D&D (2024) Rare Languages

AK_Ambrian

Explorer
The standard rules saying that every character can understand (including reading and writing) three languages seems excessive to me. In my campaigns, I think I will reduce it to two.

I mean, according to these rules, a level 1 human fighter with the hermit background and an intelligence of 10 can read, write and speak both dwarvish and elven as well as being fluent in common? It doesn't make any sense...
 

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Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
The standard rules saying that every character can understand (including reading and writing) three languages seems excessive to me.
I'm not sure it would seem excessive in much of the real world. Tri-lingual people are the norm on wide swaths of the planet.
In my campaigns, I think I will reduce it to two.

I mean, according to these rules, a level 1 human fighter with the hermit background and an intelligence of 10 can read, write and speak both dwarvish and elven as well as being fluent in common? It doesn't make any sense...
Combat manuals written in dwarvish and Walden-style books on living with nature written in Elvish.
 

Audiomancer

Adventurer
As my 7-year Duolingo streak can attest, I am a big fan of languages—and that carries over into my D&D games as well. I’m pretty sure I’ve taken the Linguist feat on at least half of my characters, because sometimes it’s just fun to be the one guy in the party who just happens to speak Primordial or whatever.

I’m not playing with the 2024 rules yet, but if I were, Linguist would be one of the first things I’d grandfather back into the game.

I also think that some backgrounds should allow characters to be proficient in one of the rarer languages. Seems to me an Acolyte, Guide, Noble, Sage, or Scribe could logically have picked up an obscure language along the way. Depending on the backstory, it’s even plausible for a Merchant, Sailor, or Soldier.
 

pukunui

Legend
You can also train to learn a language.
Is that an option in the 2024 PHB? I'm aware there are plenty of ways to learn rare languages if we factor in the 2014 rules, but I am trying to establish what features in the 2024 PHB grant proficiency in a rare language.
 

Distracted DM

Distracted DM
Supporter
Druids get Druidic.

I'm only gonna use the common/rare language differentiation as a tag to suggest how many people are going to actually know it and be able to speak with you. But next indepth simulationist game I'm gonna do, I'm going to do the following:

1) put some human nation languages in
2) disadvantage on charisma checks when you're conversing in Common (it's everyone's second language, and it's a pidgin trade language)
3) advantage on Influence checks when speaking in a rare language with an outsider that natively speaks it (even though your accent is terrible, the fiend appreciates that you took the time to learn infernal)
I'm gonna steal this.
 

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