Every fiction writer, creator, or player of RPGs has faced the same challenge: Great names. We’ve all rolled our eyes at a friend who named their Ranger Drizzt, or named a halfling Frodo. When players and writers employ overused names, they set themselves up for forgettable characters. Here are 8 ideas (with examples) for creating great names.
Scientific Terminology is a great place to start. Modifying terminology to make names gives your readers a hint into the theme of the character. Medicine, Geology, Physics, Chemistry, etc. are great fields with recognizable terms. Saphenous was the name of my death knight in my World of Warcraft days. Named after the saphenous vein, this death knight focused on Blood magic.
Reading through scientific resources is another great way to start. Your local library is likely to have a subscription to scientific journals which you can peruse. You might even pay homage to the author of a particularly interesting paper.
Astronomy is a popular choice for writers like J. K. Rowling. In the Harry Potter series, Draco and Sirius are named after a constellation and a star system, respectively. Astronomical names often sound familiar, but unique enough to stand out.
Astronomical geology can be one to avoid, though. Many features of Charon (Pluto’s largest moon)…
