Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8441513" data-attributes="member: 6915329">Well, D&amp;D languages didn't really evolve the way real-world languages did. Presumably, when a god created a creature, they also created the language at the same time. There should literally be no non-coincidental similarities between, say, Gnomish and Dwarven. Some gods also created a script to go along with the language; other gods didn't, so their creations either went without or borrowed someone else's script whole-cloth.I'd say just go with the way GURPS does it, where you learn languages at different levels. GURPS has broken, fluent, and native (I think that's the order), and you can have different levels for written and spoken, if you like. For D&amp;D, I'd just go with broken and fluent. Instead of getting to speak 2-3 languages, you get, say, your own language at spoken (fluent) and written (at either fluent or broken, if you want to be more &quot;realistic&quot; in your faux-medievalness), and, say 8 points. You can spend 1 point to get a spoken or written language at broken and 2 for fluent, and 4 points for both spoken and written at fluent. And maybe additional points depending on your Intelligence or background. Don't know how useful most tables would find this, but we did this when I ran Ravenloft using GURPS and the players had a blast with it.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Faolyn, post: 8441513, member: 6915329"] Well, D&D languages didn't really evolve the way real-world languages did. Presumably, when a god created a creature, they also created the language at the same time. There should literally be no non-coincidental similarities between, say, Gnomish and Dwarven. Some gods also created a script to go along with the language; other gods didn't, so their creations either went without or borrowed someone else's script whole-cloth. I'd say just go with the way GURPS does it, where you learn languages at different levels. GURPS has broken, fluent, and native (I think that's the order), and you can have different levels for written and spoken, if you like. For D&D, I'd just go with broken and fluent. Instead of getting to speak 2-3 languages, you get, say, your own language at spoken (fluent) and written (at either fluent or broken, if you want to be more "realistic" in your faux-medievalness), and, say 8 points. You can spend 1 point to get a spoken or written language at broken and 2 for fluent, and 4 points for both spoken and written at fluent. And maybe additional points depending on your Intelligence or background. Don't know how useful most tables would find this, but we did this when I ran Ravenloft using GURPS and the players had a blast with it. [/QUOTE]

Verification