help, i need a name [Archive] - Wizards Community

help, i need a name [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
duff666
12-28-05, 10:24 PM i have no name creativity whatso ever, i need a name for a female rouge in d&d.
any help would be appretiatied, thx
Pandaemoni
12-28-05, 10:57 PM Names are very personal things, and anything I like you may not. My view is that your best bet is to (i) decide what sort of community your character grew up in then (as in nationality: Enxglish, German, etc.) (ii) visit a baby-naming web site and see typical names and their meanings.

The last name is a little harder, but frequently you can get some inspiration by the other names you see.

Look at this site, as an example: http://www.20000-names.com/

From there (just taking two first names) you can get:

Irish: Keely Eilenora (meaning "beautiful" and "light", respectively)
English: Willa Corliss ("resolute," "good-hearted")
Basque: Gechina Mirari ("graceful," "miracle")

There are also surname sites, but they tend not to have "lists" of names, such as: http://www.surnameweb.org/
Gingerbread Guy
12-29-05, 10:58 PM I largely second the advice offered above, but I'd like to detail a few things in particular:

1. It must be something you can pronounce easily. You're going to be using this name a LOT, and you don't want to be repeatedly checking your character sheet.

2. Ask your DM about convention. Chances are s/he hasn't thought about it, as only a few truly **** people such as I bother to decide on these things in advance. If there is no pre-set convention, work with your DM to get an idea for what kind of name will blend into the game.

3. Avoid cliches! That means no apostrophes, no names stolen from video games or movies, and no "adjective+noun" surnames unless these are specificly convention for your given race or community. [By "adjective+noun" I mean "Ella Darkshadow" or "Wyna Swifthawk" or whatever.] A name is just a name. "Cool" names are really just boring fluff. Let your character be cool all on her own.

4. Don't take "Gingerbread Guy". Not only is it distinctly male, but its taken.

~Ginger
Pandaemoni
12-29-05, 11:55 PM 1. It must be something you can pronounce easily. You're going to be using this name a LOT, and you don't want to be repeatedly checking your character sheet.

Though on rare occasion, an obscure hard to pronounce name can be memorable...so long as you the Dm get its pronunciation down. Nobody like it when they meet *another* Paladin named "Steve". :)
BarTndr
12-30-05, 09:23 AM I don't have it in front of me, so I forget its proper name, but for like $3 bucks, you can get a little thing called 'Names Everywhere' (I think) that has like 3,000 first and last names from just about every counrty, region, and such in the world. It has old Egyptian names, Latin, and IIRC Hebrew even. They list male and female surnames, as well as a long list of last names.

What I have done is find a good sounding set, and based on the game I am in, make subtle changes to the spelling.

Of course, some of those Eastern European names in there are very hard sounding and work great for in game hero's. I've pulled names like Arek, Tomoasz, Katia and Jovan from this little gem, and its a resourse I use for my NPC's as well... Its definitely worth the price - I think I use it more than my copy of the Monster Manual. (Don't tell Wotc!)

Good luck, and happy naming (after all, the character name is what makes them a part of you, and vice versa...)

BarTndr

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
duff666 12-28-05, 10:24 PM	i have no name creativity whatso ever, i need a name for a female rouge in d&d. any help would be appretiatied, thx
Pandaemoni 12-28-05, 10:57 PM	Names are very personal things, and anything I like you may not. My view is that your best bet is to (i) decide what sort of community your character grew up in then (as in nationality: Enxglish, German, etc.) (ii) visit a baby-naming web site and see typical names and their meanings. The last name is a little harder, but frequently you can get some inspiration by the other names you see. Look at this site, as an example: http://www.20000-names.com/ From there (just taking two first names) you can get: Irish: Keely Eilenora (meaning "beautiful" and "light", respectively) English: Willa Corliss ("resolute," "good-hearted") Basque: Gechina Mirari ("graceful," "miracle") There are also surname sites, but they tend not to have "lists" of names, such as: http://www.surnameweb.org/
Gingerbread Guy 12-29-05, 10:58 PM	I largely second the advice offered above, but I'd like to detail a few things in particular: 1. It must be something you can pronounce easily. You're going to be using this name a LOT, and you don't want to be repeatedly checking your character sheet. 2. Ask your DM about convention. Chances are s/he hasn't thought about it, as only a few truly **** people such as I bother to decide on these things in advance. If there is no pre-set convention, work with your DM to get an idea for what kind of name will blend into the game. 3. Avoid cliches! That means no apostrophes, no names stolen from video games or movies, and no "adjective+noun" surnames unless these are specificly convention for your given race or community. [By "adjective+noun" I mean "Ella Darkshadow" or "Wyna Swifthawk" or whatever.] A name is just a name. "Cool" names are really just boring fluff. Let your character be cool all on her own. 4. Don't take "Gingerbread Guy". Not only is it distinctly male, but its taken. ~Ginger
Pandaemoni 12-29-05, 11:55 PM	1. It must be something you can pronounce easily. You're going to be using this name a LOT, and you don't want to be repeatedly checking your character sheet. Though on rare occasion, an obscure hard to pronounce name can be memorable...so long as you the Dm get its pronunciation down. Nobody like it when they meet another Paladin named "Steve". :)
BarTndr 12-30-05, 09:23 AM	I don't have it in front of me, so I forget its proper name, but for like $3 bucks, you can get a little thing called 'Names Everywhere' (I think) that has like 3,000 first and last names from just about every counrty, region, and such in the world. It has old Egyptian names, Latin, and IIRC Hebrew even. They list male and female surnames, as well as a long list of last names. What I have done is find a good sounding set, and based on the game I am in, make subtle changes to the spelling. Of course, some of those Eastern European names in there are very hard sounding and work great for in game hero's. I've pulled names like Arek, Tomoasz, Katia and Jovan from this little gem, and its a resourse I use for my NPC's as well... Its definitely worth the price - I think I use it more than my copy of the Monster Manual. (Don't tell Wotc!) Good luck, and happy naming (after all, the character name is what makes them a part of you, and vice versa...) BarTndr