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Nerdarchy > Dungeons & Dragons  > D&D Ideas — Words of Power and the Power of Words
power of words

D&D Ideas — Words of Power and the Power of Words

Real World Adventure Hooks for D&D — The Bones Await You
The One Thing You Want to Know About NPCs in RPGs

Welcome once again to the weekly Nerdarchy Newsletter. You can get the Nerdarchy Newsletter delivered to your inbox each week, along with updates and info on how to game with Nerdarchy, by signing up here. This week we delve into the power of words. Before we do we’ve got a freebie to offer up. Over on the Pledge Manager for the Out of the Box: Encounters for 5th Edition we put a free download of a new encounter. Grab it here.

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Delving Dave’s Dungeon

Spells, true names, command words and magic runes are all ways to incorporate the power of words into your D&D campaign. Wizards of the Coast even recently released an Unearthed Arcana with a new wizard Arcane Tradition — Onomancy. It’s all about infusing spells with the power of true names. This provides more ways to infuse the magic of the word into your game. The question is what to do with it?

The power of words as plot hooks

  • The rogue cracks a cypher in a book about someone named Belial. They imparts this information to the rest of the party.
    • Now Belial is aware of the rogue because their name was spoken aloud.
    • Will Belial appear and smite the rogue for their insolence?
    • Perhaps Belial offers a pact?
    • Maybe the party finds themselves harried by the powers of Hell for some time.
  • The party finds a powerful magic item in a monster’s hoard. The command word to activate it is hidden and warded. Simple magic won’t reveal this word or phrase. They’ll have to quest for an ancient tomb where it can be found.
  • A new power word spell has been discovered, but beyond anything seen before. A word so powerful if uttered it could unmake creation. Doomsday cultists seek it out. Adventurers desperately race to discover it first and before the multiverse unravels.
  • The characters awaken with a strange rune imprinted upon them.
    • How did it get there?
    • What does it mean?
    • What is it going to do?
    • The characters come upon a dying traveler who whispers a word into the ear of one of them. It sounds like nonsense, but the character can’t get it of their head. Maybe they begin having visions or dreams. Maybe the word is what killed the traveler and if the players don’t find a way to get it out of their head they will succumb to it.

These are just some ideas of how to incorporate interesting words of power into your game.

From Ted’s Head

Words and names are something that can be super important. Depending on how you want to use them, they will greatly influence your game. As a player it is easy to add some extra roleplaying to your game. Does your character have a favorite saying when things go bad? What about when things go good? If you are playing a spellcaster do you have the verbal component prepared for each spell?

Years ago I played in several Live Action Role Playing games. Each spellcaster needs to have a phrasing for the spells they cast. I could go into detail, but it added so much to the game when a player was really in character and added more to their verbals.

In Nerdarchist Dave’s game, my character Rellion gained access to void magic by reading a bizarre book. While not all spells resonated with him, some very much did. One in particular I have used several times. Since the magic is powerful and it has the potential to corrupt him it is used sparingly. When I cast it I say “Ballack-Nak.” This lets the other players at the table know what is going on before I get into the spell description.

As the Dungeon Master we have even more power to influence the game. Spellcasters can have the same thing players do. Words of power have the ability to unlock hidden powers within items or get you into a secret passage.

As far as names are concerned, adding names unique to your world makes everything more real. Titles for your rulers, noble court even your guards could  have a unique name. These unique names make the world come alive.

power of words of power

If there’s one wizard out there who understands the power of words, it’s Usidore the Blue. Saying his name will give Usidore power, which is why he says his name so often. Usidore is a cast member on Hello from the Magic Tavern, an awesome podcast you should go check out!

From the Nerditor’s Desk

When we casually threw out the idea of the power of words in D&D for the newsletter topic I had a very specific thing I wanted to write about. It turns out Nerdarchist Dave and I talked about that and many other aspects of power words during the live chat. If I’m honest I didn’t know if there was any gas left in the tank.

But there is!

In the monthly Nerdarchy fan game I just finished running, the power of words came up in the form of language. In the adventure, a mashup of Hag’s Apprentice and a selection from Out of the Box: Encounters for 5th Edition resulted in a really fun time for me and the players. I don’t want to spoil anything but I can say the adventurers didn’t get the full scope of the situation because of language barriers.

In the same adventure, Rary’s telepathic bond created a way for the players to interact with the environment and each other through the power of words. At several points their conversations were layered between verbal and telepathic communication.

The power of words in D&D can manifest through the languages our characters speak, how and when they speak them and to whom. For a Dungeon Master it’s important to listen to the words players say both in and out of character. They can make a big impact.

Imagine the party is in a tavern. Not hard to imagine, right? They sit in a corner booth for some privacy, while townsfolk enjoy a rowdy weekend night. Between questing, the party is spending time in town and here at the tavern they discuss where they’ve been, secrets they’ve uncovered, vital information about notable entities and so on. A server approaches the booth and the pause their conversation. But what were the last words spoken? There’s a good chance the server caught a snippet.

“We know the Evil Artifact is somewhere near this town. If the Dark Lord finds it first, the Land is doomed!”

A minute ago the server was hoping for a good night of tips and no bar brawls. Now they’re haunted by the power of words they just heard. They’ll play it off at the table, but imagine when they return home later that night and their partner notices their troubled demeanor. Do they relate what they heard? Something about a Dark Lord and the end of the world might send them packing. Or seeking ultimate power for themselves…

For both players and DMs it’s not only power word whatever. (My personal favorite is power word beard). In the live chat we touched on the power of words coming from the DM. When you’re behind that screen, players tend to consider every word you say important. When you describe a room, the objects you choose to include in your description draw attention. If you set the scene as a rainy day with mist creeping along the forest path, at least one player will think they’re in Ravenloft. Villagers who watch the party enter town from curtained windows sometimes draw suspicion.

Why did the DM mention that?

The upswing for you as a DM is using these opportunities to involve the player and their character. When a character’s interest is piqued by that thing in the room, consider their skills and personal story — is there some way to reward their curiosity with a skill check or narrative element?

Inclement weather might only be inclement for your average Earthly human. But a water genasi may experience a wet, overcast day as a blessing. Conversely, invite the players to tell you what the weather is like. Using the power of words in this way you’re building the collaborative story by giving players opportunities to help paint the scene their characters are experiencing.

And if the heroes entering town suspect potential trouble from the curious onlookers, that’s a perfect chance for you to ask for an Insight check. You only meant to convey the unusual appearance of the party and the effect on the simple folk of the village, but all it takes is a misunderstanding before adventurers are convinced of dark deeds and start going all murder hobo on the town.

D&D and all the tabletop roleplaying games we love include rules and systems for guiding play, and there’s countless accessories and doodads we use to enhance our games. But the magic of these games lies primarily in the power of words, so choose yours carefully!

Until next time, stay nerdy
— Nerdarchy Team

ICYMI

D&D Art of the Encounter

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