the Jester
Legend
I've been doing a lot of work on languages in my game for a while now. Much of this predates the One D&D playtest stuff; and my lists are incomplete as of yet, as I'm compiling them as I do a major edit of my monsters and am on "Varakhut" right now. Bearing that in mind, and with apologies for formatting issues, here's what I have so far:
my notes said:LANGUAGES IN CYDRA
Languages can be broken down into several (fairly arbitrary) categories.
LEARNING A LANGUAGE
- Common Tongues: These are tongues that are widely spoken. Everyone speaks a common tongue, but what language that is depends on where you are. In most places where the campaign takes place, the “Common” that pcs speak is Imperial.
- Ordinary Languages: These are languages that people are broadly familiar with and have heard of. It's not uncommon to find speakers of these languages.
- Exotic Languages: These are languages that aren't widely spoken, and that many people have probably never heard or, in some cases, even heard of.
- Extinct Languages: These are languages that have no surviving native speakers. Either the language has evolved into new forms or the people speaking it have died out.
Similarity: Similarity makes it easier to learn a new language. It is a discount in the time required (e.g. if you speak Imperial and you wish to learn Low Forinthian, you take only 200 days instead of 250 to reach full proficiency).
A creature that speaks a language with a similarity of 75% or higher is half-trained in that language.
Immersion: Being immersed in a language, where nobody around you is speaking any other language for the vast majority of the time, increasing the speed at which one gains proficiency in a language. Each day in such conditions counts as 2 days towards proficiency without spending downtime on training. A creature that actively trains under such conditions can instead count each day as 5.
Half Trained: Once a creature has reached the halfway point in learning a language, it can have a basic, but not complex, conversation with a speaker of that language using a combination of words, gestures, and pidgin.
COMMON TONGUE Notes
Imperial Rapidly fracturing. 20% s. to Low Forinthian, 10% s. to Halfling, Orcish
Planar Common
Trade Eastern; 30% similar to Strogassian, 25% s. Peshan, Strog, 20% s. Imperial
Undercommon 10% similar to Dwarvish, Gnomish, and Terran
ORDINARY TONGUE Notes
Dolphin 50% similar to Merellin, Whale
Draconic 20% similar to Yuan-Ti
Dwarvish 40% similar to Old D., 20% similar to Giant, 10% similar to Undercommon
Elvish 50% similar to Ancient Elvish, 10% similar to Drow, Halfling, Phanaton
Giant 20% similar to Dwarvish
Gnoll 10% similar to Abyssal
Gnomish 10% similar to Halfing, Sylvan
Goblin 20% similar to Imperial, 10% similar to Orcish
Halfling 10% similar to Elvish, Gnomish, Imperial, Pegataur
Imperial Sign Language 50% similar to Snap
Merellin 50% similar to Dolphin, 20% similar to Whale
Orcish 10% similar to Goblin, Imperial
Peshan 25% similar to Trade, Ancient Peshan; 10% similar to Hengeyokai
Sahuagin 10% similar to Aquan, Locathah
Snap 50% similar to Imperial Sign Language
Strog 25% similar to Trade
Sylvan 20% similar to Ancient Elvish, 10% similar to Gnomish
Tabaxi 20% similar to Ancient Miloxi
Whale 50% similar to Dolphin, 20% similar to Merellin, 10% similar to Aquan
EXOTIC TONGUE Notes
Abyssal 20% similar to Kopru, 10% similar to Gnoll
Albionite
Anarchic
Aquan 25% similar to Primordial; 10% similar to Sahuagin, Whale
Aranea
Asperi
Aspis
Auran 25% similar to Primordial
Avarisa
Avolakia
Axiomatic
Belgoi
Blindheim Language of flashes of light emitted by the blindheim's eyes
Blink Dog
Bullywug 20% similar to Grippli, Grung
Cactusfolk
Canus 10% similar to Ancient Miloxi
Celestial 20% similar to Lammasu
Chagmat
Clockwork Horror Spoken via radiocommunication only
Crabfolk
Dakon
Deep Speech
Demodand
Desmodu
Dire Corby
Dizantar
Dopegee 40% similar to Umbral
Drelb
Dromite 10% similar to Tlincalli
Drow 20% similar to Ancient Elvish, 10% similar to Elvish
Drow Sign Language
Druidic Secret language of druids
Giant Eagle
Giant Elk
Giant Owl
Giff
Githyanki 75% similar to Githzerai
Githzerai 75% similar to Githyanki
Grell
Grippli 20% similar to Bullywug, Grung
Grung 20% similar to Bullywug, Grippli
Gulgar Subsonic
Hadozee
Harthom
Hengeyokai 10% similar to Peshan
Hook Horror Language of clicks made with hooks on carapace
Ibixian 20% similar to Abyssal, 10% similar to Strogassian
Ignan 25% similar to Primordial
Infernal
Kala
Kaorti
Khen-Zai Language that includes wriggling of face tentacles (ethergaunts)
Kopru 20% similar to Abyssal
Kuo-Toa
Lammasu 20% similar to Celestial
Locathah 10% similar to Sahuagin
Mercane
Modron
Moonling A language of modulated light color and intensity
Neanderthal
Needlefolk
Neh-Thalggu
Nerra
Nishruu A language of pulses and changes in the color and intensity of its glow
Odopi A language of gurgles, gestures, and hand claps (requiring dozens of hands)
Otyugh
Pegataur 35% similar to Elvish, 10% similar to Halfling
Phanaton 10% similar to Elvish
Phraint
Plains Runner
Plasmoid
Primordial 25% similar to Aquan, Auran, Ignan, Terran
Pseudo-Undead
Qullan
Rastipede
Rilmani
Scalamagdrion Silent language of head, mouth, claw, and wing movements
Shocker
Slaad
Sphinx
Spirit Tongue
Susurrus Language of multi-voiced droning created by forcing air through many holes in the creature's body
Swyrle
Tabaxi 20% similar to Ancient Miloxi
Tako A language of color changes and tentacle gestures
Tasloi
Tengu
Terran 25% similar to Primordial
Thieves' Cant Secret “language” of rogues
Thri-Kreen Language consisting of clicking mandibles and waving antennae
Tlincalli 10% similar to Dromite
Troglodyte
Tsochar
Umber Hulk
Umbral 40% similar to Dopegee
Winter Wolf
Worg
Yeti
Yuan-Ti 20% similar to Draconic, 10% similar to Ancient Peshan
EXTINCT TONGUE Notes
Ancient Elvish 50% similar to Elvish, 20% similar to Drow, Sylvan
Ancient Forinthian 30% similar to High/Low Forinthian
High Forinthian 30% similar to Ancient F. 40% similar to Low F. 20% similar to Imperial
Low Forinthian 30% similar to Ancient F. 40% similar to High F. 40% similar to Imperial
Ancient Marru
Ancient Miloxi 20% similar to Tabaxi, 10% similar to Canus
Ancient Peshan 25% similar to Peshan, 10% similar to Yuan-Ti
Old Dwarvish 40% similar to Dwarvish
Strogassian 30% similar to Strog, Trade