D&D (2024) Rules that annoy you

[James Gasik]

I understand the point of a trade language, now show me how often in human history two parties came up with a new language in order to use that to talk to each other…

Ok, sure.

As to why other races would have a trade language and humans wouldn't, it's simple. Human civilization supposedly came around after all the older races did. So by the time they got up and trading, there would have been a lingua franca already established. And they'd learn it and use it of course.

But it wouldn't be the Human language in this case. And nothing explains why Humans and only Humans would abandon their language.

As for Tolkien, his world has a lot less species cluttering it up. You have Hobbits (do Hobbits even speak their own language?), Dwarves, Elves, and Humans. Goblins/Orcs/Trolls/Ents, but who trades with them? No Gnomes, Tabaxi, Centaurs, Goliaths, Plasmoids, Owlins, Harengon, Tortles, Githyanki, etc.. to see here!

And Dwarves and Elves did apparently trade in Middle-Earth, as stated in The Hobbit:

(Gandalf): Mithril! All folk desired it. It could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could make of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. Its beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty of mithril did not tarnish or grow dim.

And let us not forget Bilbo's (and later Frodo's) legendary armor, found in The Lonely Mountain itself:

"a small coat of mail, wrought for some young elf-prince long ago. It was of silver-steel which the elves call mithril".

 

[mamba]

Ok, sure.

these are all languages that already existed, like Latin or Greek, if anything that proves my point.

As to why other races would have a trade language and humans wouldn't, it's simple. Human civilization supposedly came around after all the older races did.

very much setting specific, if you rather have humans never developed a language, go right ahead, I gave my reasons for my conclusions

 

[mellored]

Common is human, where else do you think it is from, D&D’s Esperanto?

And of course, Humans think they are the default.

 

[mamba]

And of course, Humans think they are the default.

I gave my rationale, not going over it again

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Addendum: now it's just English in English language editions of D&D. Or Italian in Italian language editions, and so on.

Oh no, they dubbed it.

 

[Lanefan]

Yeah... I was not surprised they dropped them, because cannot make things too scary! Here's things back to 3e, just the way everyone likes it.

While, my belief in the DnD world would be a lot easier to maintain if you started with, say, 20-30hp and added a few hp on level up, rather than start with a few but multiply that every single level.

As long as commoners and peasants have 15-25 h.p. this would make sense.

But if commoners only have 5-10 h.p. or less while 1st-level characters have 20-30, that's way too big of a gap.

1st-level characters should be one "level" away from commoners in a logical reverse progression 3rd-2nd-1st-commoner (though you could also put a 0th between 1st and commoner).

 

[James Gasik]

As long as commoners and peasants have 15-25 h.p. this would make sense.

But if commoners only have 5-10 h.p. or less while 1st-level characters have 20-30, that's way too big of a gap.

1st-level characters should be one "level" away from commoners in a logical reverse progression 3rd-2nd-1st-commoner (though you could also put a 0th between 1st and commoner).

It doesn't help that NPC hit points have no relation to PC hit points, when you can have a CR 1/2 with over 20 hit points.

 

[Voadam]

It doesn't help that NPC hit points have no relation to PC hit points, when you can have a CR 1/2 with over 20 hit points.

From the 5e MM:

Commoners at 4 hp are CR 0.
CR 1/8 bandit, guard, and tribal warrior = 11 hp.
CR 1/4 acolyte = 9 hp
CR 1/2 Scout = 16 hp.
CR 1/2 thug = 32 hp.
The CR 1 spy has 27 hp.

 

[James Gasik]

From the 5e MM:

Commoners at 4 hp are CR 0.
CR 1/8 bandit, guard, and tribal warrior = 11 hp.
CR 1/4 acolyte = 9 hp
CR 1/2 Scout = 16 hp.
CR 1/2 thug = 32 hp.
The CR 1 spy has 27 hp.

I just saw the CR 1/2 the other day, trying to find it, but in the meantime:

EDIT: Yeah, and the Thug is also pretty nuts.

 

[SkidAce]

So I know it won't help the debate but here yah go....

Common is the Trade Tongue.
But it only gives you basic speech. (me trade goat) etc., and is not written.
It WAS (or so they say) an ancient human trading empire.
But it seems coarse and low born to other species, and humans with a local language, so they dont like it.
It seems coarse and lowborn because it is the magically infused language of the yugoloths. (like celestial)
Who were the ancient trade empire. And the forgotten ancestors of the humans.
Scholars say you could learn fluent Trade Tongue if you studied ancient scrolls. (higher levels of fluency manifest the yugoloth heritage)
Some evil traders seem to pick it up naturally (muhahaha)