For Pathfinder dragons, could we keep away from the Supercalifragalisticexpialadocious?
I'm all for whimsy in D&D, but sometimes it's hard to work with these wyrmy guys, when Wizards of the Coast hands them out names that look like a can of alphabet soup exploded.
Latest example I've got is, 'Amilektrevitrioelis.' from the web enhancement for Dragons of Faerun. When the web enhancement itself seems to agree it shortens better to Amilek, this is a serious gratiutous syllable offender.
Personally, I like what you'all at Paizo have done with names for dragons in the Shackled City Adventure face. Short, fierce, and/or sinister names like Gottrod, or Dhorlot, or names that humans have given them, like Moltenwing, or ol' Hookface. Very evocative.
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I agree for the most part. It's ok to have an exotic and long-winded name every now and again, but I think its been overdone with dragons.
That being said, I hear that dragons are Mr. McArtor's area, and that he has alot of plans for them...
Any willingness to share at this point what kind of naming norms we can expect with dragons in Pathfinder/GameMastery?
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I'm all for whimsy in D&D, but sometimes it's hard to work with these wyrmy guys, when Wizards of the Coast hands them out names that look like a can of alphabet soup exploded.
Personally, I like what you'all at Paizo have done with names for dragons in the Shackled City Adventure face. Short, fierce, and/or sinister names like Gottrod, or Dhorlot, or names that humans have given them, like Moltenwing, or ol' Hookface. Very evocative.
This is a great idea! I would also add that, if you really want to use long and impressive sounding names, try to make it pronounceable. Names like - I don't know - Nabucodonosor, which is a fine and pompous-sounding name as it gets, although I hear it's already taken by some king or other. :)
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I actually quite like the odd names - they are supposed to be in a foreign language, non-human even. Calling them the fantasy version of Billy or Ted takes away the alienness of them, a bit, which the odd unpronouncable names engender a little. After all, I don't suppose that Hookface's mum called him Hookface - it's a human nickname. I'm all for human nicknames that are evocative (like good old Hookface) but let's not ditch their real, alien names too.
I actually quite like the odd names - they are supposed to be in a foreign language, non-human even. Calling them the fantasy version of Billy or Ted takes away the alienness of them, a bit, which the odd unpronouncable names engender a little. After all, I don't suppose that Hookface's mum called him Hookface - it's a human nickname. I'm all for human nicknames that are evocative (like good old Hookface) but let's not ditch their real, alien names too.
In general I agree with this. Likely Dragons have impossible sounding names in their own tongue (names humanoids and their ilk would have to remove their own tongue in order to pronounce); yet as humanoids are wont to do, they give much more descriptive and terrifying names, names your characters are more likely to encounter.
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Dragon names should fit the dragon, but more importantly, they should be something you can say without having to stop part way through to take another breath. There will never be a dragon in Pathfinder whose name looks like a cat walked across the keyboard, in other words. A name like Hookface or Smaug or Ember is immeasurably more memorable and interesting than stringing a thousand syllables together randomly. And if a dragon's known as Hookface by several cities of citizens who live in fear of him, why wouldn't that dragon want to embrace that name, after all?
Alternately, a name like Hookface or Moltenwing or Ember could be seen as the Common translation of the name from Draconic; this is the way I've always assumed names like that would work. In some cases, we may well present the dragon's name spelled in Common in phonetic Draconic, but in these cases you can expect names like Velvaxus or Lorvanar or Shivaxen (to give three randmon examples that aren't real dragons... yet). Short and usable, rather than long and silly looking.
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HA! Scooped by McArtor!
Although I suspect in Pathfinder that, now and then, we'll be giving dragons names in English made of compound words (like Hookface or Flame) or similar to real words but spelled different (Smaug). Again... my preference is that those are translations of the Draconic into Common.
HA! Scooped by McArtor!
Although I suspect in Pathfinder that, now and then, we'll be giving dragons names in English made of compound words (like Hookface or Flame) or similar to real words but spelled different (Smaug). Again... my preference is that those are translations of the Draconic into Common.
Dragon names in my campaign fall under two common nicknames: Swordbait or Runlikehell!
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HA! Scooped by McArtor!
Although I suspect in Pathfinder that, now and then, we'll be giving dragons names in English made of compound words (like Hookface or Flame) or similar to real words but spelled different (Smaug). Again... my preference is that those are translations of the Draconic into Common.
Good to hear!
I agree that names like "Hookface" are more evocative and memorable than a random string of letters.
I don't mind a dragon's real name being something like Xjhaoifhweirfhs, just as long as they go by (or are known by) something that can be pronounced.
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Good to hear!I agree that names like "Hookface" are more evocative and memorable than a random string of letters.
I don't mind a dragon's real name being something like Xjhaoifhweirfhs, just as long as they go by (or are known by) something that can be pronounced.
This also adds a nice facet if youre using the truename rules. Dragons might WANT to go by their "mortal" names for fear of giving power over themselves to some annoying scale-less fleshbag.
Conversation duly noted, and I'll now return to writing the manuscript for J2: Dragonfall.
Personally, I'm a 3-4 syllable dragon name guy, and while I try to make sure they don't look randomly assembled, I also don't want an English word with one letter replaced. But the Draconic/Common split idea is very nice; I'll need to think about where to go with that. I think the one dragon name set in stone at this point is "Auranorex", a gold dragon mentioned in the adventure's promo.
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Conversation duly noted, and I'll now return to writing the manuscript for J2: Dragonfall.
Personally, I'm a 3-4 syllable dragon name guy, and while I try to make sure they don't look randomly assembled, I also don't want an English word with one letter replaced. But the Draconic/Common split idea is very nice; I'll need to think about where to go with that. I think the one dragon name set in stone at this point is "Auranorex", a gold dragon mentioned in the adventure's promo.
Maybe (just throwing this out there in a vain attempt to please everyone) in stat blocks for dragons - their names appear as:
Draconic Name/Common, Translated, or Given Name
Example: Grimnurgolth/Dreadwing
EDIT: Maybe Grimnurgolth ("Dreadwing") might be better.
Contributor
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Conversation duly noted, and I'll now return to writing the manuscript for J2: Dragonfall.
Personally, I'm a 3-4 syllable dragon name guy, and while I try to make sure they don't look randomly assembled, I also don't want an English word with one letter replaced. But the Draconic/Common split idea is very nice; I'll need to think about where to go with that. I think the one dragon name set in stone at this point is "Auranorex", a gold dragon mentioned in the adventure's promo.
Lo have I seen the names you have given unto dragons and they are good.
Sheesh, in my game, I have a terrible time trying to give dragons names; I always like the clever names that dragons have in many of the books and since dragons are always high end mobs, leader types; with leader types and very special; I cringe at the though of haveing a majestic dragon called something trite or simple like Flax of the Melty Death - Red Dragon. I am always open to good dragon names; for me the greens and bronze tend to be the hardest. I always try for something that really says something about that particular dragons style. Dreadwing doesnt really do it for me; lots of dreadful things fly, now if the dragon hunted down anything else called dreadwing and killed them; well, that is a whole nother thing altogether.
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Sheesh, in my game, I have a terrible time trying to give dragons names; I always like the clever names that dragons have in many of the books and since dragons are always high end mobs, leader types; with leader types and very special; I cringe at the though of haveing a majestic dragon called something trite or simple like Flax of the Melty Death - Red Dragon. I am always open to good dragon names; for me the greens and bronze tend to be the hardest. I always try for something that really says something about that particular dragons style. Dreadwing doesnt really do it for me; lots of dreadful things fly, now if the dragon hunted down anything else called dreadwing and killed them; well, that is a whole nother thing altogether.
Nah, I was just giving Dreadwing as an example - it was more to illustrate a potential format for naming dragons than anything else.
Dreadwing was intentionally generic.I just like the idea of seeing a dragon's true name and given name side by side.
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I just like the idea of seeing a dragon's true name and given name side by side.
Kinda reminds me of the stance given in the original Dragonlance trilogy - which is fine and dandy by me. Lesser beings don't need to know a dragon's true, majestic name - they're only deserving of something their simple minds can understand. ;)
I know that this post is ancient but I really like what paizo did with their dragon book. The names aren't impossible.
I know that this post is ancient but I really like what paizo did with their dragon book. The names aren't impossible.
Yes I love it too!
I just like the idea of seeing a dragon's true name and given name side by side.Kinda reminds me of the stance given in the original Dragonlance trilogy - which is fine and dandy by me. Lesser beings don't need to know a dragon's true, majestic name - they're only deserving of something their simple minds can understand. ;)
True Name: Khellendros
Mortal Name: SkieDragons are power incarnate, and they know it.