20th level monks of the healing hands after using their final sacrifice ability die. Permanently. True Resurrection, epic spell casting, God and Chuck Norris can't bring him back. In exchange all allies within 50 feet get true resurrection. Effectively a "Holy crap, rocks fell and everyone but me died!" Kind of a cool ability, but it also has the interesting side effect of making it so that the monk's name is erased from all record and can never be written again, which begs the question "What if my monk's name is Jim? Or Steve? Or Carl? Or, if I'm really feeling like a dick, 'the'?" Never again can we use the helpful little 3 letters again :O. Or, even weirder, what if the monk was named 'disintegrate'? Would wizards everywhere be barred from their favorite spell as it was wiped from their spellbook? Idk about you, but I could think of a number of very interesting uses for a power like this ;)
20th level monks of the healing hands after using their final sacrifice ability die. Permanently. True Resurrection, epic spell casting, God and Chuck Norris can't bring him back. In exchange all allies within 50 feet get true resurrection. Effectively a "Holy crap, rocks fell and everyone but me died!" Kind of a cool ability, but it also has the interesting side effect of making it so that the monk's name is erased from all record and can never be written again, which begs the question "What if my monk's name is Jim? Or Steve? Or Carl? Or, if I'm really feeling like a dick, 'the'?" Never again can we use the helpful little 3 letters again :O. Or, even weirder, what if the monk was named 'disintegrate'? Would wizards everywhere be barred from their favorite spell as it was wiped from their spellbook? Idk about you, but I could think of a number of very interesting uses for a power like this ;)
As both an English teacher and DM who despises metagaming by my players, my take would be that the name "The" is just a homonym for the definite article in English. The name of a person is by definition a noun. Of course that's really over-the-top anal retentive, but I can't see many DMs allowing the death of a character to remove commonly used words from the language. On the other hand it'd make for a good drinking game (any time you say the *forbidden* word, drink!)
Zo
Stupid ability, because, In death you have a name!
(Seriously though - Why would this make gods themselves powerless? They're gods!
Plus, gods don't like that sort of thing. Personally, I'd have every Monk of the Healing Hand be killed by the gods right before they get to level 20.)
20th level monks of the healing hands after using their final sacrifice ability die. Permanently.
The truly funny thing about this is that self-sacrifice is the only thing a monk is actually good for. Finally, after 20 levels of being a dead weight eating XP that the rest of the party earned, he does have a chance to be useful.
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As both an English teacher and DM who despises metagaming by my players, my take would be that the name "The" is just a homonym for the definite article in English. The name of a person is by definition a noun. Of course that's really over-the-top anal retentive, but I can't see many DMs allowing the death of a character to remove commonly used words from the language. On the other hand it'd make for a good drinking game (any time you say the *forbidden* word, drink!)
Zo
I think a better strategy to this would be to name yourself after say... a dead god. :D You know the one I am talking about, maybe people would FINALLY get over it if that were to happen.
The thing here is that this already happened to the noble monk " ". Why else would all of those mac users complain about the capital a always missing?
The thing here is that this already happened to the noble monk " ". Why else would all of those mac users complain about the capital a always missing?
Haha, indeed.
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One of my friends played a monk like this and actually used the power. If it wasn't for we would have all been screwed!
What if you spell out his name using the first letter of each word in a sentence (for example "Wiysoh nutfloe wiasf ewnwe")?
I think that the divine censorship powers can easily discern when there is just an accidental matching of names and when someone is trying to name "you know whom are we talking about"
I think that the divine censorship powers can easily discern when there is just an accidental matching of names and when someone is trying to name "you know whom are we talking about"
Dude. Totally making a Monk of the Healing Hand named Voldemort.
...Okay, that was terrible, but not more terrible than has already been said, IMO. :p
NO
I like the Harry Dresden condept of a Name. Yes, with a capital N.
Everyone has a Name. And so do almost all mythical creatures too. And if you know the Name of a creature, you have a great deal of power over that creature - assuming you know how to use that power.
But a Name isn't just a word. It's many things. True, it is a string of sounds run together into something that looks and sounds like a word. But to tap into the power of a Name, you must know it exactly. You must know the right kind of inflection, the right tone, the right meaning, the right identity of that Name.
A Name is like a verbal fingerprint. No two John Smith's pronounce their name exactly the same; there are always tiny little nuances of tone, inflection, or even meaning (the attachment of Identity to the Name) that vary from person to person.
That's why you can't just get it from a book. "Oh, look, it says here in this lexicon that there is a demon named Maxxiyethnikorax. Sweet, now I can summon a demon!" Nope, that just doesn't happen. Until you meet that demon, learn it's identity, hear the exact way it says its own name, get the exact inflection and tone and meaning all down perfectly - until you do all that, it's just a powerless string of letters in a book.
Now, a wizard can learn a Name (capital N), and using the careful language of magic, he can write ALL of that Name down into a lexicon if he wants to. Or he can teach it to someone else. And other critters can do this too (though most are not meticulous enough to write these things down). For example, demons are fond of offering the Names (capital N) of OTHER demons in exchange for certain mortal amenities (namely souls).
I kinda like this expanded Name concept. And I think, in this context, the Name is erased from all knowledge - but that has no bearing on the name itself, which may still exist in other contexts and in other writings.
I think a better strategy to this would be to name yourself after say... a dead god. :D You know the one I am talking about, maybe people would FINALLY get over it if that were to happen.
What did I ever do to you, you ingrate? Ever since I've been on holidy, my Chosen Race has gone downhill!
I think I'll make a monk like this and call him Fourth Edition!
Or "Wizards of the Coast"
It would be ironic, because they killed a goddess that way (well, almost - apparently it's possible to do magic where everyone forgets you name, and if nobody remembers the god, the god dies.).
I think I'll make a monk like this and call him Fourth Edition!
Or "Wizards of the Coast"
No bitter trolling here, no sir.
It would be ironic, because they killed a goddess that way (well, almost - apparently it's possible to do magic where everyone forgets you name, and if nobody remembers the god, the god dies.).
Which makes perfect sense because becoming a god is possible solely by amassing enough followers.
No bitter trolling here, no sir.I think I'll make a monk like this and call him Fourth Edition!
Or "Wizards of the Coast"
It was a quip, not trolling. Stop projecting.
It would be ironic, because they killed a goddess that way (well, almost - apparently it's possible to do magic where everyone forgets you name, and if nobody remembers the god, the god dies.).Which makes perfect sense because becoming a god is possible solely by amassing enough followers.
Makes no sense at all because if you could kill deities that easily, the Realms would never have made it to hundreds of gods: The elves would have thought of this long before the Crown Wars, made a big Big Circle, combined all their arcane might into one God-Killer High Magic spell, went way too far as usual, and killed all the gods with this.
Makes no sense at all because if you could kill deities that easily, the Realms would never have made it to hundreds of gods: The elves would have thought of this long before the Crown Wars, made a big Big Circle, combined all their arcane might into one God-Killer High Magic spell, went way too far as usual, and killed all the gods with this.
Makes perfect sense for the very reason I said it makes perfect sense.
And how do you know they didn't, you don't because the god is gone!
I like the Harry Dresden condept of a Name. Yes, with a capital N.
While I too am a Dresden fan, I feel the need to point out that True Names have existed LONG before that particular book series. I am no scholar on this but I am relatively sure at least as far back as the norse viking period the norse had the concept. I would guess it predates them as well.
Also as far as fiction goes, the Earthsea series of books (first published back in the late 60's) had their entire magic system based on True Names too. Good read that.
If you have not read them I suggest you give them a try. The actual books are FAR better than the travesty miniseries that SciFi channel made if it.
As for the monk ability, I am pretty sure it wipes out memories and writings of THAT specific monks name and referances to that specific monk. Not ALL instances of anyone with the name itself. After all the name is not sacrificing itself, the monk is.
The Elves would have had to deal with Gods opposed to 'losing' true names important to them. And all that has to happen is one outworlder with a certain vanished Drow Goddess' name in his "Guide to the Pantheons of Prime Backwaters" comes to Faerun, and it's all undone!
==Aelryinth
Stupid ability, because, In death you have a name!
(Seriously though - Why would this make gods themselves powerless? They're gods!
Plus, gods don't like that sort of thing. Personally, I'd have every Monk of the Healing Hand be killed by the gods right before they get to level 20.)
I take it less as a injunction against being resurected and more of a ..congrats! You have earned your way off of the prime material and are now an important cog in the outer planes. Mayhap this is how mortals can ascend to angels. *shrugs* No one in my group would ever think about this kind of sacrifice though. No fame, no reward..NO WAY!!! I actually like it though.
Oh, and as for the loss of name. I don't read it every version of the name is lost. Just the one identifying that one particular monk..ol' whatshisname that saved the village that no one can talk about.
wasgreg
So, your capstone power is to become "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named"? No more Harry Potter for the Paizo staff!
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It would be ironic, because they killed a goddess that way (well, almost - apparently it's possible to do magic where everyone forgets you name, and if nobody remembers the god, the god dies.).Which makes perfect sense because becoming a god is possible solely by amassing enough followers.
Um.. what about the Nature Gods who care for animals? Animals do not know the name of their protector, so does this mean they do not have one?
To put it another way, does Gozreh stop being the God of Waves because the sea cannot speak his name?
It would be ironic, because they killed a goddess that way (well, almost - apparently it's possible to do magic where everyone forgets you name, and if nobody remembers the god, the god dies.).Which makes perfect sense because becoming a god is possible solely by amassing enough followers.Um.. what about the Nature Gods who care for animals? Animals do not know the name of their protector, so does this mean they do not have one?
To put it another way, does Gozreh stop being the God of Waves because the sea cannot speak his name?
Who says it doesn't?
Who says it doesn't?It would be ironic, because they killed a goddess that way (well, almost - apparently it's possible to do magic where everyone forgets you name, and if nobody remembers the god, the god dies.).Which makes perfect sense because becoming a god is possible solely by amassing enough followers.Um.. what about the Nature Gods who care for animals? Animals do not know the name of their protector, so does this mean they do not have one?
To put it another way, does Gozreh stop being the God of Waves because the sea cannot speak his name?
I do.
Unless his/her name is actually "Hshhhhh"