Servo skulls and servitors are one of the key aspects of the Warhammer 40k universe. Where other sci-fi backgrounds have regular drones or „common“ robots and androids, the Imperium of Men will rather reduce the intellect of a fellow human being to that of of a worker drone and retro-fit „it“ with (often crude) kybernetical implants than building a semi-intelligent machine that even comes close to a man in shape and size (War Titans seems to be an exception to the rule here). In addition, servitors are all so often embedded into structures and vehicles, to function as dedicated systems (i.e. as autopilot, independent gun turret, security system, etc.). If one keeps in mind that being turned into a servitor is actually a punishment one gets a feel for how draconian law in the grimdark 40k actually must be. After all, there is NO other raw material for the production of “robots” than criminals, at least not outside of the domains of Mars. And if a little drone would do instead, this drone is build into the skull of a perished, honorable servant, so he can serve beyond death. If they like what you do, they will let you die before they turn your remains into equipment.

That means, whenever PC move into a “civilized” surrounding that is blessed with the gifts of technology, they will sooner or later come into contact with some techno-zombie or hovering ossuarium piece. And I have to say, I like that! Even more so because all of these servitors and servo skulls do have a designation number and a lot of these even have an actual name. This “equipment”, so it is void of any actual personality of its own, has a constant reminder tagged to it that it once WAS a person, and although it was not treated as one before (again: they took this man or woman and -reduced- that human being to a servitor), now, as “it” is nothing more then a walking function, it has a name to address it.

Whenever my player characters have some deeper interaction with one such construct, I tend to give it a name, even if it is just a number. My players are of like mind here (or, go even further), as they baptize their vehicles, and our Machine-Priestess has a habit of “adopting” servo skulls they relieve from heretics (or tries to repair those she needed to destroy in combat… it is not the machines fault that their master had fallen..the machine is pure to her). As a result, I not only need names for my NPC, but although for some of those kyber-constructs, from time to time.

And here is how I do it:
First, I get myself some “old latin”, Greek or Hebrew names. Then, I add numbers to them. To avoid repeating the same numbers I am fond of all over again, I roll them up. This can either be done with 3d10 to generate a three-digit-ID number (where each die gives you a number for one of the digits) or 2d6 for a three-to-four digit ID (where each die gives you the last or second last digit of the ID, while the sum of both is used as the first or first two digits).

If you want to spare yourself the trouble of getting yourself some names and rolling some dice, feel free to use the 50 “names” provided as a PDF via my dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3toe55yo4eyn6fw/Names_KyberKonstrukt.pdf?dl=0

My game is a little more tongue-in-cheek; the Tech-Priest names his servitors things like Yorick and Igor the Medicae Servo-Skulls. Wagner is his bolt-pistol Servo-Skull that constantly charges into the faces of his foes and blast them at point-blank range (completely with WWI-style German helmet and spike). This is a good source for people who don't anthropomorph their servitors!

This is excellent Gregorious. Thanks by the way for all the stuff you contribute to the forums- your encounters for the Sump River in Desolation of the Dead are particularly great and I'm looking forward to running them in my current campaign!

Mine is named "Alfred"

No Bob?

Hob Claymet, the traitorous Sanctionary Bondsman in the Gallowsway was captured by my player's Inquisitor and the Adepta Soritas at the end of my run through of Desolation of the Dead. His fate? Arco-flagellation! I'm going to look through this list and pick a suitable name.

"The Sinner Formerly Known as Hob Claymet," perhaps?

"The Sinner Formerly Known as Hob Claymet," perhaps?

Tell you what, I'll have the Inquisitor say that to the acolytes by means of an intoduction

"The Sinner Formerly Known as Hob Claymet," perhaps?

Nice one!

No Bob?

I love Bob Our Hierophant has a laud-hailer called 'Robertus' . It is talking much more then a servo-skull should be able to. There was something in Enemies Within about some cursed servo-skull. Maybe I will combine this.