bigby line, but bigby was unarguably addicted to a theme. Elminster's Effulgent Epuration? Yes please. Simbul's synostodweomer? Maybe so... Tell me more! Nybor's wrathful castigation? You just don't have spells like that anymore...

I think what I like about the names being attatched is that it adds a fluff element to the spell that ties the spell to history. Its absolutely true that when the spells were being published they were based off of ideas that certain players had 'in game' so the spells with mordenkainen in the name were quite literally thought up by a guy at the developer's game table who played a dude named mordenkainen coming up with a neat idea for a spell, and then the spell got reviewed and then published.... Which conceptually is mega awesome. I'd like to think if I ever had a unique and balanced idea for a spell that it would forever down through the ages refer back to me... In game its kinda like copyright or an artist always signing his paintings, while in the real world it quite specifically was for copyright purposes.

Eversteaming Soufflé isnt quite as interesting to me as Bob's Eversteaming Soufflé. I care about the lore enough to be interested in who Bob was and why he was so interested in making a Soufflé that never stopped being hot, even if I'll never be adding his spell to my own personal library.

The spell does what the spell does and thats the crunchy bit, but the artist signing his work adds a fluffy flavor that I savor. Nearly all of the spells had signatures originally. I've got the canon book that puts the missing names back. Spells created during the days of Netheril!!! The piorneering days. Magic in its infancy.

Enlarge was known as Aksa's Growth. The prismatic spells line was created by Anglin. Dancing lights was known as Brightfinger's Dancers. Reverse gravity and timestop and temporal stasis were made by the chronomancer. Fahren's glitterdust. Fourfinger's weather control. General Matick's Missile (magic missile!!!). Keonid created Geas. All the monster summoning spells are thanks to Lucke and were known as Lucke's 7th monster summons etc... Meteor swarm was 'Mavin's Meteors', but mavin also created 'Mavin's Create Volcano.... Mavin was also responsible for the Stone to Flesh spell.

We have color spray thanks to Nalevac. Succor and the Teleportation line of spells by Oberon. Pockall's Invisibility. Primidon's burning hands. Haste was called Quantoul's Fastmorph and he's also responsible for all the other polymorph spells. Sadebreth's reincarnation. Mirror image was originally 'Smolyn's replica'. Stoca's change shape. Fly was Stoca's wings. Carbury's servant and Carbury's killer instead of unseen servant and phantasmal killer.. Most of the phantom/phantasmal line is Carbury... Lefeher's contingence... Continual light was 'Polyheus's illumination'. Tolodene responsible for most of the cloud and fog spells... Trebbe responsible for most of the detect/identify line. Xanad responsible for most of the 'power words' like xanad's killer or xanad's stun...

Noanar's Fireball. Probably the most prolific spell ever... Volhm's bolt is lightning bolt and he's also credited with energy drain, shocking grasp, and whispering wind.


There are some who call me... Tim.

Some names MEAN something

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