Writing Xianxia Authors, how to you write about techniques

[autumnsugar]

Hello everyone, I'm currently writing a comedy Xianxia novel (shameless plug) https://www.scribblehub.com/series/2110660/our-scheme-to-seduce-our-seniors/

I'm having trouble finding techniques for the characters to use, so I wanted to ask how you guys write techniques, do you guys make techniques up or is there somewhere that has a list of techniques and what they do? I want the character to make a life and death pact basically but not in like, a romantic way, but am not sure how to write it in a Xianxia way. Any help is appreciated.

 

[PancakesWitch]

to get ideas you should play games and read novels
if you can't think of anything nor have the time to invest, just ask an AI chatbot for ideas lol

 

[CharlesEBrown]

The ones I've heard (wife occasionally plays them on Pocket FM) used either names derived from Indian (Hindu) mythology - blanking on the example at the moment, but it sounded kind of like one of the Star Wars spin-off series, Ahsoka - or "Adjective Noun" things that felt vaguely Chinese (or at least "chop-saki" movie Chinese) - "Jade Wind" "Iron Spear" "Poisoned Rain"

 

[Corty]

Make them up of course. I don't know how to help because… I just come up with them and that's it.

 

[autumnsugar]

Make them up of course. I don't know how to help because… I just come up with them and that's it.

Knowing everyone just makes them up helps a lot actually, I was worried people would get mad a me for that

 

[Zagaroth]

Oh no, ask the stuff is made up. Xianxia is not a single setting, there are lots of ways of interpreting it.

Of your setting has a mostly unified culture, you probably want to create a uniform naming convention.

Of your story is very diverse, then it would be more appropriate to have abilities named by people from other cultures .

And not every minor power or modification of an existing power requires a new name. Write it as another user for a broader ability. The more names you add, the harder it is to remember them.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Same as other cultivation stuff, push as many synonyms of "powerful", "divine/heavenly", or "demonic" into the technique name as possible, add a colour and/or animal and you're done. Bonus points for adding adjectives that actually describe the technique or overinflated numbers.

"Demonic Orange Monkey's divine shit-flinging fist of heavenly economic ten-thousand years self-destruction".

Or just look up RPGs. The "Tales of" series has a pretty extensive library of skill names, for example.

 

[Agecaf]

So I'd recommend thinking about theming your characters, then you can make techniques based on those themes.

A character themed around poison could work well with snake themed abilities. "Piercing Fang Fist", "Silent Slither Step", "the Python Perfect Scale Defense technique", etc.

As for general ability types, consider offensive techniques (melee and long ranged), defensive techniques, movement techniques, support techniques, self buffs, healing techniques, and meditation techniques. Then consider how each of these technique types could fit in your character's theme.

If the theme is ice, going through all types above in order, "Piercing Ice Claws", "Frost Lance Barrage", "Dark Ice Armour", "Icy Step Glide", "Might of the Glacier", "Eternal Frozen Heart", "Perfect Stasis", "Winter Soul".