[RPM] True Names

[Christopher R. Rice]

I think knowing a true Name ought to allow you to ignore the penalty to connection if you are a non-Adept and give you a energy reduction. We tried this out tonight in may game and it seemed to work pretty well.

[gruundehn]

When I was growing up, the idea of True Name in the fiction I read was that it gave control over the person / item you knew the True Name of. I haven't seen this concept for a few decades but I ran a campaign in that other gaming system based upon that idea. If you knew the True Name of someone you could give commands that HAD to be obeyed. If you knew the True Name of something you could make even inanimate objects do your bidding (obviously there were limits there but this usually meant manufactured objects or large natural objects, clumps of dirt were out) and do things that they were normally unable to do.
Don't ask about where I read this, it was at least 40+ years ago that I read it. I think I also read in anthropology that this was also the beliefs of human societies that practiced True Names. The fiction book Operation Chaos also touches on this when the daughter of the two protagonists was born and had two birth certificates, one with the common name and one with the True Name. The Elfquest stories had a variant, the soul name, since the elves in that series, most o them, were telepathic and the soul name ensured some protection.
If the True Name has any power, it should be great power. similar to the PUPPET Advantage. Plus, the True Name should have extreme protection. It may be a Quest to find one's own True Name and a severely hazardous one to discover someone else's.
P.S. In the old game DRAGONQUEST by SPI they had the True Name concept and there were a couple of demons that knew everyone's True Name and some Dragons that knew many True Names and a spell casting class that dealt with names of all sorts. I'll have to look the game up and see what advantage knowing the True Name gave.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by gruundehn

When I was growing up, the idea of True Name in the fiction I read was that it gave control over the person / item you knew the True Name of. I haven't seen this concept for a few decades but I ran a campaign in that other gaming system based upon that idea. If you knew the True Name of someone you could give commands that HAD to be obeyed. If you knew the True Name of something you could make even inanimate objects do your bidding (obviously there were limits there but this usually meant manufactured objects or large natural objects, clumps of dirt were out) and do things that they were normally unable to do.
Don't ask about where I read this, it was at least 40+ years ago that I read it.

Don't have to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wizard_of_Earthsea

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

What if a true name is not something merely given by one's parents? What if it takes a ritual to determine and connects to a true magical language of names?
That could keep it rare enough to give major power without breaking games.
A mage's rite of passage could be determining their own true name. Lesser for your own or that which you posses, and hella' hard for determining those belonging to others.

Various Rite of Passage rituals could be considered as such. Also Baptism can be seen as a protection and dedication ritual invoking your True Name. Hence the phrase "What is your Christian name?"
Also Shamans in some societies and indeed a lot of gnostic concepts can be seen as discovering your true name and idenity on the path to power or wisdom.

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

But then there should be a point to it. If all it does is give enemies a weapon to use against you...

Maybe Magery 0 isn't something you're born with, but results from having or knowing a True Name. Interesting.

The latter fits with some traditions.
The former well knowing your name lets you have beneficial magic cast as well. Isis poisoned Ra so she could trick him into giving her his True Name so she could heal him. Of course she used it for more then that but that is an example where it can help.

[gruundehn]

David, while I have read some of her works the fiction I read was before she started writing the Earthsea books. I was still in California when I read the work(s?) I spoke of and my family left there in '66. Also I don't think I ever read the Earthsea series. I know I read the anthropology books I mentioned after that but I don't have those books so I can't make specific reference. If I continue to stew on this I might dredge up the proper memory after a while.
But my point is that someone knowing your True Name should bestow great power even if not absolute control. Medieval European dragons were monsters of absolute chaos that threatened reality, not something that a mid-level adventurer could wipe out with some difficulty. Thus the legends of St. George were examples of order overcoming chaos, and how God was the master of all. Knowing a True Name should be along those lines not just give a paltry bonus. RPGs have demoted wizards and sorcerers from major forces to spell-throwing mechanics so please keep dragons and True Names as major powers that threaten reality in some form.

[Flyndaran]

Should doesn't work when talking fiction and gaming, except for specific settings.
True names' power can run from total control to basic labeling.

To throw an extra monkey wrench into it, what if a true name changes as the person/objects does? That could keep discovering it relatively easy, and still powerful, but time sensitive for mortals prone to spiritual growth.

[Miuramir]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

To throw an extra monkey wrench into it, what if a true name changes as the person/objects does? That could keep discovering it relatively easy, and still powerful, but time sensitive for mortals prone to spiritual growth.

That is a really interesting idea; quite a few cultures have the idea that you gain and/or change names at major life inflection points, which might be an outward manifestation of an inner truth.

An interesting implication might be that many sorts of mystical beings, particularly devils, demons, angels, elementals, etc. are fixed by their nature. This is why collecting even pieces of their name is valuable, as unlike a human who perhaps has a partially changed name every decade or so, and will be dead in a dozen decades at best, a true name fragment for a demon would be valuable forever.

An idea on some rough rules, because this is likely to become relevant in my campaign:

Humans are assumed to start existence with three True Name Components by default.

Up to two of these can sometimes be reverse-engineered by sophisticated mystical detective work; the input required being similar to that required for a high-precision astrological reading (e.g. precise information on the time, date, location, and characteristics of the birth; in some settings, this process may literally *be* a high-precision astrological reading).

In many settings, the remaining "core" True Name Component is particularly resistant to discovery by mundane or mystical means; it is in some cosmic sense an individual's "root password", and not routinely available to even powerful mystical forces. Part of humanity's "gift of mortality" and/or "gift of free will" involves having a genuinely difficult and unique True Name Component.

In some settings, other sentient beings (e.g. Elves) may not have this unique Component, with a species origin and/or society based around a fundamentally different deal with the universe. There usually is another component in its place, but it is comparatively easy to divine based on family, status, job, template, or even sub-species.

Proper attendance (and skill roll) by a suitable mystic professional at the moment of birth, or within an appropriate ritual naming ceremony within 14 days of the birth, adds a fourth Name Component.

Humans acquire an additional, new Name Component with major life changes:

* Most humans acquire another one at their culture's puberty / manhood / womanhood ceremony or event.

* Most humans who commit for the first time to a long-term exclusive pairbonding acquire another one. Subsequent repeat events may or may not convey an additional one, depending on the level of life commitment involved.

* Most humans who are personally involved for the first time in the birth and initial care of a genetic child of theirs acquire another one.

* Many humans from cultures that have a strong apprenticeship, craft, or mercantile traditions acquire another one the first time they are recognized as fully passed independent craftsmen / set up their own shop / start their own business.

* Many humans from cultures that have strong martial traditions acquire another one the first time they kill deliberately in combat (or perhaps merely draw blood, or perhaps become injured themselves in battle, depending on the culture).

* Most humans that sincerely renounce personal worldly concerns to devote their lives to a religion or greater cause acquire another one.

* Some humans who for the first time assume the mantle of leadership for a group of humans that is to them and their culture significant, acquire another one. This might be becoming a commissioned officer and being assigned to a unit, inheriting a significant real landed title, or being elected to a significant position. Major, life-changing steps up in rank may or may not subsequently result in another one; as a rough guideline, *at least* an order of magnitude more direct personal responsibility (in terms of people, area, etc.) for a character that actively perceives and accepts the responsibility.

* Effectively all humans who enter into a binding pact with a powerful supernatural force acquire another one. This component is always known by the supernatural force in question, and in *most* cases they will know all, or the majority, of the other components as part of the binding pact.

* Some humans who are stricken with permanent, life-changing major injuries or illness acquire another one. Permanent loss of both legs, loss of both hands, loss of both eyes, loss of genitals, etc.; this needs to be perceived by the character and society as dramatic, traumatic, and likely permanent.

* Most humans who for the first time have truly resolved themselves to an imminent sentence of death acquire another one. Whether legal, medical, or based on some horrible accident, this is based on the point at which the character stops believing that they could perhaps survive the immediate crisis. Note that some characters never hit this point; due to some combination of arrogance, optimism, determination, or simply being killed too quickly they never "accept death".

* Some characters who have a death-acceptance incident, and who subsequently survive due to some highly unlikely event, acquire another one. (Other characters live out their remaining life based on their changes at the point at which they accepted death.)

* Major changes to one's physical form *and* relevant capabilities may trigger acquisition of another one. This is a more general case of the "crippling injury" rule; a normal who is "gifted" with functional leathery wings and scaly hide is as likely to radically change their personal psychic makeup as much has someone who had their legs blown off.

As a rough guideline, boring people have 3-4 to start, and +1 for puberty; they may have +1 for marriage and +1 for kids as applicable, and perhaps half will have another +1 for some sort of relevant life event. Interesting people probably end up with another one every 5-10 years.

Note that if you're on the run from mystic enemies, making a pact with something powerful not only gets you whatever you bargained for, but adds another name component they are certain not to have. (This certainly doesn't mean that it's a *good* idea, but it's a more interestingly likely desperation move.) Some bargains may inherently involve changes that add another one, as well.

What is all this worth? The higher a percentage of a being's True Name Components you have, the more bonuses you can get. This will need to be balanced by the campaign; +5 might be overpowered in one campaign and ignorably small in another. The GM sets for the campaign the value for knowing, and being able and willing to use, a being's full and complete True Name; generally, this should be quite dramatic.

As a starting suggestion, if less than the full name is wielded, divide the wielded True Name Components by the total (resulting in a decimal fraction between zero and one). Multiply this decimal fraction by 0.75, and then by the "full name known" value. Round down, but with a minimum of +1 if you have any genuine component. IMO, this makes a useful (both mechanically and from a plot/story standpoint) significant break between "most of" and "all of" someone's True Name; GMs may wish to adjust the 0.75 value for their campaign to give the desired results for "all but one" cases.

[benz72]

Knowing the True Name could make one (or more) lesser effect(s) count as greater for the purposes of affecting that one being.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Miuramir

<SNIP>

That's... that's a lot of potential names! Might it be possible to lose a True Name, such as someone who loses a limb but then has a permanent Restore Body ritual regenerate it, or the fellow who gains the leathery wings losing them? Another potential area where someone could gain a new True Name would be Magery/Ritual Adept - upon becoming a mage/adept, the character gains a magical True Name.

As for effects, maybe up to a 20% reduction to energy costs for knowing the full True Name? Of course, actually knowing the full True Name should be an effect far greater than the sum of its parts. In addition to the 20% reduction, you could take benz's suggestion of allowing Greater Effects from Lesser rituals, although this might make a mage too effective at buffing himself (unless using your full True Name weakens the protection on the hidden component). Alternatively, make it such that only rituals that give you some sort of control over the subject get this benefit.
Or, you can just do away with game balance at that point and simply state that speaking a being's True Name puts it completely under your control, effectively giving you a free Ally with the Minion Enhancement!

[starslayer]

I would keep the heavy effect of true names. Reduction of one greater effect to a lesser makes them pretty epic in scope without giving them much use on'petty'magic.

I would further remove true names from the list of things that can be discovered with magic or at least very difficult. Say greater sense magic with an area of the entire scope that person could influence of be influenced by.