Naming a New Monster is a Lot of Work
Earlier today, fellow game designer Kevin Wicker and myself got into a lengthy discussion about what to name one of our new monsters for the Severed Genesis Campaign Setting. While most of the monster's technical information is pretty straight forward, the name became a sticking point.
The creature is a tiny magical beast that looks like a cross between a spider and a bird and has a long proboscis that it uses for draining the blood from its victim. Since it has no wings with which to fly, it walks ever-so quietly through its woodland habitat searching for its next meal. While initially I came up with the term "ground stirge", it didn't quite fit since stirges are more insect-like. Eventually, I decided that "spidird" sounded pretty cool, so that's what I started calling it.
When I mentioned the name to Kevin, he was less than enthusiastic. In his opinion, spidird was too generic and had no memorable qualities. He began exploring other possible names. Since this monster's rust-colored feathers and long spider-like legs are obviously avian and arachnid in origin, Kevin suggested "arachnivan" for the name. Like his response to my spidird naming suggestion, I wasn't enthusiastic about arachnivan - not out of spite, but because I thought it was a little too hard to pronounce.
Eventually, we agreed to disagree about the subject. But what do you think? Which is better - spidird or arachnivan? Let me know in the comments section below.
Meet Bob Barcus
Bob Barcus has been playing tabletop RPGs since 2004. He started off playing Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 and progressed through a whole slew of other RPGs until finally finding the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. He is the owner of Apheus Solutions, LLC, which is the publisher of the Severed Genesis Campagin Setting. He is also a recovering World of Warcraft player, where he preferred to play undead warlocks. He occassionally plays Magic: The Gathering, choosing to play his vampire deck whenever possible. Bob enjoys spending time with his friends and family. He is an avid railfan, although he would never consider himself a "foamer."
