Question about the Gate spell

[FabulousFizban]

The spell says: When you cast this spell, you can speak the name of a specific creature (a pseudonym, title, or nickname doesn't work).

Would someone explain what this means exactly?

[JackPhoenix]

It means exactly what it says: You have to say the creature's name. If you want to summon emperor Palpatine, you'll have to call for Sheev Palpatine, not Darth Sidious, the Emperor, or whatever other names he may be using.

[Envyus]

It means exactly what it says: You have to say the creature's name. If you want to summon emperor Palpatine, you'll have to call for Sheev Palpatine, not Darth Sidious, the Emperor, or whatever other names he may be using.

Note this means you can't just say Orcus and summon him from a gate, almost all fiends closely guard their true names to avoid summons and service.

[sithlordnergal]

Jack and Envyus are correct, you need to use their exact, specific name. Which can maker things a bit tricky depending on what you want to summon. This spell is basically the reason beings outside of the material plane hide their name. Of course, if you're not on the Material Plane, you could cast it and instantly summon someone like "Bob Smith the Blacksmith" or <insert high power world leader here>. Which...huh...I have ideas now.

EDIT: Makes me wonder...in a world with the Gate spell, and it being somewhat known, do major leaders of nations hide their true name to avoid being Gated somewhere and killed XD

[Chronos]

If your enemies include casters with ninth-level spells, you're either pretty much screwed anyway, or you're also so powerful that them Gating you in would be worse for them than for you.

[MrStabby]

Yeah, the spell is a problem spell. Either the player can use it to just end a campaign of the DM can just decide "Nuh huh, thats what everyone calls him and how he introduces himself... but its not actually his name".

And yes, because no rules actually define what a "name" is, it is just up to the DM how useful they want a ninth level spell to be.

[Unoriginal]

Yeah, the spell is a problem spell. Either the player can use it to just end a campaign of the DM can just decide "Nuh huh, thats what everyone calls him and how he introduces himself... but its not actually his name".

1) Entities hiding their true names because names have power is a very old trope that fits the fantasy themes of D&D.

2) If a campaign can be ended just by teleporting one person to the group and beating them up, it's not a campaign that fits lvl 17+ PCs.

Searching for a Gate Scroll in order to Gate the one person who's antagonizing the group could be an interesting adventure at lower levels, though.



And yes, because no rules actually define what a "name" is, it is just up to the DM how useful they want a ninth level spell to be.

That's true for every single spell.

[KorvinStarmast]

Say my name! (https://youtu.be/I4MCAOd-tmg?t=46)

There were a variety of stories and myths (from numerous traditions) that point to a 'true name' being something that wields power over a being or a thing. I recall that from the Wizard of Earthsea trilogy as a very vivid example in the swords and sorcery genre, but it's not the only one.

There's a certain philosophical underpinning to this, even when trying to figure out what to call a tool, an element, a disease, or a complicated thing: by giving it a name we being to exert a small amount of control over a thing, even if it is limited to the conceptual level. It is no longer an unknown, it is a known.

[Sigreid]

Jack and Envyus are correct, you need to use their exact, specific name. Which can maker things a bit tricky depending on what you want to summon. This spell is basically the reason beings outside of the material plane hide their name. Of course, if you're not on the Material Plane, you could cast it and instantly summon someone like "Bob Smith the Blacksmith" or <insert high power world leader here>. Which...huh...I have ideas now.

EDIT: Makes me wonder...in a world with the Gate spell, and it being somewhat known, do major leaders of nations hide their true name to avoid being Gated somewhere and killed XD

Lots of cultures have a public name and a name just for the closest family and friends. It'd be reasonable for a player or npc to hide theirs as well.

[JackPhoenix]

Say my name! (https://youtu.be/I4MCAOd-tmg?t=46)

There were a variety of stories and myths (from numerous traditions) that point to a 'true name' being something that wields power over a being or a thing. I recall that from the Wizard of Earthsea trilogy as a very vivid example in the swords and sorcery genre, but it's not the only one.

There's a certain philosophical underpinning to this, even when trying to figure out what to call a tool, an element, a disease, or a complicated thing: by giving it a name we being to exert a small amount of control over a thing, even if it is limited to the conceptual level. It is no longer an unknown, it is a known.

There's a reason why pretty much every powerful entity in my setting uses a title rather than a proper name (It's because I'm bad at coming up with names that sound like they fit the same language/culture, and titles are easier)

[Resileaf]

Royalty usually don't use their real name as their regnal name anyway. In a magic setting it would be trivial to have royalty give private and public names to their heirs to avoid just that.

[Segev]

Royalty usually don't use their real name as their regnal name anyway. In a magic setting it would be trivial to have royalty give private and public names to their heirs to avoid just that.

Noble children are known to most by their titles only, and earn an epithet when they start showing enough personality to have one. Then take on a new name / epithet as they get old enough to be pages/squires/whatever, and finally take on Sirnames when they become titled adults. They probably don't retain their childhood titles, even ,which are derived from parental titles, as they either inherit their parents' titles or gain a new one. They have a true, personal name, the "given name" or the "Christian name" (probably refluffed to whatever religion they actually are), and then they have a series of titles and epithets that anybody not very close family knows them by, which shift and change as they grow up and achieve new glories and positions.

[Mellack]

Makes me wonder, can a person not have a "real" name? What if someone's parents died when they were just an infant? They were probably given a name, but even they do not know it. Or if the mother dies in childbirth, does whoever finds the child get to give them their true name? A lot of questions about what a name really is.

[tokek]

The spell says: When you cast this spell, you can speak the name of a specific creature (a pseudonym, title, or nickname doesn't work).

Would someone explain what this means exactly?

OK so specific example given in an adventure

Iggwilv is not the real name of that legendary wizard. Nor is Tasha. She has a real name and that is the one you must use (would need spoiler tags to use it though)

Most PCs just use their name, most people including NPCs just use their name. Not always. Iggwilv does not, many powerful fiends do not.

[Segev]

Makes me wonder, can a person not have a "real" name? What if someone's parents died when they were just an infant? They were probably given a name, but even they do not know it. Or if the mother dies in childbirth, does whoever finds the child get to give them their true name? A lot of questions about what a name really is.

I'd go with one of two ways, though they're mutually exclusive and you'd have to decide how your world's metaphysics worked:

Your true name is the name your mother and father (either or both) gave you, and may be derived at least in surname from your parentage and breeding line. There is likely a ceremony that can actually change that name. Or assign it, often performed at birth. If nobody is available to give you a name, then your true name is whatever you're first known by (making those titles less useful obfuscation, but when your family is taking such care, they make a big deal about assigning a true name first and then building the titles to shelter it).
Your true name is the one you truly think of yourself as. For most, this is what their parents named them and called them, growing up. For some, it might be a name they grow into. "Bruce Wayne" would have magics operating on that name work right up until he fully started thinking of himself as "Batman." Then, he could have been summoned by the well-known superhero name, but few would think to even try who know the 'secrets' of true naming, because they would assume it's a pseudonym and that the (unknown to them) name of his birth is his true name.

[sithlordnergal]

Say my name! (https://youtu.be/I4MCAOd-tmg?t=46)

There were a variety of stories and myths (from numerous traditions) that point to a 'true name' being something that wields power over a being or a thing. I recall that from the Wizard of Earthsea trilogy as a very vivid example in the swords and sorcery genre, but it's not the only one.

There's a certain philosophical underpinning to this, even when trying to figure out what to call a tool, an element, a disease, or a complicated thing: by giving it a name we being to exert a small amount of control over a thing, even if it is limited to the conceptual level. It is no longer an unknown, it is a known.

The Inheritance series was similar, where all magic was based around knowing the True Name of things. If you knew the True Name of a person, then you basically had complete control over them. You could force them to do whatever you wanted them to, even if they didn't want to do it.

[Osuniev]

Plenty of reference to that in the Webserie "A Practical Guide to Evil"


“It is common practice among the lower classes of Praes, who lack surnames, to name their children after themselves in the hopes of confounding any devils coming to collect on debts.”
– Extract from “Horrors and Wonders”, famed travelogue of Anabas the Ashuran

[Resileaf]

Now I'm imagining noble houses who train champions or dangerous beasts, giving them their public names so that anyone who tries to summon them with gate will instead summon something much stronger than they expected.

[Unoriginal]

Could be fun if using the nickname or title of a being made the being aware of the attempt, and able to choose if they answer it or not.

[stoutstien]

Makes me wonder, can a person not have a "real" name? What if someone's parents died when they were just an infant? They were probably given a name, but even they do not know it. Or if the mother dies in childbirth, does whoever finds the child get to give them their true name? A lot of questions about what a name really is.

There's actually a book series roughly based on this premise. Written by Scott Lynch. Also good brain food for true name type lore in general.

[Chronos]

Or it's even possible that most beings' True Names aren't even known to themselves. A person's True Name is the name they're known by in the Language of Creation, or whatever, and only the most dedicated of mortal scholars can even learn any fragments of that Language. This, more or less, was the premise behind the 3rd edition Truenamer class (though, of course, the execution of that premise pretty much sucked).

[PhoenixPhyre]

My personal setting canon (which is, admittedly, different from the stock cosmology) is that mortals don't have True Names at all and cannot be Gate-called. In fact--that's the distinguishing mark of a mortal--they have a spark at the core of their soul and can thus become whatever they choose by struggle and choice. And, as consequence, suffer death and pass beyond the Gates of Infinity whence none are known to return[1]. To become immortal in this life or after death, a mortal must give up their spark and replace it[2] with a True Word that serves as their new core and defines their immortal being. Some entities (among them celestials, devils, and elementals) never had sparks--they are their names, which accrete over time, gathering new words onto themselves. But to have a True Name is to be bound by its nature--the stronger the True Name, the tighter the bonds of action and essence.

And those with True Names guard them well. Knowing someone's True Name gives no direct power (unless you can cast Gate), but it does tell you almost everything about them. They become very predictable.

[1] this happens well after death, when the soul is no longer able to be resurrected. How long that takes depends. Sparks can also be eaten by jotnar, the core of demons (see [2])
[2] or replace them with jotnar, anti-sparks/entropy spirits who exist only to destroy, spiritual black holes. Thus are born demons.