More info on this please!
D&D General Do you use languages in your D&D game?
Xamnam
Loves Your Favorite Game
I've only had one major experience using them, but a very enjoyable one. Venomfang actively chose to speak Draconic over Common, thus allowing the only player who could understand them to step forward into the negotiation role, one that they likely would never have grabbed of their own.
Baron Opal II
Hero
I did make a promise of a scroll written in Nagesh'a in another thread, although on a different topic...More info on this please!
Celebrim
Legend
Back in the day there were a list of things that I wanted to do more realistically than the simple contrivances of the stock D&D game.
On that list was languages.
The trouble is that realistic languages aren't very fun for a game for a pretty simple reason - it's never as fun to not be able to communicate with an NPC as it is communicate with one. It's never as fun to not get the clue as to get the clue. The fail state of language failure just isn't that interesting.
You don't want to be making barriers to role-play in a role-playing game. So I use a pretty simplistic model of language that functionally limits the world's languages to a few dozen and the convenient conceit of the "common tongue" that most people can speak. Language occasionally shows up either as a barrier to understanding or a way of impressing upon an otherwise unfriendly NPC a connection between them and the PC, but for the most part I try not to have it matter too much.
On that list was languages.
The trouble is that realistic languages aren't very fun for a game for a pretty simple reason - it's never as fun to not be able to communicate with an NPC as it is communicate with one. It's never as fun to not get the clue as to get the clue. The fail state of language failure just isn't that interesting.
You don't want to be making barriers to role-play in a role-playing game. So I use a pretty simplistic model of language that functionally limits the world's languages to a few dozen and the convenient conceit of the "common tongue" that most people can speak. Language occasionally shows up either as a barrier to understanding or a way of impressing upon an otherwise unfriendly NPC a connection between them and the PC, but for the most part I try not to have it matter too much.
Lanefan
Victoria Rules
Audiomancer
Adventurer
“For a minute there, we didn’t think we’d be able to sweet-talk our way out that tavern brawl. But fortunately, the Halfling is proficient in Argentinian Tango…”
QuentinGeorge
Legend
All the time, since my campaigns don’t have Common, ahistorical nonsense that it is. There may be a commonly spoken language, but if they travel to a distant region they should expect to need different languages.
Greenstone.Walker
Adventurer
I'd love to use languages, but my players all believe their characters can speak and read and write every single language, even the weird ones.
They also think that when I say they don't understand a creature then that means they do understand the creature.
Me: The creature speaks in a language you don't understand.
At least one player: Is it Abyssal?
Me: Do you speak Abyssal?
Player: Yes!
Me: Well, given that it's a language you don't understand then its clearly not Abyssal.
Another player: Ooooo, is it Primordial?
They also think that when I say they don't understand a creature then that means they do understand the creature.
Me: The creature speaks in a language you don't understand.
At least one player: Is it Abyssal?
Me: Do you speak Abyssal?
Player: Yes!
Me: Well, given that it's a language you don't understand then its clearly not Abyssal.
Another player: Ooooo, is it Primordial?
Similar Threads
- Poll
