3. Racial languages, learnt instantly?

Racial languages, learnt instantly?

  • Peltarch Far Scouts

    @a4af550b9e=leinad888:

    And no, Bards are not the only class that can take additional languages as they progress. The skill is only a CLASS skill for Bards, any other race can take it (I think, possibly not Barbs [dont have a PHB nearby atm]) they just have to spend 2 skill points per language rather than 1.

    I don t really know if only bards can learn new languages or not, but it truly would make no sense, since learning a new language can be done even from listening (for some time, of course, not at once) to native people speak, and other ways too…

    I believe that the token system would be cool, but the way it works now should suffice, let s trust other players 🙂 and make the game fun.

  • ICC

    Yes I also find it a bit annoying since the ICC grow almost every party seems to have someone who can understand and speak orcish perfectly.

    I do wonder who teached them or why I do not see those hanging around in a library and when I review their character descriptions there is no clue of how they could have learned it.

    Dilinus Gest for example made it very clear (in his character description) why he can speak hin. He lived about fifty years in a monastary together with halflings. From his everyday contact with them he learned to speak it fluent over the years.

  • ICC

    or Orcish for that matter….
    Everytime halfer speak among eachother in orcish theres always some wise guy nosing in... :x


  • @fa47e277c1=M_O_B:

    What irks me a little is how almost every character seems to be able to speak each and every language they know without a single mistake >.>

    Or how it seems every character knows elven and dwarven.


  • What irks me a little is how almost every character seems to be able to speak each and every language they know without a single mistake >.>


  • I'm not keen on the idea of PCs learning skills during downtime. Yes the system allows for it with all skills, but from an RP standpoint, it leaves a lot out.

    For learning languages, simply listening to native speakers (without having an active tutor) works, assuming you have a few years - adults learn in that way much more slowly than children.

    Reading books certainly works - assuming you have access to "A beginning primer on Elvish for the Common speaker" or the equivalent - of course, that gets you only the written language not spoken, and I know of no such books currently IG.

    Having a tutor works best - and RPing that with another PC can be a lot of fun. I'd rather see PCs do that than magically know a new language after leveling because they spent a couple of skill points and "leaned it during their downtime."


  • Well remember, our PCs do a lot of things when we're logged off (and logged on) that we don't RP. Saying that you had a tutor or that you just spent a lot of time listening to native speakers and reading books are valid ways of learning the language in Narfell since there is so much time that isn't accounted for.


  • That's true. I usually do the RP/studying before spending the points on levelling up, but the other way could be equally valid.

  • A

    I am pretty sure I read somewhere here that you also need some IC way to learn a new language even after spending the points apon levelling - it just doesn't magically and instantly happen without some expense and/or tutoring.


  • Ah yes…. I meant to say "new language" not "new bonus language." I stand corrected.

  • F

    As I recall, you can only take 'bonus' languages at creation from the list in the FRCS.
    The FRCS has a table of character regions and lists what languages your PCs knows by default and what additional languages your PC may take upon creation.

    And no, Bards are not the only class that can take additional languages as they progress. The skill is only a CLASS skill for Bards, any other race can take it (I think, possibly not Barbs [dont have a PHB nearby atm]) they just have to spend 2 skill points per language rather than 1.


  • Have a postive INT modifier OR have dumped points into the speak language skill (we usually dump into craft <something>around here for that).

    You can always learn a new bonus language, but after creation, only by spending skill points (supposedly).</something>

  • G
    ICC

    @80d7935548=Dorakhan:

    PHB lists common and orc as automatic languages for the half-orc, much like elven is an automatic language for a half-elf. Each race, save for humans, also gets their own race's language as an automatic…
    ...Please note that the intelligence bonus towards bonus languages really only applies at character "creation." Also note that the speak language "skill" is a class skill for bards and bards only...

    Thank you for commenting this thread Dorakhan.

    So if I understand correctly, If anyone claims to understand other racial language (and is not a bard) I have to presume that they have at least some positive INT modifiers so they could buy that specific language during character creation.

    So, bonus languages are decided only once, during character creation. After character has been created no-one can learn any extra languages along the way right? (only bards can, but they are not worthy of mentioning:)

    This conversation is very good as I think that there has been multiple different views of understanding/learning different languages.


  • PHB lists common and orc as automatic languages for the half-orc, much like elven is an automatic language for a half-elf. Each race, save for humans, also gets their own race's language as an automatic.

    Now, if you're looking into other racial languages, according to the handbooks here's where things get tricky. They always have to be taken as a bonus language - and the handbook only affords other racial languages to certain groups.

    I recommend reading the 3.5 SRD (as language info didn't really change from 3.0). http://www.d20srd.org/srd/races.htm

    And here is the link on language literacy: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/SpeakLanguage.htm .

    Please note that the intelligence bonus towards bonus languages really only applies at character "creation." Also note that the speak language "skill" is a class skill for bards and bards only.

  • G

    I think the problem mentioned above is when you meet the tipycal Half-orc that can't even talk common propertly and then he suddenly understands what you are saying when you talk in Elven to your mate.

    (bit exagerated, maybe…but im sure it has happened.)


  • True, and it is also true that some of the funniest times I've had IG are when PC's couldn't undrstand what other PC's said, but the players could read it all. A few will always spoil things a little, but for the most part I like how things are.

  • ICC

    The language token would be of course for the ones of the Language race and the ones who could (via INT points) afford it.
    That would be great!
    it will prevent metagaming, thats for sure!

    Unfortunatly it spamms the DM channel it seems 😞

  • G
    ICC

    @3061c96140=Robyn:

    I played on a server once that had those language tokens. It was rather cool. If I didn’t have the appropriate token, I heard “Barak kuhl vek, jukka!” or something similar instead of the normal text. Each of the languages had their own feel.

    The problem is that it spammed the DM channel. If there was a system out that didn’t spam the DM channel, I would be all for it.

    Hi,

    Flooding DM channel is something that we apparently cannot accept.
    "Language token" would garble your speech, but it would also be "less entertaining" regarding those unfortunate ones who doesnt possess such token. I would doubt that people would like to read “Barak kuhl vek, jukka!” all the time. I would think they might actually get bored… Hmm.. dunno :?:


  • I played on a server once that had those language tokens. It was rather cool. If I didn’t have the appropriate token, I heard “Barak kuhl vek, jukka!” or something similar instead of the normal text. Each of the languages had their own feel.

    The problem is that it spammed the DM channel. If there was a system out that didn’t spam the DM channel, I would be all for it.


  • All of my characters have the languages they know written in their Journal notes. Every Character in DnD starts speaking Common, one regional dialect appropriate to where the character is from, and one additional language per dot of Int, all for 'free'. Druids also start with Druidic.
    Languages can then be learnt as a crossclass skill, 2 skill points spent equals one language learnt. Several of my characters have learnt new languages this way (Bards get languages at 1 skill point per language) in each case they have RP'd learning it, had a teacher to teach them it IG and I've allowed a reasonable amount of Game Time to let them slowly get better at it. I spend the skill points into a Dump Skill, usually Craft Armor and don't let the character be even close to fluent until they've levelled and spent the skill points.

    There have often been calls for a token system or similar, but it's never been particularly popular, or worth the time to implement just to deal with the very few players that seem to suddenly know languages. Maybe something as simple as a forum thread where each PC states what languages they know? But that falls prey to metagaming. People see that X speaks Abyssal, and suddenly everyone IG looks at them funny (it does happen).

    I don't think there's an easy solution, and to my mind the system we've always used of trusting the playerbase to be fair about it has always worked well enough to make making it more complicated unnecessary.