Language Dialects 4E

[Ninja D!]

I had a thought about languages and their dialects.  If two people speak different dialects of the same language (for a logical example, let's say eladrin and elves) and they try to communicate, I would think it wouldn't go the most smoothly.  Maybe to understand each other intelligence checks must be passed.  I would set the DC around 10 in easy circumstances and 20 in more extreme ones.  It makes it so new adventurers (and common people) might have trouble with it but the more experienced would rarely have any issues.

Any thoughts on this?

[Stargate525]

Those are really, really high. american is a dialect of british English, but we certainly don't fail to understand each other half of the time we talk unless one or the other party is making it a point to be obscure, which I don't think would fall under language checks at all.

[Numinous]

I honestly think it's an extra complication that I would never use in my game.  But hey, your choice.  I like to think of the 4E philosophy of simplicity, and compare the importance of dialects to the overall flow of the game in a cost-benefit analysis.

Otherwise, your system probably works fine.

[Ninja D!]

@Stargate525: I thought that maybe they were too high as well.
@RoM: I partially agree with you this was an idea I had that I may or may not use.  The main reason for it is that I am making an island / continent that has been forgotten by the rest of the world.  They were part of the global community in the distant past but have now been cut off for centuries.

[Higgs Boson]

I must point out though, it can be quite confusing with all the random words the British throw in.

[Ninja D!]

Americans, too. We've both taken a language that was already complicated and made it worse.

[Elemental_Elf]

I think you should ask yourself, do the inhabitants of this island continent speak a dialect of a particular language (i.e. American compared to British) or has the inhabitant's language evolved to the point where it is a closely related but totally different language with its own unique pronunciation, grammar and words (i.e. Portuguese and Spanish)? If it is the later, then yes, I totally agree with the use of Intelligence checks because it really is difficult for both sides to comprehend what the other is saying. By the same token, if it is like the former, then save yourself the trouble and skip it (or just use a different accent to, uhh, accentuate the difference!).  

[Hedgewriter]

I lived in the UK for 2 years and couldn't understand half of what the Brits were saying for the first month or so.  Eventually my ear tuned in to the accent and things got better...that is until I met my first Scot!

I actually like the idea of a DC check intially with a progression of easier and easier checks as the PC's get used to the accent/dialect.
This would add some really fun Roleplay opportunities to a session.  I can already visualize the reaction of the players to hearing something like "Gae straecht! Than turn reit!" when asking directions to the nearest pub. :)

[Moniker]

Were I you and wanted to work within the given norms of the 4E system, I'd have the player make an easy History skill check appropriate to their level, as DCs scale with level according to the DMG and PHB.

[Xeviat]

Don't have a check to understand; that isn't the issue. What I would do is impose a -5 penalty on Diplomacy, Intimidate, Bluff, and Insight checks when characters share a language but a different dialect. Then there is no problem understanding each other until something is on the line; while it would be funny for someone to be missunderstood in a perfectly normal circumstance, it is better for tension if it comes up in a skill check shituation.

[Nomadic]

I lived in the UK for 2 years and couldn't understand half of what the Brits were saying for the first month or so.  Eventually my ear tuned in to the accent and things got better...that is until I met my first Scot!

I actually like the idea of a DC check intially with a progression of easier and easier checks as the PC's get used to the accent/dialect.
This would add some really fun Roleplay opportunities to a session.  I can already visualize the reaction of the players to hearing something like "Gae straecht! Than turn reit!" when asking directions to the nearest pub. :)

I think this is actually viable. Again using american vs british english here, it took me several years of interacting with brits online through text chat and live chat for me to understand what they were saying. At first it sounds like almost a new language, but over time you learn more and more of their slang and style to understand what they're saying.

[Ninja D!]

Eventually I'll work this out in a bit more detail.  I think I will have History checks be used and the DC will relate to the complexity.  That is, I'll do it unless someone else here does it first.  I've seen questions like "I was thinking I'd like to do this but I'm not sure how" answered with totally viable systems here before.  Not right now, though, as I have to go to work.

Also, a note, this wouldn't come up in play often and mostly in online play.

[Ninja D!]

I'm bringing this back up.  Here is my current idea; Each language will have a root language.  People who speak different languages with the same root are able to communicate but will have a -4 penalty on skill checks for Bluff, Diplomacy, Insight, possibly Intimidate and anything else related to speaking.

[Pellanor]

Simple and flavourful. I like.

[Stargate525]

Good idea, depending on how far back your root is. Haw far back on the tree does this apply?
 
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