Renaming items-difficult to let players do?

[Iridni Ren]

It seems as though I see a fair number of requests by players to rename items and change descriptions. How difficult would it be to give players this capacity for themselves?

It could be abused, but we already have the ability to rename containers and write on paper. I'm not aware of this resulting in many problems.

DMs can see player inventories and could warn and penalize us for having problematic names or descriptions, just as with any other cheesing.

If it's not something too difficult to implement, it might make the team's lives easier. And if players prove systemically incapable of handling it, then it could always be revoked.

[Gods_Kill_People]

I know Arelith has this via the enchanting basin, and they are still hak free, so it is doable.

[FinalHeaven]

It would be lovely if this was a thing.  I imagine this wouldn't save all that much time, though, if DMs are having to police names or descriptions.  And I don't just mean for inappropriate or offensive things, but ensuring lore/setting appropriate and non-cheesy descriptions as well.

[Iridni Ren]

The key to any effective rule is to set the penalty so that little policing is required. It's not ideal to deprive good community members of "lovely" features because of bad eggs. Just punish the bad behavior sufficiently that few want to engage in it or for long. If a bad name results in the item being confiscated for example, players would likely veer toward the conservative. Anyway we have mark and label commands already as well as books and paper. Are they causing problems that require policing?  Haven't heard that they are but DMs would  know better.

[DM Brimstone]

Just a snippet from my personal perspective, but renaming items isn't a time consuming activity for the DM team.  It is relatively easy and a preferable method of evaluating and collaborating on a setting and rules appropriate name and description at the time of the renaming than it would be to dig through various PCs' inventories and check for wild descriptions.  So while you see that many requests for renaming of items are cropping up, you'll also note that they are quickly handled as well.

While I'm all for innovative ideas to promote player agency and alleviate some unnecessary administrative tasks from the DM team, I, personally, don't think this is necessary.

[EO]

There's no technical difficulty in letting players rename items or set their own descriptions but as Brimstone mentioned, it's much easier to keep control when we handle them than having to sort through item inventories then issue warnings.

[Iridni Ren]

Welp, if it's not a hassle for DMs to respond to the requests in a timely manner, then that removes the impetus.

But I don't really think it would require sorting through players' inventories and looking a descriptions because...who cares what I have called something in my inventory, if only I see it?

The only time it matters (really) is when I show the item to someone else. And in that case if I'm cheesing, it could be reported...just as if my PC does anything else in RP that requires reporting or a ruling.

If you don't show me your belt you have named "Girdle of Storm Giant Strength," why do I care what you (personally) call it? It has no effect on anything.

The ability to name items what we like is largely personal, like an in-game journal entry IMO, with only actual player interactions being something that DMs should have to spend time on. (In two years I've only asked for this once, so it's not that important to me, but I hate to see DMs' having to spend time on things like renaming food items...and players having to post such requests and wait around in game for them to happen.)

I'm not being dismissive of such a request, but rather saying that I see nothing wrong with allowing the player to call the item in her inventory the other name without a DM having to be involved, just as, for example, we might RP adding honey and cream to a cup of tea even when we don't have either in our inventory.

[Arawn]

Say I name an object I have "silver candlestick." Now, if a DM named it "silver candlestick," you'd be free to say it was silver, even if the description just said "A candlestick." You could present it to other players, sell it as silver, even if it didn't have the silver material property. This is fairly common, as DMs create items on the fly and don't have the time to create special palette items for every interaction.

Now assume players can name things whatever they want.

Welp.

[APorg]

What if regular items could be labelled like containers currently can?

E.g. I decide to call my Winterlass to "Rudolph", the name becomes Winterlass (Rudolph)

[ladylena]

I am a tad curious how often problematic requests are made versus logical/normal ones? I am also in favour of not punishing everyone for a few players who've made bad choices to exploit or what have you. Perhaps a compromise of only being able to rename crafted items? I know we have the makers mark, but it could be nice to add descriptions to such without having to wait for a DM to be free and willing to do so. I have heard of it taking a while for a DM to be able to do it, I figure this is due to how busy they are and how they rank the priority of requests. It might be nice to give it a try so that crafted items can be given a description, but add a stipulation that anything beyond the description of the item is not allowed, not permitting background or story to be added, just the description.

[zDark Shadowz]

Hm, if I had to rename a Lava Stone would I make it Mothers' Vraja Garnet Pendant, or name it Dragon Soul: Claws of the Fire Dragon.  Tough choices.

[Arawn]

Lena, the point is that from then on you couldn’t trust names to accurately represent what a thing is, and descriptions would abound with how masterful and perfect everyone’s craftsmanship is—and we do get people asking for that sort of thing all the time. The current system works fine, DMs don’t mind adding descriptions, and if it’s ever less than “timely”—and let’s remember DMs aren’t obliged to do it at all—it’s a good thing that it’s entirely irrelevant to the function of the item.

We’re just not going to do this, folks. It’s not a punishment, it’s just a common-sense approach to a situation that isn’t actually a problem.

[King Pickle]

Aren't all holdable objects like weapons and candlesticks meant to have set in stats like the material and quality anyway?
Just saying.

[Arawn]

Aren't all holdable objects like weapons and candlesticks meant to have set in stats like the material and quality anyway?
Just saying.

Yes, but when DMs want to make different ones, we can't swap item properties on the fly, so we use base palette items with names and descriptions added.