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That's true for languages that have a tonal component but not all do. Good point though.

You're talking about transliteration and you raise a very good question. My gut instinct would be to say that cl doesn't work unless the language in question commonly gets written in the different alphabet or the reader speaks the words aloud. Assuming the phonetics are close enough, the spell...

Knowledge skills are probably the best way forward, short of someone literate in the language confirming it. It also leaves open the possibility of reaching the wrong conclusion with absolute conviction that you've arrived at the correct one. That'll do nicely. Thanks.

Let's say the party finds a note written in Abyssal. None of the party knows the language but - no problem - somebody casts comprehend languages and the note can be read. The question is: does the party know the language is Abyssal? From a strict reading of the spell description, the answer has...

All true. Good points. But I still preferred seeing comments. I think the good outweighed the bad. (But I'm going to XP you for a valid point anyway.)

I can sympathise with that. Same thing happened to me. About ten years ago, I started scouring eBay to rebuild my collection. Old 'mono' print modules, OD&D boxed set, 1e core books, etc. At the same time, I was spending a lot on 3e. By about a year ago, I had pretty much rebuilt everything...

Can't answer that but the thought of a kobold master trapper adversary occurred to me some years ago. An adventure I ran saw the party raid a kobold infested catacomb and come unstuck when facing several of the trapper's fiendish works. However, when it came to the kobolds being on the back...

I think I know what you're getting at but dig into the EN world archives and you'll find hundreds of examples of 3e DMs finding it entirely possible. Anyway, what was this thread about again? Oh yeah. 'Meat shield'? Seriously? I had this lawn once...

Ah. Good point, well argued.

The "pass the pizza" references are funny but disingenuous. When you ask someone to pass the pizza, you are talking about something outside the game. I was referring to language that describes the game and its constituent agents. It's true that tabletop games come with their own terminology. I...

It's not that it's wrong. It's that the terms are anachronistic and/or tiresomely simplistic. This can impinge on some people's escapism. Therefore, it's not great either. That's not necessarily so. It isn't as if the majority of people who might be introduced to a traditional RPG will have...

I'm no fan of the MMO vernacular. Terms like 'tank' grate even when I play MMOs (though I haven't been a regular MMO player since EverQuest, ten years ago). Perhaps it's because I tend to play traditional RPGs with older players that I don't suffer from exposure to it around the game table...

There's no two ways about it: the coup de grace rule states that the creature must be unconscious. But I'm not too worried about it. I think it so clearly defies common sense that this should be the only situation in which a coup de grace could be attempted, that (a) it's easy to house rule for...

Got there in the end. Thanks to everyone here for the link updates. I'd been sent around in circles. I was beginning to feel like a Diablo III player, for a minute.

I want PCs to be able to cast long-lasting or event permanent spells, as long as they have survived long enough to reach a level that enables them. I'm fine with restrictions on this, including several suggested here already; concentration limits on spells maintained, stacking limits on the...

I wasn't talking about grittiness. Not sure why you've brought that up. But now that you have, let's talk about that gritty storyline, context and flavour you prefer to 'tedious' mechanics. You want engaging scenarios but, no matter how many princesses you impregnate with demon seed, the...

They certainly shook things up, agreed. I recognise your definitions but I don't think all players fall into one group or the other. I think people's preferences are often more complex. But bear with me. That truly sounds great and I'd like that. But it's a huge ask and I wouldn't expect any...

Let's all nibble on a chill munchie. Morrus had a basis - simply in terms of 4e copy - for what he said but the way he paraphrased it left him vulnerable to accusations of editionism, perhaps because it could be said to have been a tad glib. However, let's also keep some perspective. When it...

Sure but given that the opinion is of those outside the hobby - and therefore is the opinion of those who don't read the material - it must be informed by cursory analysis of the subject matter, not the writing style. Not that I'd argue with it. OD&D and 1e were definitely not written for...

Writing for adults and producing something children can read are not mutually exclusive ideas. When I read a PHB or DMG I don't want to feel that it was written for ten-year-olds but neither do I want a separate version for ten-year-olds. I'm not even sure that's possible. Here's a thing: back...