As promised, I'll throw out a few words about truenames.

Truenames are common in many fantasy settings. I think I first became aware of the concept in Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy (which I love -- it probably influenced the magic system and spells in Arcana Unearthed in many ways). The idea, in Arcana Unearthed, is that each person has a secret truename in addition to their own name. This is the name of their soul. They learn their truename either through a lot of introspective reflection or in a ceremony called the naming ceremony (which happens in a character's formative years, during which time the character gets a special ceremony feat).

I then took this core concept and stretched it in many ways. First and foremost, since your truename is the name of your soul, if a spellcaster knows your truename, his spells are more potent when used against you. Certain spells, with the Truename descriptor, can only be used against you if the caster knows your truename. However, some beneficial spells that deal with your soul, like spells that restore life to the dead, also require the caster to know your truename -- so at some point, it's wise to tell your close comrades your truename. But obviously this becomes an issue of real trust.

There's even a feat, Power of the Name, that allows a character to use another character's truename against her.

Learning the truenames of opponents becomes an important plot point of some adventures -- when you really need every advantage against your foe. Truenames of powerful outsiders and other creatures allow them to be summoned and intimidated, making truenames a new form of treasure.

However, some creatures lack truenames. These are called the Unbound or Unnamed. Characters can choose to be Unbound, freeing them from the worry of having a secret that someone can use against them. However, such creatures face great risk, because beneficial spells requiring truenames do not function for them either -- including raise the dead. Once you have chosen the path of the Unnamed you cannot go back. Unbound characters get an additional Talent feat at character creation rather than a Ceremony feat. This is the only way a character can get multiple Talents, which you can take only at character creation.

When you die and are brought back, the process changes your soul enough that your truename changes (and you can switch your naming ceremony feat if you want). Characters who die and come back can choose to be Unbound. A lot of undead make this choice.

From a design point of view, truenames are a satisfying addition of one small facet of the game that can be worked into other mechanics (like spells). This "ripple effect" through the rules, with one rule slightly adding to or changing others, is one that the desginer has to handle carefully. In the end, though, it adds a lot of new flavor to the game and creates interesting choices and motivating adventure hooks.

 

DESIGN DIARY PAST ENTRIES

* Go, Go, Go! -- April 10, 2003
"Short entry this time. I hate spells with 1 minute/level durations...."

* Ceremony -- April 3, 2003
"I think I've already mentioned that one of the goals I set for myself with Arcana Unearthed was to make things a little less generic...."

* Things That Rules Take Away -- March 21, 2003
"There are aspects of fantasy roleplaying that rules, inadvertently, can actually take away...."

* Still Talking Classes -- March 13, 2003
"I've saved some of the best classes for last. Let's talk about the runethane, the mage blade, and the witch...."

* More Classes -- February 27, 2003
"This time, I want to tell you about some of the other classes: akashics, magisters, and greenbonds...."

* Build a Better Fighter -- February 23, 2003
"The title this week is facetious. It really should be 'build a different fighter'...."

* The Magic Balancing Act -- February 13, 2003
"In Arcana Unearthed I'm introducing a new method of magic item pricing. First, I streamlined the item creation feats..."

* More Magic -- January 23, 2003
"This week, I thought I'd talk more about the new magic system in Arcana Unearthed."

* Magic -- January 17, 2003
"As a designer, magic in Arcana Unearthed posed a huge challenge. I knew that I wanted to ditch the Vancian system...."

* Design Decisions, Part Two -- December 24, 2002
"Here's a bit more discussion of some of the general issues I faced as I began designing Arcana Unearthed...."

* Design Decisions, Part One -- December 19, 2002
"Before jumping into another big area of Arcana Unearthed's design, like classes or the magic system, I thought I'd discuss some of the general issues I faced as a designer starting the book...."

* Arcana Unearthed Races -- December 5, 2002
"I started with the races. While I knew that the game needed humans as a basis, I wanted all the other races to be new. I didn't want to just create dwarf and elf analogs with different names...."