Writing Proof of Identity

NiQuinn

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Besides jewelry, tattoos, birthmarks, and/or unique magical traits, what other things can be used as proof of identity in a fantasy medieval setting with magic?

No other specific info as to what kinds of magic there is. Just wanted to pick your brains about proof of identities. Though I am struggling to think of one in my story, I have a working theory that might just work. This, though, is just me being curious what you guys would think of.
 

Suryae

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Clothes? Like, longer clothes for older men, shorter clothes for younger men, fur linings and vibrant colors for the rich, plain blue clothes for the poor, coat of arms for nobility, white clothes for clergy, functional clothes for craftsmen, long fancy dresses for tradesmen, etc.

It's your story though, go wild.
 

Mejiro

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mundane historical ones - being recognised is the most obvious ("look at this coin. See that face? That's me!"). Having enough wealth that you must be someone important, and the appropriate trappings (fancy clothing, staff, knowing other rich people). Letters of passage or other documentation, or claiming rights that get you in a lot of trouble if done falsely.
 

AliceShiki

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Well, I believe most people wouldn't need to be recognized in the first place, like... If you're a villager, the people near you will already know you. And if you're a traveling merchant or an adventurer of sorts, you'll often times not need people to know who you are in the first place. And if you visit the same place multiple times, you'll get remembered.

So... I think the only people that would need to be recognized are those in the upper echelons of society... In that case, a crest, a letter or specific clothing should suffice.
 

Mejiro

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Even for merchants and adventurers it would be useful to have some token of identity or affiliation - adventurers live by violence, after all, and having some rando McMurderHobo around, well, they could be anyone, and if they're not linked to any wider group, if they do something and scarper, there's no way to hold them responsible, where if they're linked to a guild or whatever, at least you can go after them for retribution. Same for merchants - if they cheat people, or commit a crime, it's better to be able to know where they're from and their affiliation, if they have any. A letter of introduction or token from someone local could be useful and valuable by itself - there's no particular reason to trust outsiders, and potentially a lot of danger, so something to 'break the ice' is useful.
 

Help

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Brainwaves or whatever it's called? Have a magic scanning thing that passively scans your brainwaves? Or is that too 'advanced'?
 

IvyVeritas

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In some real-life medieval societies, clothing was legally restricted by societal class. There were laws mandating what types of clothing and what colors could be worn by, say, peasants, knights, and nobility.
 

HURGMCGURG

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Clothing, jewelry, crests, documents they may be carrying, important items they may be holding ("He has the legendary sword of Fraggle Rock! He's the hero!"), or any magical fingerprint or communication method you want to use.
 

Friend

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Scar, hair color, eye color, skin color, disability.
^ ... but what about in a fantasy or high tech world where those things can be changed??

Fingerprints might work in a fantasy or modern world ... if you're human ... not sure about nonhumans though.

... but if you're going for just the 'Joe Average' villager in a medieval setting ... I think I read somewhere like in 'Medieval Demographics Made Easy', most villages tended to be around 100-150 people. And most people stayed in the same place nearly their whole lives. In this situation, nobody needs 'proof' because you are a known thing. Someone's gonna say, "hey I remember when that boy tried to kiss my daughter and I slapped him silly". Lots of little things like "everybody knows everybody else and their business".

For the most part this works ... again, for smaller communities. Even in moderate sized towns, there's always someone around who can vouch for you. Hmm, maybe the above "that kid tried to kiss my little girl" also works in towns too. Or cities.

In adventure type novels where characters obviously go beyond their comfort zone, simple recognition goes out the window ... unless you're traveling with others who also are a known thing at your destination. Depends upon how (in)famous you want your characters to be.

But in reality, if you're dealing in 'identification systems' then be aware, you have to also figure out how such a thing could also backfire or be misused or just plain not be as secure as originally intended. Even if you write in such a thing, at some point you'll get a reader saying "hey why did this work when I don't think it should" or "why not just do __".

Nothing gives better identification than seeing something happen firsthand, or secondhand by word of mouth from someone who has firsthand knowledge. Nothing trumps those in a community of any size. But I do realize the question also becomes the validity of the other person vouching for you ... aaaaaaahh it's a crazy rabbit hole, don't go down that way....

Nothing is perfect, nothing is beyond being corrupted or misused (either IRL or in fiction). In fact this could be part of a plot, to lay out to your readers you as a writer are also considering these things (as well as your characters should).
 

Friend

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Mana signature, have seen it in a few novels.
Might be interesting for fantasy worlds; but then again, does it account for the fluctuation in mana strength within a character? I presume with mana use and regen, it's fluctuating and so not stable all the time. Then how can it be used as an identifier?

Mana signature, the signature being more than the 'frequency' of a mana wave within the body, maybe? In my thoughts I'd find it hard for a 'frequency' to stay the same the whole time of an individual's life. They grow, they learn, they build up to something more. Time and difficulties force change. Or maybe in such a world, as the ancestors die part of their 'mana capacity' is gifted to their living heirs, so then the signature would change radically (okay well so I do like to think up convoluted plots and plotting obstacles).
 

NiQuinn

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"hey I remember when that boy tried to kiss my daughter and I slapped him silly"
This made me laugh. And he will forever be known as that boy who wanted to kiss the blacksmith's daughter. For shame.
 

Friend

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This made me laugh. And he will forever be known as that boy who wanted to kiss the blacksmith's daughter. For shame.
Ehe. Yeah well I thought it would be better as "mage's daughter" and so ... the poor boy is now "toad".
 

atgongumerki

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DNA
knowledge
passwords and keywords
and regarding mana signature --> the mana may be subject to certain changes when entering or exiting a living body; and depending on how it is changed you can draw conclusions about the person
 

CandleLight

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Zzzzz Blood of course. Their blood reacts to an artifact of the family or something of the like.

Mana signiture? Like specific bloodline/family have a certain difference to it.
 

AliceShiki

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Might be interesting for fantasy worlds; but then again, does it account for the fluctuation in mana strength within a character? I presume with mana use and regen, it's fluctuating and so not stable all the time. Then how can it be used as an identifier?

Mana signature, the signature being more than the 'frequency' of a mana wave within the body, maybe? In my thoughts I'd find it hard for a 'frequency' to stay the same the whole time of an individual's life. They grow, they learn, they build up to something more. Time and difficulties force change. Or maybe in such a world, as the ancestors die part of their 'mana capacity' is gifted to their living heirs, so then the signature would change radically (okay well so I do like to think up convoluted plots and plotting obstacles).
I usually think of the Mana Signature as something similar to a Fingerprint. Even if you grow up with time and change, the Mana Signature stays basically the same and can be recognized by someone that knows how to look for it.

You can also think that the Mana is directly generated by a person's soul, so by sensing someone's Mana Signature, you're sensing the presence of their soul, which should be immutable.

Not to say you can't make Mana Signatures actually change, you could even make it a plot point if you want. Just saying that there are simple methods of making it stay fixed throughout someone's life.
 
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