PDA

View Full Version : Brainstorming names for a new form of undead



Perch
2017-05-05, 09:15 PM
https://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/scale_medium/12/120992/2089284-0_142839xpx.jpg

I'm working on a setting and I need help naming a new type of undead.

In this setting I'm creating, the undead are not only tolerated by the human empire but are also quite common, necromancers are not freed of discriminated but are respected members of the society and the sight of ghosts and ghouls are common.

With so much freedom to experiment and create the necromancers developed a new form of undead, they are basically clones replicated from a dead individual. Crated in alchemical tanks, they can be reconstructed from as little as one cell from the original being. Their bodies are a perfect replica of the living person when he or she was alive, they don't age are "set" on the age they are created, they are stronger and faster than normal humans and also have a very powerful healing factor.

They can only be detected because of the negative energy used to create them. They can't be healed by normal healing spells or potions.

They can only be created by the use of a dead person material; they can't be created from a living being.

They were created by the necromancers to give people some comfort from the grief they experienced after the loss of someone close. However, this relief was limited because they never remembered anything from their original lives and merely looked like them, often developing distinct personalities and traits.

Often after helping the family cope with the loss, they would ritualistic change their appearance in other to achieve a level of individuality, tattoos and ceremonial scars are very common although superficial cosmetic changes in appearances such as makeup and different haircuts are also common.

However, the necromancers long theorized that it was indeed possible to reawaken the original memories, this theory was later named as "ancestor memory" and proved right as collected evidence that many experience "echoes" of their past life, namely feelings stirred up from sounds or smells.

After many years of experiments and the development of new spells, the necromancers were able to create a ritual called "Ancestor awakening" restoring most (if not all) of the memories of the source human.

This allowed this new form of undead to become a valuable toll in the hands of the empire, no more a mere coping mechanism for the elite, this undead could be created form the remains of powerful wizards of legendary warriors, have their memories awaken creating a legion of well trained and experienced undead soldiers.

Their only weakness is that as a form of undead they are extremely susceptible to necromantic spells.

So, this is the undead race I have been working on, but I have no idea of how to name them. So I need some help with ideas.

This is what I was able to come up so far:

-Replicant, but sounds too sci-fi.
-Momento, sounds exotic enough but not imposing enough.
-Memoar, sounds like memory.
-Shade, It's different from shadow but has the idea of how they are a mere shadow of their former self.
-Memento, Sounds cool but it doesn’t really "fit" as the name of race, does it?
So guys, what do you think? Does any one have interesting ideas?

Piedmon_Sama
2017-05-06, 02:16 AM
Of those, Shade is definitely the best one. Other ideas.... Echo, Eidolon, Effigy, Mask, Returner...?

Angelmaker
2017-05-06, 04:22 AM
Haunt. Doppleganger. Corporal. Duplicates.

Also you need to check some of your texts. These can only be created from thr dead and they can be created from the living is quite contradictory.

BWR
2017-05-06, 06:48 AM
Find an English word or phrase that more or less describes what you're after, then get someone to translate it into another language. Exotic, new and unlikely to be confused with existing creatures.

Remnant
Cutling - from 'cutting', a piece of an original plant taken off and planted to grow up a separate clone
(re)Semblance

Tangentially, you might want to check out the Scarred Lands supplement "Hollowfaust: City of Necromancers" for some ideas for your game. It is basically the same concept.

Cluedrew
2017-05-06, 08:27 AM
Clone could work, as it seems very clone-like, except for the undead aspect. Only problem is the sci-fi connotations.

I like Remnant: they are the remnants given life again.

Sredni Vashtar
2017-05-06, 08:36 AM
With terms like "ancestor memory" and "ancestor awakening", why not use the term "ancestor"?

LibraryOgre
2017-05-06, 08:59 AM
Of those, Shade is definitely the best one. Other ideas.... Echo, Eidolon, Effigy, Mask, Returner...?

I like "Echo"... in part, because they're designed to fade in time.

Bohandas
2017-05-06, 11:21 AM
Duplicate, Ghola (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_technology_in_the_Dune_universe#Axlotl_tan k), Swampman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swampman), Ersatz, Necrostat (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/photostat)

Kol Korran
2017-05-06, 12:42 PM
Heh, the description reminded me of the Dune Ghola as well. (Really, it's VERY similar! Duncaaaann!)

I'd suggest to give it a cool sounding name first, since you're looking for something disturbing/ intimidating it seems. THEN, explain it as a translation/ explanation from another language (Many of our words come from other languages. In the Dune Series if we've allready mentioned it, a LOT of the words are slight abbreviations of Hebrew and/ or Arabic... "Kwizts Haderach" is nearly a direct pronunciation of "The jump forward" in Hebrew).

Now, for cool sounding names/ sounds... Some ideas:
- Morach.
- Soon- Hess.
- Dumak.

(I'll need to think of some more).
As to meaning? I was thinking more on the line of "reflection"... or "dark reflection". The idea is that the new undead are sort of a reflection of the previous person, but they are... distorted? Also, one might say they cause others to reflect, and that they reflect themselves, upon their nature, sense of self and identity, of living and dying...

As an aside, this is a really intriguing concept! A lot of philosophical questions here. You might take some of the discussion of whether warforged have souls from Eberron, with some adjustments and twists of course.

I could also see the "awakened" undead as desired by some former family members (Who wish to have their lost one back), while others may see them as abominations/ disgrace to their lost ones- where do the memories come form? Might they steal/ take away from the souls in the after life?

Another big question, especially if someone seeks to return powerful individuals of old- Can they be controlled? And do they come back fully as themselves?

More paranoid minds may wonder even farther- Is it actually the person coming back? Or something which uses some of it's memories/ old life, to sneak into this world in a new form?

And for the awakened themselves, assuming the process and the memories are genuine, the various contemplation of the Duncan Gholas are appropriate- "Who am I? Why was I brought back? Am I the former self? A new entity? A combination? How does one know?"

Good luck! I love this idea, and it sound a very interesting development to explore!

Berenger
2017-05-08, 04:00 AM
-Memento, Sounds cool but it doesn’t really "fit" as the name of race, does it?

Why do you think so? I think "Memento" or "Memento Mori" would be cool.

Or, to stay in latin, "Reverti" ("I returned.").

Eldan
2017-05-08, 04:43 AM
No one mentioned Revenant yet?

Joe the Rat
2017-05-08, 10:47 AM
Remnant is my favorite so far, but I rather like the idea of a weaving theme (Loomed or Loomborn). This also lets you tie in culture themes of fate/fatalism, or spiders.

Coming back to the alchemy involved, Decanted (as in poured from a decanter) has a nice ring to it. The description of the process is reminiscent of "classical" Homonculus preparation - Calling them Homonculi would be fitting.

Here's a fun one. Imago - drawing from the latin for "image" - of which they are of the deceased (and of relationship-based therapy, which is a major social reason for creating one). If you want to go a little deeper, the original, duplicate form is the Instar (form, likeness). Once they 'depart', they go through the Ritual of Change (making their first major tattoo/scar/piercing/alteration), and become Imago. And yes, this is borrowing from insects. They may have an inexplicable affinity for Moth, Cicada, or Butterfly themes.

Perch
2017-05-15, 07:11 PM
@Kol Korran , yeah my players also noticed the Ghola, but I swear it was meant to be a original concept.

I had this idea when watching AI for the first time, I though the robot boy was made identical to her son to help her cope with the her soon health.

Later when i was creating a necromancer dominated nation I was wondering what necromancy could be used for society, at first I was thinking Jurassic park like arena where the fossils of ancient beasts were brought back to life by the use of necromancy and forced to fight each other.

Soon after that I was thinking that a dinosaur arena would clash with the serious tone I was planning for the setting. what is cooler then dinosaurs fighting? Historical figures fighting to the death!

And that made me think of the AI thing and I had the final idea of undead helping people deal with death.


Those philosophical questions are my main objective. :)

@Eldan
It can't be that because there is already a type of undead called "Revenant" in this setting.

Ludence
2017-05-16, 05:46 PM
Mirror, reflection, phantom. Speculo, mirror in Latin.

Braininthejar2
2017-05-16, 06:06 PM
how about epitaph?

Honest Tiefling
2017-05-16, 06:15 PM
Of those, Shade is definitely the best one. Other ideas.... Echo, Eidolon, Effigy, Mask, Returner...?

I kinda like Effigy. That way, you could also say that the society decorates them to resemble saints and other respected people. If this society is religious, clerics might have a hand in creating these undead and might want to remind people of their debt to the gods.

There is also the matter of stripping the undead of their personalities in the minds of the living. That's not your grandmother wandering around in magically bound unlife, that is the earthly, vulgar remains your grandmother left behind when her spirit ascended to the afterlife. That husk (which could also work) is not your grandmother, and it would be an insult to the woman to insinuate that her pure spirit has not fully left, implying she is bound by earthy desires. Instead, she will bear the visage of one of god's angels or one of the revered ancestors, to thank them for their teachings and to help us remember that the spirit has departed.

Also, you probably don't want to see your grandmother outside shoveling dirt. That's probably not good for the ol' grieving process.

evocurio
2017-05-17, 09:40 PM
I'm diggin' "Momento" considering the function of these creatures. What about names from another angle...the Absent?

Lvl 2 Expert
2017-05-29, 12:34 PM
Unisols (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Soldier_(franchise)).

Stands for Urba nitrato solaris of course, city dwelling high powered beings made with the energy of the sun.

Jama7301
2017-05-29, 12:37 PM
First thing that jumped out to me when reading this was "Shell"

Waker
2017-05-29, 01:22 PM
Reborn, Unborn, Imprint,

Perch
2017-06-16, 04:03 PM
Thanks guys.

End up going with Manes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manes).

noob
2017-06-16, 05:04 PM
Why not human?
Basically there is only the kind of vital energy and the fact it no longer age who have been changed.

Dr_Dinosaur
2017-06-17, 08:45 PM
Ersatz, Morian, Tabula