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Decoy Lockbox
2009-07-10, 08:43 PM
So I'm about to start running a new campaign for some people in my area. The setting is basically similar to the Ice Age (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Age_(Magic:_The_Gathering)) expansion of Magic: The Gathering. For those who don't play, the idea is that a giant explosion caused the magical equivalent of nuclear winter, and now the remaining people are having to deal with a grim and frostbitten realm of....well, you get the idea. Its going to be a low-magic, low-item campaign, where things like +1 items and the like don't exist; all magic items will have potent to artifact-level power.

Now that the background is out of the way, lets get down to brass tacks. I have a bunch of NPCs that need names, and I can't think of anything. If anyone wants to suggest anything, here are the NPCs that need naming (with letters as name placeholders):

The necromancer Lord "Z". He is a servant of Acamar the Corpse Star (see 4e MM2) and is the primary antagonist in the setting. He rules a desolate swath of land, and has enslaved all the villages that fall within it’s shadow. His lair is a ruined castle on the summit of a great mountain. His mission is to guide the planet into Acamar’s maw, so that it might be devoured. In order to do this, he must destroy the magical seals on the planet’s north and south poles. He has already destroyed the southern seal, and is currently looking for the north. He commands vast legions of the undead. "Z" appears as a human-shaped mass of starry nighty sky, wearing tattered black robes. He wields several artifacts of great power. For those who don't have access to MM2, just think of this guy as the sentient incarnation of a ravenous black hole.

"X", one of the highest ranking servants of "Z". He is a mid-level human evil avenger (worshipping Acamar, and having necrotic instead of radiant powers) and will be a recurring villain (miniboss). Wears a tattered grey cloak, hide armor, carries an iron fullblade, leads small squads of undead. "X" Is often dispatched by "Z" to assassinate people who are causing him trouble or on information gathering missions. He possesses a pair of magic winged boots that allow him to fly.

"Y", the other highest ranking servant of "Z". He is a mid-level Tiefling staff wizard|star warlock who wields star and void-themed powers. He is often dispatched on information gathering missions, to investigate ruins, to recover artifacts, and to oversee battles involving "Z"’s undead troops. Wears hide armor, and a dark blue cloak. He carries a magic staff that allows him to re-animate the dead, talk with spirits, and command the undead.

"W", Elvish warlord, leader of all elves in the "V" forest. They have adapted well to the climate, but most of their kind died during the apocalypse. They mainly try to survive, maintain their culture and protect their ancestral homeland against human or orcish encroachment. A religious sanctum at the center of "V" forest holds the northern seal that "Z" is in search of.

"U", Orcish warchief, commands a huge horde. The orcish race has thrived in the harsh conditions, and survives by hunting/gathering and raiding settlements when their hunting/gathering efforts are insufficient. There are three tribes of orcs, the greenskins, greyskins and brownskins; they are all at war with each other. "U" is the leader of the greenskin orcs, and is interested in uniting the tribes for further conquest, but is skeptical about this happening.

The wizard, "T", high level wizard and sage, ancient human. Has extended his life through wizardry and remembers much from the ancient times before the apocalypse. His tower is filled with scrolls, books and lore. A town has sprung up around the tower, as the people know that any serious thread (like an orcish invasion) would be dealt with by the wizard. "T" has a very vague idea of what "Z" is up to, and would probably take a more active role in stopping him if he knew more.

The dragonlord "S", reigns over a particularly mountainous region that contains an active volcano. The local tribes of lizardmen and humans pay tribute to him (in the form of food), treat him as their protector and some worship him as a deity.

Eladrin paladin "R", known sometimes as “the lawbringer”, wanders the wilderness dispensing old-school justice from the forgotten age. Decked out in ancient magical gear (which is very rare for this setting), rides a wind elemental that looks like a horse. People have a mixed opinion of him, as he can occasionally be a little overzealous in his vigilantism. However, in most people's eyes, he is a force for good.

"Q", the dwarven king. I havn't given dwarves in this setting any special treatment, and they are likely to be walking stereotypes (ale-drinking, underground mine living, etc). I don't really have a problem with that, but he does need a name.

"P", the king of the last human empire. Its a rather small empire, but an empire nonetheless. This country, "O", tries to keep civility and law alive in this age of darkness. They have been modestly successful.

"N", the leader of the largest barbarian tribe. The "O" empire has been trying to seize their lands, and so they are at war. The tribe is primarily human, with a few half-elves, half-orcs, and other part-humans.

Last but not least, "M", the leader of the Keerkish folk, a multi-racial collective that lives in the mountains peaks of Keeriskavargangargan. This group is composed of all races, and they accept anyone who is tough enough to live where they do. This group was developed in another campaign, and has a number of eccentricities associated with them, most notably their banking system; money and treasure is stored in vaults, and you "withdraw" your money by defeating the banktellers in armed combat. In this culture, being a bankteller is a high mark of honor.

So yeah, thats a lot of names that I need. But if anyone feels up to the task, or just wants to throw some out there, feel free.

Keld Denar
2009-07-10, 08:53 PM
I usually go here (http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/) to find names for my characters. Gen up a set, and brouse through for any that catch your eye, make minor modifications, and your golden

erikun
2009-07-10, 08:58 PM
You might want to Google "Norse Names", depending on how nortic-flavored you want your campiagn to be.

TSED
2009-07-10, 08:59 PM
Take a page from Dwarf Fortress and name as many dwarves as you can 'Urist.'

Urist is the dwarfiest name ever made.

Faleldir
2009-07-10, 09:03 PM
What's wrong with just "Lord Z" as a villain name?

Olo Demonsbane
2009-07-11, 12:19 AM
Often your players wont even remember your NPCs names. Just call the duke "the Duke" and have others refer to him as "My lord", or the such-like.

In your case, if you need to refer to Lord "Z", have someone speak of "The dread warlord". The players will probably come up with a name for what they call him, and you can use that.

Keld Denar
2009-07-11, 03:40 AM
Know this...whatever name you give to your NPCs, your players will come up with some sexual inuendo to attach to the NPC, and giggles will ensue whenever you state the name of that particular NPC.

No exceptions!

Radar
2009-07-11, 04:08 AM
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/
Loads of different name generators on one site.

J.Gellert
2009-07-11, 04:23 AM
Often your players wont even remember your NPCs names. Just call the duke "the Duke" and have others refer to him as "My lord", or the such-like.

In your case, if you need to refer to Lord "Z", have someone speak of "The dread warlord". The players will probably come up with a name for what they call him, and you can use that.

At one time there was a villain, a necromancer called simply "The Archmage". My evil wizard would have none of it, understanding he chose that title just to inspire fear; so he started calling him "The Trash". First it stuck with the party, and when we finally killed him... no one called him Archmage again. :smallamused:

If only Dumbledore and the rest were badass enough to do the same with "Lord" Voldemort...

shadow_archmagi
2009-07-11, 10:40 AM
I just look up the rosters of hockey teams for my names. They're just foreign enough to work as fantasy while not sounding like you just hit random vowels on the keyboard. If they have too mundane of a first name, just use two players last names.

"Evangi Malkin"
"Tobias Ennstrom"
"David Legwand"
"Robyn regehr"

These are all just the first few I spotted, taken from browsing the NHL.com website.

Don't you think that David Legwand would make a badass NPC?

Blackjackg
2009-07-11, 10:47 AM
Take a page from Dwarf Fortress and name as many dwarves as you can 'Urist.'

Urist is the dwarfiest name ever made.

And the most hyperactive one in the clan is known among dwarves as "Manic Urist."

Thane of Fife
2009-07-11, 12:28 PM
I like this site (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/). It's a source for actual medieval names from an assortment of cultures, sorted by culture, time, and gender.

Faceist
2009-07-11, 12:35 PM
Don't you think that David Legwand would make a badass NPC?Sounds like a pirate sorceror. When he's angry, he raises his wand-leg high and BOOM, HEADSHOT!

Blackjackg
2009-07-11, 01:35 PM
It would be the second-best pegleg in history (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBgOZ5zYqlI).

Decoy Lockbox
2009-07-11, 08:02 PM
I just look up the rosters of hockey teams for my names. They're just foreign enough to work as fantasy while not sounding like you just hit random vowels on the keyboard. If they have too mundane of a first name, just use two players last names.

"Evangi Malkin"
"Tobias Ennstrom"
"David Legwand"
"Robyn regehr"

These are all just the first few I spotted, taken from browsing the NHL.com website.

Don't you think that David Legwand would make a badass NPC?

This is totally the best comment here :smallbiggrin: