D&D (2024) Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth? - Languages in 2024

[Remathilis]

So am I missing something or have languages been utterly nerfed in 2024? The rules, as I understand them:

1. You get three languages to start: Common, and two of your choice.
2. The languages need to be off the Standard Languages list, which are most of the common PC and monster races (Common, Draconic, Elvish, Orc, Goblin, etc). You cannot start with Rare languages (Abyssal, Primordial, Deep Speech, etc).
3. You can gain extra languages if "your class or other features give you other languages."

But there is the problem: I am not aware of any way to get said features!

1. The only two classes which give you a language are Rogue (Thief cant plus any one language) and Druid (Druidic). I don't see any other class features (in classes or subclasses) that were previewed that give languages. EDIT: Rangers too via Deft Explorer, As Mellored pointed out).
2. The Linguist feat is gone. It is neither an Origin nor a regular feat. I think it might be the only missing feat from 2014.
3. The rules for downtime training in a tool/language don't seem to be in the PHB. Perhaps the DMG has them alongside all the other non-crafting downtime activities.
4. Backgrounds do not give languages, nor do species.

So, with that in mind, there is no way for clerics to pray in Celestial, aberrant sorcerers to understand Deep Speech, archfey warlocks to understand Sylvan or tieflings to be raised speaking Infernal. Additionally, you only ever know the three languages you start with and the only way to get an additional choice is taking one level of rogue?

Seems something is missing here.

Now it's trivially easy to allow PCs to pick any language to start or to give extra choices based on class/subclass, but the fact they have made picking up languages in RAW next to impossible strikes me as an odd choice.

As always, I'm open to insights from anyone who has the book...

 

[mellored]

Ranger gets extra languages.

 

[Remathilis]

Ranger gets extra languages.

Thanks, forgot "Deft Explorer"

 

[DrJawaPhD]

WotC has no idea what to do with languages, they're kind of like spell components in that they're in the game because they've always been in the game, but they don't really serve any functional purpose or add anything interesting except in rare situations.

Languages could be made to offer interesting RP situations, but there are too many spells that completely negate any reason to care about training language proficiencies. Comprehend Languages at level 1 lets you translate anything but not communicate back. Tongues at level 3 gives you proficiency in all languages. Then there are ways to telepathically communicate even if you don't know the same languages. There's very little reason to care about what languages your character speaks and that's unfortunate

 

[mellored]

Thanks, forgot "Deft Explorer"

And best as I can tell, the rare language limitation is just on character creation.

 

[Remathilis]

WotC has no idea what to do with languages, they're kind of like spell components in that they're in the game because they've always been in the game, but they don't really serve any functional purpose or add anything interesting except in rare situations.

Languages could be made to offer interesting RP situations, but there are too many spells that completely negate any reason to care about training language proficiencies. Comprehend Languages at level 1 lets you translate anything but not communicate back. Tongues at level 3 gives you proficiency in all languages. Then there are ways to telepathically communicate even if you don't know the same languages. There's very little reason to care about what languages your character speaks and that's unfortunate

I kinda feel the opposite, if they didn't care about languages they wouldn't have removed Linguist or limited them to Material-plane languages only. They want languages to matter, or rather, they don't want every PC fluent in Abyssal because you're more likely to fight demons than goblins.

But they just didn't include them in places they should be. Thaumaturge (Cleric) and Magician (Druid) could have given a bonus language in Celestial/Infernal/Abyssal or Primoridal/Sylvan respectively. Scholar (for Wizard) should have given a free language. Draconic Sorcerers should get Draconic, Warlocks get the language of their patron (Celestial, Deep Speech, Abyssal/Infernal or Sylvan as appropriate). Fey Wanderer get Sylvan. Etc. They missed such easy layups.

I feel like a broken record at this point, but I REALLY hope learning languages are easy downtime activities in the DMG...

 

[Remathilis]

And best as I can tell, the rare language limitation is just on character creation.

It does appear so. Making Rogues and Rangers the best Polyglots in D&D.

Fey creature approaches the PCs and speaks the language of the old forest.
Wizard: Hey Warlock, you serve the fey, what did he just say?
Warlock: I don't know. Hey, aren't you the smart one?
Rogue: He told you both to shut up, you're disturbing the peace of the forest.
Warlock: Hey, how'd you know that?
Rogue: You pick these things up on the streets...

 

[Lanefan]

So an Intelligence 4 idiot knows three languages just as well as an Intelligence-18 genius?

Sigh...

 

[DrJawaPhD]

They want languages to matter, or rather, they don't want every PC fluent in Abyssal because you're more likely to fight demons than goblins.

They don't matter though because low level spells completely negate their purpose. It's like saying that tracking rations matters when Goodberry exists.

 

[Charlaquin]

Does the draconic sorcerer not grant draconic as language any more?

Anyway, I can barely be arsed to care about languages in 5e. The only time they matter is when they’re bringing the game to a halt because no one in the party has a language they need to communicate with an important NPC or read an important written clue or something. I blame the binary nature of languages in D&D. Languages might actually be interesting if there were degrees of fluency that could result in bonuses and penalties to social rolls, but as it stands it’s you can either communicate completely unimpeded or not at all, and not at all doesn’t make for good gameplay.

I’ve thought about ruling that you get to pick one language as your first language. If you and an NPC speak the same first language, you get advantage on social checks with them. If you speak their first language but it isn’t your first (or vice-versa), you make social checks normally with them. If you share a language and it’s neither of your first language, your social checks have disadvantage with them. And naturally if you don’t share any languages you can’t communicate verbally with each other. Haven’t tried implementing it, but seems like a simple enough system to make language matter without being a huge pain.