I have an assassin guild for most of my games. I have tried to use foreign words to name it, but nothing seems to fit. Anyone have any ideas for a good name?
McStabby's
Murder Kings
I have always found latin to be a good source of names. Also you can find many racial language sets (mostly I found in dragon magazine) I have elven, drow, dwarven, gnome and draconic. using racial languages adds alittle something I find.
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In an very old campaign I run there was exclusively female thief/extortion/assassin/poisoners guild named 'The Sisters of Mercy'.
Also, in the past I had considered that other fearful, ignorant or even superstitious people outside an assassins guild would themselves coin the name for a shadow organization of hired murders and cut throats. The guild members themselves may just call themselves 'the brotherhood' or even more simply 'the guild'.
I have an assassin guild for most of my games. I have tried to use foreign words to name it, but nothing seems to fit. Anyone have any ideas for a good name?
In one of my AD&D 2Ed homebrew campaign, the largest assassin guild from the Kaser Duchy was called the Whisperers. Their sign was a coin whose head side showed the local lord with his mouth slashed. One of my player told me once that he had gooseflesh the day I told him he found one in the house of his father (he played a fighter in a noble family).
Feel free to use it if you like.
Hope this helps,
Bran.
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I have an assassin guild for most of my games. I have tried to use foreign words to name it, but nothing seems to fit. Anyone have any ideas for a good name?
Use Paizo's method to generate a name....
Pick a color....Pick one of the following:
Animal, insect/vermin/, fish, bird.
Make sure that out of that last choice you pick a predatory species or one that is poisonous/stealthy/vicious.
Tack on "assassins" or an equivalent to the end.
Examples:
Green Scorpion Assassins.
Black Viper Killers.
or for a Waterfront Guild- The Gray Squid Slayers.
Alternately you could replace the Color part of the equation with any other adjectives like The Slippery Vulture Executioners or something.
I have always found latin to be a good source of names. Also you can find many racial language sets (mostly I found in dragon magazine) I have elven, drow, dwarven, gnome and draconic. using racial languages adds alittle something I find.
I've got to agree with this.
Other such guild names could include:
Order of the Ebon Blade
Shadows Hand
Talons of [insert region/town/religion here]
Deathwalkers
The Cabal (the cabal does not exist inside joke here)
Guardians of Blood
Keepers of the Lotus
House of Puppies
No one would expect the House of Puppies to be a front for assassins.
Ignoring my frivolous attempt above, a good shout is to also touch on any signiture methods the guild might use.
I planned to use an assassins guild called the "Bitter Hands" - poisoners who would infiltrate noble households before dispatching their targets and any witnesses to their endevours with venoms and poisons...
Azure masks for those that use garotting etc...
My 2 runes worth...
BD
Go with the simple Guild of Death or Brotherhood of Death... hit a translation site free on the web.
and you get... Camaradagem de Morte (Brotherhood of Death in Protugese)
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How well known is its existence? If it is a fairly powerful force in the city, it might have a euphemistic name. Superstitious people giving it a nice name in hopes that will ward off the assassins' wrath. Like how the Greek Furies were also called the Eumenides, "the kindly ones."
I didn't really give you a suggestion. I kind of like using Hounds. The hounds of...something.
Ideally, an Assassin's Guild should NOT be a well-known fact, considering that all but the most evil nations/kingdoms/cities would frown upon people being killed for money, since that leads to an inevitable destabilisation of the local society and eventually (and arguably more importantly to the merchants and nobles who might make the laws)disruption of trade, and thereby taxes, as people start paying an organisation that pays zero taxes or tithes to start bumping off competitors.
While within the Assassination Guild they might refer to themselves as any of the above names, consider that the Guild probably puts forth a face as a more reputable business. Nobody would expect an extended family of shoe-makers to be the most feared Assassins in the land, the whispered 'Black Blood Razors'. Most Assassin Guilds would do their damndest to keep a low profile in the public eye and to lay as many false trails to their actual strongholds, members and the like as they can reasonably afford. Easily contacted and contracted killers are likely uppety alley-bashers or second-storey thieves in need of cash. A true Assassin either kills for the thrill of the hunt and to 'feed' on the terror of the victim(s) (Chaotic Evil), they do it because it pays very, very well and they're good at it (Neutral Evil) or because it's a tradition for their family or clan, and because they believe they are upholding a noble profession (Lawful Evil).
Furthermore, if you wish to be a true bastard to your players/GM, have the Assassin's guild leave one of two different markers at their handiwork. Make it seem like there is a war going on between two fictional Assassin Guilds while the third, and only, Assassin Guild uses the chaos to identify who is after their members, flush out any 'freelancers' and bury themselves as far as possible from any fallout from the whole affair. Idealy, the Players should never even dream of the scenario till much later in their adventures when they stumble (possibly literally!) the truth and then realise while they've been galivanting around beheading Goblins and spanking Dark Elves, the Assassins have been continuing their bloody work without a single setback.
I agree with Halforc, an assassin guild that is good at their jobs should either have a unassuming name or be very noticable. In the case of the Red Mantis they are so infamous at their job that they mgiht as well have a noticable name. But I tend to like more subtle ones.
But either way, here is are some names of both unassuming and noticable names:
Unassuming:
The Brotherhood - Might dress as monks or cleric type robes and refer to eachother as brother or sister in public to make non-members think they are a part of some religion. They could be a tight knit group formed from within the local thieves guild. A guild within a guild so to speak of people who have proven they are trust worthy and capable of killing.
Recognizable:
Night Lords
The Silent Ones
Stalking Tigers
Order of the Hidden Blade
Since you asked for it, here are a few suggestions in French.
- Les Enfants de la Mort (Death's Children)
- La Garde Silencieuse (The Silent Watch)
- La Petite Mort (The Little Death ;-)
- Le Voile Sacré (The Holy Veil... nothing clerical, but the Veil is as good an analogy for death as any)
...unless you want the guild's name not to advertise their members' occupation. In this case, anything goes.
How well known is its existence? If it is a fairly powerful force in the city, it might have a euphemistic name. Superstitious people giving it a nice name in hopes that will ward off the assassins' wrath. Like how the Greek Furies were also called the Eumenides, "the kindly ones."
I didn't really give you a suggestion. I kind of like using Hounds. The hounds of...something.
It's not well known at all. They have spies placed in certain places*, and they often make their services known when they think they are needed. Sometimes they send someone to convince the client that their services are needed, and this person just happens to have the right connection. A few people do know about them, but to speak of this knowledge might make you a victim.
*Where ever the DM needs them to be.
I have always found latin to be a good source of names. Also you can find many racial language sets (mostly I found in dragon magazine) I have elven, drow, dwarven, gnome and draconic. using racial languages adds alittle something I find.I've got to agree with this.
Other such guild names could include:
Order of the Ebon Blade
Shadows Hand
Talons of [insert region/town/religion here]
Deathwalkers
The Cabal (the cabal does not exist inside joke here)
Guardians of Blood
Keepers of the Lotus
I do like Order of the Ebon Blade. I am trying to decide between a more overt name, and a more covert name. Order of the Ebon Blade is a good fit, because many of the founders were drow. I did not give too much detail before because I have only used them once, and the players don't really know about them. This gives me freedom to change things until I have them like I want them.
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How well known is its existence? If it is a fairly powerful force in the city, it might have a euphemistic name. Superstitious people giving it a nice name in hopes that will ward off the assassins' wrath. Like how the Greek Furies were also called the Eumenides, "the kindly ones."
I didn't really give you a suggestion. I kind of like using Hounds. The hounds of...something.
It's not well known at all. They have spies placed in certain places*, and they often make their services known when they think they are needed. Sometimes they send someone to convince the client that their services are needed, and this person just happens to have the right connection. A few people do know about them, but to speak of this knowledge might make you a victim.
*Where ever the DM needs them to be.
Ah. Ignore my suggestion, then. I was imagining a more infamous guild.
Ah. Ignore my suggestion, then. I was imagining a more infamous guild.How well known is its existence? If it is a fairly powerful force in the city, it might have a euphemistic name. Superstitious people giving it a nice name in hopes that will ward off the assassins' wrath. Like how the Greek Furies were also called the Eumenides, "the kindly ones."
I didn't really give you a suggestion. I kind of like using Hounds. The hounds of...something.
It's not well known at all. They have spies placed in certain places*, and they often make their services known when they think they are needed. Sometimes they send someone to convince the client that their services are needed, and this person just happens to have the right connection. A few people do know about them, but to speak of this knowledge might make you a victim.
*Where ever the DM needs them to be.
I do like the your naming idea though. I might be able to incorporate them working as an infamous assassin guild, and a secretive one. They two "different" assassin guilds would used for different purposes.
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I do like Order of the Ebon Blade. I am trying to decide between a more overt name, and a more covert name. Order of the Ebon Blade is a good fit, because many of the founders were drow. I did not give too much detail before because I have only used them once, and the players don't really know about them. This gives me freedom to change things until I have them like I want them.
For a more "public" name take a cue from James Bond.
"Universal Exports"
How about D'Liug Snis Sassa?
Sounds a little lizard folky though.
You can tell your players it is french for "Holder of the Bloodied Blade"
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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They didn't name themselves after they got famous; they named themselves beforehand, when they were agents of a Drow house. So pick a Drow house that you think would make for an appropriate affiliation and append a sensory organ. "Parastric's Eyes and Hand". (Perhaps nowadays known as the PEH.)
Or maybe people found out who the assassins were and they wanted to be unknowns again. They were known for their tactic of using delayed poison that was passed on by scratching or nicking someone as they passed by. The victim would think it was just a scratch from something, or a bug. Then a day later bang they fall dead.
Well since they got found out who they were they all decided to get a druid to reincarnate them. By an odd chance they all came back as either orcs or half-orcs.
The name of the guild?
The New Orc Nicks.
Guild of Assassins (we're above getting a fancy name. We make our name by being really good at killing people for money).
Official Guild Words: In death we profit.
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They could have a cover of being confectioners to the noble houses.
You could then call them "Death by Chocolate".
I killed with chocolate on several occasions. Most of them were with poisoned sweets and sugared ices, but once it was an actual chocolate dagger. It's amazing what those gnome alchemists can come up with when you tell them "I'm having a party with many guests and I need a confection that will slay them".
And the pompous Taldane fop told me that gnomish confections are to die for. Joke was on him.
I have an assassin guild for most of my games. I have tried to use foreign words to name it, but nothing seems to fit. Anyone have any ideas for a good name?
I can give you a few names in french, if you want :
La Main Noire (the black hand)La Lame Sanglante (the bloody blade)
Les Ombres (the shadows)
La Confrerie Noire/de Sang/de Mort (the black/bloody/death brotherhood)
"The Slay Masters"
I have a real suggestion and a joke.
The joke would be Mrs. Miggins Pie Shop.
The actual suggestion comes from GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire books (but what good DM doesn't borrow liberally from popular fantasy). The Sorrowful Men. Assassins who whisper "I'm Sorry" in the ear of their victim before slashing their throat.
Death-o-rama
I do like Order of the Ebon Blade. I am trying to decide between a more overt name, and a more covert name. Order of the Ebon Blade is a good fit, because many of the founders were drow.
Before you use it, you should know that it's a name from World of Warcraft. Which is not to say it's not a good name, but if you have any WoW players in your game and you throw that out there, they'll go "Ha, you copied."
Just another thought, and just what I was thinking to myself about trying to incorporate an assassins guild into my own homebrew world.
In most cities (not all) assassination would probably be frowned upon and they wouldn't have a "guild" so to speak because that would require some sort of charter with the city. Maybe assassins are just part of a larger network of crime in the city, and because of their line of work they remain anonymous. Hiring the services of this men would itself be illegal so all transactions are done in the shadows. The assassins work in the shadows, if not literally then metaphorically. So maybe if someone says something along the lines of "watch your shadow" it's a threat, meaning they have a contract on them. There is no name for an assassins' "guild" but are just referred to as the Shadows (proper name).
Before you use it, you should know that it's a name from World of Warcraft. Which is not to say it's not a good name, but if you have any WoW players in your game and you throw that out there, they'll go "Ha, you copied."
I do like Order of the Ebon Blade. I am trying to decide between a more overt name, and a more covert name. Order of the Ebon Blade is a good fit, because many of the founders were drow.
well that's Knights of the Ebon Blade, and the name Ebon Blade has been around long before that. I know for certain it was a card for Magic: The Gathering back in 1994 (Forgotten Empires IIRC) and heck I used it as a name for a forgotten order of fiend worshippers in my homebrew game as early as 1998.
Just sayin. Nothing in WoW is particularly original, but I still love it.
EDIT: I'm sorry that's Ebon Hand. Still though, pretty close.
"There are Multiple Ninjas here" Guild. Those poor fools will never see it coming...
All I see is a lonely Fnord.
I have an assassin guild for most of my games. I have tried to use foreign words to name it, but nothing seems to fit. Anyone have any ideas for a good name?
Debbie.
Just kidding.
Something incorporating darkness or silence is a must. And then something implying a blade or an attack. Fang-whisper. Shadowblade (I'm sure this is used in some sourcebook). Hushblade. Darkstab. Something like that.
I have an assassin guild for most of my games. I have tried to use foreign words to name it, but nothing seems to fit. Anyone have any ideas for a good name?Debbie.
Just kidding.
Something incorporating darkness or silence is a must. And then something implying a blade or an attack. Fang-whisper. Shadowblade (I'm sure this is used in some sourcebook). Hushblade. Darkstab. Something like that.
The STFUKnives.
Darkstab reminds me of a story. Of the Night Stab Inn. Seriously who the crap would stay there?! It was in a published adventure I played through. Our joke was "Oh the Knight's Tab! What a nice Knight, buying drinks for everyone. Come on guys, it's on the Knight's Tab." But really, the Night Stab Inn is not somewhere I'd visit. It lived up to its name :(
Before you use it, you should know that it's a name from World of Warcraft. Which is not to say it's not a good name, but if you have any WoW players in your game and you throw that out there, they'll go "Ha, you copied."
I do like Order of the Ebon Blade. I am trying to decide between a more overt name, and a more covert name. Order of the Ebon Blade is a good fit, because many of the founders were drow.well that's Knights of the Ebon Blade, and the name Ebon Blade has been around long before that. I know for certain it was a card for Magic: The Gathering back in 1994 (Forgotten Empires IIRC) and heck I used it as a name for a forgotten order of fiend worshippers in my homebrew game as early as 1998.
Just sayin. Nothing in WoW is particularly original, but I still love it.
EDIT: I'm sorry that's Ebon Hand. Still though, pretty close.
It was also Fallen Empires.
http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=%22Order+of+the+Ebon+Blade%22
Recognizing that both words existed long before WoW and that many people have likely stuck them together, that doesn't change the fact that it's a phrase used in WoW, and therefore any players who play WoW will point that out and probably snicker behind their hands, and I'm attempting to assist a DM who might have better things to do than play WoW keep from embarrassing himself.
I have an assassin guild for most of my games. I have tried to use foreign words to name it, but nothing seems to fit. Anyone have any ideas for a good name?Debbie.
Just kidding.
Something incorporating darkness or silence is a must. And then something implying a blade or an attack. Fang-whisper. Shadowblade (I'm sure this is used in some sourcebook). Hushblade. Darkstab. Something like that.
The STFUKnives.
Darkstab reminds me of a story. Of the Night Stab Inn. Seriously who the crap would stay there?! It was in a published adventure I played through. Our joke was "Oh the Knight's Tab! What a nice Knight, buying drinks for everyone. Come on guys, it's on the Knight's Tab." But really, the Night Stab Inn is not somewhere I'd visit. It lived up to its name :(
"I KNEW we should have stayed at the Comfy Pillow Inn!"
Guild of Gentlemen Adventurers. (specialize in brutal murder)
Blue Lotus Confectioners (specialize in ingested poisonings)
Herbalist Guild (specialize in ingested poisonings)
Sewer Cleaning Guild (the entire sewer is their territory, and they don't like competition...so they clean it.)