How To Foil Comprehend Languages?

[mattcolville]

On more than one occation I've wanted to use plot points that require sages to translate written material. Yet why employ a sage when the lowest priest can instantly understand anything written or spoken?

Further, I sometimes want text that is "indecipherable" and requires some special knowledge to decode the message. Yet Comprehend Languages seems to bypass this completely at 1st level!

Is there any reasonable way to have writing (not maps or graphics or whatever) that can't be understood by Comprehend Languages?

 

[Crothian]

sure, rule zero it.

 

[Plane Sailing]

If it can't be touched, comprehend languages won't work - fine for 'we need to take a scribe to xyz to see the runes carved in the other side of the gorge' but not for general purposes.

The best thing would be to have something where comprehend languages gives an accurate translation of the words but does not necessarily convey the meaning behind the words, either due to changes in linguistic usage which certain scribes have studied or because the writing was not just another language but deliberatly coded and you need scribes as educated codebreakers.

There's a couple of ideas, I don't know if they are any good for you.

Cheers

 

[DreamChaser]

i've ruled that Comp Lang can only translate currently living languages and dead languages for which the caster has a "Rosetta Stone" style focus with a basis for the translation.

DC

 

[FireLance]

To follow up on Plane Sailing's ideas, the writing can be deliberately vague or make use of allusions, requiring a successful Knowledge (whatever) check to figure out what it actually means.

 

[Jack Simth]

Comprehend Languages

Divination
Level: Brd 1, Clr 1, Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, M/DF Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 10 min./level

You can understand the spoken words of creatures or read otherwise incomprehensible written messages. In either case, you must touch the creature or the writing. The ability to read does not necessarily impart insight into the material, merely its literal meaning. The spell enables you to understand or read an unknown language, not speak or write it.

Written material can be read at the rate of one page (250 words) per minute. Magical writing cannot be read, though the spell reveals that it is magical. This spell can be foiled by certain warding magic (such as the secret page and illusory script spells). It does not decipher codes or reveal messages concealed in otherwise normal text.

Comprehend languages can be made permanent with a permanency spell.

Arcane Material Component: A pinch of soot and a few grains of salt.

(Emphasis added)
Just use that bolded section, and it should work out. A simple cypher (you know, the old rotating letters gag), a spell designed to hide text, or making the text magical at all (perhaps it magically switches to the next page when the last phrase on the current page is recited aloud - for anyone who knows the language, it's a simple convienience; for anyone relying on Comprehend Languages, it's a pain).

 

[Taloras]

You have to touch the writing....therefore simply make the writing impossible to touch. And have a spell(custom made) so that anyone trying to copy the writing down cannot do so....it erases as soon as its written.

 

[Andre]

To follow up on Plane Sailing's ideas, the writing can...snip...make use of allusions, requiring a successful Knowledge (whatever) check to figure out what it actually means.

Darmok and Jilad at Tanagra...

 

[Hypersmurf]

Darmok and Jilad at Tanagra...

Shaka - when the walls fell!

-Hyp.

 

[Aeson]

I wish I could come up with stuff like that. I think that was a great episode of TNG.