Ed_Laprade said:
One of my old groups, after individual character creation, discovered that half the party couldn't speak to the other half without another party member translating. I think there was even one who couldn't understand anyone else in the party at all! Needless to say, things could get rather... complicated. (Also needless to say, that party didn't last long.) So I've always made getting languages pretty easy in my games since.
If I get another game going characters will start with three languages and pick them up in blocks of three per Skill Point spent. But there isn't any Common language, and three different Human languages. I'm hoping this will facilitate communication between party members, and between them and exotic NPCs.
I think that problem is more a problem of individual character creation than anything else. A group can go ahead and say 'ok, everyone needs to speak at least one language 2 other player characters know, or must have something that will compensate for their natural lack, and render them capable of being understood by the others in the party' which allows for that sort of mish-mash of languages as a group, while maintaining interparty communication. They can even say "Ok, this is a comedic campaign, so we can have Dave play the 'gnome fighter that can't speak to anyone else in the party, but can apparently speak with any NPC' he's wanted to do." Essentially, it's a matter of getting everyone on the same page, or at least providing them some
In my experience, PLAYER CHARACTERS should generally have a common tongue between them; regions should have 1 or 2 major languages, but entire worlds shouldn't have one single dominant language that is spoken by everybody all the time. Even English is generally only spoken as an everyday language by a comparatively small portion of hte world, though it is the thing most usable as a lingua franca today. Although many countries teach it as a required second language, the average layman can't speak it well, even if he's had classes, just because he doesn't speak it often. However, an educated person, or someone working in a job assumed to have high levels of customer contact is expected to speak it well. If we were to emulate that in game, we would have one 'trade language' that is only spoken by the nobles, priests (historically, priests tended to know several languages, or at least their local one + a church language) and sufficiently rich merchants who are likely to have foreign visitors or spend time in foreign countries, while the average peasant speaks a local language only. That trade language may not be very complete, however, and only be a pidgin that allows for trade deals to be made.
So let's imagine how this would work...
We'll create 4 PCs. They'll be Bob the peasant fighter, John the disowned son of a noble rogue, Emily the priestly cleric, and Samantha the merchant-turned-wizard. They're all 1st level, and all but Samantha grew up in the Headlands (where Headish is spoken), a region in the Noggin empire, but hasn't been a property of the empire long enough for the locals to speak the imperial language (Nogginish) on a daily basis. Nogginish isn't complete; it's mostly a trade language and has very little content outside of that context. Samantha grew up in the Foothills instead, where Footish is primarily spoken, but is also a part of the Noggin imperium. All but, because that is what is spoken on a daily basis where they live. Bob will likely only know Headish, the local language of the region. This is because he hasn't had to learn anything else, as he probably he doesn't know any foreigners well enough to have reason to learn it. John probably knows at least Nogginish in addition, because he would have been expected to be a courtier at the Nogginish imperial court or run the family holdings, and maybe Monkish (the language of the major religion in the empire) if nobles are expected to take a significant part in religious ceremonies. Emily will know Clericish, because the church demands it of the priests, and because all religious texts are printed in it. She might also know Nogginish for a similar reason to John. Samantha will know Nogginish because she was a member of the merchant class, and has traveled significantly. She will know Magish (the language of magic) because she's become a wizard. She will probably not know much Headish, though she might have learned if she has spent significant time in the Headlands, and what she does know is likely to be a trade pidgin version that allows her to make simple deals. She will know Footish, obviously, because she grew up in the Foothills. So, in this party, as a general rule, the PCs can communicate with each other, though they don't all speak the same languages, and several speak languages unique to them. There are 2 players who can't speak to one another directly, a factor which can be exploited, but if the party is not split, this is not an issue. So despite the lack of a 'Common' tongue spoken by everyone everywhere, this group can communicate successfully with most people, insofar as trading goes. Even the main problem of Samantha and Bob can be surmounted once Samantha takes her 3rd level in the wizard class, and can use Comprehend Languages to speak with Bob. If they were all peasants, they wouldn't be able to speak w/ non-Headish people, which could be a problem. A little while of that, and suddenly, I think the players of Bob, John, Emily, and Samantha would probably have someone pick up the local language of any new region they come across. As it is, they still might, if the game requires being able to do more than trade with the locals.
Normally, I'd say that by the time the average PC is wandering far enough away from home territory that the lingua franca has completely shifted away from their own, they should be 5th level or so already, and will likely have someone capable of casting comprehend languages or other such spells. Alignment languages and elemental languages can be monolithic, I think, partly because it's a lot easier to imagine beings made out of a pure 'substance' or 'alignment' made physical flesh as being a lot more similar to one another in thought than humans are, and they could be viewed as expressing the essential nature of the alignment or element in verbal form.
). We americans aren't the only ones butching english... ever heard English slang? Can't understand a damn thing they're saying...
