The Common tongue

[Nifft]

IMC, each region with a stable government has its own "common" tongue. Most human languages are based on Latin, since the First Empire (which was human, and fell 2000+ years ago) spoke Latin. So there's a region which speaks French, one that speaks Spanish, one that speaks Italian, etc.

The real "common" tongues are those spoken by more stable beings yet: Elven, Dwarven, Draconic, Celestial, Infernal, etc. are much more reliable than local languages.

-- Nifft

 

[barsoomcore]

BN: Can you elaborate a little more? I like your system a lot, but how do players acquire ranks?

Language is pretty important on Barsoom. There's a language called Imperial Kishak that is used in a couple of countries (not Kish, and the Kishak language is actually completely different from Imperial Kishak (that really confused my players but it's actually an important plot point)), but most countries have their own languages.

It actually matters a lot sometimes. If everyone in your group can speak a language that the NPC you're talking with can't, you can exchange information without him knowing. Unless of course he really does know...

 

[CRGreathouse]

There's no Common tongue for my entire world, but the section the PCs play in has a trade tongue. It's like Greek during the early Roman empire -- most knew it, and some knew it exclusively.

 

[Davelozzi]

I don't use Common in my campaign world either. But to keep it from being really confusing, I have some regional languages that cover several countries. For example all of my viking countries speak the same language.

 

[roytheodd]

What do you think? Do you remove the common tongue in your games?

I've done this and the players proceeded to make characters that couldn't communicate and were totally bitter. When they rerolled new characters because of the language barrier THEY DID THE EXACT SAME THING!!! They refused to come together to be a common race, or to take a common language. I let the game run with lots of metagaming and the whole thing fizzled. I like the idea still, though, and will do it again some day coming at it from another angle.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

BN: Can you elaborate a little more? I like your system a lot, but how do players acquire ranks?

Primarily by time:

(1 Week x Rank) - Int modifier (1 Week Minimum)

This assumes "immersive" learning (i.e., stuck in Rome and unable to speak Italian, spending most of that time picking up individual words and titles), which will be lengthened if less strenous circumstances (i.e. translater, part-time learning, etc.) are prodominant.

 

[Olive]

for my next campaign i'm going to use the language rules from Chris Pramas' cool ww2 d20 game V for Victory. Each language has 4 ranks you can take representing levels of fluency. Will be a fun way to play, and can create cool roleplaying opportunities, like players speaking in pigin language etc.

 

[Jenale]

I snatched this idea from another DM, and modified it, and so far it is working out quite well.

First I choose the languages that are available--and there is a dominant human tongue for this particular region (which could be considered Common so long as they are there), and another human tongue that is a world-wide "Common" (equal to Greek in earlier Roman Empire) along with dialects of demi-human languages and monster languages. I then ask for a save vs. INT to see if the character can learn the language in question. (No check required for native tongue.) Also, a separate save vs. INT to be able to read/write a language (and yes, you can end up being able to read/write a language you can't speak). Then there's a "how well", which is an INT modified d100 roll (+40 for 18 INT, +30 for 17 INT, and so on). How well ranges from rudimentary, basic, good, excellent, and perfect for spoken, with only four categories for the written form (no perfect). Perfect simply means that one speaks the language so well that native speakers of that language would take him as another native speaker. Excellent leaves a slight trace of accent (only recognized by native speakers).

I also rule-zeroed that demi-human characters will have, at minimum, a good command of the regional human tongue (accented, but able to speak at a normal rate). This is more because I don't want intra-party inability to communicate to destroy the fun than necessarily trying for realism.

 

[bmcdaniel]

House Rule

Following are house rules re languages for a campaign set in mythological Greece. Designed to simulate varying levels of fluency, but still allow people to pick up languages fairly easily. Note that unlike standard D&D, it is quite easy to be illiterate under these rules.


Speak Languages: Speak Language is a family of skills (like Craft) with a specific skill in each language, i.e. Speak Language (Greek) is a different skill than Speak Language (Sylvan). Native languages are always considered class skills; other languages are cross-class (except for Bards and Priests for whom all languages are class skills).

1 rank – beginner’s fluency.
2 rank – normal speaking fluency.
3 rank – literacy and improved fluency.
5 rank – +2 synergy bonus to Diplomacy and Perform (Oratory) in that language.

Cultural Greeks start with 2 ranks in Greek (aka Common); others start with 2 ranks in their native language and 1 rank in Greek. At character creation, characters get an additional skill point per Intelligence bonus exclusively to put in languages. Starting priests and wizards get an additional 2 ranks to spend on languages.

Common human languages include Greek, Phoenician, Egyptian, and Babylonian; rarer human languages include Amazon, Celtic, Etrurian, Thracian, and Scythian. Nonhuman languages include Sylvan, Centaur, Minotaur and Goblin.

 

[Ace]

My game is a little wierd in that there really only is one language-- Anglish which is development of English circa 1950-2050 or so

Anglish has a few loaner words from other periods and no longer used languages thrown in but everyone speaks common

There are people who speak other languages but the situation is analgous to people speaking gaelic in the modern UK-- it is out there but not a major social factor

And yes BTW it does mean that Comprehend Languages and Tounges are mostly useless, I suggest memeorizing an extra magic missile or fireball---

You'll need them