What are the most useful languages?

[Sigurd]

I think it's a bit meta-game to pick languages on their usefulness

I'd agree with most things but I'm not sure about languages. A more useful language is probably also a more available one. Could be a lot of background reasons for picking a learned language. If they don't come from character race and current location 'most useful' seems like a good way of finding 'most common'.


my .02

Sigurd

 

[Hypersmurf]

Ignan, Auran, Terran, Aquan.

Heh. I'm fond of playing Druids, and these usually get my vote as well

Nothing worse than not being able to tell your summoned Elemental "Break down that door!" or "Stop that ship!"

-Hyp.

 

[haakon1]

I'm currently playing a multiclassed character in Living Greyhawk . . .

Anywho, what languages would you pick if you only had 6 to learn.

For a campaign that takes Greyhawk seriously, and where you want to cover the bases other characters might not:

- Ancient Suloise
- Ancient Baklunish
- The Cold Tongue or Flannae, or other regional language
- Elvish (the Spanish for Americans/French for Brits of the D&D world -- everyone should know it)
- Draconic (generic adventures' version of Ancient Suloise, as in the creepy old language in old dungeons)
- Undercommon

 

[bmcdaniel]

In Living Greyhawk, everybody living speaks Common. What you really want are the languages are most likely to be found written on the wall of some dusty tomb:

Baklunish, Ancient
Flan
Oeridian, Old
Suloise, Ancient

Pick up these four + Draconic and you'll be 75% covered.

 

[Wilphe]

- Elvish (the Spanish for Americans/French for Brits of the D&D world -- everyone should know it)

That would be meta-gaming though.

If they were RPing properly Americans would learn Welsh and English people would learn Aztec.

 

[Nifft]

- The Cold Tongue

"Arrr, the ladies loves it when I slips in a bit o' th' Cold Tongue. If ye knows what I'm meanin', and I'm thinkin' ye does. Arr."

-- N

 

[nittanytbone]

I like picking up a language from each alphabet.

The alphabets (SRD) are:

Elvish, Dwarvish, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Celestial, Druidic (special).

Then you should be able to read -- or at least puzzle out part of -- anything you come across without needing to burn spells on it.

 

[Notmousse]

That would be meta-gaming though.

If they were RPing properly Americans would learn Welsh and English people would learn Aztec.

Erm... What?

 

[Nifft]

Erm... What?

I think he's just making a joke: that "proper RP'ing" means taking sub-optimal choices.

Cheers, -- N

 

[nitininill12]

This article really good for get the list of D&D 5e languages