AD&D Character Creation 21: Name the Character

Generally, characters have single names which are neither ordinary names nor common words--Lothias, Elbaron, Darius, Moravian, Gunther, and Darien are the original characters in the campaign, and Anthrax, Bulbous, Guljor, and Thuliar are the members of the second major party. Rarely do characters have two or three names; those who do are usually ridiculed or misunderstood for it, unless they have the social status or the sheer power to avoid such attitudes.

Among occidental characters, any character of at least Lower Upper Class by birth should have an individual name and a family name. In addition to names like those used for first names, players may give such characters imaginary place names or descriptives for family identifiers, such as "Richard of Philmore" or "Thomas the Younger". Characters below this social status should not have such names, although they may take a name of their choosing upon establishing their own freehold or similar position, or receiving a title. The exception to this is Cavaliers and Paladins, who may have a family name even if they do not have the upper class family by taking a name from their liege.

Vikings, regardless of their social class, have only individual names at the start of the game. At some point in their career, they will earn a second name designated by other non-player Vikings based upon their deeds, such as "Edric Dragonsbane".

Oriental characters, except Monks, always take a double name, at least two syllables. The family name is listed first, and the individual name follows. It is customary among the oriental realms for individuals to be addressed by their family names except when among the closest friends or family, or when the necessity exists to distinguish between two characters of the same family name (in which case both names are spoken). Occidentals do not always catch the way this works, and Orientals are generally patient with such foolish barbarians.

Monks have abandoned their family and other ties to the world so completely that they take a name appropriate to their order. These usually follow the oriental family-plus-individual name pattern (in which the family name is representative of the monastic order, and the individual name identifies this monk within it), but single names are acceptable.

M. J. Young's Dungeons & Dragons Materials
Collection of such pages as the much-praised Alignment Quiz, What is an RPG? (excerpted from Multiverser), the highly valued Confessions of a Dungeons & Dragons™ Addict, along with special rules and player aids in both written and computer formats, this site was highly praised by RAWS, linked by Gary Gygax, and is worth a look even if you don't like what you found here.

The Multiverser Information Center
The complexity of creating a D&D character always reminds me of how much simpler it is to play Multiverser®, the game which incorporates all other games, all other worlds, everything imaginable, with nothing else to buy.

Temporal Anomalies in Popular Movies
There are enough time travel films out there now that most of the things which could go wrong in time have been shown on the silver screen. This page applies a new conception of how time works (discussed in the Multiverser® game system to help referees sort out game scenarios in which player characters travel in time) to unraveling the most popular of such movies. An Event Horizon Hot Spot and Sci Fi Weekly Site of the Week which has won the author national recognition as an authority on time travel in fiction.

Index to the Pages of M. J. Young
An eclectic collection of materials which includes RPG stories, commentary on law and Bible, song lyrics, and indices to material all over the web.