Other names for Boon and Bane

Mechanics

I like the Boon and Bane mechanic instead of advantage, but the terms are not my favorite (specifically the past-tense of "bane" being "baned" is rough on my dyslexia.) All that said, I'd still like to use terms that folks may already know.

What other terms for the same mechanic have you seen that are already in-use? (Bonus points if they hint at the math a bit, like 'boost' and 'curb' or something.)

in RPGdesignby imnotbeingkoi

78%

2mo

RealKumaGenki

2mo

Bonus/Penalty

rekjensen

2mo

"Baned" actually isn't a word—neither is "booned" for that matter—because it is a noun (and boon an adjective).

Bonus and malus (both nouns), or buff and debuff (nouns and verbs), are probably the most common terms.

imnotbeingkoi

2mo

Miriam Webster has "Baned" as a form of the verb "Bane." ~~Course, they skew more toward UK English.~~

The Bonus-Malus and Buff Debuff are probably the best recommendations I got so far. (thanks for actually reading the post.)

becherbrook

writer/designer, Realm Diver

2mo

Miriam Webster has "Baned" as a form of the verb "Bane." Course, they skew more toward UK English.

Take that back! Oxford or Collins dictionary for us. Miriam Webster is very much the American go-to.

imnotbeingkoi

2mo

Oh, yeah, you're right. Ive used it for a while now and it has so many brittishism I just assumed. Looks like Oxford has Baned, too, though. Its apparently a word everywhere.

rekjensen

2mo

Look closer and you'll see they mark it as obsolete, as does the OED.

imnotbeingkoi

2mo

Malus is Latin and not even included in most dictionaries. Not sure I care *that* much about obsolescence.

rekjensen

2mo

Then you might care when it was a word it mainly meant poisoning someone to death. Malus is very much a loanword in English, mainly in the business jargon of bonus–malus, but more relevantly it's an understood gaming term.

SardScroll

Dabbler

2mo

Malus / malice connection then.

imnotbeingkoi

2mo

Yeah, bonus-malus may be the one I go with.

Curious_Armadillo_53

2mo

Not sure why i never see it in english but their plural is "boni" and "mali" the singular you already named.

Its the best thing to be honest because its simple and everyone already knows them.

Bane and boon is really fantastical not much known outside gaming.

hacksoncode

2mo

If it's just a plus or minus to the roll or pool... just call it a plus or minus.

If there's some other mechanical way the effect is represented, it might need another term. E.g. Advantage/disadvantage is used in a lot of systems where the roll is interpreted differently, like it's not just a d20+n, or an extra die, it's 2d20, take highest or lowest. I've heard some (especially lazy ;-) people say "ad" or "dis" for that.

Or I'm sure there some other crazy way the mechanic might work that need something different.

Like if it's some out-of-mechanic modification enforced by the gods or something, bless or curse might be right.

nlinggod

2mo

buff/debuff

Zerosaik0

2mo

LANCER calls them Accuracy and Difficulty.

https://lancer-rules.carrd.co/#combat-rules

TastedLikeNapalm

2mo

Gooder/ Badder

stubbazubba

2mo

I use "boost" and "burden," though I don't know if any published game currently uses that specific pairing.

CamBanks

2mo

I’m using exactly these for a current project!

Natural-Stomach

2mo

woe/weal

pro/con

edge/penalty

advantage/disadvantage

make/break

increase/decrease

opening/hindrance

SagasOfUnendingLoss

2mo

Eyy woe and weal might be the best alternative I've seen. I might have to use that.

Cheers!

KindlyIndependence21

2mo

Benefit Detriment

Plus/minus

RexRegulus

2mo

Bonus / Malus
Perk / Penalty
Fortune / Flop

AmukhanAzul

Doom or Destiny

2mo

My group is fond of calling bonuses and penalties Boners and Peeners

CMC_Conman

2mo

curse and blessing

MetalFlumph

2mo

Tie it to your game concept.

HexmanActual

2mo

Perks and Quirks would be my choice.

Zadmar

2mo

That’s what I use too :)

Dragon_Blue_Eyes

2mo

Edge and Drawback

efrique

2mo

Boost and Baste

YesThatJoshua

d4ologist

2mo

https://www.powerthesaurus.org/

imnotbeingkoi

-3

2mo

You only read the title... (like most other commenters, it seems.)

User deleted comment

2mo

imnotbeingkoi

2mo

I'm not looking for synonyms so much as I wanted to know what terms are catching on for this specific mechanic. I try hard not to just rename or reinvent terms.

DM_Malus

World Builder

2mo

Fortune/Misfortune, Advantage/Disadvantage, Momentum/Vulnerability, Favor/Disfavor, Weal/Woe.

It entirely depends on how you want to "flavor" it to your campaign and if the system you are making is system agnostic or do you want your mechanics to be tied to a specific setting/world you are building.

E.g: Coriolis has their Push their Luck mechanic called "Praying to the Icons" and is flavored as you praying to the space gods for help. (admittedly a little weird if you're playing a non-religious type character... but semantics aside).

Excellent-Quit-9973

2mo

Advantage/Disadvantage Blessing / Curse Plus/Minus Gain/Loss Foward/Backward Raise/Fall Edge/Flaw

At0micCyb0rg

Dabbler

2mo

I used Help and Hindrance in some of my early iterations. I moved away from them because I felt that they were kind of "weak" words, in that they don't really evoke much imagery and they don't sound like they would affect you that much.

absurd_olfaction

Designer - Ashes of the Magi

2mo

I use Bonus and Burden.

CH00CH00CHARLIE

2mo

I have seen advantage dice and disadvantage dice used to describe things similar to boons and banes and there was not really any confusion. So if you want this most standard term you can still go for advantages and disadvantages.

StayUpLatePlayGames

2mo

Boost/Bust

Plus/minus

Bump/Bruise

Timinycricket42

2mo

In my own system, I call them Lift or Drag. In variants, I have called them Favor or Folly. Each is a +/- 1 depending on favorable or problematic circumstances. They can stack up or cancel out.