| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
|---|---|
| Forgedwar09-04-06, 04:21 PM | I am a new DM who thought he was running a 3 player game and ended up with 8! Its ok though the more the better. My villain is a dragonstalker who is trying to kill a group member because he is a dragon. he dosent have henchman or anything but he is really good at fighting very smart and "as a matter a fact" like. Any good names would be helpful. |
| Inigo_Montoya09-04-06, 04:22 PM | How about Forgedwar? |
| andinel09-04-06, 04:34 PM | Name for a dragonstalker, Hmm...... What race is he? That would help get the style of the name down. If he's human, you could try any of these: Sanrey Damson Jilas Palagent Regben Damnieur Remember, Villians don't need a "villainy" name. They're people too...often Evil-aligned people, but still people. |
| CaviosDaryll09-04-06, 05:01 PM | Remember, Villians don't need a "villainy" name. They're people too...often Evil-aligned people, but still people. Well, there's a perfectly good reason for why they have "villainy" names. They or their followers obviously give them more "villainy" names so that people will remember it well and fear it. I'd fear "Spax Mordrid the Mighty" much more than I'd fear "The Evil Overlord Johnson." |
| Inigo_Montoya09-04-06, 05:05 PM | Chet is a good bad guy name. Oh yeah and Brad, man I hate that name. |
| Forgedwar09-04-06, 05:59 PM | Hea a human, I need the name by saturday, and i did start to think of him having a ordiary name. |
| Inigo_Montoya09-04-06, 06:01 PM | Lynyras, new bad guy name I was going to use you're welcome to it if you want. |
| Forgedwar09-04-06, 06:16 PM | Actually a warforged dragonstalker would be cool. |
| Momordi09-04-06, 07:34 PM | Lucius Dazzelax |
| metamind09-04-06, 07:40 PM | Here are some cliche's: The dark lord The evil one The necromancer The balck mage |
| Birrak09-04-06, 08:12 PM | To really mees with your players heads call him Buttercup petalflower.... |
| Sikyanakotik09-04-06, 09:05 PM | http://www.ikea.com/ Seriously, when you're really stuck, Ikea products provide great names for characters. Just poke around the catalogue or website until you see something that fits. That's when I got the name for my latest character, Brevik Dragonchild (http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15597&catalogId=10103&storeId=3&productId=42681&langId=-15&categoryId=15857&chosenPartNumber=S09815847), from. |
| Secrets Untold09-04-06, 09:29 PM | www.seventhsanctum.com Just click the Names link on the right-hand side, and peruse the many generators at your disposal. Or you could call him Joe Bob Joey Robert Frank McJoe Bob. |
| Ashok_Lal09-04-06, 09:34 PM | Rork Drakespleen Rork Drakeraper Rork Dragonslayer Rork Wyrmskinner Rork is just a name i could not get out of my head while making this post. These names should strike fear into a dragon PC as they are discriptive of what Rork will want to do to him/her |
| Discordant_Derision09-04-06, 09:38 PM | I always like to have recurring sounds in the names. About the only thing from high school english that I still use... For instance, the BBEG in my campaign goes by the name of Mornathos Morieth. I also like to have the same vowel sounds repeated throughout most of the name, such as in Chan Maraster. Just make something up, say it out loud, and modify it till it has an appropriately 'evil' feel, if that is what you want. |
| flipoflak9209-04-06, 09:45 PM | you could leave him namesless, u kno like the nameless dragonstalker, or the namelessstalker or w/e, or u could give him a nickname, like the shadow stalker or something to that effect |
| Piggyfreak609-04-06, 09:51 PM | how about Olaf. Or Xavier. Or Strool Peter. |
| Necrosis09-04-06, 11:39 PM | from a pet name data base-highly reccomend the warrior name link, is great :) http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/warriornames.htm http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/demonnames.htm |
| ChaoticGood09-04-06, 11:46 PM | Edymnion... yeah, that's a villain name if there ever was one. (Sorry, Edy, but as soon as the phrase "villain name" went through my mind, your name popped up!) |
| WhiteRaven81009-04-06, 11:58 PM | Elrag. |
| boozerker09-05-06, 12:13 AM | Fluffy. :) Sinzu. Lanner. |
| HalfMunchkin09-05-06, 12:41 AM | Lando Calrissian :evillaugh |
| towerwrath09-05-06, 01:51 AM | Dick The Dragon's Bane! Come on laugh, I know you want to. But seriously, William Drago Logris Ser Artimus Cayne Deryk Stephon Tobias Arryk Thomas Edmond Verity Thats just off the top of my head. I hope it helps. |
| Feriin09-05-06, 08:26 AM | Lucius Dazzelax I named my Bad Guy Lucias kinda funny I thought. |
| Thurbane09-05-06, 09:32 AM | Frontius Mammath. Just a name I heard once that stuck in my head. |
| revnk09-06-06, 03:48 PM | Leroi Brau'an--he's the baddest baddest man in the whole damn town, badder than that old Tarrasque and meaner than a Nessian warhound dog.... Sorry... couldn't help it. Seriously: you might try a title instead of a name. "The Messenger." "The Weeping Man." "The Darkened One." "The Dead Walker." "The Man In Green." "The Whispered One." A good phrase like that can be far more fearsome or come to be far more ominous over time--by the end of The Stand, for instance, it's hard not to shudder when "The Walking Dude" is mentioned (while the name "Randall Flagg" remains meh. Good luck. |
| Sinis09-06-06, 03:53 PM | My favourites are: Sinis Alberich Andrevaught |
| Thought09-06-06, 04:01 PM | A warforged dragonstalker eh? Well, I am partially fond of backward names so... Reklats Nogard De'Grofraw, or just Reklats for short. Reklats the reckless, Reklats of the ten terrors, Reklats the forsaken (please, please, I'm just plain Yogurt). |
| DoctorRomulus09-06-06, 04:07 PM | How about ....... POOKIE !! :D |
| Forgedwar09-06-06, 04:54 PM | Reklats is the one thanks. |
| Sikyanakotik09-07-06, 12:42 AM | You can't seriously think spelling something backwards to get a name would actually be a good idea, do you? I've seen wheels of emmental that were less cheesy! Your PCs will see through that in a second, and instantly write the character off. Trust me. |
| Vaalingrade Ashland09-07-06, 01:17 AM | Warforged generally have designations instead of names. Wyrmtaker seems like an appropros name for this unit. A more generic, but badass name: Damascus. |
| Queenjesus09-07-06, 07:52 AM | These are some names I've used... Drangahar Esicrex Ezgob Asik Quast Mechlia Finarfin Machius Antarius Tulloch Kathelek And on a lighter note... Dinky Bobolink Adeptly Sideways Youthful Abrasions |
| Ankalagon09-07-06, 08:33 AM | Kraal has always been my fave. German or Eastern Europe sound the very best as the language sounds dark and is gutteral. I'd say try Welsh but "Blodwyn the Sheep" conjures up imagery as far removed from a BBEG as you can get. French always sound like a chef and Italian always sound like a porn star. British always sound a bit wet and American always sound a bit too testosterone. Jean-Claude the Filleter Giovanni the Snake Malcolm the Lettuce Jefferson the Muscle |
| Pulpatoon09-07-06, 09:26 AM | Cassius Clove. Sash Cordas Solomon Lee |
| Bump2dawiza09-07-06, 09:59 AM | Hashim al Kazim |
| Sinis09-07-06, 10:20 AM | Reklats is the one thanks. Merely "Stalker" spelt backwards? :( |
| Morka09-07-06, 11:03 AM | Bob the Figther. "Stupid adventurers always use my name in examples of battles against stupid creatures! I'll show them I'm a great warrior!" |
| Hennet09-07-06, 11:13 AM | No, no,no. If you want a truly terrifying name, you need to go with something simple, like.......Adam. When you start trying to make long names with heeps of wierd letters and things like that, the name just start to sound all tacky. And when the PCs hear that there is a villian/enemy/whatever u wanna call it, whos name is something simple like Adam, it makes the PCs kinda freaked out. Hennet |
| Thought09-07-06, 02:51 PM | You can't seriously think spelling something backwards to get a name would actually be a good idea, do you? I've seen wheels of emmental that were less cheesy! Your PCs will see through that in a second, and instantly write the character off. Trust me. Your right, someone should tell Stephen King that it is a bad idea to spell things backwards ;) However, unless players are expecting you to use normal word backwards it is quite unlikely that they will notice (especially since they'll only hear it at first and thus not recognize the spelling). |
| Sikyanakotik09-07-06, 07:54 PM | Your right, someone should tell Stephen King that it is a bad idea to spell things backwards ;) Don't get me wrong, I do love the guy's work. However, "REDRUM" was still pretty lame. However, unless players are expecting you to use normal word backwards it is quite unlikely that they will notice (especially since they'll only hear it at first and thus not recognize the spelling). Unless they ask how it's spelled, so they can write it down for their campaign notes. Or if they're, say, of average or better intellegence. |
| speeblefreak09-07-06, 09:23 PM | Irazu Morkris Tiberion Ynnyth Lethrak Morguth Threllemin Gorzyllog Udorro |
| Thought09-07-06, 09:29 PM | Unless they ask how it's spelled, so they can write it down for their campaign notes. Or if they're, say, of average or better intellegence. At the risk of this thread becoming just a conversation, if the players realize that the name is important the first time it is mentioned, then you're bludgeoning them over the head with information (or they are incredibly meticulous players who write down the name of the guy cleaning their chamber pots at the inn they decided not to stay at). By the time it is apparent that the guy is important, they should already have the name associated with how you are pronouncing it and take it at face value. I don't doubt that a mildly intelligent player might eventually figure it out, but by then they'll already be used to it (the key for any name is to get the players to think it is real at first, even if it is bunk later on). As for an average player figuring it out right away, I'd have to disagree on that point. True, if you have given a player reason to think you have hidden meanings behind everything you say then they'll dissect everything you say. However, relatively few people will look beyond the surface appearances of anything (remember, you can never underestimate the average person). If you are worried that someone might discover your horrible secret, you could always take it one step further and use an anagram instead, or the equally "cheesy" name in another language (ala Darth Vader). But in the end, I suppose it could be worse... you could always name your character after a door from Ikea :P |
| UncleAthanas09-07-06, 10:40 PM | No, no,no. If you want a truly terrifying name, you need to go with something simple, like.......Adam. When you start trying to make long names with heeps of wierd letters and things like that, the name just start to sound all tacky. And when the PCs hear that there is a villian/enemy/whatever u wanna call it, whos name is something simple like Adam, it makes the PCs kinda freaked out. Hennet I agree. If not simple, at least familiar and meaningful in some way. |
| Pulpatoon09-07-06, 10:57 PM | A good Villain should have a flashy and interesting name: Ming Magneto Hannibal Lecter Grendel Frau Farbissina Judas Iscariot Herman Varnick King Haggard Master Control Program Count Orlok Fing Fang Foom |
| warazen09-07-06, 11:03 PM | Names are important. When designing my campaign, I started with names. Tolkien believed in the importance of names. Titles are important too. Think of "He who must not be named", "The Black Hand", or "The Dark Lord." Maybe your villain has 2 names. Lord Voldemort's real name was Tom Riddle. http://www.squid.org/tools/names/ is my favorite name generator. I just hit the Pestilence names and got these: Gorefang, Frothmaw, Grimslade, and Foulrot. Here are some guidelines for inventing names. 1. Keep it simple. Avoid names with more than 3 syllables. 2. Say it loud. Say it loud. Say it loud! That's ripped off from Strunk & White, "If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loud. Why compound ignorance with inaudibility." Saying that fantasy character's name loudly will force you to think about how it will sound to your players when they hear it for the first time. Make sure that it sounds good when you say it, and that it's easy for you and other players to pronounce. A lot of names, especially dark elf names, look good on paper, but are difficult to pronounce. Choose a name like Drizzdthak the Slayer, and people will accuse you of talking like Elmer Fudd. 3. Avoid names that sound like products. For example, a surname that I appointed to a PC in my world was Drammendal. At our first gaming session it was pointed out to me that the name sounds like dramamine, a motion-sickness medication. It didn't occur to me at the time that I created the name. 4. Keep epithets short. An epithet is "any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality: “Richard the Lion-Hearted” is an epithet of Richard I" (dictionary.com). Squid.org has an epithet generator as well. Using it I just generated: Darkblade, Ironwind, Grimstalker, and Fireweaver. Combining the names and epithets from Squid, you could have Gorefang Darkblade Frothmaw Ironwind (sounds a bit stinky) Grimslade Fireweaver Foulrot Grimstalker 5. Be prepared to substitute letters or syllables, or to drop them. For example, I just generated some Tolkein Khuzdul names, and got Bulzad, Nogmud, Agarzerek, and Thakduruk. Bulzad seems strong, and pronouncing it as "Bull-zad", or even adding an additional "L" to the name (Bullzad), hints at the character posessing bull-like qualities. Perhaps he's exceptionally strong or hard-headed. Nogmud sounds weak. But changing the first letter to something more sinister, like the letter Z, gives it a different feel. Zogmud, sounds like he could be a wizard. Agarzerek is a 4-syllable word. Drop the Agar and you have "Zerek" which is both exotic and easy to say. Thakduruk is also long, and your players would never remember the name. Give a significant NPC that name, and the group will quickly nickname him "Thak" or "Thack-dork". Now Thak sounds like a good fighter name. Big brawn, no brains. Or perhaps we combine some syllables from names. Gorefang Darkblade from the epithets example is interesting, but combining Gore with Fang seems a bit much. How about combining Gore with the Zad from Bullzad presented earlier. Now we have Gorezad Darkblade. 6. Try a Phone Book. Skim through a phone book. Real people have very interesting names. Also, you may try Kate Monk's Dictionary of Names at http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/. 7. Be creative! There are no official rules to creating names. The above are guidelines that will help get the creative juices flowing. That's my rant on inventing names. The name generators really help me. |
| Lord_Varos09-07-06, 11:05 PM | Adam, hmm... Good idea. Sounds similar to one you might have, I don't know, ripped directly from the CD boards in a thread about this exact subject? Maybe about an arch-villain of sorts? Who knows? For a name, how about something exotic and smooth, like... Chip Dynasty Emulsif Bicarbona T.M. Deerfield or, my favorite: Pyrophosphate! All taken from the same box of cookies next to me on my desk. |
| revnk09-08-06, 04:45 PM | Two more thoughts: 1) Don't be surprised (or get upset) when the players almost inevitably give the bad guy a goofy nickname. warazen is right that players are likely to re-dub "Thakduruk" as "Thwack-a-dork" or something equally asinine. But the reality is that they're liable to do that with any name. In fact, their tendency to do that may even betray how much they actually hate or fear the villain--it's an defense mechanism to bring him down to size--and if they hate or fear your villain, you've done a good job. 2) Players may or may not get references to names. But often, when they do, the reaction is a happy or proud one--it's fun to figure something out or get a glimpse behind the curtain. Don't worry about the players figuring such things out--they may not, but even if they do, they may go, "Hey, cool, his name is based on _____!" (A recent example in my own game: The players have recently discovered Moon-Rats are planning something Very Bad for a town. The leaders of the rats are named Algernon, Ben and Nicodemus: three themed in-jokes* that I used initially for my own benefit so I could tell the rats apart. I did, however, make it a point to have an NPC refer to "Ben, Algie and Nick." The players didn't pick up on it for a session or so, but eventually someone made a rats of NIMH reference and I couldn't help saying, "funny you should mention that...." At that point a player suddenly realized what "Nick" was short for, what "Algie" had to be short for, and therefore Ben's namesake as well. The reaction was a mix of smiles and amused groans--the in-jokes had their intended effect....) *(If you still don't get it :): ) Ben is a rat in the movie Willard. Algernon is a rat in the novella/novel/movie "Flowers For Algernon"/Charlie. Nicodemus is a rat in the book/movie Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH/The Secret Of NIMH. All of these rats, in their original stories, are exceptionally smart: Algernon and Nicodemus, in particular, have their intelligences enhanced as a result of scientific experiments. |
| Sikyanakotik09-08-06, 07:22 PM | But in the end, I suppose it could be worse... you could always name your character after a door from Ikea :P It's also a village in Norway. :P All I'm really interested in is the sound of the name, not any poorly hidden meanings. In order to make an evocative character name, the sound of it is all that matters. It doesn't matter if you got it from a catalogue, random generator, or just off the top of your head, as long as it evokes the same feel you want your character to evoke. I don't feel a name that sounds like "wreck lots" will do that. |
| Hennet09-09-06, 06:16 AM | Adam, hmm... Good idea. Sounds similar to one you might have, I don't know, ripped directly from the CD boards in a thread about this exact subject? Maybe about an arch-villain of sorts? Who knows? Yep, thats correct. I didn't claim to have created the name. Hennet |
| DraconsNighthawk09-09-06, 07:55 AM | Best villian name I ever had was a Rakasha edritch knight named Vargas. Best country name was Lawason. |
| cog_and_taz09-09-06, 09:53 AM | vargas=powerstone>_<. As for bad names, I loved garrow from SotLW.:) |
| Queenjesus09-09-06, 09:57 AM | 3. Avoid names that sound like products. Reminds me of when I was in high school, my friend called his character Zoloft Sertraline Pfizer (he pronounced it fizzer) after he read it on a pen his sister, a nurse, brought home from work. The other characters called him Ziggy. :) |
| zvbxrpl09-09-06, 02:47 PM | If the villain likes irony, use a good/upbeat sounding name. One of my favorite villains ever run was a warlock whose name was Elizabeth Sunspark, and kept it because she enjoyed the irony. Or, simply choose from zvbxrpl's patented (translation: he pulled these names out of his butt) list of the top five best names ever: 5.) Donutboy 4.) Herbert the Drunk 3.) Cement Truckerhat 2.) Vinny 1.) Fredwina |
| speeblefreak09-09-06, 02:49 PM | Ha! I get your name, zvbxrpl! |
| Lonestar09-09-06, 02:55 PM | My current "villians" are both of immense power, capable of singlehandedly obliterating the PCs. One is wholly evil, a man foul beyond imagination. The other is actually a very nice fellow, but don't get in his way. Can you guess which was which from the names below? Sharzolakh Altrus I hope you guessed right, it shouldn't be too hard. My point here is that I prefer tailoring the name to the villian. Don't call a villian Golrath the Darkbringer if he isn't worthy of it unless something is up. In my opinion is that a name can make or brake a villain. No one will respect or take seriously a villain called "Vinny", even if the villian is the most foul man to walk the earth. If you need help finding names, the everchanging book of names is a fantastic resource. |
| Thought09-09-06, 09:06 PM | It aught to be kept in mind that what makes a name great isn't so much how it sounds but what the person does. If Pol Pot hadn't committed acts of genocide, would people feel slightly uneasy at the name or just laugh at it? Justinian Rinotmetos might garner a few laughs, unless it is an Emperor who was exiled, had his nose cut in half, and still fought his way back into power. Really, a name just has to sound plausible and serious. Feel free to use a name with meaning, or name a character after someone/place/thing (though I'd recommend against doors, as that kills credibility if the players realize where you got the name), but the character's actions are what will give the name its power. |
| UncleAthanas09-09-06, 09:11 PM | It aught to be kept in mind that what makes a name great isn't so much how it sounds but what the person does. If Pol Pot hadn't committed acts of genocide, would people feel slightly uneasy at the name or just laugh at it? Justinian Rinotmetos might garner a few laughs, unless it is an Emperor who was exiled, had his nose cut in half, and still fought his way back into power. Really, a name just has to sound plausible and serious. Feel free to use a name with meaning, or name a character after someone/place/thing (though I'd recommend against doors, as that kills credibility if the players realize where you got the name), but the character's actions are what will give the name its power. I think the sound of a name can impact how we view someone in light of their actions. If Pol Pot had used his real name (or if it had been widely known who he was at the time) we would know him as Saloth Sar. I personally feel that the latter is much more villainous. You almost expect him to be evil. The name Pol Pot, I think is more memorable because it sounds kind of innocent. Of course this is hard to argue after the name has had decades to sink in. |
| Loto_GoCeraf09-09-06, 10:28 PM | Anagrams are always cool. For instance, take his most prominent emotion, rearrange the letters, and there ya go. Anger - Ragne Hate - Thae Rage - Gaer Cruelty - Leytruc Things of that nature. |
| KurenaiYami09-09-06, 11:13 PM | Shredder. On that note, I'd like to give a shout out to my fellow Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans. |