Does Language Matter?
- Thread starter CombatWombat51
- Start date
Kelleris
Explorer
"Explain in post"
I use three levels of proficency in my games: fluent (as in the PHB), masterful, and transcendent.
Fluency means you can speak it just fine, a masterful level of proficency means that you're particularly good at things within the language's "theme" - if you have mastered Abyssal and are using it in a torture session, you get a circumstance bonus, Mercane boosts trade negotiations, that sort of thing. Transcendent proficiency allows you to alter reality through speech, in ways cognate with that language, like the BoVD's Dark Speech - transcendence in Abyssal means that you can create darkness or cause pain, that sort of thing.
Mastery is a role-playing reward for players who use language effectively, or provoke a demonstration of the nature of a given language, and transcendence is basically a magical ability I give out like I would treasure, if the situation or character warrants it.
Closely-related languages (generally, ones that use the same script) are treated as known one rank below the related language, although your actual ability in such related language isn't completely reflective of that - you may have transcendence in Infernal and know some really good Abyssal curses without actually being able to speak it.
I use three levels of proficency in my games: fluent (as in the PHB), masterful, and transcendent.
Fluency means you can speak it just fine, a masterful level of proficency means that you're particularly good at things within the language's "theme" - if you have mastered Abyssal and are using it in a torture session, you get a circumstance bonus, Mercane boosts trade negotiations, that sort of thing. Transcendent proficiency allows you to alter reality through speech, in ways cognate with that language, like the BoVD's Dark Speech - transcendence in Abyssal means that you can create darkness or cause pain, that sort of thing.
Mastery is a role-playing reward for players who use language effectively, or provoke a demonstration of the nature of a given language, and transcendence is basically a magical ability I give out like I would treasure, if the situation or character warrants it.
Closely-related languages (generally, ones that use the same script) are treated as known one rank below the related language, although your actual ability in such related language isn't completely reflective of that - you may have transcendence in Infernal and know some really good Abyssal curses without actually being able to speak it.
MrFilthyIke
First Post
CombatWombat51 said:Oh? Does... this ring a bell?
Rank Fluency
That's a snip of what I'm working on using IMC.
Oh yes, the bell hath been rung.
I love, repeat LOVE Rolemaster...but can't convince any players on it. :\
I even showed them how I could minimalize the charts into a Rolemaster Lite and make it less "work" (they all called it Chartmaster
).But, I agree language SHOULD be important (after all, I got a degree in anthropology, of which linguistics plays a big role in), but tend to simplify for ease of play. :\
Evilhalfling
Adventurer
hmmm .. 6 human languages - 3 spoken on one continent 2 on the other 1 on both. Most of society speaks either Delish (eastern common) or Westos (western common). The language went with the religion reformation - anyplace there is a different language, the gods are different as well.
Lately there has been a lot of negotiation with human tribesmen, and the PC barbarian has to act as translator/diplomat *giggle*
Lately there has been a lot of negotiation with human tribesmen, and the PC barbarian has to act as translator/diplomat *giggle*
the Jester
Legend
This poll should have been multiple choice. 
imc we use the PH languages and homebrew languages. For instance, in the 'region' (an area big enough to hold a coupla continents and many islands) you have the standard nonhuman racial languages, plus the following major human tongues:
Forinthian
Peshan
Thulian
Strogassian
If you leave the region, things get even wilder, with less 'elven' and more 'elfisti' and things like that... cousins to languages the pcs might know, but certainly not exactly the same. Someone who speaks a related language can sometimes make an intelligence check to try to understand a tongue he doesn't know.
imc we use the PH languages and homebrew languages. For instance, in the 'region' (an area big enough to hold a coupla continents and many islands) you have the standard nonhuman racial languages, plus the following major human tongues:
Forinthian
Peshan
Thulian
Strogassian
If you leave the region, things get even wilder, with less 'elven' and more 'elfisti' and things like that... cousins to languages the pcs might know, but certainly not exactly the same. Someone who speaks a related language can sometimes make an intelligence check to try to understand a tongue he doesn't know.
Eosin the Red
First Post
I totally disreguard the PHB languages and built my own tree.
robberbaron
First Post
As my D&D setting is a far future (Apocalypse + 10,000 years or so) Earth, I use "actual" languages for "civilised" countries, with racial tongues for the non-humans. There are quite a large number of languages, with differing relationships to each other.
As for levels of knowledge I use the following system:
Language Levels. Languages have 3 Levels in both spoken and written forms.
Spoken:
Level 0 - Knowledge of a few words and phrases, e.g., Yes, No, Please, Thank you, Hello, Goodbye.
Level 1 - Basic working knowledge of the language, including a few colloquial terms, but accented.
Level 2 - Fluent. Almost like a native. In fact, probably only a native could tell that the character is a foreigner.
Written:
Level 0 - Able to recognise some basic words, e.g., Exit, Inn, Gold, Wanted.
Level 1 - Street signs, some of a newspaper, common notices and popular literature. Might struggle with “big words”.
Level 2 - Can read the ‘Classics’, e.g., Shakestoor’s "Hamhock", "The Merchant of Sausages" and “A Vintner’s Tale” or the Granbretanian historical epics “Aral Vilsn” and “La Magra Tasha”.
Characters get Language Points at the start of the game depending upon their Intelligence, with a chance of being Literate in their native language for free. After this, language levels can be bought with Skill Points.
Also, anyone having level 2 in a language gains level 0 (basic understanding only) in all languages sharing similar words and grammar.
I could go into further detail but languages in my world take 2 pages of text + a couple of charts to fully explain. A bit complicated, but I like it.
As for levels of knowledge I use the following system:
Language Levels. Languages have 3 Levels in both spoken and written forms.
Spoken:
Level 0 - Knowledge of a few words and phrases, e.g., Yes, No, Please, Thank you, Hello, Goodbye.
Level 1 - Basic working knowledge of the language, including a few colloquial terms, but accented.
Level 2 - Fluent. Almost like a native. In fact, probably only a native could tell that the character is a foreigner.
Written:
Level 0 - Able to recognise some basic words, e.g., Exit, Inn, Gold, Wanted.
Level 1 - Street signs, some of a newspaper, common notices and popular literature. Might struggle with “big words”.
Level 2 - Can read the ‘Classics’, e.g., Shakestoor’s "Hamhock", "The Merchant of Sausages" and “A Vintner’s Tale” or the Granbretanian historical epics “Aral Vilsn” and “La Magra Tasha”.
Characters get Language Points at the start of the game depending upon their Intelligence, with a chance of being Literate in their native language for free. After this, language levels can be bought with Skill Points.
Also, anyone having level 2 in a language gains level 0 (basic understanding only) in all languages sharing similar words and grammar.
I could go into further detail but languages in my world take 2 pages of text + a couple of charts to fully explain. A bit complicated, but I like it.
Li Shenron
Legend
We don't use any specific rules for languages past the PHB. Spoken languages differences come up daily in our games, but most of the times knowing the appropriate language has minor advantages. Typical situations include eavesdropping to get story clues, reading dungeon inscription for hints of what awaits you in the next room, and similar things. The languages used are the ones in PHB and MM.
