The RPG Terms Glossary!

[Ailowynn]

I've noticed that, on these forums, we get a lot of the same question being asked over and over, often over a single term or concept. We use a lot of abbreviations and relatively unknown phrases to make our explanations easier. And I still don't know half of them, despite having learned tons since joining the Playground. So I thought, "Why not help everyone learn these terms?" Thus, this thread.

So a few thread rules:
1) Keep posts that aren't part of the definitions to 2-3 lines at most. If someone is looking through the thread for a definition, s/he shouldn't have to scroll through unrelated blocks of text.

2) When adding definitions, the term shouldn't be too long. Giant terms with complicated answers deserve their own threads. If, however, you want to post something that gets a ton of posts (like "Monkday"), and you think that you can make a definition that stops the thread from getting clogged up, you can do so.

3) Present definitions like this:
Term
Relevant system(s), if any
Definition: blah.
Related Terms: if any


Allow me to start:

Tier System
D&D 3.5, Pathfinder
Definition: a system for organizing classes by power level, from Tier 1 (most versatile and powerful) to Tier 5 (least versatile and powerful). Occasionally, "Tier 0" and "Tier 6" are added for certain outliers. Created by JaronK.

Gestalt
D&D 3.5, Pathfinder
Definition: a variant rule where two classes are combined, using the best stats from each and gaining both class' class features.
Related Terms: Tristalt (combines three classes)

Chicken-Infested (Commoner)
D&D 3.5
Definition: a flaw created as an April Fool's joke. Any time a Commoner with this flaw picks something up, he has a chance to instead have a chicken appear. This can be used by having a sackful of pebbles and constantly drawing and throwing chickens at enemies.

Monkday
D&D 3.5, Pathfinder
Definition: the day on which a thread appears asking why the Playground dislikes the Monk class. Responses generally include a lack of synergy in class features, class features that aren't powerful enough for that level, and port execution of a flavorful concept.

Sourcebook Abbreviations
Star Wars Saga Edition
Definition:the following are commonly-used abbreviations for Star Wars Saga Edition sourcebooks: KotOR/KoTORCG (Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide), SotG (Starships of the Galaxy), SaV/S&V (Scum and Villainy), GAW (Galaxy at War), CWCG (Clone Wars Campaign Guide), JATM (Jedi Academy Training Manual), SECR (Saga Edition Core Rulebook), GoI (Galaxy of Intrigue), LECG (Legacy Era Campaign Guide), TotG (Threats of the Galaxy, sometimes just Threats), UR/UkR (Unknown Regions), TFU/TFUCG (The Fore Unleashed Campaign Guide), RECG (Rebellion Era Campaign Guide).
Related Terms: SWSE (Star Wars Saga Edition).

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

A large source of these can be found here: Common Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Terms

[Arkhosia]

Iron Heart Surge
3.5
Used to due pretty much anything. It's the Macgyver power.

AoE
D&D 1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5, pathfinder, 4e
Refers to either area of effect

[stupiddDice]

Iron Heart Surge
3.5
Used to due pretty much anything. It's the Macgyver power.

More specifically, it's a power that negates any ongoing effect on the character. Due to its ambiguous wording, this power can be abused to ridiculous extremes, nullifying up to and including, gravity and the GM's rulings.

edit: effect, not affect