Do your characters share names?

[AttilaTheGeek]

I usually use names two or three times, but never more than once with the same people. For example, I usually go by Kigaltan in long-term games, after my first WoW character (I don't play anymore, and don't want to, but I enjoyed it when I did). Does the rest of the playground reuse names?

[Snowbluff]

All of my companions (Familiars, wights, etc.) share the name Larry, save for my later Fleshrakers. Other than that, no.

[NikitaDarkstar]

I try to avoid it. Well I've taken character names from MMO's and used them on D&D characters but that's been a case of laziness and needing a name on-the-spot. (*And in one case actually importing an mmo rp character to D&D.) But as I said, I try to avoid it, it makes me feel bad when I do.

[Dienekes]

Only when I had a character that I think didn't get the run they deserved. For example I think I've tried to insert 1 character Gerric into 3 games that died shortly after. But except for some details changed do to the campaign setting they have all been the same character so not sure if that counts.

I also once played a legacy character who was a descendent who shared the last name of an earlier character, but again not sure if that counts.

[Sacrieur]

I sometimes throw in last names -- or references to last names -- in relation to a specific bloodline. It's supposedly legendary, or I made it so. My favorite may be a bloodline passed down from a mythical warrior race from another plane, gifted into a nymph, and then passed into humans.

It's the line of Auvryett, and they have taken many roles over the years, as valiant protectors of good or perhaps more accurately, defenders against evil. I imagine a new campaign as someone else along the bloodline, rising to fulfill the heroic urges passed down from ancestors.

I have another well developed on, of the Kyre. In contrast to the above they are demon slayers with a twist: the same demon blood that they spill flows through their veins. It began with a barbarian who was possessed by such a creature, and later learned to control it. He rose to the challenge of slaying his own kind.

The Kyre are far more sophisticated than the Auvryett, in that their teachings are passed down to just one successor. This successor must then pass down the teachings to another. Fresh infusions of demonic energy into the bloodline do occur, as some of the more powerful conquer demons just as the first did.

The most fun, however, is the Kyre mansion: an extradimensional space teeming with resources and tools for demon slaying.


So yes, my characters share names.

[Deathkeeper]

It depends. I've used Zebes and Lexington as names in multiple games/RPs, but I don't usually repeat them in the same medium (since they're often the same characters).
That being said, both my PF Tengus had the last name Moore, as a little self-reference.

[The Bandicoot]

Just about any gnome or halfling I play is named Flarg in homage to a pants-eating gnome character I saw someone play in World of Warcraft.

[TuggyNE]

I avoid name reuse almost entirely. And since I name characters according to a particular scheme, and give names to characters in any RP-ish game of whatever type (tabletop, PbP, video game, MMO, flash, whatever) I have a lot of names.

Fortunately I have them all written down so I don't accidentally repeat.

[Hyena]

Almost every my male character bears the name of Jack.

[Hyena]

Many of my male character bears the name of Jack, though quite a few do not. Although there is that character of mine called Justas Archibald Kassius, who is nicknamed "Jack".

[Raimun]

Never. I always make the effort to come up with a new name for all of my tabletop RPG characters. ... Even if they are really uninspired and made up on spot:

"Let's see, I need a name for a warrior. ... What kind of viking names do I know, now?"

I only reuse names in computer- or videogames.

[Hironomus]

Never. Coming up with names is one of the most enjoyable parts of character creation process. However some people I play with find that part very difficult. They are more inclined to give their characters a quick and lazy name than reuse one.

[Concrete]

MOst of my characters are anmed along the same scheme.
I take the bird that best represents their personalities, then I look at whatever real world language is most like the characters nationality, and goes from there.
For example, a barbarian in a kingmaker campaign. Barbarians are cruel, have flexible morals and he was rather cunning. Therefore, Raven+russian inspired setting=Voron.

Or I just name them Theodor, because I somehow find the name strangely badass.

[Crossblade]

I use the same names most of the time; I just don't have many times/chances to play characters though.

Ryal Crossblade is a thief/rogue/dexterious cunning ninja. (Mostly MMO classes, but one in a irl DnD game as a PC, once as an NPC and once as a PbP)
Zaydus has been used 3 times. MMO archer, PbP paladin and DMPC for a solo game I did for my gf where he was a cleric/fighter... with Monkey Grip.
And Lojjin for any Star Wars game (video game or pen and paper) where a Jedi is played.

[North_Ranger]

I never reuse names, since I consider naming a character an intrinsic part of their personality, the culture they grew up in and their place in the world. Then again, I take time thinking about such things every time I make a character... and why I pretty much hate pre-made characters. They just feel like you're wearing someone else's shoes.

[Malak'ai]

I have reused names a couple of times, mostly from characters that only got to see a couple of sessions before the game falling apart.

I have used one name for an NPC multiple times though, but that's because the games have all been in the same setting and he is one of the Big Cheeses in one of the countries.

[ghost_warlock]

Several of my characters have used the surname Sorn since the Eberron campaign I played back in 2004. Attax and Cyanblade have been reused surnames, although less frequently than Sorn, as far back as the late '90s.

Given names tend not to be repeated except when recreating the same character in a different edition or game. For example, I've used the name Quoran for a gnome spellcaster in 3.5 D&D (shadowmage), 4e D&D (illusionist mage), and World of Warcraft (warlock).

[Guizonde]

if i can get away with it, variants on "pink terror" are my usual nicknames, although with my friends' apparent hatred of the color, it gets banned quite often.

monster races (trolls, minotaurs, lizards) usual have names without vowels, implying their name is burped or growled

halflings tend to have "nordic" (north of Bordeaux, France) names: thorsten, cedric, elric, alnis, brutehilde, etc...

my paladins tend to be named "brutehilde", showing exactly how subtle i am, whereas my orks follow the standard naming convention of the elder scrolls (melna gra-urgrok, for example, lokir gro-facelift due to a backstory accident)

i call it "personnal universe consistency", but it's by no means obligatory.

[DeIdeal]

I don't actually reuse names, but I have noticed that I have a semi-conscious habit of having my character names (and online account names etc., cf my name on the left...) start with the latter D.

[PaperMustache]

I use the names for different roles. Casters for a long time have been Kepesk or Mags. Divine casters are called Ava. Melee anything is Talenden after my favorite WoW character.

[Admiral Squish]

I reuse a couple of my favorite names, but usually only for characters of similar design. For example, I use the name Oggy several times, originally for a satyr ranger, and since then, for several ranger and scout characters. Maekrix Tuor Okarthel is a draconic being of one sort or another, usually a leader sort of character whose goal is to create a draconic nation. Vorel (Vrak di Thurkear Svaust Hysvear Shafaer Altiuiri di Marfedelom, Bapriv Plisoiv di wer Arcaniss di vi Kothar) Is a pseudodragon character I've played several times. The name changes sometimes based on the exact build and goals, but the name translates from draconic into something like 'beautiful child of night who soar on wings of death, immortal mistress of the demon's magic'.

[Templarkommando]

One of the guys that I play with is terrible at coming up with names. We bothered him so much about what his character name was he decided to just make one up. Our party cleric was thenceforth named Pikachu Lord Larry.

[snoopy13a]

I'm inspired by the great boxer (and grill salesman) George Foreman. He named all of his sons George. Thus, I've named all of my characters, Awesome McAwesome Pants.

[Thiyr]

Sometimes. I've got a few stock personalities that have varying degrees of how they're built and how they got to the point their at, so depending on all that they use the stock name. Sometimes I go for odd things that I have to name on the fly.

And then there's my current consistent character. Nicknamed Isopropanol, because each session her name changes by about one letter, and it's easier than listing her long list of names by now. (It's online, and a fairly serious game in tone. She doesn't realize it's happening.)

[navar100]

I've used other player character's names in a different gaming group. Doing that now with a new group. I do it to honor the character and player.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Yes.

I'm terrible at coming up with names in a non-modern setting. It's also not included when I think up a concept, it's not until I actually start writing up the character that I notice he doesn't have a name.

For some reason I'm better at coming up with girl's names.

[Kiero]

No, never. Each character is bespoked and different to the last, their name is a part of that differentiation.

The closest to this I ever did was a character who was a distant descendant of the first (in two Star Wars games, one set in the Dark Times, the other in Legacy era).

[some guy]

Any rogue-type I play share the same last name, because they all come from the same orphanage.

[Anderlith]

I have a stable of different characters/archetypes, that I will port into a game I am playing, & wear down the edges to fight the campaign. I've made a ton of other characters but they are all in games that didn't last long, or are too campaign/system specific. Ultimately it was just too many characters to have without them stepping on each others toes. I still make new ones all the time, but these are the ones I love to reuse

Such as,
Rovert Darkly, spellsword/battlemage
Andin Archfire, soldier type, used only in sci-fi games
Flinton Steele (yes it's a bad pun), deadeye sharpshooter (usually assault rifles not revolvers)
Eldrith Hawkflight, knight/paladin
Aermas D'Anderlith, Mage
Sorus, priest/cleric
Valar Ar'Kendric, dragonblooded warrior
Surname Ar'Kendric, a bloodline of supposedly dragonblooded humans

[KillianHawkeye]

Usually I don't reuse names.

However, there's an exception. When the 3E psionics book first came out, I really enjoyed using it. So when my first psionic character died, I replaced him with another psionic character who was the first guy's cousin, and had even more fun with the second character. Since they were related, I gave them both the same last name, and since then any time I play a psychic character in any game they have the same surname, even when it's a completely different game setting.