Languages - Info (Lore and Server)

[Aleilsum]

-if you have any comments or additions to make to this post please put them below-

On rolling a char, you are entitled to:

1) your racial languages ( eg common, Dwarf)
2) class languages ( eg Animal for druids, Cant for rogues)
3) any extra languages that points from high Int gives you

If for any reason a language is missing ( or goes missing later on, as has happened) ask a DM to give you any languages you are entitled to - and PLEASE have an RP rational.

Occasionally an uncommon language can be granted ( if you have the Int points) if your RP background means you would have acquired it.

If your int goes up, you are entitled to another language.

On rare occasions, you can be granted one more normal or class or racial language if you put three or more months committed RP in. You will need to find a teacher and to show strong commitment to rping this out, plus ensure the DMs realise you are rping it out.

This is not a lightly given extra language.


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with great thanks to WhenWizardsWar, what's below is based off his excellent post

http://bgtscc.fomwaa.com/forum/viewtopi ... 02&start=0


WW has listed the most common languages with three exclusive rateings.

C=Common, your average day person probably speaks a smattering of this language or knows someone who does.

Rare=The chances of someone speaking this language are very very slim, and generally the only people that speak this language are adventerors who frequently encounter these races, and the races themselves.

E=Extremely Secret, Simply put, the race goes to great lengths to protect this language and people outside of this race should not know this language, it is a private secret language the race likely goes to great and sometimes bloody or indepth lengths to protect.

Abyssal(R):Demons, chaotic evil outsiders, evil clerics, Abyssal is much different then infernal which is spoken by devils.
Aquan(R):Water-based creatures such as water genasi.
Auran(R):Air-based creatures such air genasi and certain Djinn.
Celestial(R): Celestial beings such as Aasimars, often used by good aligned clerics paladins in their spells and prayers.
Common(C):Is widely used in Faerun and its impossible to list all who use it and the vast dialects and alphabets used.
Draconic(R):Kobolds, troglodytes, lizardfolk, dragons. arcanists.
Druidic(E):Members of druidic circles, many druids often have their own special words and phrases and methods of communicaton outside of standard alphabets).
Dwarven(C):Many people know dwarven though many dialects exist.
Elven(C):Many people know elven though many dialects exist.
Giant(R):Ogres, giants, gnolls. Formians, trolls etc.
Gnomeish(C):Many people can speak the gnomish language though many dialects exist.
Goblin(R):Goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears.
Gnolls:Contrary to popular belief gnolls do not have their own language, they speak an off shoot of giant.
Halfling(C):Spoken by man, many dialects.
Ignan(R): Fire-based creatures, such as fire genasi.
Infernal(R):Devils, lawful evil outsiders Infernal, evil clerics of a lawful evil nature,or devil summoners. Devils speak Infernal not abyssal.
Orc(R):Orc Dialect sounds similiar to Dwarven
Sylvan(E):Dryads, brownies, leprechauns Elven Alphabet.
Terran(R):Xorns and other earth-based creatures such as Earth Genasi
Undercommon:Excerpt below about under common.
Drow(E):See below excerpt about drow.

There is undercommon and there is drow.

Undercommon is basically the commonly used trade language of the underdark, hence under common. Most UD races speak undercommon, not only Drow though a surfacer may not know that.

Drow is basically the surface version of elven it is used almost exclusively among drow houses and generally non drow attempting to speak the personal language of the drow often mean quick brutal ends. For the most part drow is a secret language used ONLY among other drow so the likely hood of duerger or other ud races knowing drow is EXTREMELY remote, and even then they probably wouldnt have a good grasp to speak if fluently unless it was given via a magic spell or other mystical means.

[Brightstar]

Here is a more complete list (although not necessarily fully accessible for RP reason), of the language options available to characters. Please refer to the above post for exclusivity. Some languages are region specific as well, I can only speculate on the rating for some languages not on the above list. This is moreso for a complete listing of availability in the game. I count 55 in total.

*Special Thanks to DM Paranoid!!!*


Common
Abyssal
Algarondan
Alzhedo
Animal
Assasin (E)
Auran
Cant
Celestial
Chessentan
Chondathan
Chultan
Damaran
Dambrathan
Draconic
Drow
Drowsign (E)
Druidic
Durpari
Dwarf
Elven
Giant
Gnoll
Gnome
Goblin
Halardrim
Halfling
Halruaan
Ignan
Illuskan
Imaskar
Infernal
Lantanese
Leetspeak (obviously inserted for humor)
Midani
Mulhorandi
Nexalan
Oillusk
Orc
Rashemi
Raumvira
Serusan
Shaaran
Shou
Sylvan
Talfiric
Tashalan
Terran
Treant
Tuigan
Turmic
Uluik
Undercommon
Untheric
Vaasan

[Eldebryn]

To what extent can 2 individuals that speak common and undercommon respectively communicate with each other? What about the case of Elven-Drow language ?

[Zkenic]

Technically all common speach in the UD is "undercommon." A PC with the undercommon is being redundent, unless they use it as an rp reason to have common when dealing with surfacers. Drow is a dialect of elvish that surface elves do not understand, due to slang, accent, and mixing with undercommon, though drow speak elven, so they can communicate with their surface kin if they want to.

[AlphaCentaur]

Should UD players speak undercommon and refrain from the normal talk channel when dealing with surfacers? Is that what's going on? I can only hope it is, as I have yet to meet any underdark character.

[mar3usmc]

Unless your character has very high intellect and the languages to communicate it does make for some very nice RP if you RP your PC as not understanding what a surface speaker is saying and use the dmfi tool to speak undercommon or your race language (though I think everyone gets common and under common by default, which they shouldn't).

If through RP you believe that your PC should know a specific language perhaps taught to you by another you can always ask a DM to grant you such a language, or RP knowing it, though perhaps not fluently.

[AlphaCentaur]

If through RP you believe that your PC should know a specific language perhaps taught to you by another you can always ask a DM to grant you such a language, or RP knowing it, though perhaps not fluently.

I thought players had to roleplay learning extra languages for two or three real-life months before they entitled entitled to them. Does that still stand?

My shield dwarf had one bonus language to choose at level 1 and I picked undercommon, so I don't think you can understand it automatically. I could be wrong, though, since I never use it. I only picked the language because of the biography I imagined for him.

[Charraj]

Are you guys sure UD characters automatically get Undercommon? Everyone in the UD I met couldn't understand my Undercommon.
Maybe it's bugged for me?

[nwnolan]

Also, shouldn't Deep Imaskari get the Imaskari language automatically? Or is the Imaskari language something completely different?

[HollowLaughter]

Are you guys sure UD characters automatically get Undercommon? Everyone in the UD I met couldn't understand my Undercommon.
Maybe it's bugged for me?

We do.

[Charraj]

Then I'm bugged. Any ideas?

[Rainbow Prism]

Been meaning to ask about lore check used to understand the language. Are there any special rules? Can cant be understood with high lore? Extremely rare languages?

[Larzs]

Lore shouldn't be used to understand them at ALL. I could get maybe a word or two...but the whole freaking statement it...just doesn't work that way.

[Hydrocarbonated]

The Lore check is deliberately obscure. All I can tell you is that nobody will understand every language or every post regardless of how high they push the skill.

[GharThurion]

The Lore check is deliberately obscure. All I can tell you is that nobody will understand every language or every post regardless of how high they push the skill.

Not even with 100 lore?