SO WHAT’S IT CALLED, ANYWAY? A Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatible GM’S RESOURCE by Marc Radle Sample file Sample file SO WHAT’S IT CALLED, ANYWAY? A Pathfinder Roleplaying Game GM’S RESOURCE supplement by Marc Radle Having returned from their most recent adventure, the PCs rest and recuperate in a nearby town. Of course, being adventurers it’s not long before they start to explore every nook and cranny of their new home in search of adventure! Before the hard‐worked GM knows it, they are exploring every un‐detailed portion of the town and asking questions like “So what’s that tavern called, anyway?” Instead of panicking, or using the same old names again and again, a GM using the tables within can quickly name dozens (if not hundreds) of taverns, inns, shops, locations and even other organisations and groups. Alternatively, the GM can use these tables ahead of time to create interesting and evocative names to pique the PCs’ interest and to breathe life into his campaign setting. Sample file C REDITS A BOUT THE D ESIGNER Design: Marc Radle Marc Radle is a professional graphic artist and designer by trade. Development: Creighton Broadhurst He is married and has three kids (one teenaged son and two very Editing: Creighton Broadhurst spoiled cats). Cover Design: Creighton Broadhurst He started playing D&D in the late 70’s – good old First Layout: Creighton Broadhurst Edition AD&D! He also played many other RPGs back then… Interior Artists: Marc Radle Marvel Superheroes, Champions, Elfquest, FASA's Star Trek, Star Frontiers, the list goes on…but it always came back to AD&D! Thank you for purchasing So What’s It Called, Anyway?; we hope Marc faded out of gaming sometime after 2nd Edition came out you enjoy it and that you check out our other fine print and PDF – partially because 2nd Edition just didn't quite do it for him but products. also because his gaming friends turned into grownups, got real lives and moved away when Marc wasn't looking! ONTACT S C U Third Edition D&D really pulled Marc back into the hobby and he has since become a HUGE fan of the Pathfinder RPG! He Email us at [email protected]. is absolutely thrilled with what Paizo has done for gamers E RRATA everywhere and is even more thrilled that he can still enjoy playing (and contributing to) the game he loves. Thanks Paizo! We like to think So What’s It Called, Anyway? is completely error Marc has written and/or illustrated for a number of great free, but we are realists. So in that spirit, we shall post errata game companies, including Kobold Quarterly, Open Design, three months after release on ragingswan.com. We aren’t going Super Genius Games, Last Unicorn Games (back in the day), to be correcting typos and spelling errors, but we will correct any Headless Hydra Games, Jon Brazer Enterprises, Tricky Owlbear game mechanic or balance issues that come to light. Publishing, Louis Porter, Jr Design and Raging Swan Press. Product Identity: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, artefacts, places and so on), dialogue, plots, storylines, language, incidents, locations, characters, artwork and trade dress are product identity as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e) and are not Open Content. Open Content: Except material designated as Product Identity, the contents of So What’s It Called, Anyway? are Open Game Content as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. The moral right of Marc Radle to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. ©Raging Swan Press 2011. Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more information on the compatibility license. Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Publishing, LLC. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Publishing, LLC does not guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse this product. To learn more about Raging Swan Press, visit ragingswan.com. To learn more about the Open Game License, visit wizards.com/d20. SamplePublished by Raging Swan Press file 1st printing, December 2011 2 C ONTENTS Credits .......................................................................................... 2 Contact Us ................................................................................... 2 Errata ........................................................................................... 2 About the Designer ...................................................................... 2 Contents ...................................................................................... 3 Foreword ..................................................................................... 3 Raging Swan Press ..................................................................... 12 S O W HAT’ S I T C ALLED, A NYWAY? Using the Tables........................................................................... 4 Table A: Descriptive ..................................................................... 6 Table B: Creatures ........................................................................ 7 Table C: People ............................................................................ 8 Table D: Objects ........................................................................... 9 Table E: Other ............................................................................ 10 F OREWORD I’m a pretty creative chap, but when I try and come up with The tables herein provide the busy GM with the means to names – for NPCs or locations – on the fly, my brain often stops generate countless unique names for inns, shops, sailing vessels, working, or I end up recycling the same names again and again. adventuring groups and other organisations. That’s why I was delighted when Marc Radle contacted me with Even if the GM doesn’t use the tables as presented, the the idea for this product. Like all Raging Swan products, it’s contents serve as a handy source of inspiration. something I can see myself using in my game, both before the Of course, often a GM doesn’t have time to fully prepare session when I’m preparing a village or town and even in‐game before a session and that’s why So What’s It Called, Anyway? when my players inevitably wander into locations I haven’t also presents five tables of pre‐generated names suitable for prepared. immediate use in a campaign. So next time your PCs ask, “So As Marc said in his pitch: “Even the most talented and what’s the name of this place, anyway?” you’ll be ready! resourceful GM can use some help coming up with memorable I hope you find this product useful. It would be great to hear and evocative names for his game. After all, consistently thinking all the cool names you generate with these tables – drop me a of unique and interesting names for inns and shops, not to line at [email protected]. mention ships, religious orders and the like can be a challenge for even the most experienced GM. This can be even more of a challenge when a name is needed on the spot, such as when the party suddenly takes a detour for which the GM was not quite prepared.”Sample file 3 U SING THE T ABLES So What’s It Called, Anyway? comprises five tables: fancy or that fit his needs. The GM can even pick words simply because they have nice alliteration or roll easily off the tongue Table A: Descriptive (The Treacherous Toad, Amorous Ankheg or Saucy Shepherd). Table B: Creatures Examples: The GM decides he needs a quick name for an Table C: People inn, so he rolls once on Table A: Descriptive and once on Table D: Objects Table B: Creatures. He rolls a 2 Table E: Other and a 39, resulting in the words Angry and Griffon. With the addition These tables can be used to of the word “The”, the GM names the inn generate a virtually limitless The Angry Griffon, surely an interesting number of interesting names for name his players will have little trouble shops, taverns, ships, adventuring remembering. groups and so on. The easiest way to use The GM could have instead decided to these tables is to simply choose roll on Table B: Creatures and Table D: any two of the five, roll once on Objects, resulting in an inn called The each and apply the results in Badger and Bucket. order to generate a name. In Perhaps the GM needs a quick many cases, you will need to add name for a pirate ship, so he rolls once the word ‘The’ or ‘and’ to the on Table B: Creatures and once on name as appropriate. Table E: Other, resulting in The The GM can instead opt to roll Medusa’s Gaze. twice on the same table. The Don’t worry if the resulting name resulting names tend to be a bit does not make sense at first glance. The more straightforward or beauty of inn names, or other similar mundane (especially if the GM rolls twice on Table D: Objects). sorts of names, is that they can be so named because of local For example, The Book and Candle might be the perfect name custom, superstitions, the owner’s interests or loves or simply for a wizard’s magic shop while The Kettle and Cauldron, could because they sound good. be a great name for an alchemist’s shop. A GM can allow a If the GM is more adventurous, he might decide to roll on nonsensical name to fuel his three tables instead of two. Doing so most likely requires the creativity: why is that inn GM to be a bit more open‐minded and creative with the called The Chaste Minstrel? results. However, such What interesting story or results can be well worth adventure hook lies behind the it – imagine the potential name? This interesting story behind an inn called The background adds detail and Toothless Harpy’s Lute! depth to both the inn and the Yet another option is to roll on settlement in which the inn one or two tables as described above.