D&D General Languages suck in D&D.

[Henadic Theologian]

I think there are ways to make languages interesting.

One thing you could do is if you know a creatures first language you have advantage on insight checks against the creature.

Also advantage on language based puzzles.

A feat where you get certain benifits from casting spells in a specific language.

Charisma advantage when you unexpectedly speak a creatures language, etc...

I'll also add alot of languages are setting based, and while they were in 2025 core, most were gone because the expectation is instead of relying on core fir setting, one uses setting books.

Oh and alot species as well as Celestial & Fiendish languages likely relate to Gods/religions/philosophy. So just like Catholism helped keep Latin from completely dying off completely.

I like that alot of practical uses for say Elvish or Dwarvish are religious and it's their God's that make sure the language is maintained without changes between worlds. Occasion like Eberron there maybe something else that makes it consistent.

I mean look at Celestial and Infernal & Abyssal, Celestials and Fiends often innately know and they share that knowledge with others. Sometimes they innately know other languages so they can help maintain those languages.

D&D languages have the benifit of being maintained by immortal beings, not just fallible mortals.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

D&D languages have the benifit of being maintained by immortal beings, not just fallible mortals.

They're still spoken by fallible mortals in the vast majority of cases, though. So would be subject to the same issues.

Only languages where immortal beings were reliably teaching the languages would stay static. Or in religious communities or the like, and even then there'd be slow drift, like Church Latin.

 

[Alzrius]

Regional languages make infinitely more sense for a story purpose.

Okay, so what regions should be in the Core Rulebooks so as to reflect the regional languages used therein?

 

[Shiroiken]

I think a huge problem is the slow assumption of Common as the everyday language. In some settings like Greyhawk, it makes sense because a monolithic empire set it as the standard language. Most of the other early settings assumed Common was a trade tongue that was only used when communicating with outsiders. You couldn't assume people knew it, especially monsters, so knowing a variety of languages was useful. Now the game doesn't want to bother with the idea at all, to the point where everything just automatically knows Common so that communication is always easy for the players. It's so bad that they've retconned Common to have been the original language of the multiverse, given to the material worlds from Sigil.

I agree with the idea of region languages. It would make sense, and intelligent creatures would try to learn their regional language to communicate with their neighbors. It would basically be a series of Common languages for each region. Moving from one region to another would require someone else to know the language or to get an interpreter. Of course, the big question is going to be "how do you define a region?"

 

[Henadic Theologian]

They're still spoken by fallible mortals in the vast majority of cases, though. So would be subject to the same issues.

Only languages where immortal beings were reliably teaching the languages would stay static. Or in religious communities or the like, and even then there'd be slow drift, like Church Latin.

Again you do have the guidance of various Gods and their immortal minions to maintain them for ages.

 

[J.Quondam]

And I'm not being dismissive here, I've tried incorporating language into D&D in a meaningful manner but it's never quite worked so well. This is the reason the universal translator exists in Star Trek. I don't want to spend a whole lot of time not being able to have NPCs and PCs communicate, I want to play the game.

The way I've usually handled languages is just to assume that, for most 'ordinary' communications, there's enough time, motivation, and mutual vocab on both sides to communicate sufficiently. E.g., if you're haggling to buy equipment, the buyer and seller are going to figure it out, whether or not they share a language. For most typical communications with no particular duress or serious consequences, "it just works."

For more interesting situations where there's potential consequences on a fail (eg, diplomacy, deceptions, eavesdropping, reading ancient/complex/important texts, and so forth) that's when the actual language skill comes into play.

 

[Steampunkette]

Okay, so what regions should be in the Core Rulebooks so as to reflect the regional languages used therein?

Nope. It should be something like:

Languages
Languages are an important part of any campaign setting, whether official or homebrew. In each world we release, you'll find languages that are broadly spoken across much of the world, regional languages spoken across many kingdoms or countries, and local languages that may only be used within a given kingdom. These languages are broken down into the three main categories of Trade, Regional Language, and Dialect.

Trade Language: Trade Languages are typically the most commonly used language internationally for the purposes of trade. While they are broadly useful for communicating, even with common folk, their utility is somewhat hindered away from trade hubs aside from asking for directions or procuring goods and services.

Regional Language: Regional languages are a more precise language group that tends to be connected to several languages within a given part of the world. While not as precise as local languages, a language family is typically broadly used within a specific part of the world, and slightly less used outside of that area.

Dialect: Dialects are local languages that may be tied to a single kingdom or even a single city-state. These languages typically resemble the regional language, but with unique pronunciations, phrases, or understandings that aren't more broadly understood. In some regions, dialects can even be specific to different people groups. For example a group of goblins might speak the regional language in a dialect almost unique to themselves.

There are also another specific, and potentially misleadingly named, category.

Dead Languages: Dead Languages are languages that do not change because they have, largely, fallen out of use. This might include the language the magical spells are written in, or the language of dragons. In rare cases, a dead language may still be in widespread use, but be an unchanging language due to the nature of those who speak it. The language of Elves is largely considered to be a dead language, even though most elves speak it, for this reason.

Communicating Fluency
Languages are presented based on their connections to one another. That is to say Trade Languages to Regional Languages, and Regional Languages to their Dialects. For example, consider the languages of the once mighty Roman Empire after it's fall. (While the "Romance" language never existed, suspend disbelief for this imaginary setting)

Trade Language: Latin (Dead)
Regional Language: Romance
Local Dialects: French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish

People who speak French and people who speak Italian cannot easily communicate without knowing each other's language, in this system. Deception, Insight, Intimidation, and Persuasion checks that rely on language are made at disadvantage, but can still be made. After all, a spada, an espada, and an espe are all swords.

Whereas someone who doesn't speak a Romance language, such as German, cannot make one of those checks based entirely on language.

If they both speak the same language they do not face this penalty at all.

You can do the same with Germanic languages like Afrikaans, Dutch, English, Frisian, German, and Yiddish. Breaking China's regional languages down would require at least three regional languages! the Hmong-Mien languages separate from the Sino-Tibetan languages and the Kra-Dai languages.

Consider your settings regions, which could be based on national borders or geographic features such as bordering mountains or island chains. Think about the peoples who live there and what they sound like.

Or something like it. Instead of using real world languages they could put the Faerunian languages in, just as an example, of course.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You're not wrong, but when it comes to actually playing the game how does this affect a campaign? And I'm not being dismissive here, I've tried incorporating language into D&D in a meaningful manner but it's never quite worked so well. This is the reason the universal translator exists in Star Trek. I don't want to spend a whole lot of time not being able to have NPCs and PCs communicate, I want to play the game.


Try Conan from Modiphius. Every area has its own language, so it's entirely possible for a group of player characters not to speak a common tongue. Given that Howard's original Conan was a polyglot, this usually isn't a problem no matter where he is, but it doesn't work so well in an RPG. There's a trait you can give a character giving them the ability to speak some sort of trade language no matter where they are, but if you're going to give that to the PCs then what difference does language really matter?

Having language matter in a realistic way in the imaginary world the PCs are part of is "playing the game" to me.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Okay, so what regions should be in the Core Rulebooks so as to reflect the regional languages used therein?

You move most of the language talk to the DMG and use, say, Greyhawk as an example setting for how to set up regional languages.

 

[Reynard]

People really have to stop imaging D&D as some sort of reality simulator.

Languages are what they are for purely gameplay reasons. They are not a treatise on culture or worldbuilding or how things "are" or "should be".