Delvers and Denizens: Languages

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 I'm a little surprise I haven't posted the language rules I've been using for awhile now.

Here is what I have written up at the moment:

Ethnic Tongues

-Characters may be fluent in one or more languages

-Determined by birthplace and Ethnicity

-Reaction rolls get a -1 if speaking a regional dialect

-Reaction rolls get a -2 if speaking a related tongue

-Reaction rolls get a -3 if speaking a foreign tongue

The Common Tongue

-A pidgin language also known as Trade Common

-All PCs with INT 6+ know this language(2 learning points)

-Treat as if speaking a foreign dialect when speaking with humans who do not know trade common

Language List

1. Ethnic Human*

2. Gobgob(goblin)

3. -Hobos** 

4. -Bugbear

5. -Kobold

6. Orcish

7. Elder

8. -Elfin

9. -Faerie

10. -Draconic

11. Gnomish

12.   -Denwarf’s Tongue

13. -Hinnic

14. Giantish

15. -Ogre

16. Ghebbelin

17. -Gnoll

18. -Hutaakan

19. -Lupin

20. Lizardman

*this list doesn't include all the human dialects, as the ones I use are specific to Mystara, and so I won't be putting them in the final rulebook.

**each dialect is indented(in case that wasn't obvious)

Learning Languages

-INT score = # of points to spend on learned languages

-familiar(1, weekly) = -2 reaction

-basic(2, monthly) = -1 reaction

-fluent(3, yearly) = no penalty

-may learn through study(only to basic) or daily practice

-make INT check at stated time intervals to learn language

How it works in play: I let the players tell me what they are trying to communicate, and then the dice basically tell me if there is miscommunication. For NPCs speaking adifferent language I might say that the characters don't understand every word but then tell them the gist of what the npcs are saying; the amount of info I give is based on  the degree of separation between languages(dialect, same family or not etc.) I don't ask for the players to describe their gestures or anything like that, I simply let the conversation go as normal, but then the reaction dice tell if their was miscommunication resulting in a violent confrontation or some other hostile reaction.

as far as the learning rules go I just finalized them now; I've experimented with a few haphazard rules for language learning, but never been satisfied. I quite like these ones, we'll have to see how it pans out in play