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Re: what is the language "assassin"
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2018 8:25 am
by Arn
Just figured I'd drop a bit of FR lore I just came across:
"
Thieves' Cant. More a lingo than a language, this
choppy vernacular is spoken only by rogues (members
of other classes can't understand it). Thieves' cant
differs slightly from city to city. Player characters may
not consider it a known language."
It seems Thieves' Cant is actually verbal, and not a series of physical tics. Not saying it necessarily needs to be changed on our server, but it doesn't hurt to know a bit more about its lore.
Re: what is the language "assassin"
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2018 8:29 am
by DM Soulcatcher
2nd Edition Player's Handbook wrote:Thieves' Cant: Thieves' cant is a special form of communication known by all thieves and their associates. It is not a distinct language; it consists of slang words and implied meanings that can be worked into any language. The vocabulary of thieves' cant limits its use to discussing things that Interest thieves: stolen loot, easy marks, breaking and entering, mugging, confidence games, and the like. It is not a language, however. Two thieves cannot communicate via thieves' cant unless they know a common language. The cant is useful, however, for identifying fellow cads and bounders by slipping a few tidbits of lingo Into a normal conversation.
The concept of thieves' cant is historical (the cant probably is still used today in one form or another.) although in the AD&D game it has an ahistorically broad base. A few hours of research at a large library should turn up actual examles of old thieves' cant for those who want to learn more about the subject.
Re: what is the language "assassin"
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2018 11:46 am
by Calodan
I take the languages to be like hand and arm signals. The other option is that assassin or thieves cant is instead SIGN LANGUAGE! Which actually is quite complex and can hold conversation quite well as long as you can see each other. So in my book Assassin = Baseball or military signals and Thieves Cant = Sign Language.
Re: what is the language "assassin"
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2018 4:03 pm
by Eclipse9
Something I shared with my guild mates a long while ago, in case anyone finds it interesting.
http://www.candlekeep.com/library/articles/cant.htm