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jiriku
2009-12-11, 12:09 AM
Playgrounders, I need your help!

I am designing templates for summonable monsters, and I can't decide between several names. Vote for your favorites!

Fluff:

For my homebrew world, I am tossing out the traditional good vs. evil struggle and replacing it with a law vs. chaos struggle, and demolishing the overly-complex d&d cosmology and replacing it with just five realms: the material realm, the realm of dreams, the realm of nightmares, the Akasha (a transitive plane), and the far realm. This cosmology has no angels, demons, or devils to summon, and no celestial or fiendish creatures either! Instead, casters summon creatures drawn from one of four sources: the realm of dreams, the realm of nightmares, the far realm, and the core of creation, which is the spiritual/physical heart of the material realm. (Nothing is summoned from the Akasha; the Akasha is the source of magic itself.)


Possible Names

Template for creatures summoned from the core of creation:
fundamental 3
core 0
perfect 5
base 2
ideal 1
preternatural 1
supernal 1
paragon 1

Template for creatures summoned from the far realm:
pseudonatural 4
unreal 4
twisted 2
false 1
bizarre 2
hypernal 1

Template for creatures summoned from the realm of dreams:
notional 2
visionary 2
dream 1
ephemeral 3
oneiric 1
dreamborn 1
ideal 1
spectral 1


Template for creatures summoned from the realm of nightmares:
nightmarish 2
nightmare 1
shadowy 1
horrific 3
twisted 1
wicked 1
phantasmagoric 1
shadowy 1
umbral 4


Shape my campaign world! Pick which names you like best, or suggest your own!

Edit: Added in all suggestions to date and included a vote tally.

AirGuitarGod32
2009-12-11, 12:23 AM
My thoughts:

Perfect
Pseudonatural
Visionary
Nightmarish

and two straight from the books:

Axiomatic - Lawful
Anarchic - Chaotic


these are for your "hardcore" summons, such as (for reference purposes, not suggestion) Balos and Archons (I know he said "no celestial/devilish/demonics. JUST AN EXAMPLE)

Krazddndfreek
2009-12-11, 01:07 AM
You should probably keep the terms short and familiar. Summoning a pseudonatural monkey every time you cast summon monster can feel kind of awkward. What I would go with are:
Core: Perfect
Far Realm: False
Dream: Dream
Nightmare: Nightmare

I understand that these are not the names you listed, but trying to think up a bunch of exotic names is sometimes not the best way to go IMHO.

erikun
2009-12-11, 01:16 AM
Core: base
Far: twisted
Dream: ephemeral
Nightmare: horrific

At least, that's what comes to my mind. I'm sorry, but "Base" is the best I could think of for a core creature - "Fundamental" would be more accurate but saying "Fundamental Creature" just doesn't sound right.

drengnikrafe
2009-12-11, 01:30 AM
I like Base for core. Calling things from the core of creation "Perfect" seems wrong, since things that have adapted can be excellent as well.
Something abstract for the Far creatures. Psuedonatural seems like kind of a mouthful, so unreal is pretty nice.
Something soft and kind for dreams. Something like... possible-esque. That seems cumbersome to say, but something like that. Visionary sounds cool, but I don't know that it gets the point across. Notional suggests dreams, so of your choices, I like that one.
As for nightmare creatures... Twisted. From your options, I'd go for Nightmareish.

arguskos
2009-12-11, 01:39 AM
Perfect, Unreal, Visonary, Horrific, respectively.

Dixieboy
2009-12-11, 02:29 AM
I like Base for core. Calling things from the core of creation "Perfect" seems wrong, since things that have adapted can be excellent as well.


Main Entry: 1per·fect
Pronunciation: \ˈpər-fikt\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English parfit, from Anglo-French, from Latin perfectus, from past participle of perficere to carry out, perfect, from per- thoroughly + facere to make, do — more at do
Date: 14th century
1 a : being entirely without fault or defect : flawless <a perfect diamond> b : satisfying all requirements : accurate c : corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept <a perfect gentleman> d : faithfully reproducing the original; specifically : letter-perfect e : legally valid

I see nothing here that says that because one thing is perfect others cannot be excellent, they have just gained a couple of flaws from the years of being tested by harsh existence.

The Demented One
2009-12-11, 02:47 AM
Template for creatures summoned from the core of creation:
fundamental, core, or perfect
None of the above. "Ideal" works much better here.


Template for creatures summoned from the far realm:
pseudonatural or unreal
Pseudonatural has grown on me.


Template for creatures summoned from the realm of dreams:
notional, visionary
Oh, dude, come on. How does anything even have a chance of competing against Notional? Notional is completely awesome. Every game system should now have something called Notional.


Template for creatures summoned from the realm of nightmares:
nightmarish, shadowy, horrific
Meh, these are a bit expected. I would suggest Wicked.

AslanCross
2009-12-11, 05:34 AM
Core: Hypernatural or Preternatural.
Far: Pseudonatural.

Dreams:Oneiric (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/oneiric)
Nightmares: Phantasmagoric (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/phantasmagoric)

hamishspence
2009-12-11, 05:45 AM
D&D has Anarchic and Axiomatic for creatures of Law and Chaos- is the "core of creation" intended to be especially Lawful?

Axiomatic had a few synonyms, like "idealized" or "original"

Kurald Galain
2009-12-11, 06:06 AM
What I like best

*fundamental
*unreal
*neither, really. How about "dreamborn" or "Morphean"?
*nightmarish.

UnChosenOne
2009-12-11, 06:54 AM
Core:
fundamental

Far realm:
unreal

Dreams:
notional

Nightmares:
shadowy

Optimystik
2009-12-11, 07:55 AM
Core: Fundamental

Dreams: Ideal

Far Realm: Bizarre

Nightmares: Umbral

dsmiles
2009-12-11, 07:56 AM
Core: base
Far: twisted
Dream: ephemeral
Nightmare: horrific

At least, that's what comes to my mind. I'm sorry, but "Base" is the best I could think of for a core creature - "Fundamental" would be more accurate but saying "Fundamental Creature" just doesn't sound right.

This, but I think I would have to say "perfect" for the core creatures.

Voidhawk
2009-12-11, 08:53 AM
Core: Supernal

Far Realms: Hypernal

Dreams: Ephemeral

Nightmares: Definately a vote for Umbral

Sir.Swindle
2009-12-11, 02:17 PM
Core: Perfect

Dreams: Spectral

Far Realm: Bizzaro

Nightmares: Umbral

Exceptional awsome achieved

The_Werebear
2009-12-11, 02:49 PM
Core-- Paragon
Far Realm -- Psuedonatural
Dream -- Dreamborn
Nightmare -- Umbral

jiriku
2009-12-11, 05:03 PM
Some sweet suggestions here! I've added a vote tally to the OP. Axiomatic and anarchic I'm avoiding because some of my players stumble when pronouncing those words. More votes are welcome!