Gary borrowed the "Power Word" concept from an existing fantasy trope of "Words of Power" (found in more than a dozen classic fantasy novels) in which such words were secret words known only to mages, not "everyday words." #DnDlore
Fullmetalnyuu@fullmetalnyuu
28 Jul 2024
I always assumed the spells implied that you spoke the word with such power that it just...worked. Like, you were essentially commanding someone to be stunned or killed by saying very powerfully "Kill" or "Stun"

Jul 28, 2024 · 4:16 AM UTC

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I really appreciate the clarification, I wish the actual verbal components for all spells were common knowledge.
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One of my favorite examples is the Deplorable Word, as used by Jadis in The Magician’s Nephew by C.S, Lewis, published 1955. Clear echoes of nuclear apocalypse. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depl…
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