Nothing strikes fear into your enemies like the ominous sounding name of your greatsword… Weenis Tickler!
We’ve added some fun writing prompts that revolve around named weapons. You can use these as adventure hooks for your campaign or get a short story going. Check them out at the end of the post!
Giving a weapon a name adds a lot to your narrative. Named weapons provide potential for prestige, backstory, connections, insinuations, omens, great magical or divine powers and many other such possible spins. Name a weapon and see how it adds flavor to your tale!
Excellent Names for your Weapons
Take any two or three of these and combine them in a way that inspires or entertains you…
- crusher, smasher, basher, masher,
- piercer, impaler, holemaker, needle, pin, carver,
- destroyer, annihilator, ender, wrecker,
- spinner, maker,
- rage, surge, sting,
- fiery, flaming, electric, smoke, fire, flame, acid,
- taker, stealer, breaker, opposer, corrupter,
- fiend, beast, killer, ravager, rager,
- defiant, defiance, defy, defiler,
- buster, breaker, duster, blaster,
- avenger, vengeance seeker, revenant, atoner,
- renderer, wrencher, ripper,
- bane, foe, fighter,
- stone, metal, iron, steel, bronze, rock, glass, diamond, emerald,
- sky, star, sun, moon, celestial,
- divine, holy, godly,
- fierce, wicked, savage, monster, evil, vengeful, slithering, corrupt, vile,
- ancestral,
- dire, great, stalwart, stoic,
- terrible, terrifying, terrorizing, terror, tyrannical, tyrant,
- imperial, royal, king’s, queen’s,
- jeweled, bearded, cloaked, studded,
- wrath of, bane of, death of, curse of, slayer of,
- animals: tiger, wolf, snake, viper, dog, puma, jaguar, cheetah (fast weapon), stag, bear,
- ironic name bits: silk, velvet, gentle, soother, careful, tender, easy, soft, mother’s, baby, kitten, pussy, lamb, pony, lovely, fresh, weak, pretty, princess, lady, light, warm,
Ideas and Thoughts for Naming Your Weapon
- using symbolism and superstition as part of a weapon name gives a foreboding or otherworldly spin:
- use symbolic body parts in the name: “The Heart of (whatever)”, or the eye, mind, hand, arm, fist,
- use colors, hues, or tones: “The Blue Fist of (blah blah blah)” is a powerful mace (maybe), green, red, fiery red, scarlet, dark, bright, gray, golden, silver, starlight,
- use animals as symbolic elements in your weapon names: a “Spider Sabre” is way different than the fabled “Yak Smasher”
- weather can be used symbolically as well: lightning, thunder, storm, wind, tornado, typhoon, drizzle (not too scary), snow, frost, cold, summer. “Spring Rain” may be a suitable weapon name for a woodland elf; I can imagine some swarthy human sellsword laughing at that name… just before Spring Rain impales him.
- connecting the weapon to a particular house, faction, family, tradition, institution lends it weight and authority. Not to mention, it creates tons of motivation for all kinds of characters to protect it, use it, destroy it, silence it, command with it, and so on.
- imbue your weapon with emotion: Anger’s Flame, Sword of Wrath, Sorrow Staff, Pride of __________, see Emotional Traits for more ideas.
- devising some history that explains the strange name of a weapon is an excellent narrative devise. Think about the weapon’s forging, travels, battles, owners, complications, powers, reputation, victories, failures, tragedies,
- build a weapon around a particular monster or foe and develop a name that reflects its prowess against that foe: Orcbuster, Demonbreaker, Dragons’ Bane, Thief Killer, Gremlin Grinder, Lawyer Litigator, Lizardlicker, Foe Fryer,
- you can also just give your weapon a name: Carl, Bob, Ingrid, Sarah, Marsha, Marvin, Ellery, Berwald, Dostoevsky (or Fyodor), or if it is a shaky spear call it William.
Naming Your Weapon – Writing Prompts
- Your weapon features the name of a far-off land. One night, in a dream, your weapon speaks to you about returning to its home. When you wake you feel compelled to fulfill its wish. What will you find there, and what adventures might you have on the way?
- Legend has told of a great weapon, named for its incredible power. One day, you find it. It is rather underwhelming. What will you have to do to revive its powerful magic and who could possibly help?
- You receive a great heirloom after the passing of a grandparent. It is a weapon of such ill-repute that you want nothing to do with it. Every time you try to get rid of it, something terrible happens and it shows up again. What is its hideous name and how will you rid yourself of this burden?
- Your father’s father’s father’s mother’s father’s mother once owned a glorious named weapon. It has gone missing and you can feel its call deep in your bones. What lengths will you go to in order to find it and rightfully claim it for yourself?
- A weapon you have acquired has one charge of magic remaining in its powerful reservoir. You could utter the incantation to release its great effect any time. What temptations to do so may arise and how will you resist using it until it is absolutely necessary.
- Trying to return to its creator, after whom it is named, your weapon is becoming less cooperative with you. What mishaps might arise thanks to this pouty weapon and at what point will you get it back to its master? Or will you return it at all? Can you tame it?
- Your weapon, named, “Chicken Dancer,” is the laughing stock of the town. What kind of weapon is it and how might it end up being the unlikely hero of your story? Change the name to something silly, as you like 🙂
- You work for a junk dealer who has an assortment of old weapons and armour and bits of battle accoutrements. One evening just as you are closing the shop, a shadowy individual comes in and asks for a weapon of a particular name. You tell them to return the next day when the owner will be in and they grudgingly leave. You decide to rummage around in the back and actually find the item they asked about, it’s name etched on it beneath layers of grime and dust. What do you do?