Hi all,
I was wondering, is there anywhere that discusses the mechanical reasons for magi changing their names? I know you can use a name to increase penetration, as long as its not a Baptismal name, but surely in western europe most people are going to be baptised, even if they don't practice christianity.
thanks
I doubt there are any game mechanical reasons, as you say baptismal names can't be used as sympathetic connections. Pagan magi however might run that risk!
But changing name after Gauntlet may simply be a break from mundane life. Sure, start of apprenticeship is also a break, but it's only the start of the process. Name changes to a Latin name can also signify snobbery. Some magi might change the name of their apprentices when they start teaching them.
Tmk there is no reason rooted in game mechanics for it.
But imagine a typical apprentice, perhaps bought or even abducted from her parents and siblings, taught for 15 years by her master in a remote covenant and mostly in Latin, and then introduced to a community which in general doesn't give a damn about her childhood before apprenticeship.
So for all her new peers speaking Latin, she is not Roslin, daughter of Pete the blacksmith from Backwater-behind-the-Corner in Nuffolk, but Rosaura filia Abductoris ex Flambone (see here for a proposal on naming conventions): her new name is mainly a consequence of her new position in life, and hence formally given to her when she assumes it.
Her new peers might never even wonder, whether 'Rosaura' is a reflex of 'Roslin' and the last vestige of a former vaguely remembered identity, a fond nickname she earned among other apprentices of her covenant, or some vanity of her parens Abductor ex Flambone.
Cheers