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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Titan in the Playground
     
    RaggedAngel's Avatar

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    Default Name for a Pirate

    I need help with names for a few swashbuckling NPC's. I'm terrible at names, so I'm requesting your help. They should be fairly serious (no puns, please), and should be realistic for a campaign that's sort of set in the 1600-1700's.

    The setting is essentially "Carribean pirates if magic existed and guns didn't."

    I need a name for a captain, a cook, a gunner (blasty sorcerer), and a first mate. They're all human or half-elven.

    My thanks in advance.
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    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate


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    Orc in the Playground
     
    OrcBarbarianGuy

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Captain [INSERT COLOR HERE]beard.

    Wait. I take that back.

    Captain [INSERT ADJECTIVE HERE]beard.

    No, wait, I take that back again. I forgot elves and half elves can't grow beards.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Titan in the Playground
     
    RaggedAngel's Avatar

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by MarkusWolfe View Post
    No, wait, I take that back again. I forgot elves and half elves can't grow beards.
    Thus is half my problem. The captain's a half-elf.
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    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    The Dread Captain Nullbeard.

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    Orc in the Playground
     
    DwarfFighterGuy

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    When I think of pirates I don't see people with stong family ties or a very standard home life. So family names don't seem to fit as well. It follows that they might give themselves names e.g. Blackbeard, Bluebeard, etc. So it's not far out there to think that at least some part of their name would relate to a distinguishing feature or prehaps their profession.

    Captain Darius Windrunner- an half-elf quick of mind and body.
    John Cooke, Butcher, or Fish - the ships cook probably doesn't have a fancy name, because if he were really charasmatic or intelligent he'd probably be doing something more important than cooking.
    Janissary- 'cannoneer' female human blaster. her friends call her Jan or Sari. (Janissaries were turkish fighters that were some of the earliest to upgrade to firearms as standard equipment IIRC)
    'Crackshot' McGillicutty or Muldoone- blaster type
    Montgomery - First mate- human
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    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by MarkusWolfe View Post
    No, wait, I take that back again. I forgot elves and half elves can't grow beards.
    Actually I think half-elves can. I seem to remember seeing book art of half-elves with beards. I imagine it would be kind of thin or scraggly though. Captain Halfbeard? Wait, CAPTAIN SOULPATCH! No wait.. that sounds like a really lame superhero.
    Last edited by Moriato; 2011-04-08 at 01:29 PM.
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    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    NinjaGirl

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Are any of them missing bits? "One-ear" and "Ninefingers" always make fun epithets. For the sorcerer, maybe "Shipburner"? As in Josyas Shipburner and Captain James Ninefingers. I can't think of anything for the first mate, and every cook-related name I can think of is a silly pun.

    Edited to give real-world first names
    Last edited by PollyOliver; 2011-04-08 at 02:13 PM.

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    Eldritch Horror in the Playground Moderator
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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Just call the cook 'Cookie'. Simple and descriptive. And if you later want puns, have him wander around the ship singing "The sea is for Cookie, it's good enough for me..."

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    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    BardGuy

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by MarkusWolfe View Post
    Captain [INSERT COLOR HERE]beard.

    Wait. I take that back.

    Captain [INSERT ADJECTIVE HERE]beard.

    No, wait, I take that back again. I forgot elves and half elves can't grow beards.
    I think the half-elf in the PHB has facial hair

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    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Eldan's Avatar

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Set in our world? I'm a fan of Spanish and French names for pirates, really.
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    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    The captain should be called Fullbeard, which buys him a round of confusion if he needs it when they find out he's clean-shaven.

  13. - Top - End - #13
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    AssassinGuy

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by MarkusWolfe View Post
    Captain [INSERT COLOR HERE]beard.

    Wait. I take that back.

    Captain [INSERT ADJECTIVE HERE]beard.

    No, wait, I take that back again. I forgot elves and half elves can't grow beards.
    Captain Fistbeard Beardfist?
    Last edited by Kaeso; 2011-04-08 at 06:10 PM.

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MarkusWolfe
    Captain [INSERT COLOR HERE]beard.

    Wait. I take that back.

    Captain [INSERT ADJECTIVE HERE]beard.

    No, wait, I take that back again. I forgot elves and half elves can't grow beards.

    Captain Fistbeard Beardfist?
    Arrg, you beat me to it!
    Last edited by Pokonic; 2011-04-08 at 06:16 PM.

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    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    RogueGuy

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    uh... Dread Pirate Roberts. Come on, you had to see that one coming.

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    RedWizardGuy

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    One of the famous pirates from my Campaign:

    All-Hands OnDeck-A flamboyant halfling pirate.


    Also nautical/ship terms are popular with pirates. Things like 'big sail' or 'hard hull' or the classic keel as in keelhaul.

    Also sea terms, like shark bait, squid eye, hard wave, or briney deep.

    And all fun fun goofy ones:

    Exxon Landho--who once ran his ship around...
    Titantic Icebottom--who once hit an iceberg...
    Argo GoldenFleece--an expolorer and avdenturer
    Bismark Ironbottom--A big, mean troll
    Friday Luckystar--who has bad and good luck
    Edmund Fitzgerald-I live on the Great Lakes

  17. - Top - End - #17
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    Morph Bark's Avatar

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by bloodtide View Post
    One of the famous pirates from my Campaign:

    All-Hands OnDeck-A flamboyant halfling pirate.
    Makes me think a good name would be Hansen van der Decken.
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  18. - Top - End - #18
    Titan in the Playground
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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by bloodtide View Post
    One of the famous pirates from my Campaign:

    All-Hands OnDeck-A flamboyant halfling pirate.

    And all fun fun goofy ones:

    Exxon Landho--who once ran his ship around...
    Titantic Icebottom--who once hit an iceberg...
    Argo GoldenFleece--an expolorer and avdenturer
    Bismark Ironbottom--A big, mean troll
    Friday Luckystar--who has bad and good luck
    Edmund Fitzgerald-I live on the Great Lakes
    Can I post these on this thread? Or do you want to post them?
    Last edited by Hiro Protagonest; 2011-04-08 at 07:01 PM.
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  19. - Top - End - #19
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    PirateCaptain

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by RaggedAngel View Post
    I need help with names for a few swashbuckling NPC's. I'm terrible at names, so I'm requesting your help. They should be fairly serious (no puns, please), and should be realistic for a campaign that's sort of set in the 1600-1700's.

    The setting is essentially "Carribean pirates if magic existed and guns didn't."

    I need a name for a captain, a cook, a gunner (blasty sorcerer), and a first mate. They're all human or half-elven.

    My thanks in advance.
    The Captain: Captain Rodger "Iron Eye" Gullsen.

    The Cook: Cookie or Chef.
    The Gunner: Handsome Jack.
    The First Mate: Gregor The Blade.
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  20. - Top - End - #20
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    NinjaGuy

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    http://www.piratenames.net/
    or
    Anyone from here

    Or to make your own, the typical way to do it is:
    Take a normal name. (first or last)
    Take an object related to pirates.
    Optional: Take an adjective to add to the object or just use an adjective instead.

    Examples:
    Cannonball Bill or Short Cannon Bill
    Silver Gun Stevens
    Peg Leg Pete
    Hungry Parrot Elye
    Black Anchor Tom
    Hairless Arthur
    Two Patch Angus (ok, I sort of stole that from Yogscast)
    The Cruel Pirate Lewis


    You get the idea.

  21. - Top - End - #21
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Malimar's Avatar

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    I simply cannot have a pirate crew without naming the bo'sun Higgs. It's just not possible.

    My last campaign actually primarily used a pirate ship for base camp, but the NPC crew mostly used the racial guidelines for their names rather than piratey names. Which is to say, they just kept whatever names they had before they became pirates. A bit prosaic, but you might consider switching a couple of the names up like that, unless you want this to be the piratiest bunch of pirates ever to pirate a pirated thing.

  22. - Top - End - #22
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    zephyrkinetic's Avatar

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    I must input the idea of a cook named Gibs. Pronounced "Jibbs," like in giblets. I don't think it's unrealistic for the cook's name to be a food pun.
    "Cooky" always works, too.

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  23. - Top - End - #23
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    nixxieraindrop's Avatar

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    Lightbulb Re: Name for a Pirate

    What about... Captain Derryk Cutlass? Derryk meaning "the people's ruler" and cutlass meaning... Well, awesome pointy thing. Therefore, ruling by the sword.

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    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Jack Zander's Avatar

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    I was gonna point to my avatar and suggest you use the name Roberts, but looks like someone beat me to it.
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    NamelessNPC's Avatar

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by BRC View Post
    The Captain: Captain Rodger "Iron Eye" Gullsen.

    The Cook: Cookie or Chef.
    The Gunner: Handsome Jack.
    The First Mate: Gregor The Blade.
    For some reason, these names sound really awesome

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    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Dsurion's Avatar

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by NamelessNPC View Post
    For some reason, these names sound really awesome
    I don't know if you've noticed, but pretty much everything BRC posts is full of awesome.

  27. - Top - End - #27
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Devil

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    "Magnus Warfield" is the best pirate name i've ever heard.

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by nixxieraindrop View Post
    What about... Captain Derryk Cutlass? Derryk meaning "the people's ruler" and cutlass meaning... Well, awesome pointy thing. Therefore, ruling by the sword.
    Consider the name Dirk means the same thing as well as something quite similar to cutlass, Dirk Cutlass would be quite something.

    Or if he is known as a criminal and mostly murdering helpless people, Cut-a-lass.
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  29. - Top - End - #29
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    PirateCaptain

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by Dsurion View Post
    I don't know if you've noticed, but pretty much everything BRC posts is full of awesome.
    Can I sig that?
    Quote Originally Posted by Dsurion View Post
    I don't know if you've noticed, but pretty much everything BRC posts is full of awesome.
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    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Dsurion's Avatar

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    Default Re: Name for a Pirate

    Quote Originally Posted by BRC View Post
    Can I sig that?
    Please do

    And rather than just continue to blather on not on topic...

    A lot of sailors were common people with common names based on their family trade. It's entirely realistic to name people Smith, Cook, Cooper, etc., and translate into a different language if you want. Personally, I've found that pirates are more interesting when they have fairly common names rather than exotic ones.

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