Language barrier for outlander parties

[Baba Ral]

Each region has its own language. If I plan for all my pcs to be outlanders, how are they supposed to overcome the language barrier?

Maybe they aren't? Do RL DMs usualy ignore the different languages in such cases? Maybe the wizard with a comprehent languages becomes invaluble?

I was thinking of granting a minor re-chargable item that allows the cast of a version of the spell "tongues" some times per day. Maybe they will gain it on the end of their first adventure.

Is that too much? Any other advice?

[Jimsolo]

Most PCs also come from a world where 'Common' is a language, (which is not the case in Ravenloft). Within my game, after about 24-48 hours, Outlanders find their knowledge of 'Common' being replaced by the local regional language of wherever they've arrived.

Occasionally, if the PCs arrive, they may discover that one of their regional languages correspond to an existing language as well. (Regional languages being a bigger thing in say, Faerun, than in some other games.)

[Dark Angel]

Each region has its own language. If I plan for all my pcs to be outlanders, how are they supposed to overcome the language barrier?

Maybe they aren't? Do RL DMs usualy ignore the different languages in such cases? Maybe the wizard with a comprehent languages becomes invaluble?

I was thinking of granting a minor re-chargable item that allows the cast of a version of the spell "tongues" some times per day. Maybe they will gain it on the end of their first adventure.

Is that too much? Any other advice?

I used to do the magic item thing, but felt that was being to easy on them. This is Ravenloft, adversity should be their bread and butter. One thing to consider (at least in my game), many domains/darklords come from the Prime Material plane. If you are from Greyhawk, you will likely be able to talk to a Darkonian. Are you an elf? You will be able to chat up one from Sithicus (with minor dialect issues). A Nova Vaasan will understand someone from Faerun (the Forgotten Realms setting) and so on. If that solution doesn't work for you because they don't come from a place that works with the 'locals' or the language is so uncommon (Gothic Earth's Italy is where Odiare came from, but good luck using Italian as a common tongue), you could have an interpreter type come through years before along the same gateway or portal. The local blacksmith found himself in Mordent years before (having been taken from the same place the players were from) and when confronted with no ability to talk to others in town, they should be panicky. Then have them come across said blacksmith (or whoever you select) and they now have someone who understands them perfectly and the locals. It provides a great opportunity to roleplay, a useful adventure hook, and/or a valuable NPC to help your players out. If they are staying in Ravenloft, they could eventually find a magic item, pick up the language skills, etc and they continue in the Land of the Mists. If they are only in Ravenloft for a 'weekend in hell', then they get a free magic item just because they need to speak to the locals? The interpreter works well and if they are only there for a little bit, they could give the NPC the option of coming home with them.

[Joël of the FoS]

Language difference can be a lot of fun in some parts of a campaign.

But if done all the time they get to a new domain, I think it is boring.

So IMC I changed to this :

- most of the people of the Core speak a kind of common, with more or less a local accent.

- most of the core domains also have a local language (as per canon, i.e. Balok, High Mordentish, etc.), so if locals do not want to be understood by the foreign PCs, they can.

- in some places where alienation is important for the atmosphere of the current campaign story arc : no common, only local language.

Joël

[Baba Ral]

Thanks for the advice.

I intent to make make this a RL campaign so the pcs are there to stay. This is my first take on Ravenloft.

Maybe I will introduce the magic item when overcomming the language barrier becomes stagnant. An idea I had was that the pcs start the campaign finding themselves "awakening" after exiting Darkon. They seem to have spend months there and the regional effect took place. While in Darkon they learned the local language and maybe one more (for high Int pcs).

[Dark Angel]

Thanks for the advice.

I intent to make make this a RL campaign so the pcs are there to stay. This is my first take on Ravenloft.

Maybe I will introduce the magic item when overcomming the language barrier becomes stagnant. An idea I had was that the pcs start the campaign finding themselves "awakening" after exiting Darkon. They seem to have spend months there and the regional effect took place. While in Darkon they learned the local language and maybe one more (for high Int pcs).

Sounds like a plan and that may be the way to go (it is really hard to reason why a native cannot speak or understand the language of the land); you also benefit from having hard reasoning and evidence behind it (just may not come across as such to the players). Let them learn that as the first hard lesson on how things are different.

[Skyrock]

While Common isn’t native to Ravenloft, I assume that merchants, inn keepers, scholars and others who often deal with outlanders or study them often pick a bit of it up.

In games with regional languages in play, some of those regional languages may map close enough to related RL languages.

After a few weeks of immersion I also hand out a basic understanding of the local language for free.

[Xararion]

The one time I managed to get my players to agree to play ravenloft they actually ran into this problem a lot. The bard had comprehend languages, but nobody had tongues since it was too low a level. On top of that the party was comprised of people from different realities (only way I got them to agree on the game, they didn't have great taste.) so their own tongues weren't even matching that well. It was a four man party, with one player completely out the loop language wise, I allowed the three others to communicate with each other despite different land of origin because they all had decided to pick dragonic as a language. That wasn't much help when talking to the locals though, but the town doctor it was I think spoke it, so they weren't entirely hosed.

The bard picked up linguistics on next level and I think so did most of the others. The campaign didn't continue long enough for them to keep running into the issue of different languages, but they at least started to make some preparations for inevitable language barriers. I'd probably have let them have the language for free over time if they hadn't taken the linguistics.

I do like the idea of the dark powers taking away your ability to speak your old mothers tongue in exchange of granting you the language of the domain you were whisked into though. If they realise whats happening, it would be nice little creepy add on.

[Mistmaster]

My Ravenloft has it's own Common Language (at least for the Core domanin)

[DeepShadow of FoS]

In my version of Ravenloft, I have declared that Darkonese is the common tongue of Oerth, Vaasi is the common tongue of Faerun, and that all the racial languages are the same. This ensures that there is at least some communication, although it can be difficult, and is generally just enough to get people a little nervous.