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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    DwarfBarbarianGuy

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    Default Fantasy Titles, and how to get them?

    I am looking at gaining a suitably impressive Title or three for my heroic dwarven fighter/magus, and while some are fairly obvious and straightforward, I am wondering what other titles other people use and how to achieve them...

    Examples...

    Dragonslayer - kill a dragon, one of the true breeds and at least adult to be worthy of the title.
    Demonslayer - kill at least a mid, if not high, ranking demon or devil.
    Knight - swear service to a ruler or knightly order and be knighted.
    Mastersmith - reach a certain level of skill and be recognised for it.


    More ideas would be appreciated...
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    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Batcathat's Avatar

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    Nov 2019

    Default Re: Fantasy Titles, and how to get them?

    One obvious one would probably be Archmage or something like that for sufficiently powerful arcane casters.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Brother Oni's Avatar

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    Default Re: Fantasy Titles, and how to get them?

    Think of titles like video game achievements, something that's earned for performing a particularly heroic/difficult act, reaching a certain milestone or making a particular moral/story choice.

    As an example, take Bilbo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings; his titles are:
    • Elf-friend (Elves are few and far between)
    • Ring-bearer (He carried the One Ring for a while)
    • Burglar (Job description)
    • The Fly who Stings the Spider (Recognition for his spider stabbing skills in Mirkwood)
    • Barrel Rider (Achievement for his escape from the Elves of Mirkwood)


    The Tenno faction from the Warframe universe have 31 internal titles, to represent their increasing mastery of all the weapons and tools used by their culture, but externally, they're called demons by another faction due to their Void touched natures (think of them having 40K style Warp powers) and 'Betrayers' by a third faction, due to the Tenno betrayal of their Orokin overlords during the Old War. Moving it to the meta side, there's 193 achievements on Steam that could be used for inspiration.

    The eponymous hero of the Goblin slayer series is called that for his singled minded obsessive pursuit of the genocide of the goblin race.

    So think of what your character has achieved over his adventuring and if there's something particularly interesting/difficult/unique they've achieved that you'd like to commemorate, put it down as a title.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Faily's Avatar

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    Default Re: Fantasy Titles, and how to get them?

    In older editions of D&D, you had a Named Level in where you got a title. Clerics got Patriarch/Matriarch (we went with High Priest/Priestess), Fighters got Lord/Lady Defender... I'll see if I can dig up all the titles.
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    Troll in the Playground
     
    PaladinGuy

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    Default Re: Fantasy Titles, and how to get them?

    Quote Originally Posted by Faily View Post
    In older editions of D&D, you had a Named Level in where you got a title. Clerics got Patriarch/Matriarch (we went with High Priest/Priestess), Fighters got Lord/Lady Defender... I'll see if I can dig up all the titles.
    And pretty much every level prior to that level had its own title too.

    The short answer to the OP is it depends on what the creator of the world (i.e. the GM) wants. In many ways these sorts of titles come down to one simple fact - what will the characters in the game (both PCs and NPCs) call your magus? And, to a lesser extent, what does your magus answer to?

    Killing a dragon will not automatically make "people" call your character a dragonslayer. On the other hand, killing a wyvern might!

    Your best approach here is to have a chat with your GM about what titles might get used in the setting and how to earn them. Your GM should be pleased (players that interested in the setting are rare and rewarding for the GM as a player). It also will come up with more viable suggestions than we can here - e.g. we might come up with an excellent suggestion you really like, but if none of the other players at your table "buys in" then your character won't be called it regardless of what they do.

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Lizardfolk

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    Default Re: Fantasy Titles, and how to get them?

    By "Magus" it sounds like you're playing Pathfinder, but the 5e DMG has some short and sweet advice on titles that isn't system specific. It gives the examples of certain titles like "Earl of Stormriver" or "Countess of Dun Fjord" as possible rewards for adventuring other than straight gold or magic items. In my experience as a DM if a player wanted to gain some kind of noble title I would be happy to point them in the right direction for how to achieve that aim.

    Depending on the setting you might just find a king you think is worthy of your service and swear yourself to him as a knight, that's simple and has a lot of precedence in fantasy literature. Kind of a Lancelot type move. Eventually as you serve this king I'm sure you will end up recognized as one of his best knights and he should reward you with land or maybe a good marriage to get a title.

    Or you could simply go to some borderland province and try to hack a realm for yourself out of the wilderness, take over some abandoned fort held by monsters and declare yourself lord, extend your protection to the locals and if you were just I'm sure you would quickly gain notoriety as a good overlord.

    Really having a title just means you have some responsibility that you've earned, that no one can just take away from you on a whim.

    One of the ways I've offered nobility to characters in my games is having them hear rumors that a kingdom in the north is overrun with humanoids, the king is old and hides in his castle, helpless to stop them from ravaging the countryside. In a final act of desperation, the king has sent out couriers to the other realms proclaiming that any adventurer who can rid his kingdom of the humanoid menace will be declared his heir. The players were instantly intrigued and set off to this kingdom, but had to compete against other adventuring parties, some of whom were agents of an evil king to the south who wanted to absorb this northern kingdom for himself.

    More DM advice than player, but I think that players will be more receptive to assuming nobility and such if you give them clear paths to do it.
    Last edited by Trask; 2022-01-10 at 12:15 PM.
    What I'm Playing: D&D 5e
    What I've Played: D&D 3.5, Pathfinder, D&D 5e, B/X D&D, CoC, Delta Green

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    Modern in sense of design focus. I consider any system that puts more weight in the buttons that players mash over the rest of the system as modern.

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Kobold

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    Jul 2015

    Default Re: Fantasy Titles, and how to get them?

    As a DM I often push parties that reach 4-5th level to come up with a company name. It's a useful shorthand for "the names of every party member." Early on the name only means something to the NPCs they have dealt with. It gains meaning as they do more.

    But reputations can be abused. Resentful NPCs may reframe their deeds as infamy. And it's a lot of fun as a DM to watch my party react to being defamed. "Oh the SAID they killed the dragon, but they were in league with it all along." "Rescued a princess? Hardly! They found her just outside of town."

    Likewise it's fun to let their reputation work for them. "Oh, the Dragon-Striders are here! We're saved!!!" "You say you are the Defenders of Antrim? Well we are happy to provide a respite for heroes such as these."
    Last edited by Kurt Kurageous; 2022-01-10 at 03:42 PM.

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    Orc in the Playground
     
    HalflingPirate

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    Jan 2021

    Default Re: Fantasy Titles, and how to get them?

    Just think about what your character has done that is most impressive, and brag on it. It could be something (or someone) you killed, it could be military service (including having served in a famous battle), it could be your bloodline or where you went to school.

    And if you deliver it in the tone of the, "I'm the man who killed Gus Fring" monologue from Breaking Bad, it'll sound intimidating even if they have no idea who Gus Fring was.

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