Since there are so many people in this forum that make a living off the scenarios that they create, I thought this would be the place to ask. I am looking to create my own world for the two groups that I DM for. Creating names for this is something that I am having trouble with. How do each of you do this? Is there any rules for dwarven, elven, etc names? Do you paick the names out of thin air or do you use a random generator? Are there copyright issues with the generators if I publish a scenario to a community website? Or to the RPGA?
How do you come up with names?
- Thread starter ronpurvis
- Start date
JVisgaitis
Explorer
Do a search on Google for "Fantasy Names Generator." I just pick what sounds elven or dwarven to me. I also have a book from Readers Digest called the Character Naming Sourcebook. I use that a lot as well.
Great Mastiff Games
First Post
Well, my answer certainly isn't definitive, or perhaps even what you're looking for, but when I designed the Acrohelion campaign setting, I tried to give each nation a very distinctive and consistent naming tradition. For example, for Aesios, the paladin-kingdom, most place names end in -os (Chascos, Hippomachos, etc.), while men's names end in -es more often than not (Thipres, Acristanes, etc.) and women's in -a or -ia (Aprecenia, Esartia, etc.).
For Ilebebasec, the desert-kingdom in the south, the names are made up of a lot of short syllables, often with one of the syllables repeated twice. There are male, female, and neuter endings to the words, -er for masculine, -et for feminine, -ec for neuter, for example. This gives a properly exotic-sounding language .... with kind of a hard sound also, which is fitting to an area where civil wars of unification are underway.
Psarathosha, one of the northern human kingdoms, uses a lot of th, sh, ch, zh in the names, giving it a distinctive feel. Vervenao, its rival, has a lot of dipthongs in its names -- ui, ao, oi, ea, etc. etc.
For the non-human races, I used pretty much the same idea. I found that trying to make the language based on the sounds we might associate with an animal close to the inhuman races makes names that either lack enough variety or just sound plain old silly. The molossovirs -- mastiff-men, as you might say -- have national languages and naming traditions, rather than a 'racial language' based on barks and growls (which was tried in the early stages of development). Similarly, the medusae who rule Arar, one of the world's evil kingdoms, have names made up on the basis of a loose set of grammatical rules, rather than based on snakes' hissing. The racial language concept seems pretty ineffectual, IMO, and often just results in cliches or really limited naming conventions.
That's my take on the situation, anyway .... I don't know if my ramblings are of any help, but I hope so!
For Ilebebasec, the desert-kingdom in the south, the names are made up of a lot of short syllables, often with one of the syllables repeated twice. There are male, female, and neuter endings to the words, -er for masculine, -et for feminine, -ec for neuter, for example. This gives a properly exotic-sounding language .... with kind of a hard sound also, which is fitting to an area where civil wars of unification are underway.
Psarathosha, one of the northern human kingdoms, uses a lot of th, sh, ch, zh in the names, giving it a distinctive feel. Vervenao, its rival, has a lot of dipthongs in its names -- ui, ao, oi, ea, etc. etc.
For the non-human races, I used pretty much the same idea. I found that trying to make the language based on the sounds we might associate with an animal close to the inhuman races makes names that either lack enough variety or just sound plain old silly. The molossovirs -- mastiff-men, as you might say -- have national languages and naming traditions, rather than a 'racial language' based on barks and growls (which was tried in the early stages of development). Similarly, the medusae who rule Arar, one of the world's evil kingdoms, have names made up on the basis of a loose set of grammatical rules, rather than based on snakes' hissing. The racial language concept seems pretty ineffectual, IMO, and often just results in cliches or really limited naming conventions.
That's my take on the situation, anyway .... I don't know if my ramblings are of any help, but I hope so!
lmpjr007
Explorer
Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the best book for naming I have seen so far. The link is below. The book is out of print but you can find it at E-bay. I bought my copy for $40 and it is worth its weight in gold.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...104-6998212-3595920?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...104-6998212-3595920?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
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jmucchiello
Hero
I turn on a tape recorder and then smash my head into a wall a few times. Later I playback the tape: once the moaning and screaming stops, there usually follows some incoherent babble that can be transcribed into good fantasy names. At least I think that's how I do it. I'm somewhat forgetful.
I hate coming up with names. My problem with name generators is I always fear someone will recognize the "pattern" and be able to identify the generator I used.
I hate coming up with names. My problem with name generators is I always fear someone will recognize the "pattern" and be able to identify the generator I used.
annadobritt
First Post
Coming up with names using a generator is what I do, from there, I look at the list, then start combining names until I get something I like.
Thank everyone for their quick replies. I really liked the smashing your head into the wall a few times idea. It has to relieve the frustration I feel from trying to make up names.
Since three fifths of you mention using a name generator, are there are any issues I need to be aware of? Specifically copyright? Are there ones that you prefer? I have seen the ones from James Buck and the one on NBOS.som, dimensionsgamesoftware.com/id11.html, http://spitfire.ausys.se/johan/names/, http://rinkworks.com/namegen/ this one seems to be able to use different rules like Great Mastiff mentioned, or another site?
It has to relieve the frustration I feel from trying to make up names. Since three fifths of you mention using a name generator, are there are any issues I need to be aware of? Specifically copyright? Are there ones that you prefer? I have seen the ones from James Buck and the one on NBOS.som, dimensionsgamesoftware.com/id11.html, http://spitfire.ausys.se/johan/names/, http://rinkworks.com/namegen/ this one seems to be able to use different rules like Great Mastiff mentioned, or another site?
annadobritt
First Post
I use JHNameGen Gold. (Unfortunately, JHNameGen Gold is no longer available.)
TableSmith is another good one for creating names.
http://www.mythosa.net/
TableSmith is another good one for creating names.
http://www.mythosa.net/
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kingpaul
First Post
Terra Ferax Innovations has several books on names. I think, however, this company has gone out of business. Their web site no longer exists. The link is to their products, still for sale on RPGNow.
Troll Lord Games also has a Book of Names.
If you're looking for names to play in modern times, the US 1990 Census has listed the most common first and last names, which can be found here.
Hope that helps.
Troll Lord Games also has a Book of Names.
If you're looking for names to play in modern times, the US 1990 Census has listed the most common first and last names, which can be found here.
Hope that helps.
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