Clint_L
Legend
For me, languages present similar problems and opportunities in D&D as does equipment.
You want enough of it to make some interesting puzzles for players to solve (decode the ancient tome!) or narrative beats for them to role-play against (how do infiltrate this organization that speaks a different tongue?). But not so much that the game gets bogged down in minutiae.
I start with the premise that there is no such thing as serious realism in D&D languages. I mean, every species but human speak a species-wide language, even between populations who have never encountered each other (Dwarfish, Elvish, etc.) Or even a planes-wide language (Abyssal, etc.). Thus, the purpose of languages in the game isn't to simulate anything. It's to make interesting events.
To make that work, you have to have reasonable options for the players to solve the problems created by having different languages. Access to different languages via character backgrounds is one way, but it's a pretty lame solution. It's either a crapshoot, or else the DM has intentionally set up the problem knowing that at least one character has the language, which makes it not much of a challenge or story beat. Better to give players access to tools to decipher languages through planning and cleverness, such as spells. Arguably, 5e makes this a little too easy, though few of my players take advantage.
As a result, I find that languages are mostly just used for flavour and have little impact on the game. Much like in a film where the soldiers are speaking German, and you either get subtitles if the information is important, or don't if it is not.
But those moments where the ability to understand another language is vital and the players have the means to do so but it isn't immediately obvious...well, that can lead to some awesome gameplay. Consider Vox Machina's final battle against Vecna, and Marisha Rey's clutch realization that, as a side effect of shape changing into a Solar, her character could understand all languages.
You want enough of it to make some interesting puzzles for players to solve (decode the ancient tome!) or narrative beats for them to role-play against (how do infiltrate this organization that speaks a different tongue?). But not so much that the game gets bogged down in minutiae.
I start with the premise that there is no such thing as serious realism in D&D languages. I mean, every species but human speak a species-wide language, even between populations who have never encountered each other (Dwarfish, Elvish, etc.) Or even a planes-wide language (Abyssal, etc.). Thus, the purpose of languages in the game isn't to simulate anything. It's to make interesting events.
To make that work, you have to have reasonable options for the players to solve the problems created by having different languages. Access to different languages via character backgrounds is one way, but it's a pretty lame solution. It's either a crapshoot, or else the DM has intentionally set up the problem knowing that at least one character has the language, which makes it not much of a challenge or story beat. Better to give players access to tools to decipher languages through planning and cleverness, such as spells. Arguably, 5e makes this a little too easy, though few of my players take advantage.
As a result, I find that languages are mostly just used for flavour and have little impact on the game. Much like in a film where the soldiers are speaking German, and you either get subtitles if the information is important, or don't if it is not.
But those moments where the ability to understand another language is vital and the players have the means to do so but it isn't immediately obvious...well, that can lead to some awesome gameplay. Consider Vox Machina's final battle against Vecna, and Marisha Rey's clutch realization that, as a side effect of shape changing into a Solar, her character could understand all languages.
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