If you’re putting in the time to come up with creative names for your characters, it’s well worth giving your weapons the same treatment. It’s a great way to add some environmental storytelling, so you don’t have to explain a character’s whole deal right off the bat. As much as I love hearing about everything from sock preference to the shocking untimely death of a character’s parents, spreading these details out amongst things like weapon names is a fun way to get people intrigued.
Good Weapon Names
The best weapon names are memorable, striking, and say something about its purpose or history. You can also convey a lot about your character or villain by choosing a name that reflects their sense of humor, style, and/or values.
- Heartless Edge
- Cloudpiercer
- Howl of the Huntress
- Heavy Heartstrings
- Waxing Moonbow
- Nerve Shredder
- Elysium
- Outlaw’s Mirror
Oathbreaker
A paladin’s awe-inspiring broadsword, brandished in honor of the serene goddess Eldath. Its wielder holds back from killing blows, preferring to entreat battle-worn foes to convert to a life of pacifism.
- The Reckoning
- Kiss of Death
- Slice and Dice
- Lady Lacerator
- Liberator, Smasher of Chains
- Hollow Victory
Glory Hunter
An insufferable ranger wears this yew longbow slung over their shoulder. Sure, they always get the first kill before the others have registered a threat, but boy do they go on about it.
- Angelmaker
- Orphan’s Lament
- Doomcaster
- Swan Song
Legendary Weapon Names
Across the Forgotten Realms, as with many other fantasy lands, there are weapons of such great acclaim that adventurers everywhere seek to find them. To create a weapon with this kind of appeal, try to include some kind of teaser about its history or unique powers.
- Moradin’s Maiden
- Crescent of the Cataclysm
- Double-Edged Sword
- Champion of the Misty Peaks
- Lliira’s Legacy
- Seven League Longbow
- Soulsniper
- Mageslayer
Hebi Doku
No matter where this rapier is drawn, its surface appears to be coated in raindrops. When the blade strikes true these droplets converge into a single stream, flooding the fresh wound with sickening venom.
- Wrath of the Jilted Fey
- Elven Kiss
- Tetsuyama
- Shifting Blade of the Astral Sea
- Muhai no ha
- Abyssal Shard
Sehanine’s Dream Weaver
The enchantments that lace this ethereal longbow only become active at night. While bathed in moonlight the bow confers a +3 attack bonus, and on a critical hit, the target falls into slumber as if affected by the Sleep spell.
- Hole Punch
- Bolt of the Banshee
- Twisted Mindbreaker
- Faridah
Norse Weapon Names
Thanks to the popularity of a certain Asgardian himbo and his tricksy brother, Norse mythology has had something of a renaissance. The whole cosmology is packed with battle-hungry gods and beautiful kennings, so there’s loads of inspiration for weapon names. Just be sure to get the pronunciation down before doing your big reveal!
- Shieldmaiden’s Swain
- Ask and Embla
- Door to Fólkvangr
- Mjölnir’s Rival
- Valkryie’s Vanquisher
- Trollreaper
- Angrboda
- Freyja’s Right Hand
Sigewif
The compact build of this hand-crossbow lulls enemies into a false sense of security, for each of its tiny arrows has been sharpened to a wicked point. Much like a raging swarm of bees, these arrows tend to have a scattering effect.
- Valhalla-Caller
- Fang of Fenrir
- Holy Defender of the Dragonship
- Bow of Yggradisl’s Bough
- Chooser of the Slain
- Heimdall’s Watch
- Mighty Maul of Midgard
- Battlebeaten Fate Decider
Skuld
A gigantic greatsword, named for the Norn who wove her web of fate over the battlefield. Like Skuld, this weapon spells the end for any that see it, for none can resist its devastating swing.
- Verdandi
- Guardian of the Nine Worlds
- Lightningborne
- Hammer of Thrymheim
Sci-Fi Weapon Names
Sci-fi is full of extravagant weaponry, from fresh takes on old favorites, to cutting-edge ideas using the latest in scientific development. If you’re creating something entirely new, you may want to give a hint of the weapon’s capabilities in its name. You could also embrace the genre’s silly side, where bombastic names and high-tech jargon are common.
- The Badlands
- Circuit Breaker
- Rakurai
- Enforcer
- Yameri Renai Chikara
- Storm-Forged Hand Cannon
- Shinokagami
- Sudden Impact
Kage Kaizoku
Not all adventurers of the future choose ballistics over the blade, especially when traveling to no-fire zones like the NightMart. Though it changes location every 24 hours, the same talkative check-out guy is always there. You’d almost consider him a friend, if only he’d take that bloody katana off the counter; Its shifting form gives you the creeps.
- Sarolta
- Baby Boomer
- Just a Phaser
- Antiproton Accumulator
- Mind Bleach
- Anti-Matter Horn
- Harsh Language
Dolly’s Revenge
In a divergent timeline, the cloning of Dolly the sheep opened the floodgates for all kinds of twisted public experiments on animals and humans alike. With this gun rests the resistance’s last hope to destroy the tech that started it all.
- Warp Speed Slugger
- Sleeper Seeker
- In Ictu Oculi
- Synapse Splitter
I hope this little taste of the names we have to offer has sparked your imagination! A lot of the conceptual options could work for any weapon, but if you’re looking for something more direct then it’s worth checking out our specific generators. I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments, and if you’ve found our site useful please share it on.
