Everything has a true name, a manifestation of its true essence. Knowing this true name gives you power over the thing that it represents. Sorcery is possible for someone who know the true names of many things. If you know the true name of your enemy, you have him in your power.
Naming magic is something of a subtype of Wizardry, a naming magician thinks of true names much in the same way that a platonist thinks about ideal forms. But naming magicians are usually more down-to-earth and sober, focusing on the here and now rather than on some far-off true reality.
Examples and References
Earthsea triology, Dragon Quest game.
Limitations
Secret
Knowing the true name of a naming magician makes it hard for him to work his magic on you. Learning a true name is a difficult, often mystic experience. Visions and spirit quests play an important role, and an accomplished sorcerer can sometimes guess a true name through sheer intuition.
Target
You cannot target someone directly unless you know his true name. This problem is lessened by the fact that there are many "generic" true names for phenomena such as elements and objects, so a great range of magical effects can be acomplished without knowing the targets true name. But Influence, Summoning, Polymorpism and other effects which directly and dramatically changes something require that you know the target's true name.
Common Schticks
- Nature
- Polymorphism
- Summoning
Rare or prohibited Schticks
- Law
Summonables
Spirits, demons, undead, dragons - a host of creatures can be summoned once you know their true names.