Homophones
I have gaming to thank for my vocabulary. Fantasy literature helped of course, but it was the tabletop that forced me to interact with all those wonderfully obscure multisyllabic monsters. After all, you can’t just skim past riposte when you’re in a duel to the death. Celerity may save your unlife if you happen to be a vampire. Learning that concubine is not another word for “queen” is important for a young gamer / diplomat. And knowing a bit of prestidigitation can help you steer clear of gaol when you’ve been up to some skulduggery.
There are a̶n̶y̶ ̶n̶u̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ ̶o̶f̶ 6,350 academic papers on the benefits of this hobby. But speaking as a writer, it was always the word-lore that struck closest to home. Of course, as you may have guessed from today’s comic, the obscurity of some of these words can lead to trouble.
The most famous example has to do with the legendary monster known as Gazebo. By the same token, some of you may recall how, on this very comic, the infamous tlkeen longsword managed to cast confusion on my entire group. I’ve even heard tell of some neophyte acolytes who assumed that “turn undead” let them impersonate zombies. In other words, there might be a reason that the original Keep on the Borderlands put a literal glossary in its appendices.
And so, as we leave Wizard and Thief to their relationship troubles, what do you say we try and improve our Knowledge (diction) scores? What is your favorite RPG word? What weird, obscure, impossible-to-use-in-normal-conversation, sesquipedalian humdinger have you picked up from this hobby? Shout out your favorites down in the comments!
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I’ve learned that a sawhorse isn’t a unocorn with a serrated, bladed horn… not that it shouldn’t be that as well.
And obviously, I appreciate knowing the difference between a wyrm and worm.
Etymologically, I find it neat that cobalt got its name from miners thinking that its ore were caltrops placed by kobolds.
The unocorn is among the most magical of beasts. Bastard always has a Draw 4.
I am actually, honestly laughing out loud. Chapeau.
Funnily enough, it took me a few months to learn what exactly initiative meant. It’s like… One of those words you hear a lot but don’t actually know the meaning of. For the longest time I just associated initiative with conflict/fighting and assumed that anytime someone talked about how someone “took the initiative” basically meant they struck first. Even in peaceful context like “she took the initiative to do her homework” again I just sorta assumed she was like, REALLY into doing her homework or something.
Wasn’t until I was in college that I learned what it actually meant.
To save others a google:
[1] the ability to assess and initiate things independently.
“use your initiative, imagination, and common sense”
[2] the power or opportunity to act or take charge before others do.
“we have lost the initiative and allowed our opponents to dictate the subject”
Etymology is a hell of a drug. Once you begin to stop and think, “Wait, what does the word actually mean as opposed to how I generally use it?” it’s alarming how little we actually know.
I began playing when I was quite young and have always been rather verbose; furthermore, I played (and derived a substantial amount of vocabulary from) Warhammer before I entered the realms of D&D. Therefore, whilst I recall that I owe my understanding of the definition of “novice” to an… unfortunate incident in the games store at age 7, I find myself unable to remember which elements of my vocabulary I might have garnered from the realms of D&D and its kin. Although they are two of my favoured words to use in session, I am reasonably sure that “squamous” arrived in my vocabulary from somewhere in the region of Kadath, whilst “gloaming” was a word beloved of several older relatives.
In short, then, my memory has failed me – but I am quite sure that I have learned words from D&D and other RPGs.
Equally interestingly, I have discovered that verbosity is somewhat like blinking… very hard to unconsciously regulate once you start thinking about it!
Used squamous in mad libs once. It was a team building exercise at work. My boss did not appreciate the obscurity.
Heh… in a similar vein, in our high school drama classes, we had a “mime something starting with a specific letter” improv thing that I always ended up winning at because I would reference random mythological creatures when the expected standard of idea was in the region of “snake.”
I shall never forget the experience of explaining what a “lemure” (in the sense of the Roman spirit, not the D&D devil-let, of course) was to a class of 30-odd boys who’d almost all signed up for what they saw as the “doss subject.”
P.S. If we’re counting proper nouns as words learned, I can almost guarantee that I would not know the real-world meanings of Orcus, Dis Pater, or indeed Lemure without D&D. Maybe it is a tool of the Satanists after all…
Nah, jut lit and theatre majors
My favorite obscure hobby word is very much “Chthonic”[1], ever since I found out how to pronounce that it has brought me so much joy.
Just look at it 8 letters, only two vowels and both in the last half of the word. It’s fun to say even (through a bit of a nightmare to spell).
Auspicious[2] is another fun one.
I also have fun memories of how my hobbying meant that I had a real unusual english word-set back in my young days. Lot’s of obscure medieval words or fancy specific religious or otherwise formal ones but not all of the common ones that would normally be implied by a large vocabulary.
[1]relating to the earth, especially the underworld.
[2]Lucky/fortunate omen/favorable/a good sign.
Oh man, Monte Cook is a great one for religious paraphernalia. I’ll be sitting there reading the room description like, “Wait, wtf is an ostensorium?”
At least he didn’t use the synonym “monstrance”, that’d just give people the wrong impression entirely.
Naw. Exalted has that one locked up: https://whitewolf.fandom.com/wiki/Monstrance_of_Celestial_Portion
Magic: the Gathering’s my usual go-to source for obscure vocabulary via gaming. Granted, both it and Exalted are handy for “Autochthon,” whether you’re talking about Hephaestus McCybertron or the 9/14 with convoke and trample.
I’ve been watching a lot of Ben Stark drafts lately:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCayul8sNRs5TatadTyYh4Eg
Dude is so used to obscure magical weirdness that he thought “wolverine” was a fantasy creature. Chat gave him hell, poor guy.
How are you even supposed to pronounce “dweomer”? Gygax apparently loved that word.
Like Ash pronounces magic words. Just sort of cough your way through it and hope nobody notices.
I go with “DWEE-oh-murr”.
Dwe-mer is another popular one (rhymes with swimmer). I think the difference might originally have been regional but I have no idea which regions.
Though we learn to take it for granted quickly in the hobby, “melee” is actually a pretty cool word for a brawl. (Such as the one Thief is thinking of starting with the hotties at court. I hope that’s a comb in her left hand, and not a blade?)
And this is not so much new cool vocabulary as a Thief-type misunderstanding, but very early in my D&D days — back in the Blue Box era — I remember thinking that “Cure Light Wounds” had way too narrow a use-case to be worth devoting spell slots to. I mean, you’d have to be wounded by a laser or something, right?
I asked Laurel the same question. She cackled maniacally.
That’s amazing. I kind of want it to be a Starfinder spell now.
It’s a three-in-one combination – comb, blade AND lockpick – purchased for a mere 19g 95s from a smooth-talking bard peddling the newest, hot, masterwork tool kits in an intermission of a late night performance by the Insomniacs.
Man… Where was that hotness for my last rogue/paladin/noble? She’d have been all about stabby personal grooming products!
“Hottie”? They’re Elves. Kind of antithetical.
Nothing’s coming to me vocabulary-wise, (Although I did specifically learn words like “Strafe”, “Melee” “Coup de grace”, and so on from games) but I have googled some weird shit for D&D purposes.
Did you know that the human head is 7% of your body-weight, and the human skeleton is 15% of your body weight? (I have no idea if the skull is 0.35% of your body weight). That means that since petrifying a creature increases its weight 10-fold that a petrified lich would weigh 150% of a normal person’s body-weight.
I suspect you of fuzzy math.
My petrified Lich math is accurate, but my skull math is wrong. Your skull should be aboot 1% of your body weight if it follows the same percentage as the rest of your skeleton.
What is the weirdest thing tabletop gaming has made you google?
I remember wasting a lot of time trying to figure out how long it would take to tunnel through 3′ of solid rock with hand tools. Not exactly weird, but… involved. 🙁
So funny story about this: The first time I encountered the word “soubrette”, it was in an erotic vampire novel, and it didn’t really give context. So for me, “soubrette” is now a term from this one fantasy setting I have, referring to a specific kind of companion the vampires of that setting keep, kind of an overlap between confidant, favored snack, and candidate for potential vampirisation down the line. I’ve since looked up the word and found out what it usually means, of course, but I’m pretty sure the above is the only thing I would ever use the word to mean.
The first time I encountered the word “soubrette”, it was in a Handbook comment. Well done you.
I blame Vampire: The Masquerade for the vampiric obsession with obscure language: http://vtmlv.wikidot.com/wiki:lexicon
The dreaded Gazebo is oft thought of as an apocryphal tale that no one seems to know the origin of and yet everyone has heard the story. I thought as much until one day the Automan (ottoman) was brought up in the room and one of our players asked if it was a clockwork and wanted to know if it was moving or doing anything as our group entered the room. After a bit of the confusion had been dealt with and the obscure piece of furniture was now just that again in everyone’s mind, someone mentioned the tale of the Gazebo. Ironically, it was not the same player that was confused about what an ottoman is that then asked what a gazebo was… and the tale of the monster from within the garden was once again renewed as it seems even now, some things never change. I always try to remind myself that what each person imagines in their heads as a description is laid down in pure word form, is almost never the exact same image. Oh sure, there are probably some similarities, but with each person’s mind working slightly different and in their own head, whatever the DM is describing from the image they have in their head might be very different than what the words have put into the heads of the other players at the table.
I always like “giant spider” as an example.
“Oh, you mean like that huge golden silk orb-weaver in my backyard?”
“Erm. No. You ever see Return of the King?“
And then someone mentions a large spider and you have to ask if they mean “large” like a tarantula or “Large” as in the same size category as a horse.
“The size of a horse? That’s huge!”
“No, it’s large.”
“By comparison, this giant spider is small.”
“Like a halfling?”
“Yeah. About a medium-sized halfling.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcRRaXV-fg
You could always refer the Wikipedia entry for it. It seems pretty well-researched.
reading fantasy novels in English and playing with German players is not helping with my vocabulary.
Well now you’ve got me curious. Can I get an obscure German fantasy word?
not really.
but I remember a similar problem from one of my favorite books, where the protagonist reads English crime novels to train for school but learned the wrong vocabulary.
„phrases like ‚collapsing silently‘ don‘t help when the school books are about ‚happy children visiting grandmother‘ “
‚collapsing silently‘ = ‚lautlos in sich zusammensinken‘
Nice. I have no idea if “sinken” is a cognate for “sinking,” but I imagine that salmon would sink pretty quietly.
So this character RIGHT HERE, on your LEFT, is responsible for me learning a number of new words because I had this crazy idea at character creation to make the character’s profession be Fortune Teller with the possibility of maybe doing some actual divination with skill checks way down the line. It worked out differently than I imagined, but let’s get to the word.
I’m pretty familiar with a lot of old superstitions, folklores, and things those people what see and talk to spirits are familiar with, but there was a particular omen reading practice that had a name I’d only realized I didn’t know when I started playing this character and things went awry.
That word is haruspicy, and while not the primary means of fortune telling for my character, was one the character would know.
Typically the character used things more like palm reading, feng shui, and kau cim sticks.
Check out the “Methods of divination” table on this page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augury
Frickin’ wild.
Tons of examples, all thanks to the beauty of german compounds:
Weltenkarzer (Prison of Worlds), a level in the german version of Kingdom Hearts 1.
Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), fourth cycle of Wagners Ring of the Nibelung.
Betrübnis (“En-bleak-ening”) sorrow, grief.
Or how about some dramatic adjectives: todgeweiht (“anointed unto death”, moribund), frevelhaft (“sin-afflicted”, sacrilegious), auserkoren (chosen).
Or my favourite: *dirnenhaft” (“harlot-afflicted”, meretricious). Not in the sense of “relating-to-prostitutes” but “tempting in a way that is only skin-deep”. “All that glitters is not gold” in one word.
I’m proud of myself that I’ve heard at least one of ’em. Thanks, Wagner!
I’d say my personal favourites are shillelagh and portfolio (in the sense of “divine sphere of influence” as in: “Shar’s portfolio encompasses darkness, loss and secrets”). The first one is just fun to say, the second one I actually managed to use in my bachelor thesis.
RPGs are the sole reason I learned english in the first place. My father noticed my abysmal grades and promptly deleted the game I was playing non-stop (Neverwinter Nights). He then re-installed it without the (admittedly atrocious) russian language pack and at the time I had no idea how to reverse it. With my choices being “Stop playing, ’cause I can’t understand shit” and “Start cramming that syllabus to find the goddamn options menu one day”, I made the ultimate sacrifice.
Also, I have no idea why I just can’t hit the reply button. That post of german words was supposed to be an answer to this question (“Well now you’ve got me curious. Can I get an obscure German fantasy word?”.
No worries. I’ve made that mistake more times that I’d care to admit. The only difference is that I have access to an ‘edit’ button.
Also of note, that is the best “how I learned a language” story I’ve heard. Well done your dad!
In preparation for the showdown with the final boss of Iron Gods, I decided to place the fight within a cathedral of the big bad guy’s memory. To properly set the stage, I read up on the architectural details of cathedrals. I came across the word ‘reredos’, the screen behind the altar. Even though I read widely – this was a new word for me.
However, the final fight was over so quickly so I never got to use reredos in a description.
There ought to be a glossary of obscure liturgical implements somewhere. Damned if I can find it by googling though.
Graceful Wicked Masques. It got lots of weird words. Which is something i like. To read a text and struggle to understand, to wrestle knowledge and conquer it. It may be why i like game like the Elder Scrolls, there is many pieces of lore to put together and get one of many posible theories and tales. For me to get astonished by a word or to don’t understand it you would need to work hard. I read a lot since i learned to read, few words would seem strange to me. So when i need to struggle i really enjoy it. The concept of Shinma as it appears on the book is quite interesting. Is by things like that i play games like Cultist Simulator, getting knowledge and answers served is good, to hunt for knowledge is more entertaining 😀
Also, since we talk weird words, Colin or others. Have you read A Clockwork Orange? o_O
Appy polly loggies to the droogs getting fashed thinking I’m bezoomy, but yes. Pony me or no, I’ve read it.
The edition i have got a glossary, i couldn’t read a paragraph without consulting it 🙂
Learned from the hobby? None, My vocabulary was already staggering under the weight of words by the time I started gaming at age 10.
My favorite word used in the hobby? Vorpal. I love nonsense words that accrue meaning from usage.
Yeah, this is the same for me. I was reading “high school/college level” novels (whatever that even means) when I was in elementary school. The only words I wind up learning from D&D are the kinds of ones that don’t stick with me because they’re just the name of specific obscure objects and my memory just isn’t good enough for that.
I’ve always loved Moonsilver and Starmetal. They’re just so evocative and carry that fantastical weight to them. Soulsteel also is a good one because it always makes me chuckle.
Laurel and I are making our way through Steven Universe at the moment. Gemstones and precious metals are wonderfully evocative.
https://www.brilliantearth.com/news/gemstone-meanings-the-surprising-symbolism-of-your-jewels/
Snicker-snack, my dude!
Do non-English words count? Because Pathfinder introduced me to the manananggal, which is as fun to say as it is awful to spell (and yes, I had to Google it to make sure I got it right in this comment.)
Doesn’t have to be tabletop to improve your vocabulary. Videogames do an excellent job too! A surprising amount of words are religion based, by the way. Thus, my list would be:
“Neophyte”
“Rapscallion”
“Hierophant”
“Bastard” (in regards to ones parenthood)
“Mystic”
“Thaumaturgy”
“Aurumvorax”
“Chimera”
“Myconid”
“Necromancer” (or other -mancers)
“Necropolis”
“Abberant”
“Diabolist”
“Eldritch”
“Petulant”
“Phantasmal”
“Corruptive”
“Invigorating”
“Vexing”
“Putrid/rancid”
“Familiar” (the witch pet)
“Curse/Hex”
“Cantrip”
“Gargantuan”
“Alchemy”
The real trip is trying to figure out when something is a “real fantasy word” vs an invented fantasy word. But even if it’s the latter, there’s etymological roots in the former (looking at you, myconid).
I wonder what damage you’d deal firing a mangy manananggal from a mangonel?
I remember having some confusion between “urchin” as in a shabby lower-class child who spends much of their time on the streets, and “urchin” as in the spiky bottom-dwelling sea creature
The lovable street starfish?
Well I’ve got my next Lunar:
http://theonyxpath.com/the-lunar-exalted-exalted/#:~:text=The%20Lunar%20Exalted%20are%20Creation's,part%20of%20their%20own%20nature.
and also “urchin” as in the slang term for hedgehogs
Heh. Reminds me of the time we got confused between lune (the moon spirit) and loon (the waterfowl) in my Werewolf game.
It’s also the shape formed by two circles intersecting
Is Thief asking about the hotties in a jealous desire to stab nobles, or because she feels like she’s missing out on said numerous hotties?
I believe we have established Thief’s jealous tendencies:
https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/prince-charming
Got to use “flabbergasted” once.
Forced a player to leave the room by pointing out that a “bizarre” mix of merchandise is a pun when it’s in a “bazaar”.
Those are the only two that come to mind, but I’m often using weird words.
Love me some Fritz Leiber:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazaar_of_the_Bizarre
I’ve been sandbagging the last couple of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books just so I don’t have to finish ’em.
Bizaar Bizzar is also the name of a two-part album by the Insane Clown Posse