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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Dec 2012 : 03:19:23
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The third one is close, MT.
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On topic: No one wants Bender? I think it sounds cool, though their powers are very limited. Vurdmeister is a good one, too. It inspires awe/fear/respect. And it doesn't necessarily have to be associated with evil practitioners of magic.
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Yes. Though I would have voted for Magician, if not for the fact that it's been often used to refer to RW tricksters/illusionists; and I can hardly shake off the association from my mind.
Can I change my vote to Arcanist? I think it rings with magic and mystery, compared to just plain wizard/magician. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Kyrel
Learned Scribe
151 Posts |
Posted - 06 Dec 2012 : 21:45:17
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| Across all types of fantasy I'll go for "Arcanist", but with "Mage" an increadibly close 2nd. |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 06 Dec 2012 : 21:56:25
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| I enjoy there being multiple terms, some interchangeable, other's specific, others more slang or slur. One I'm not a particular fan of is magician; to me, a magician is someone who fakes it. |
"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 06 Dec 2012 : 22:40:28
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I looked back over the thread, I still say magic - user appears to be the best to describe those that use any form of magic, BD&D only had arcane casting Magic Users, however the question was one term to cover a far larger body of works that have spell casting ability i.e. not just D&D spell casters.
The only other term that would include most of all systems and novels would appear to be Witch, however something like 50 percent of people appear to believe Witches are female and Witch Doctors are males, or course there is that abused term Warlock out there that a sit com popularized in the mid 20th Century (_BeWitched_ )as the belief is the proper term for a male witch. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Entromancer
Senior Scribe
USA
388 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 00:39:38
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In my brew:
Warlocks: Draw their energy from the blood of victim who were dealt a brutal, messy death.
Witch: Draw their energy from the blood of a specific animal that died a brutal, messy death. They are able to reanimate the chosen animal as a familiar and receptacle of their magic. The animals used are those with a close link to the Borderlands between the physical plane and the extraplanar reaches.
Shaman: Draw their magic from the spirits of the dead that remain anchored to the physical plane. This puts them at odds with priests, preachers etc. etc. whose duties are the discharge of the spirit to the other plane in the interest of maintaining magical equilibrium.
Sorcerer: Enters into a covenant with an extraplanar being. There aren't many sorcerers because they generally have a short life span. The majority "die" by failing to outwit the being they bargained with for their power. As a result, they are dragged bodily to that being's elemental domain.
Mage: General magic user who creates spell shards from chemical and powder-based components via inorganic and organic chemistry.
Battle-Mage: A fighter who augments their armor/weaponry with spell shards. Their blades/armor are extremely expensive; they have to be able to support the magic released from the spell shards during combat. Thus Battle-Mages are typically found among the upper class of society. |
"...the will is everything. The will to act."--Ra's Al Ghul
"Suffering builds character."--Talia Al Ghul |
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MrHedgehog
Senior Scribe
688 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 04:13:43
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| Magic-user. The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 07:26:40
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quote:
Originally posted by MrHedgehog
The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user.
Not really. It depends what setting we're talking about. This poll is not just exclusive to D&D. What I don't like about magic-user is that it's too simple, unflattering, and crude. Would you rather call a swordsman a sword-user? |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 07:32:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Chosen of Asmodeus
One I'm not a particular fan of is magician; to me, a magician is someone who fakes it.
We're kind of on the same boat here. Even after immersing myself in Feist's novels for years [which, for those familiar with them, often use "magician" and "sorcerer" interchangeably, and "warlock" in later books], I could hardly dissociate the word "magician" from its RW usage. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 11:44:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
quote:
Originally posted by MrHedgehog
The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user.
Not really. It depends what setting we're talking about. This poll is not just exclusive to D&D. What I don't like about magic-user is that it's too simple, unflattering, and crude. Would you rather call a swordsman a sword-user?
Well if the fighter was a woman, I would think sword-user better then swordsman *G*
A grand title/label that covers all types of magic use likely is hard, because of all the sub-types already used.
Maybe Enchanter though not all magic uses chants. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Entromancer
Senior Scribe
USA
388 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 18:18:23
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| To my mind, the term "magician" conjurs up Randall Flagg/Walter O'Dim. Someone who maybe is/maybe isn't supernaturally gifted. |
"...the will is everything. The will to act."--Ra's Al Ghul
"Suffering builds character."--Talia Al Ghul |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 19:30:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
quote:
Originally posted by MrHedgehog
The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user.
Not really. It depends what setting we're talking about. This poll is not just exclusive to D&D. What I don't like about magic-user is that it's too simple, unflattering, and crude. Would you rather call a swordsman a sword-user?
Well if the fighter was a woman, I would think sword-user better then swordsman *G*
A grand title/label that covers all types of magic use likely is hard, because of all the sub-types already used.
Maybe Enchanter though not all magic uses chants.
A friend of mine had a brief phase where he tried feminizing a lot of words unnecessarily... Using words like sorceress and tigress as inspiration, he came up with words like warrioress and rangeress. I had to subject him to much merciless mockery before he finally dropped that trend!  |
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Old Man Harpell
Senior Scribe
USA
495 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2012 : 22:03:33
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Mage (magi, magus). Generic arcane spell-user.
I just can't use wizard so much any more, because:
1) Wizard versus sorcerer. Yes, artificial distinction brought about by D&D, but it still sticks in my brain. So either term as a generic classification doesn't work for me any more.
2) After seeing Ralph Bakshi's Wizards however many times, I get that image of Avatar stuck in my memory, and it just won't go away.
3) Tolkien. Wizards are Maiar, wizards are Istari, wizards are something no mortal can ever be. A mage, sure, but a wizard? Nah.
- OMH |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 08 Dec 2012 : 08:00:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
quote:
Originally posted by MrHedgehog
The rest of the terms refer to a type of magic-user.
Not really. It depends what setting we're talking about. This poll is not just exclusive to D&D. What I don't like about magic-user is that it's too simple, unflattering, and crude. Would you rather call a swordsman a sword-user?
Well if the fighter was a woman, I would think sword-user better then swordsman *G*
Maybe. Though in the all the books I've read, AFAICR, sword-user was never used. Instead, female characters who are good with the sword are simply referred to as fighter or warrior. I have not encountered swordswoman either. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 08 Dec 2012 : 08:04:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
A friend of mine had a brief phase where he tried feminizing a lot of words unnecessarily... Using words like sorceress and tigress as inspiration, he came up with words like warrioress and rangeress. I had to subject him to much merciless mockery before he finally dropped that trend!
I know one feminist who's fond of creating totally new words, instead of just adding a suffix to denote the female counterpart. For example, instead of your friend's 'warrioress,' she uses 'havehdrah,' if I remember it correctly. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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What term do you prefer for someone who...?
