How To Learn A New Language

[ourchair]

As a DM, how would you rule a player character trying to learn pieces of language from another player character?

I have ideas on how I would do it, but I'm just wondering what approaches you guys would take.

The half-elf ranger wants to learn a few choice phrases so that she can manage 'tourist' Draconic, but I doubt that necessitates burning a feat.

 

[Shroomy]

I would rule that a hard DC Intelligence, Diplomacy, or Bluff check may do the trick, but I'd also rule that they could only communicate in the most rudimentary fashion.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I would rule that a hard DC Intelligence, Diplomacy, or Bluff check may do the trick, but I'd also rule that they could only communicate in the most rudimentary fashion.

Doesn't spending an entire feat get you 3 languages? And isn't that feat roundly derided as being rubbish?

Personally I'd say that knowing a new language was a sufficiently small reward that it might count as a small portion of treasure, or a reward for roleplaying.

 

[Aulirophile]

I would use the Artifact Concordance chart. Every day they set aside a minimum of one hour for instruction, I would have the teacher and the student roll an Intelligence (or possibly Wisdom. Either/or) check, DC 10+1/2 level for each. Teacher passes add +2 to the students roll. For every five successful checks of the student, roll 1d4. Add that to the 'concordance' with the language. Keep a separate table for the written language vs the spoken, and add both a check and another hour of instruction if they want to know both. Each day of non-study gives a stacking -2 to the next check, that goes down by 2 for each day of study (don't study for three days, then study three days in a row, your checks will be -6, -4, -2). I would continue with this even after fluency was achieved.

Score Artifact’s Attitude
16–20 Fluent
12–15 Semi-Fluent, obviously not a native language
5–11 Can understand it when spoken, has a hard time replying without being misunderstood (or insulting)
1–4 Knows how to say "please" "thank you" "where is x" etc
0 or lower No knowledge.

 

[Crazy_Dragon]

Maybe 50 could be eloquent (true mastery over the language) and between 21-50 it would only go down by 1 per week (with penalties likewise 1 per week) and they only need to use the language once per day to avoid any penalties (rational is that if you are still using it you wont forget it, but if you don't use it for half a year you will lose quite a bit of it)