0

I am in charge of deciding the name of a skill in a role-playing game that serves as a catch-all for abilities/skills that are otherwise unlisted in our handbook (think skills that will help players flesh-out their character's personality, quirks, and life). Such a skill could be a profession type, a craft (e.g.,whittling), or something more exotic like hyperlexia.

  • Profession and Craft do not capture the spirit well enough.
  • Ability seems too generic, as are its multi-word variants, e.g. Unlisted Ability.
  • Knack seems closer to the mark but open to suggestions.
Improve this question
7
  • Did you look for a list of synonyms for "Ability"? There is a whole crowd of them, and some one of them ought to fit...
    – Conrado
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 18:40
  • 1
    Would something like qualities or traits work?
    – alphabet
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 19:07
  • 3
    Perhaps 'talent'.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 19:17
  • Also, perhaps something ending in 'smith' or 'wright'. 'Flairwright' or 'Knacksmith'
    – KnotWright
    Commented Nov 10, 2023 at 20:45
  • 2
    What are the abilities/skills that are listed in your game already?
    – Tinfoil Hat
    Commented Nov 11, 2023 at 3:42

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
0

Talent per M-W, see the fifth definition in particular for the purposes you describe in a game for how this fits an RPG:

1
a : a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude
b : general intelligence or mental power : ABILITY
2 : the natural endowments of a person
3 : a person of talent or a group of persons of talent in a field or activity
4
a : any of several ancient units of weight
b : a unit of value equal to the value of a talent of gold or silver
5 archaic : a characteristic feature, aptitude, or disposition of a person or animal

Improve this answer
0

Idiosyncrasies and Peculiarities come to mind; these longer words tend to be more intriguing for games. Both usually describe behaviors but can be be attributed to other aspects of characters.

Secrets is good, for adding a mysterious or adventurous feel, but may be inappropriate if these traits are public knowledge. Mystique and Intrigue could work for publicly known traits.

On the boring (read: neutral) side both Remarks and Notes work as catch-alls.

In context of a game, you can also use some object as a metaphor / allusion to such properties, eg Undertones or Fingerprints or something from the in-game universe.

Improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .