Reincarnations and Truenames

[Morithias]

Ok TIME FOR BACKSTORY (thank you linkara).

One of my fellow players character is claimed in a campaign to possibly be the reincarnation of the founder of his tribe (think Dali Lama).

Needless to say his wangst about destiny and that (not to mention just CLAIMING to be a noble not even taking the noble blooded feat) has completely ticked me off.

Now I plan to start a spy ring, and the DM says I need the Leadership feat to start the organization, as such I have created a cohort that knows truespeak and has Lore so she can easily research them.

So any research I have done has stated that they are NOT the same person (truename wise), and therefore have seperate truenames. Is this true? Could I in character shut him up by researching both true names and basically going "no you are NOT the same person, END OF STORY".

Also does a personal truename actually do anything? One part of the thing says "even if you have orcus's truename he isn't under your thumb, you have to be able to speak it". Do truenames work like they do in Hoards of the Underdark?

[Flickerdart]

Reincarnation (as the spell) would create a new body, thus a new creature.

Truenames work nothing like they do in Neverwinter Nights, which was made before the Truenamer class was created. Researching a truename gives you very, very little - there are a handful of spells you can cast using such a truename, and one of them (Unname, erases a person from existence) is even pretty cool, but not really worth your time considering the availability of Soul Bind, Trap The Soul and similar magics.

Long story short, don't bother with truenames as outlined in the Tome of Magic.

[Morithias]

Reincarnation (as the spell) would create a new body, thus a new creature.

Truenames work nothing like they do in Neverwinter Nights, which was made before the Truenamer class was created. Researching a truename gives you very, very little - there are a handful of spells you can cast using such a truename, and one of them (Unname, erases a person from existence) is even pretty cool, but not really worth your time considering the availability of Soul Bind, Trap The Soul and similar magics.

Long story short, don't bother with truenames as outlined in the Tome of Magic.

So basically, unless I want to crush his spirit and pride it's not really worth his time.

Well seeing how both characters are technically NG I can't really do any of the "bind the soul" stuff as revenge, so I guess this plan to destroy his pride is my only way.

This is not the "Reincarnation" spell. This is "500 years later he is reborn". Type thing. Just basically writing into your backstory he is a messiah. It would be as if I died of old age, and 1000 years later someone with NO family relationship to me, came out and claimed that he was me born again.

[Flickerdart]

It's not really a mechanical thing, but the truename would logically still be different, same that the truenames of twins hit with Mind Seed by the same psion would still differ.

[Morithias]

It's not really a mechanical thing, but the truename would logically still be different, same that the truenames of twins hit with Mind Seed by the same psion would still differ.

Good. This means my plan will work. Thanks for helping me double check.

[Zaq]

From Tome of Magic, pg. 233:


The Universe Keeps Track of You

When you deliver an utterance, you're dealing with the cosmos itself and reshaping reality. If a target changes its creature type with a spell such as polymorph, its personal truename doesn't change, although the truename you would use in a less specific utterance might. Shapechange, wild shape, disguise, resurrection, reincarnation—none of these change a personal truename. Only the ritual of renaming (described in the Truename Spells section of this chapter) can change a personal truename.

So, y'know, there's that, assuming you're actually using the ToM rules for truenames.

That said, I really don't think that you're going to come off as "showing him." I think you're just going to come off as petty and whining. (And for that matter, why should someone have to burn a feat to be a noble? You're all the same when you're crawling through dungeon muck, after all.) This really isn't going to make you look clever.

[Fouredged Sword]

You would be better off just getting a scroll of commune and asking a relevent god. They would know for sure.

[Morithias]

From Tome of Magic, pg. 233:



So, y'know, there's that, assuming you're actually using the ToM rules for truenames.

That said, I really don't think that you're going to come off as "showing him." I think you're just going to come off as petty and whining. (And for that matter, why should someone have to burn a feat to be a noble? You're all the same when you're crawling through dungeon muck, after all.) This really isn't going to make you look clever.

It's more that he won't shut up about it. It would be like if I joined one of your campaigns and basically claimed to be Jesus, and would never shut up about how I "Died for your sins". He's constantly wangsting about how "people don't see him for who he is only for who he was". It's simply bad roleplaying and poor writing, while at the same time spot light stealing squad. Over a seven hour session NO ONE else got a single piece of character development the whole campaign seems to be based around him and his clan. So I'm simply trying to end this poorly written plot point as early as possible so that we can actually get to the parts that aren't "NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME WAH WAH LIFE IS PAIN". I swear he's like a final fantasy main character, except there's no beautiful visuals or good gameplay engine to distract from it.

[NNescio]

...Might I suggest talking to him about it, OOC?

[Xtomjames]

Researching a truename can give you a lot to work with (everyone seems to be done on the Truenamer class on this forum). However if he was reincarnated he could have gone through a Renaming ceremony as part of the process of being reincarnated and thus he wouldn't have the same true name and still possibly be the reincarnation of his tribal leader. Not to mention by the ToM rules a person's true name can and does change, it's not an absolute. The truename you've discovered in game may not be the only version of that name which the character's truename could be. (Truenaming is a very liquid magic in game.)

You could use it to shut him up though, at least for a little while.

But as a GM I'll tell you instead of getting ticked off at him because he doesn't have these various feats, maybe you should just let him play his character. Who cares if he does or doesn't have this Noble blood feat while claiming to be a Noble? A person could be elevated to nobility status in game and never get that feat (most noble NPCs in game don't have this feat). Just have fun playing the game.