D&D 5E What Your XP Level Says About Your Character?

[BoldItalic]

Sorry, my innkeeper only speaks common.

That is a bit of a problem, I agree. Can the phrase "lock, stock and barrel" be meaningfully expressed in common? There are locks in D&D, so there is presumably a word for "lock". There are merchants with stocks of items in their warehouses, so there is presumably a word equivalent to "everything in the warehouse". Innkeepers know all about barrels, so I think we can assume they have a word for "barrel". If you string the three words together, you can make the phrase. I think the innkeeper would understand the phrase automatically. No roll needed.

Of course, in English, the phrase relates to the parts of a flintlock musket, which might or might not exist in your campaign. In your version of common, there might be no words for "flintlock musket" at all. Depends on your time period. Just as there might be no phrases for "graphite moderator" or "megapixel" or "Universal Brain Interface Quality Usage Indicator Teraneuron Yield".

Let's just assume that all the characters in the game, PCs and NPCs, can talk to each other as easily as you and I can, and get on with the fun bits, such as smashing the furniture.

 

[JonnyP71]

Common IS English

Just as Elvish is Welsh, Dwarves speak with a bad Scottish accent and Orcs speak German. And the Fey - they speak French of course!

 

[TheCosmicKid]

The phrase "lock, stock and barrel" is common parlance in English and everyone knows what it means. Google it.

Google what it refers to. It's an anachronism.

 

[JackOfAllTirades]

Common IS English

Just as Elvish is Welsh, Dwarves speak with a bad Scottish accent and Orcs speak German. And the Fey - they speak French of course!

Everyone knows the Fair Folk speak Gaelic.

 

[BoldItalic]

Common IS English

Just as Elvish is Welsh, Dwarves speak with a bad Scottish accent and Orcs speak German. And the Fey - they speak French of course!

Shouldn't Humans be speaking Anglo-Saxon? Except Clerics, of course. They speak Old Norse, or possibly Greek or Latin depending on the pantheon. Look, you have to take role-playing seriously, you know, if you are going to speak In Character

 

[BoldItalic]

...
Of course, in English, the phrase relates to the parts of a flintlock musket, which might or might not exist in your campaign.
...

Google what it refers to. It's an anachronism.

Not necessarily. Depends on your campaign.

It's an anachronism now because we don't use flintlock muskets any more. But we still use the phrase.

 

[JonnyP71]

As long as the heroic ones don't speak in a 'murican accent I'm easy....

 

[JonnyP71]

Everyone knows the Fair Folk speak Gaelic.

Welsh is from the same family of languages - I suggested it as Tolkien took a lot of inspiration from the language.

 

[pemerton]

At which point the innkeeper calls for the guards, and 2 1st level militiamen who were drinking in the tavern come to the innkeeper's defense. 20 seconds later, a passing patrol of 3 guardsmen and a sergeant enter and arrest the PC.

If the PC gets arrogant and resists arrest/kills guards/escapes (simply because they can) then they become a wanted man and have to deal with whatever that entails. Being 15th level (or more) gives them no extra rights within any society unless they have done something to acquire fame within that specific society.

I expect "heroes" in a P&P RPG world to have quite a name and reputation.

Note that this doesn't mean NPC have to be able to "see" character level through the meta-lens. A level 20 wizard or evel a king might still take a nice vacation trip in shabby robes and have no one notice him (Elminster and King Azoun did it all the time...), but once you mention your real identity, this could and should result in a different attitude towards you. And I'd also say that with great experience comes a certain kind of demeanor. Your character *will* act more professional and experienced once he or she reaches a certain level of skill and people *will* notice that.

My approach is much closer to Lylandra's.

One thing that level signifies, in D&D, is personal prowess and (for lack of a better phrase) "cosmological standing". Those better saving throws, better hit points, higher level spells, etc, are all aspects of this.

Unless a high level PC is taking active steps to conceal this prowess and standing, I think that it shows.

 

[JackOfAllTirades]

Welsh is from the same family of languages - I suggested it as Tolkien took a lot of inspiration from the language.

I was actually referring to the Fey, not the Elves. But the expression "Fair Folk" has been used for both, so this is completely understandable.