So in my setting, an Oni forger of powerful magical items gained the ability to steal names from others in order to keep them under his control, until they earn their freedom, in order for them to use his items for his own entertainment. I want to flesh it out more... but i am not sure what sort of detrimental effect should someone losing their name have... any ideas?
Side: Note: i kinda had enough of souls being at stake even though it is very dangerous to lose yourself and i wanted something different so i thought of names more interesting and was hoping build upon that concept.
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Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
It's said that anyone possessing a fiends true name can summon that fiend and bind it to their will. But perhaps its not just fiends, they're just the most commonly summoned creature perhaps with enough spooky candles and incense, you can summon anyone and bind them to your will just like you would a devil or demon.
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
It's said that anyone possessing a fiends true name can summon that fiend and bind it to their will. But perhaps its not just fiends, they're just the most commonly summoned creature perhaps with enough spooky candles and incense, you can summon anyone and bind them to your will just like you would a devil or demon.
That's an interesting an interesting concept.
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Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
maybe when they take your name everyone forgets you ever existed. Could you imagine your own sibling not having any memory of your existence? Maybe you don't even know what your own name is.
That would be a strong incentive to recover your name.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
maybe when they take your name everyone forgets you ever existed. Could you imagine your own sibling not having any memory of your existence? Maybe you don't even know what your own name is.
That would be a strong incentive to recover your name.
Similar to 'Spirited Away' style -- you may not know that your name is gone, along with possibly an essential part of your memory, like the smell of the breakfast your mom made when you were little, or the color of your brother's eyes. One of the ways to 'gain back' your name would be to even know that it's missing in the first place; a character may have thought that they've gone by this name for their whole life,.
Easy option to compel obedience/compliance in the Oni's victims, if it learns your true name its as if you are under a lvl 9 Geas spell (save auto fails due to the true name). The Oni can then give them whatever stipulations it wants as long as they are not suicidal in nature. If you fail to comply then you take damage (possibly max damage due to your true name being used for the effect if you feel really mean).
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* Need a character idea? Search for "Rob76's Unused" in the Story and Lore section.
Perhaps the oni can control them from the name. Its minions could have minor, mostly useless name abilities, like changing people’s names.
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All hail the great and mighty platypus.
Resisting is simply standing in front of the tide and pushing at it. Even if you endure at first, you will eventually break down. Adapting, by contrast, is turning into a fish.
-me
Rangers are not underpowered. They’re just exploration-oriented.
Easy option to compel obedience/compliance in the Oni's victims, if it learns your true name its as if you are under a lvl 9 Geas spell (save auto fails due to the true name). The Oni can then give them whatever stipulations it wants as long as they are not suicidal in nature. If you fail to comply then you take damage (possibly max damage due to your true name being used for the effect if you feel really mean).
The idea of the name being used to auto-fail a control spell is a good one. Control spells are incredibly common, so you could even make it so there is a range, going from command to suggestion to compulsion to geas.
True name versus given name. There's sci-fi lore somewhere of a "face name" and a "soul name". The face name is given to them. The soul name isn't consciously known until maturity and told to nobody but the closets friends.
The given name at birth or a naming ceremony might mean nothing, but there's a specific name for each living thing (like a UID but something that can be spoken rather than something like "{56600c6c-2c86-4bb6-b814-568a34d8b772}").
Most people won't know it, but learning the person's true name could be part of breaking the Oni's geas or whatever it is using as control. Time for an adventure to some mystical place/person/object to learn the True Name!
Thinking on the keyboard:
Someone, possibly in another Plane, must have a book that records everyone's True Name - a master catalog, but it's not so simple as just turning to the right page, though.
You can't just browse it for names (or else someone could control everyone).
Seekers of a True Name cannot find their own name in the tome, either. That could lead to people trapping themselves in an infinite loop or paradox using their own True Name.
The person who learns a True Name from the book cannot use it in a way that could inform the name's owner of the it - no direct or indirect methods or even accidental means of giving a person the knowledge of their True Name from the book.
Conditions on learning a creature's True Name is highly specific as well as unique to the creature - what might be a single graying hair from one creature might be mimicking a creature when it is lying or revealing the name might be tied to the specific moon phase on a specific calendar day coinciding with the creature's birth, and it is likely more than one condition - True Names of more powerful beings will require more conditions to be satisfied. Some conditions could involve harming the creature whose True Name is sought - for example a living organ from the creature such as a part of a brain sustained magically.
The conditions would be described in riddles that would have different correct solutions for different creatures. The riddles themselves would vary between creatures and name seekers, too.
Once someone has any True Name from the tome (whether the right one or wrong one), it will never reveal another True Name to that person.
The tome is overflowing with True Names of the departed and destroyed - names do not disappear. Using those names will have no effect as long as the creature is in a state that essentially no longer exists.
Wish ain't gonna make the book reveal a True Name. The spell might be able to conjure what a person needs to satisfy one of the lesser conditions, though.
Because of the difficult requirements, most people won't bother unless in dire need.
Don't want to make it easy to learn a person's True Name. Gotta have the right permissions to access a universal catalog.
(Edit:) Perhaps it's the opposite: A True Name was stolen from the tome by the Oni. It must be learned and returned to the tome - accessing the tome would likely be even more difficult than recovering the True Name.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
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So in my setting, an Oni forger of powerful magical items gained the ability to steal names from others in order to keep them under his control, until they earn their freedom, in order for them to use his items for his own entertainment. I want to flesh it out more... but i am not sure what sort of detrimental effect should someone losing their name have... any ideas?
Side: Note: i kinda had enough of souls being at stake even though it is very dangerous to lose yourself and i wanted something different so i thought of names more interesting and was hoping build upon that concept.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
It's said that anyone possessing a fiends true name can summon that fiend and bind it to their will. But perhaps its not just fiends, they're just the most commonly summoned creature perhaps with enough spooky candles and incense, you can summon anyone and bind them to your will just like you would a devil or demon.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
That's an interesting an interesting concept.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
maybe when they take your name everyone forgets you ever existed. Could you imagine your own sibling not having any memory of your existence? Maybe you don't even know what your own name is.
That would be a strong incentive to recover your name.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Similar to 'Spirited Away' style -- you may not know that your name is gone, along with possibly an essential part of your memory, like the smell of the breakfast your mom made when you were little, or the color of your brother's eyes. One of the ways to 'gain back' your name would be to even know that it's missing in the first place; a character may have thought that they've gone by this name for their whole life,.
Easy option to compel obedience/compliance in the Oni's victims, if it learns your true name its as if you are under a lvl 9 Geas spell (save auto fails due to the true name). The Oni can then give them whatever stipulations it wants as long as they are not suicidal in nature. If you fail to comply then you take damage (possibly max damage due to your true name being used for the effect if you feel really mean).
Perhaps the oni can control them from the name. Its minions could have minor, mostly useless name abilities, like changing people’s names.
All hail the great and mighty platypus.
Resisting is simply standing in front of the tide and pushing at it. Even if you endure at first, you will eventually break down. Adapting, by contrast, is turning into a fish.
-me
Rangers are not underpowered. They’re just exploration-oriented.
My homebrew setting: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/94809-wakai-a-setting-inspired-by-japanese-folklore-and
This account is kinda old and I haven’t used it in a while
The idea of the name being used to auto-fail a control spell is a good one. Control spells are incredibly common, so you could even make it so there is a range, going from command to suggestion to compulsion to geas.
Proud poster on the Create a World thread
True name versus given name. There's sci-fi lore somewhere of a "face name" and a "soul name". The face name is given to them. The soul name isn't consciously known until maturity and told to nobody but the closets friends.
The given name at birth or a naming ceremony might mean nothing, but there's a specific name for each living thing (like a UID but something that can be spoken rather than something like "{56600c6c-2c86-4bb6-b814-568a34d8b772}").
Most people won't know it, but learning the person's true name could be part of breaking the Oni's geas or whatever it is using as control. Time for an adventure to some mystical place/person/object to learn the True Name!
Thinking on the keyboard:
Don't want to make it easy to learn a person's True Name. Gotta have the right permissions to access a universal catalog.
(Edit:) Perhaps it's the opposite: A True Name was stolen from the tome by the Oni. It must be learned and returned to the tome - accessing the tome would likely be even more difficult than recovering the True Name.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.