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

[mellored]

Linguist is still officially in the game.

And I'm sure there are a few old subclasses get an extra language. You can still use those as well.

 

[WanderingMystic]

I am also hoping for rules in the DMG for learning tools and languages

 

[Yaarel]

I might divide Elven into separate languages:

High (Elven)
Drow (Undercommon)
Eladrin (Sylvan)
Wood (Druidic)

 

[tdancy62]

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

I respectfully disagree. I think its healthy for the game that there are niche problems that are easily solved with utility spells. Spells like Comprehend Languages, Speak with animals, Tensors Floating Disk, Identify, ECT are useful but have a high opportunity cost when compared to more conventionally useful combat spells.

The fact that these spells could or could not solve potential roleplay/exploration problems is exactly what makes them a compelling choice in character creation. A sorcerer is going to have a very hard time justifying picking up tongues as one of their only 3rd level spell slots over Fireball, for example.

Take the language bestowing spells. Comprehend languages is a good 1st lvl spell, but it only allows you to understand a language, not speak it. That means that any direct conversation with anyone is going to be extremely difficult (this often leads to funny games of pseudo-charades to try and squeeze info out of people). Tongues allows full communication, but its a 3rd level spell and isn't a ritual spell. That's a steep cost for any spellcaster, and it only lasts an hour. So even if a spellcaster has both of these spells, its not exactly as if language is just over now as a concept.

I think languages are fine as is mechanically, but many DM's either ignore them all together, or force languages into every roleplay encounter (both are bad). I would say a 70-30 ratio is likely best, most creatures speak common, but every once and a while it should come up to incentivize players taking these options. I often find languages are best used on enemies. Overhearing an orc patrol discuss their evil plans in orcish is helpful, having to play charades every time you talk to a shopkeeper is tedious.

Examples of Languages used well:

• A distressed dryad emerges from the woods and tries to warn the party of the dangers they will face ahead in the forest, but she only speaks Sylvan. If the party cant understand her warnings, she will point ahead into the forest and mime the dangerous beasts ahead (Insight check to understand her movements) (bonus points if you growl like a bear, and flap your arms about at the table for your friends) She can serve as a guide, but without a way to understand sylvan her guiding gestures will be cryptic and potentially unhelpful.
• In a Knights Crypt the players come to a sealed stone door guarded by a statue. The statue asks in common "what qualities make a knight?" The players may not know, but in another chamber of the crypt a passage is written on the wall in Celestial "Honor, Duty, Piety, Wisdom". If a player speaks Celestial or has comprehend languages, than great! they can solve the puzzle and are rewarded for paying attention to the environmental storytelling. If they cant, perhaps you could let them roll a high DC Religion check to see if a player could translate the words in the moment. Or maybe let a player roll a History check to see if any of them know the legends of these long dead knights and may be able to guess the words. If all else fails, the party can still enter the door, but doing so will anger the statue and cause it to attack.
• The players come across an ancient evil tome that is rumored to contain knowledge of one of the weaknesses of the BBEG. However it is entirely written in Infernal. If the players can translate the tome, than great! let them read it and reward them for making that choice at character creation. If not, then the party will have to travel to a nearby city as there is rumored to be scholars there that can translate it. or perhaps a devil shows up as the party finds the tome and offers to translate..... for a cost.

 

[Horwath]

some houserules to learn extra languages:

background gives any combination of two tools, languages or weapons instead of one tool.

 

[nevin]

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...

so more like reality. The languages you have by the time you start your career are probably the only ones you will know. Honestly not likely to have huge affect on most games.

 

[Alzrius]

I might divide Elven into separate languages:

High (Elven)
Drow (Undercommon)
Eladrin (Sylvan)
Wood (Druidic)

Ideas like this remind of an old article in Dragon magazine about the language families in the Forgotten Realms. I can't recall what its title was or what issue it was in, but it was quite a lot of fun.

 

[Yaarel]

Ideas like this remind of an old article in Dragon magazine about the language families in the Forgotten Realms. I can't recall what its title was or what issue it was in, but it was quite a lot of fun.

Thanks for the link, I forgot about that. Looking at it again, it is a good idea, and passes the test of time. I am now going do it starting now. I am thinking thru some of the contexts.

I am starting a separate thread to think about how to implement it for a setting.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Look if the Asgardians in Marvel couldn't be bothered to have a language of their own, and Thor understood the US military jargon of klicks, and the slaves of Yunkai wrote in English (Kill the Masters), I do not think we need to worry about languages at all in D&D, certainly WotC doesn't give a stuff.

It seems Boring is Best!

 

[Lanefan]

Look if the Asgardians in Marvel couldn't be bothered to have a language of their own, and Thor understood the US military jargon of klicks, and the slaves of Yunkai wrote in English (Kill the Masters), I do not think we need to worry about languages at all in D&D, certainly WotC doesn't give a stuff.

It seems Boring is Best!

Marvel had to cram their stories into a series of 2-to-3 hour movies. As DMs we don't face nearly that same time constraint, and thus are free to delve into details and minutae such as diversity of in-setting languages that those movies didn't have time for.