Bard or Minstrel?

And without classes, your character may label themself as they fucking wish because i's not like there is a stiff definition of "bard" when there are explicitely "bardic" traits.

Even with classes the labelboxes that they are might not be what people actually ALWAYS call thing in question in universe.

Also
Wizard or magician?
Sorcerer because fuck you ;^)

Damned phone.

rapscallion

>Wizard or magician
"Magic-user."

mah nigga

Beguiler.
Beguiler.
Beguiler.
Because beguiler is best.

I'm kind of annoyed when every single name for a "magic user" is a class, because then my magic user can't switch out on titles without being wrong.

In most editions of D&D [OSR not withstanding], I can't play as a magic user who goes like

"I am a high magician, a magus, a scholar of the ancient mysteries, a sorcerer and a seer, in brief, a wizard!"

Unless I'm a Wizard 5/High Magician 3/Magus 2/Scholar of the Ancient Mysteries 2,/Sorcerer 3/Seer 1

"person with a predisposition to the use of supernatural forces driven powers, and the proper training to do so without hurting themselves or others in the said process of summoning such powers for an utilitarian goal"

the base Archetypes are Fighter, Magician, Rogue, Clergy.

These in turn branch into specific classes

Soldier, Savage, and Yeoman from Fighter

Wizard, Sorcerer, and Warlock from Magician

Bard, Thief, Assassin from Rogue

Priest, Crusader, Druid from Clergy

wow yea this was the argument that needed making S A R C A S M

but it was, and he's right.
This has actually always bothered me too, a bit, although I also kind of like how you can make each different word an actually important difference in worlds where magic is real.

>Savage instead of Barbarian and Yeoman instead of Ranger
Now you're just being contrarian.
That's OK, I dig that. "Priest" is also the best alternative to "Cleric."

I always thought bard was the broader term, but apparently it's the other way around, so minstrel's better.
Rogue, for the same reasons. Thief seems a profession, something more while rogue's more of an attitude, like rascal or scoundrel.
Wizard. In this case, I prefer to be more specific.

>something more specific and limited, while rogue's

Rogue is a better generalist class title, Thieves are fine if focussed on thievery and thievery-assisting skills.
Magician better for generalist, Wizard implies dusty tomes of ancient lore and wands while a Magician can be pretty dang sorcerous and still be recognised as a magician.

Really depends on what you want the word or player to do.

Not sure for Bards and Minstrels, though I'd peg Bards as travelling and possibly good at combat while Minstrels are squishy diplomats. Same difference as between a PC Fighter and NPC Soldier. But the titles in-universe would be far more interchangable.

Magician or Mage. A wizard is someone who digs up spells from their basement which work because magic.

A magician, if they don't have magic, is a crafty bastard, able to do what a wizard requires magic for without it, or fake it.

Even if they've got magic, the word just feels more... dignified. It feels like the person it refers to knows what the fuck they're doing.

>It feels like the person it refers to knows what the fuck they're doing.

That's interesting. I wonder what subtle differences there are in how the words wizard and magician are used. A magician is someone who's elegantly brilliant while a wizard is someone unknowably brilliant.

Fast
Smart
Strong

those are the only 3 classes you need

>not "Swift/Smart/Strong"
missed opportunity desu lad

Bard for the archetype, it's since lost other meaning.
Minstril for the profession, it makes it clear that they aren't babout to start singing spells at you.

Thief, it's nice and flavorful. Gets the point across.
Rogue is a harsher word, that *sounds* weaker because it's more obscure. They only started using it to sound better to parents.

Magician. It's funnier to shout in an angry tone.

Mesmer is the only acceptable choice.