Is it okay to name characters using names from fanatsy novels?

[NovariusDarkshade]

was thinking on starting a dark drae in the game and was wondering if anyone would have problems with me naming him Drizzt?

[Johnie]

I thought somewhere in the rules it says you can't, but when I double checked I couldn't find it. Whatever the case is, that rule would apply to using a whole name. IE - you might be able to name him Drizzt.. but not Drizzt Do'Urden. If not against the rules, I know it's definitely frowned upon.

The other side of the coin is, you could name a character "Erik" but not "Erik the red" so I don't see why you couldn't just name him Drizzt

[Remmi]

Its relatively bad form to name characters after things like D&D and such. Part of the game is to develop your own story, background, persona, ect. Pulling one from another game or story is a bit cheesy. It may not be against rules, but its not really creative either.

[DRSIII]

In my opinion this is not so much a rules issue as a question of style. 

No matter how obscure you may think it, there is a good chance that if it is from any actually published in the english language fantasy or sci-fi source, the name will be recognized by someone in the player base. 

If players name their characters Gandalf or Frodo, or any other well known character regardless of the source, they need to be prepared to be mocked by those who catch the reference and find it unoriginal. 

Always the risk entailed in doing something derivative.

[David Bear Carson]

Is it against the rules to name your character after a major character in a popular novel?  No.  Is it lame?  You betcha ya!

Now if you are having issues coming up with a name and are looking for inspriation there is nothing wrong with going to literary or linguistic sources for said inspration.  I know for a fact that TSR published a 2nd ed Drow source book with a naming guide that has been used by several Solar Drae as a source for names.  Another good source for names are forign languages.  For example, Kalie is the Irish Galeic word for dance. 

So if you are having trouble finding something to name your character there are other ways of finding inspration other than ripping off a melodramadic R A Salvatore character.

[Andrew L.]

unknown mythologies is also a good source of names. Amarock is a wolf in inuit mythology that i tweated slightly to be more masculin(masculen? male sounding) thus you have Adarock the wolf barbarian

[Andrew]

The way I see it is this Naming your character after a minor character in a book or game is good, It shows you pay attention. I know one guy who chairs the name of a certain ghoul in Fallout and I thought it was cool. Naming your character after after the main character is bad and will get you mocked for unoriginality. In D&D people who make Drizzt clones are considered lower than noobs.

[Ellura]

Also, anyone who uses variations of it. Drizzzt, Drizttt, Driiztt. You name it, I 've seen it.

It's so wrong.

[NovariusDarkshade]

okay already i get the point. I will not name my character drizzt