Which is the best way to name spells?

never played it.

The spell names are pretty similar to what you described there.

Can't go wrong with "[Name's] [Adjective] [Noun]".

Greg's Floppy Sausage

I like verbose technical spell names, whether with old alchemical terminology or modern scientific.

System Shock 2, a video game, had fun names for its psionic abilities (spells in practice:

"Kinetic Redirection" - telekinesis
"Cerebro-stimulated Regeneration" - self heal
"Psionic Hypnogenesis" - sleep spell
"Cerebro-energetic Extension" - summon mind sword

Coming up with magical technobabble is always fun, like renaming Spell Turning to Aetheric Reflection.

By making spell names verbose you can give them an in-setting history, like other anons said. Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion or Albrecht's Aether Ray may have an interesting stories to tell about their creations, while Stinking Cloud will not Argalach's Putrid Excretion might though. If you want your players to view magic just as a tool, it's gonna make the setting blander.

I love that shit.

This. Leomund's Tiny Hut and Otto's Irresistable Dance are pretty good examples.

One idea I've always toyed with is spell naming stemming from how obscure the spell is-low level spells that are often taken will be considered simple enough that their owner's names will long have been forgotten, hence the likes of 'Shield', 'Fireball' and the like, whilst high level spells and more obscure lower level spells will be learned much more seldomly and typically have not become ubiquitous enough for a more functional name to have supplanted whatever the creator of the spell calls it. So high level spells have more interesting and fanciful names, whilst low level spells are more utilitarian.

Have some examples from my own homebrew folder.
>Valadi's Falling Star Spear
>Juste's Thundering Fist
>Molten Chains of Vanrit
>Ophelie's Midnight Veil
>Rashe's Infernal Spikes

What's important is that the spell is memorable, and that the 'power' of the name fits the power of the spell.

The name should be meaningful if you know what the spell does, although it doesn't need to be so descriptive that it's memorable out of context. A good example of this is Nail to the Sky: It doesn't sound that interesting just on its own, but it's a lot cooler once you learn that it's a spell that kicks you so hard you enter orbit.

Final Fantasy does it too.
>Thunder
>Thundara
>Thundaga

I really like this idea. It also makes me think about real-world instances where a brand name has actually become the commonly-used general name, like kleenex (instead of facial tissues) or band-aid (instead of bandage).

"Whatcha casting?"
"Oh, just an Otiluke."

>So high level spells have more interesting and fanciful names, whilst low level spells are more utilitarian.
The creator of Wish, however, chose to remain anonymous, knowing everyone considers him a dick.

It's often the opposite in exalted. On the low end you have "Bodily Regeneration Prana" instead of whereas on the high end you have things like "Death Spell".

Phantasy Star style where the names are utter nonsense

>Your party is paralyzed, guess which of your 23 spells cures it
>Rever
>Rimpa
>Gifoi
>Megid
>Brose
>Rimit

I love shit like that. Shin Megami Tensei is like that too, isn't it?

In Shin Megami Tensei it's also nonsense, but it's more modular and there's some method to it.

For instance, lightning spell
Zio - basic lightning attack
Zionga - stronger magic attack
Ziodyne - even stronger magic attack
Mazio - basic lightning area attack
Mazionga - stronger lightning area attack
Maziodyne - even stronger lightning area attack

Agi is fire attack, Garu is wind attack, Kaja is buffing, Dia is healing, so you get the hang of it pretty quickly. Except there's also like, Marin Karin and Tentarafoo and other spells you really have to memorize because it makes no sense.

Yes, except better.

>Zio
>Zionga
>Ziodyne

Garu is just pleb Zan

Don't forget the buffs! Sukukaja, and uhh, Rakukaja, and Sukunda, or some shit. I forget how it's structured, but it has a structure!

Dark Heart of Uukrul (an old party CRPG) had spells made up of different syllables, and you had a spellbook that contained most of the spell. There were some secret ones that you could only learn from in-game information though. Was a cool idea for a CRPG.

oldgames.sk/en/game/dark-heart-of-uukrul/download/8659/

Am I the only guy here who just likes spells? Like, I love strange names, personal names, Vancian names, magical technobabble, all of it. And doubly so if they come from campaigns past. My favorite of which is, "Gandor's Ultimate Birthday." An upgraded version of Heroes Feast where you party for 12 hours minimum and where random minor deities show up to party with you and bestow temporary blessings upon you. Castable once a month.

I like this. You could even tie it in with spell levels.
>Shield
>Shimmering Shield
>Salvatore's Shimmering Shield
>Salvatore's Shimmering Shield of Safety
>Salvatore's Superior Shimmering Shield of Safety

The other thing to do would be split it up by tradition.
>Psions use as basic of magibabble as they can get away with, so "Kinesis", "Harm", "Microteleport"
>Wizards use storied and lengthy names, "Otiluke's Resounding Teabagging", "Lownan's Laughable Lovetap"
>Clerics use sections of prayer, and it doesn't always exactly match up because they go more off intent than specific needs
>Sorcerers use incoherent angry screaming

Spells created by wizards have stuffy formal names that sorcerers purposefully taunt because they're magical Chad assholes

>I cast Bigbys Crushing Hand
>I slap the dragon with my Big Boy Hands, haha

>I read from my scroll of Gate
>Stand back guys I'm gonna summon a demon anus to shit out a Big Red

>I cast Black Blade of Disaster
>Look out guys its the niggaknife

user, that is exactly how Phantasy Star names its offensive spells.
My guess, it also serves as something ofa copy protection because you need the manual to learn what they do outside of experimentation

-aja means buff, -unda means debuff.

Taru- is (physical) attack, maka- is magical attack, raku- is defence, suku-is agility (hit and evade rates).

Ailment spells have no theme though, and the game abandons the theming for top level, often unique and thematic, stuff

Red Capote

>fire, fira, firaga is basically this

Creator adjective noun

Name simplicity being inversely proportionate to level/power/complexity is really cool, but as
said, there's something heavy and profound about the high-level spells being named simply.
(After all, a tremendously useful cantrip--albeit simple and taught to children--would merit immense credit to its creator (even though it would most likely have several "inventors" throughout the ages).)

>[proper noun] [adjective] [noun]
This--or variations thereof--is sadly a bit overused, although it still works if used subtly/correctly.

You could make things interesting by abolishing any nomenclatural standards altogether though:
>Afflict Sec-Son-Sec
>First, the Ruler
>Grace Upon Tseng
>Alarial of Preperdi, for those Who Came After
>3-of-Leaves-5-of-Wellspring's-Mother
>ah-she-ma-ro-din-nak-sho-rak-zi-gil
>Cairanecostaexyxxoybovaniwen

Sounds like names of characters and guilds from Kill Six billion Demons.

Depends on setting. Exalted's power names fit exalted very well. And Detect Magic, Summon Monster, and Disintegrate fit DnD well. Bigby's Hand and Tenser's Disk fit DnD the way Gaigax ran it well.

It's all about fitting in with the setting.

Sounds like Zatch bell to me

Short and Descriptive for low-level stuff.
Esoteric and Long as fuck for higher-tier stuff.

If I gotta spend 45 years learning how to shoot meteor-sized fireballs from my fingertips, you better damn well bet that I'm gonna name that shit something that takes a week and a half of practice to say right.

I actually really like this idea

Named for what they do and/or what being they draw on the power of, but depending on how old the spell is the original name might be lost or corrupted.

This.
>Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

>I cast Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Good bye my sides I hardly knew ye

Geez man warn me before you make my sides blow off like that

wtf I hate sorcerers now

That would be [Adjective][Noun].
"kentucky fried" refers to the method the chicken is supposedly prepared.

Like super robat finishing move
Double death ray
Shock slanderer
Vengeance from the grave
Big bang punch
Infinite maelstrom

Savage.

You. I like you.

Niggas, this shit originated in Wizardry, a classic western CRPG. Huge amounts of modern Japanese fantasy traces itself back to wizardry.

Lester's untraceable daterape.