D&D 5E Playing an unintelligible PC

[Racing Breca]

I am preparing to play a character that is inspired by Brad Pitt's character from Snatch, "One Punch" Mickey O'Neil.

How would you play a character whose speech was mostly unintelligible? It sounds fun, but I could imagine it getting obnoxious, both to play and to play with.

The idea is that his nomadic caravan has traveled far and wide, picking up pigeon slang from around the world. Being mostly rogues and barbarians, the tribe is also inundated with thieves cant speakers.

I think I will give him slightly slurred speech and obscure exclamations, both worsening with stress. With intention, he will be able to slow down his speech and annunciate properly.

The build uses a grappler chassis, with Rogue 2/ Barbarian 5. Rogue 2 gets the all important Expertise in athletics as well as Cunning action (Dashing with proned and grappled opponents is awesome); while Barbarian 5 gets you rages (Advantage on Athletics Checks), Bear totem toughness, and extra Attack.

The Tavern Brawler feat as a Variant Human adds a lot of fun role-play value. "Mickey uses the goblin corpse as a makeshift club, and hits the Orc with it", or "Mickey takes the grappled and prone Orc to Suplex City".

What concerns would you have as a player or DM?

 

[neogod22]

I am preparing to play a character that is inspired by Brad Pitt's character from Snatch, "One Punch" Mickey O'Neil.

How would you play a character whose speech was mostly unintelligible? It sounds fun, but I could imagine it getting obnoxious, both to play and to play with.

The idea is that his nomadic caravan has traveled far and wide, picking up pigeon slang from around the world. Being mostly rogues and barbarians, the tribe is also inundated with thieves cant speakers.

I think I will give him slightly slurred speech and obscure exclamations, both worsening with stress. With intention, he will be able to slow down his speech and annunciate properly.

The build uses a grappler chassis, with Rogue 2/ Barbarian 5. Rogue 2 gets the all important Expertise in athletics as well as Cunning action (Dashing with proned and grappled opponents is awesome); while Barbarian 5 gets you rages (Advantage on Athletics Checks), Bear totem toughness, and extra Attack.

The Tavern Brawler feat as a Variant Human adds a lot of fun role-play value. "Mickey uses the goblin corpse as a makeshift club, and hits the Orc with it", or "Mickey takes the grappled and prone Orc to Suplex City".

What concerns would you have as a player or DM?

Well, I would have you Roleplay your speech, since it will be hard for anyone to not understand you if you do it normally. In the last campaign I played, we had a druid who didn't speak, and used sounds and whistles to cast spells, which was pretty entertaining except the fact that her intelligence gathering was useless. Until the cleric took a level in druid, then it was, she could understand the druid since apparently that's what she was speaking the whole time.

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[Draegn]

You might try using one of the online, Anthony Burgess Nadsat dictionaries or getting a copy of A Clockwork Orange that has a glossary.

 

[FrogReaver]

You have already avoided my concern. You made a PC that could be very annoying for the group to play with. Possibly very fun. You gave yourself a way out of the annoying stuff by allowing him to speak clearly enough when collected. As such it sounds like a blast to play with this PC, alongside him and to DM for him.

 

[Racing Breca]

You might try using one of the online, Anthony Burgess Nadsat dictionaries or getting a copy of A Clockwork Orange that has a glossary.

That is a great resource, that I never considered.

I will certainly be peppering Mickey's speech with this slang. I've never read Clockwork Orange. Maybe I'll have to put it at the top of the list.

Thanks!

 

[Hawk Diesel]

Around the other PCs, speak normal since they likely understand your character. But when addressing anyone else, speaking vaguely coherent gibberish. That should keep your character from being too annoying.

 

[Racing Breca]

That's a great idea as well. Especially after the initial introduction period, and the novelty dissipates.
SMRT!

 

[JacktheRabbit]

What concerns would you have as a player or DM?

Your creating a gypsy, or whatever the nomadic gypsies that prance around squatting on everyone elses land in England are called. If everyone in the party is from the same band then communicating with each other is normal conversation. It is when you talk to most NPCs that you will have problems.

Be read for your DM to have most NPCs hate you, refuse to sell to you, and want to chase you off as thieves every chance they get. Also expect impatient members of your own party to tell you to shut up or talk in your place to avoid the irritation of having you dealing with others.

As a DM I would ask why you are no longer with your band are they all dead? Were you so annoying your own kind kicked you out or exiled you?

Finally I see your build being very weak outside of your typical tavern brawl. No goblin body club or suplex is ever going to do as much damage as a greatword.


As a side note your character should technically be no more annoying nor limiting than playing a Kenku.

 

[Racing Breca]

He will start the adventure with his full caravan in tow. I'm sure the DM and I will come up with a reason for him to go on an adventure and leave the caravan behind.

The grapple mechanics are a trade off, control vs Dmg. I have played a grappler before and had a lot of fun. Having a grappler in the party makes life easier for his allies and hard on most (non-huge & ghostly) bad guys. Add in all the non-combat rogue skillfulness and he is a useful alli.

 

[Bigsta]

Get a hireling whose only job is to cast minor illusion to subtitle you when you speak.