Help Bill brainstorm...

Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:39 pm

I need a cool name for a creepy little goblin-like thing that has an innate ability to animate dead and make zombies and skeletons...

Necro-goblin is too obvious ...

The short list includes:

Ghostling, though it's not very ghosty

Dockling (plural Docklingas) which is literally Darkling in old English

Darkling

Deathgoblin

Ghost-face Goblin

Skull-face goblin (I may decide they paint their faces like skulls)

Necrohob?

not sure I want "goblin" in the name, to make it mysterious if this is goblin or just a creeply little thing. They stare alot and rarely speak, will have stealth abilities and maybe can cast Darkness as a spell like ability a few times a day.

Maybe something totally different like Corpse Master, Dank Ones, or Zilli (just some made up word that sounds cool ("Zilli" may not be that word, LOL))

Thanks in advance!!!!

seskis281 · Post by **seskis281** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:40 pm

Gobskulls

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moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:02 pm

seskis281 wrote:
Gobskulls

I second Gobskulls!

M
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Jynx · Post by **Jynx** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:20 pm

moriarty777 wrote:
I second Gobskulls!

M

I third-ed...eh... 3 times - yeah that's it....

Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:54 pm

for real?

Not to diss you, but I want to make sure youre not all setting me up.

I think you're kidding b/c of the

Ace of Swords · Post by **Ace of Swords** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:07 pm

I would avoid anything name wise that identifies what the creature does.

This applies to english only..using other languages is a great tip off for educated players with out being total spoilers.

Puck-Leichnam // transaled goblin corpse to german...

so i would suggest

Leichnam

Leichanpuck

PuckenLeich

...etc...

I think the first option sounds best

Jynx · Post by **Jynx** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:14 pm

ohh... OK... I was just pullen yer leg!

If you're gonna have them paint on skull faces, why not just call them skullface without the goblin.

Think about what the locals, perhaps the local children, would call a creepy thing like that.

sorry... can't think of anything more. Perhaps the local CRITTER CREATOR GUY can jump in with ideas????

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:15 pm

Quote:
I would avoid anything name wise that identifies what the creature does.

Why? I guess it boils down to how the name is used -- if the name is given in game, for example, by a frightened peasant populace, they could very easily name it after what it does... but, if the point is to publish the thing or whatever, then it probably needs a name that makes you want to look and say "what is that?!" But then, if its too outlandish, people will have a hard time saying it and might just skip over it thinking it silly or whatever (I know many people who skipped pennangalan, for example.)

Naming is the hardest part of monster development.
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Heruka · Post by **Heruka** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:16 pm

Hey Bill,

Nasty sounding little beasts eh? How about Kulligs? Or Annwns? Meatcreepers? Gorbals?

Just a thought!

Good luck with them

K

Jynx · Post by **Jynx** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:22 pm

After I posted last, I had an idea... Thinking to my heritage (Portuguese) I was wondering what a scared local child in portugal would call a painted skull. I played with a few words and thought of "Small, Filthy scary looking guys with white skulls faces" and came out to what basically boils down to CRANIUMS in Portuguese...

crnios

now that I've typed it, it sounds silly..... well take it or leave it!

ciao!

...Jynx

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:24 pm

In my old AD&D games, we had a race of black skinned goblins who had been tortured and "raised" by drow, and forced into all manners of wicked things that slowly, over many thousands of centuries, developed innate magical abilities, one of which was the communication with their ancestors via the speak with dead spell; some exhibited the means to actually bring a small sediment of life back to recently fallen corpses, and these were excised from the community and used by their masters for nefarious purposes elsewhere -- the race was called Skaar.
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HatterMadness · Post by **HatterMadness** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:28 pm

I rather like Darkling

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:49 pm

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seskis281 · Post by **seskis281** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:50 pm

Actually I was serious with "Gobskulls" myself - the twisted smile was in honor of being nasty with the critters...

Darkling is kinda nice too methinks...

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Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:58 pm

I think I'll just call them "Marvin"

Sir Osis of Liver · Post by **Sir Osis of Liver** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:05 pm

It's possible to assign multiple names, you know. What they call themselves as well as what the locals call them.... Anybody who's read Jordan are familiar with this. Myrddraal = fades = gray men = etc.

Necrotids?

Mordrins?

Crypt defilers?

Skullduggers?

I think it's totally appropriate to have a name like the first two that might be used by the race themselves. When it comes to the civilized folk who share the same territory with these vile beings, however, that's where you can get really creative.

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:13 pm

Another decent example of that is "13th Warrior" with the "glow worm", etc...
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Post by **Breakdaddy** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:57 pm

The Celts considered Goblins fey spirits and had many names for them including bogeys, boggarts, and puca.

Kallikantzaroi is a malevolent goblin in Greek folk tradition. They dwell underground but come to the surface from the winter solstice for a fortnight (during which time the sun ceases its seasonal movement)

In Breton folklore, the Korrigans are dwarf-like spirits. Korr means Little person and ig is a diminutive and the suffix an is an hypocoristic.

The French sometimes called them fripouille.

Im partial to boggart. It brings a nasty little creature to mind and does so without a lot of adjectives. I also might shorten the greek Kallikantzaroi to Tzaroi, which sounds fairly malevolent as well.

Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:36 pm

great suggestions!

I like the idea of a "real" name and what the regular people, even the kids, call them. cool flavor with just a few words.

HatterMadness · Post by **HatterMadness** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 11:31 am

Sir Osis of Liver wrote:
It's possible to assign multiple names, you know. What they call themselves as well as what the locals call them.... Anybody who's read Jordan are familiar with this. Myrddraal = fades = gray men = etc.

.

Not to sound TOO geeky, but Fades aren't the same thing as Gray Men Gray Men = The Soulless.

Myrddraal = Fades

Sir Osis of Liver · Post by **Sir Osis of Liver** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 11:35 am

[quote="HatterMadness

Not to sound TOO geeky, but Fades aren't the same thing as Gray Men Gray Men = The Soulless.

Myrddraal = Fades[/quote]

I stand corrected. It's been a while since I put the series down. You understand the point of my post, though.

marcuspeddle · Post by **marcuspeddle** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:23 pm

How about Piper Goblins? They play a pipe to draw the undead out of their graves.

dutch206 · Post by **dutch206** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:50 pm

I'll second the darkling vote. However, you could give them dreadlocks and call them "Ghost-Faced Killaz".
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Go0gleplex · Post by **Go0gleplex** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:25 pm

There is already a monster in 3.5e called a darkling.

Hobleich strikes me as sinister... Hob lich...or;

Skull Cap.
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Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:02 pm

Ooh, these are all good!

thanks all!

Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:13 pm

In case you're still looking, the name, "dreadlings" sprung to mind while reading the thread, as did the name, "creepers" and "gorvils." Hope these help!
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Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:10 pm

still looking, and Dreadlings is quite cool.

aren't gorvils from Mazes and Monsters, the TV movie w/ Tom Hanks?

concobar · Post by **concobar** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 7:08 pm

Breakdaddy wrote:
I also might shorten the greek Kallikantzaroi to Tzaroi, which sounds fairly malevolent as well.

Mort'Tzaroi
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HatterMadness · Post by **HatterMadness** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 7:40 pm

Sir Osis of Liver wrote:
I stand corrected. It's been a while since I put the series down. You understand the point of my post, though.

Indeed, you do make a very good point.

dutch206 · Post by **dutch206** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 8:57 pm

HatterMadness wrote:
Indeed, you do make a very good point.

....but if you wear a hat, I'm almost sure nobody will notice.
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