PathfinderWiki:Naming conventions

This page is an official policy on the PathfinderWiki. It has wide acceptance among editors and is considered a standard that all users should follow. In accordance with policy, this page has been protected. You can suggest changes by following the revision procedure or discussing it on the talk page.

This page is a list of guidelines on how to name pages.

An article's name should be simple and precise. In general, the name should be what the majority of fans refer to the subject as, or else simply the name of the subject. In the case of multiple names, it is expected that redirect pages be created for the alternate names.

The primary purpose of these policies is to simplify the process of choosing a name for a new article. When writing an article on any subject, the names, words, and phrases that you think should be linked to further information should be [[bracketed]], so that they form links to new articles.

Remember that like most of our rules, these conventions are not absolute. However, if there is a doubt about how a page should be named, it's best to follow the convention first.

General conventions

• Lowercase second and subsequent words. Unless the title of the article is a proper noun, all words except the first should be lowercase, not capitalized. (Example: [[Alchemist's fire]], not [[Alchemist's Fire]])
• Links are case-sensitive. [[Goblin dog]] and [[Goblin Dog]] link to different pages, an additional reason to make sure you are using the preferred capitalization.
  • Exception: The first letter of a link may be lowercase – [[Umbral dragon]] and [[umbral dragon]] link to the same page. Complicated constructs using pipe links are unnecessary in this case.
• Use singular nouns. Because the wiki engine will allow you to append suffixes after a link, it's best to use the singular form of all words, unless the subject is generally always in the plural form. (Examples: [[economics]], [[goblin]], but not [[goblins]])
• Use Paizo's names. Article names should mirror the name Paizo uses for the subject, for instance, the name used in a header or the term Paizo uses most often where there are variant names for a subject. For example, [[Ratfolk]] not [[Ysoki]]. Even though the latter term is the true name for the creature, Paizo consistently uses ratfolk for Bestiary entries. If a variant name for the subject exists, a redirect to the main article should be created such as [[Ysoki]] → [[Ratfolk]], using the previous example.
  • Exception: Default to the most commonly used in-world name for articles whose alternative titles could constitute a spoiler. This gives people who do not know the secret a warning that something they might be playing or reading could be spoiled by continuing to read the article.
• Be precise. Ambiguously-named articles will likely create confusion for readers. (See also: Disambiguation)
• Use spelled-out phrases, not acronyms. The only exceptions to this rule would be subjects where the acronym is more well-known than the original meaning, like [[NASA]] or [[RPG]].
• Don't create subpages. Although the wiki engine accepts the slash ("/") character in article titles, refrain from using it to suggest a hierarchy of articles. A name like [[Absalom/Districts]] would be an example to avoid. (Note that this is not the case when creating new categories.)
• Avoid reserved characters. There are a number of characters that are not accepted by the MediaWiki engine in article titles. The following characters should not be used:

" # $ * + < > = @ [ ] \ ^ ` { } | ~

• Use special characters where appropriate. Article names should strive to be as accurate as possible. To that end, article names should include the correct characters, without substitutions. For example, [[China Miéville]], not [[China Mieville]]. For the sake of easy typing, a redirect using an appropriate substitute character should be created ([[China Mieville]] → [[China Miéville]], using the previous example). In some cases, using a "more correct" character actually causes problems without providing additional meaning. For example, using "’" for a possessive apostrophe instead of the more easily typable "'". In this case, using the special character does not convey any information and should be avoided.

Specific conventions

• Sourcebook or novel title. If a sourcebook or novel has the same title as the subject it is about, you should disambiguate by adding "(sourcebook)" or "(novel)" to the title. (Example: [[Carrion Hill (module)]])
• Languages. Languages often share their names with the culture or species that it is native to. In these cases, suffix the language name with the word "language" – but only when necessary. (Examples: [[Orc language]], but [[Elven]])
• Titles. In most circumstances, it is not necessary to specify a titled person by their full name. Assume they hold no title when naming the article, such that if their title were removed or changed the article could remain the same. (Example: Abrogail Thrune II, not Queen Abrogail II)
• Lists. For some time the convention for lists was to put "List of XXXs" in front of the article's name. This style is now deprecated and the subject's plural is used. (Example: [[Absalom city districts]]; old: [[List of Absalom city districts]])
• Magic items and spells. In Pathfinder, magic item names and spell names are not proper nouns and they are both italicized, for example, serum of sex shift, not Serum of Sex Shift. Proper nouns within a name are capitalized as normal, such as the name of a deity or a spell's creator, for example, frozen lava of Mhar Massif.
• Name changes. Articles should generally use the most recent canon name for a subject, which might result in an article's name changing if its subject's name changed in subsequent works. This is particularly relevant for creatures whose names have been updated or retconned in Pathfinder Second Edition or the Pathfinder Remaster, as well as locations, organizations, and characters who have changed names or identities in Pathfinder Lost Omens setting timeline advancements. Articles should:
  • Always incorporate the previous name in the lede, with a canon explanation for the change if possible. If the previous name was explicitly retroactively removed from the setting, denote this in a footnote and link to a more detailed and sourced description in the article's Meta page if necessary.
  • Always note the alternative name in the name field of any relevant infoboxes, for instance Template:Creature tabbed, if both names are considered canon. List the most recent name first and separate the names with a <br> line break.
  • Optionally provide context for edition-specific naming in the article's "References" section. If the context is more than one or two sentences or requires links to external sources, provide the expanded context in the article's Meta page and optionally link to it from the References section.
  • For an example of a page where this policy has been applied, please see ifrit.

If you have another specific issue that should be added to this list, please bring it up on the talk page.