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Hi all,

I was just rolling up a minor henchman called 'Hands' (six minor powers, all of them alter physical structure of limb), and I was considering making his real name 'Hans', which got me thinking - my brother has a tendancy to go with the real-name-coincidentally-has-something-to-do-with-your-power idea, e.g. his villain Gravity Master has the real name Gregory Masters, Plant Girl's real name is Theresa Green, and best (or worst) of all, a character with the super ability (major) grant powers is called Major Grant Powers.

So, what are you opinions of this kind of naming route? Does anyone else use it? Or does it just encourage your players to try to guess what powers everyone they meet will have?!

And if anyone has used some corny, play-on-words names, lets hear them!

Soldier of Od wrote:Hi all,

I was just rolling up a minor henchman called 'Hands' (six minor powers, all of them alter physical structure of limb), and I was considering making his real name 'Hans', which got me thinking - my brother has a tendancy to go with the real-name-coincidentally-has-something-to-do-with-your-power idea, e.g. his villain Gravity Master has the real name Gregory Masters, Plant Girl's real name is Theresa Green, and best (or worst) of all, a character with the super ability (major) grant powers is called Major Grant Powers.

So, what are you opinions of this kind of naming route? Does anyone else use it? Or does it just encourage your players to try to guess what powers everyone they meet will have?!

And if anyone has used some corny, play-on-words names, lets hear them!

It can be used in both way, playing it straight is a classic , really probably one of the thing we did the very first time roleplayed, not just superhero themed RPG(one halfling thief with name "Rob E'ryyyh"...ah good memories )

I think that's great! That's a classic staple of comics and helps keep it in genre. As long as the game allows for this sort of light humor.

I've done it on some characters in the past. I don't remember them all right now, but two that come to mind:

Hero name: Vigilance. Real name: Virgil Lance
Hero name: The Crimson Scarlet. Real name: Red Burgundy

Like it! Good stuff!

Oh yes. I love that stuff.
Like a guy named Damson is turned purple in an industrial accident,
Or a character i put in the Name Game thread who was split into one super-heated creature and another super-cold one named Luke Woarm.

While not named after their powers or anything of the sort, I named the following 5 "cops" in a very interesting pattern..

#6 would be Harry Hendrickson, #7 "I" something, etc... I am sure you get the idea.

Office #1
Name: Craig Christopher Cornwell

Officer #2
Name: Donald “Don” Davidson

Officer #3
Name: Edward Erickson

Officer #4
Name: Fernando Fernandez

Office #5
Name: Greg Gustav

In an old game of AD&D, our GM had an NPC that would occasionally help us out. It was a dwarf named Dwight Miller. He tended to throw flaming anvils that would 'nudge' us along if we were particularly stuck.. It started with flaming swords with messages attached to them, but someone missed their dodge roll.. DM - Dungeon Master - Dwight Miller. I loved that game.. Mind you, it was 25 years ago and my gaming tastes are a bit more refined now.

Another hero from my menagerie: Jackie Burns, the hero called Flash Fire. Powers: Run fast and create/manipulate fire (but not extinguish). In her secret identityy she's a firefighter.

Soldier of Od wrote:I was just rolling up a minor henchman called 'Hands' (six minor powers, all of them alter physical structure of limb)

Just as a side note - I am stealing this idea. Unless you post stats, in which case I'm stealing the whole damn thing.

Soldier of Od wrote:best (or worst) of all, a character with the super ability (major) grant powers is called Major Grant Powers.

Ha! I love it.

Ale Golem wrote:

Soldier of Od wrote:best (or worst) of all, a character with the super ability (major) grant powers is called Major Grant Powers.

Ha! I love it.

When I was going through Basic at Ft. Knox, there was a general on base -- his name ; General Funk!!!

NMI wrote:While not named after their powers or anything of the sort, I named the following 5 "cops" in a very interesting pattern..

#6 would be Harry Hendrickson, #7 "I" something, etc... I am sure you get the idea.

Office #1
Name: Craig Christopher Cornwell

Officer #2
Name: Donald “Don” Davidson

Officer #3
Name: Edward Erickson

Officer #4
Name: Fernando Fernandez

Office #5
Name: Greg Gustav

What no Brett Bartholomew?
Or Arnold Anderson?

Alliteration of name yet another staple the genre...

Damian Magecraft wrote:

NMI wrote:While not named after their powers or anything of the sort, I named the following 5 "cops" in a very interesting pattern..

#6 would be Harry Hendrickson, #7 "I" something, etc... I am sure you get the idea.

Office #1
Name: Craig Christopher Cornwell

Officer #2
Name: Donald “Don” Davidson

Officer #3
Name: Edward Erickson

Officer #4
Name: Fernando Fernandez

Office #5
Name: Greg Gustav

What no Brett Bartholomew?
Or Arnold Anderson?

Alliteration of name yet another staple the genre...

For some reason I came up the last name first and that was Cornwell. Needed a first name and just went with another "C".

NMI wrote:While not named after their powers or anything of the sort, I named the following 5 "cops" in a very interesting pattern..

#6 would be Harry Hendrickson, #7 "I" something, etc... I am sure you get the idea.

Office #1
Name: Craig Christopher Cornwell

Officer #2
Name: Donald “Don” Davidson

Officer #3
Name: Edward Erickson

Officer #4
Name: Fernando Fernandez

Office #5
Name: Greg Gustav

This is prevalent in comics all over the place:

Peter Parker
J. Jonah Jameson
Otto Octavius
Lana Lang
Lois Lane
etc.

Alliteration's a lot more common than names which resemble the powers, probably. Seeing a combination of the two like with Doc Oc is probably even rarer.

Ale Golem wrote:

Soldier of Od wrote:best (or worst) of all, a character with the super ability (major) grant powers is called Major Grant Powers.

Ha! I love it.

Ditto. That's a classic to remember!

The alliterative name thing was kind of Stan Lee's trademark, though it was very common. Susan Storm, Peter Parker, etc.

Had a friend in dnd play a rogue it was a greek setting I had made up. His name Arrestees

The Huntress - A Magic Weapon heroine empowered by the Bow of Artemis. Real Name: Diane Wilde

Today a friend of mine decided that The Crimson Scarlet needed two more teammates:
• Ultramarine, real name Lapis Azure
• The Yellow Rose of Texas, real name Amber Waves