True Name vs. Assumed or Taken Name

[blackheart]

OK, so we all know having someone's True Name gives you power over them, if only for Thamaturgy reasons. But what if you legally change your name or assume a false identity?

I have a player with a wizard concept that her father, a mundane but royal bastard, was raising her to be a magical enforcer. She skipped town as fast as she could and adopted a new name and identity on the other side of the country. Before she left she was sure to destroy any blood and hair samples he had stashed so the big tracking spell components are gone.

Now as the GM, I'm saying she could make a "Rebirth" ritual to purge her old name and take on a new one for magical purposes, but should I also require an Aspect as well?

[Bruce Coulson]

I don't think you should REQUIRE an Aspect, but certainly that big a change in your life would point to there being one, if the player agrees.

In various sources, there are references to assuming a True Name different from your birth name.  Generally it does take a ritual of re-birth, often a ritual 'death' and rebirth to symbolize your becoming a new person.  Both magical and religious societies practice such rites mundanely today.  It's quite reasonable that in the Dresdenverse some of the groups have a ritual that works for magical purposes.

Of course, often in such societies the ranking members of the heirarchy know the True Names of those who have undergone their rites.

[Lanir]

True Names are referred to in quite a few different places in the novels. Pretty sure Bob says at one or two points that the True Name of a mortal changes over time. If you're looking for something in the system to kind of reflect this, you might use the character's Aspects as a rough gauge of how much their true name has changed since dad knew her. Changing ones legal name wouldn't hurt but really a True Name is who you are, not what you're called. Fake identities are sort of off as a way around it too, for the same reason.

Unfortunately I think a "Rebirth" spell would be a transformation. The results probably wouldn't be pretty. But over time, it could happen on it's own. Her best bet is probably to find a way to block him off from using it. Making him forget (mind magic, but one of the fae could do it without all that pesky Lawbreaker stuff... which makes this an adventure seed), find any other supernatural allies he might have and make sure they can't or won't cross her (another seed), gain blood and/or hair from him for use in a deterrent of some sort (not as good as a seed but still something), or have a scene with him where he's fully informed of exactly what a death curse is, what it's capable of and letting him know he's in the crosshairs for hers. I guess technically he wouldn't need allies if he already had access to a common ritual that wasn't too widely known to be of use, she might need to watch for that if she goes the allies route.

Basically as a GM your best bet is to turn this into an adventure or at least a side quest. Really one of the best things you can do for a player is to take elements of the story they give you and acknowledge them by incorporating them into the tale you're spinning.

[Kaldra]

i would probably say that once she has changed 3/4 of her aspects that who she is has changed to a point where her old true name no longer works, but make sure they are actual changes that are played up not just i am swapping aspects so i can get a new name.

[Richard_Chilton]

Remember that it's hard to get someone's True Name,  You can't get it off of a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, school records, water bill, or anything like that - you need to hear the person say his name.  His full name.  Plus the listener has to have to some sort of power - Dresden could tell Murphy his True Name and she would never hear the special bit that are the difference between a name and a True Name.

Some learning a True Name should be a rare thing. Trusting someone with your True Name should be the ultimate sign of trust.  As in where Dresden and Anastasia Luccio were lovers they didn't exchange True Names.  Maybe, just maybe, they would have done that on their wedding night, but maybe not then.

If someone trusts someone with their True Name, then there should be consequences.

Richard

[Lukas the Dead]

It depends on how you view the nature of a true name. For myself, the name one's parents gave is going to have some very powerful bindings attached to it when it comes to one's self-identity. However, a person who has been betrayed or abused by their parents is going to have a very good and power reason to break from those bonds.

I'd question the "rebirth" ritual as an instant fix. Most such conversions happen at the end of a long period of soul searching, otherwise the ritual just marks the beginning of such a change.

An aspect like "That's not my name" could work, allowing the character chances to fight against anyone using her "old" true name while the "new" true name takes hold. It does make this a defining trait and part of the story, but I'd not want to pass on such a great plot element.

Perhaps you can arrange in the story (after enough has happened for you to judge it appropriate) for the character use an extreme consequence in relation to their true name, allowing them to replace the "That's not my name"  aspect and from that time on their new true name is the only one that can affect them.

[lankyogre]

I think this partly depends on if you go with Storm Front, or the rest of the series. I the later books, Harry talks about how you can't get someone's true name except from their own lips. On the other hand, Chauncy keeps trying to get Harry's True Name, Harry reads the demon's true name in Storm Front?, and later he had Carlos cover his ears when saying Toot-toot's name. So it seems like even Jim is a little flip-floppy on the matter.

[MWKilduff]

I think this partly depends on if you go with Storm Front, or the rest of the series. I the later books, Harry talks about how you can't get someone's true name except from their own lips. On the other hand, Chauncy keeps trying to get Harry's True Name, Harry reads the demon's true name in Storm Front?, and later he had Carlos cover his ears when saying Toot-toot's name. So it seems like even Jim is a little flip-floppy on the matter.

Actually you can only get a mortals true name from their own lips because they are in constant flux.   Where a supernatural creature's name like a fae is pretty set in stone, so their names can be written down today and a century from now it would still be the same.

[Hoyled]

Ive got a character concept whose had a nickname since late childhood. Its become his ring name (hes a boxer). The character is so connected to his nickname thats its part of his True Name, and his True Name can only be correctly given when hes on an adrenaline kick.

[blackheart]

Thanks for the input and advice guys. It's a big help.