Fun With Languages and Accents (A Trick I Used in a Darklands Game)

Every game master out there has at least one moment where they improvised something the table really liked, and which just clicked into place. Sometimes it's a big deal, like an unexpected plot twist, or a huge set piece they just spun out of nothing. Other times, though, it's the small details that leave you patting yourself on the back.

That was what happened to me when I took my players down into the Darklands.

Things get weird down there, where the light doesn't reach.

As always, if you want to stay on top of all my latest releases, make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter! And for those who want to help make sure that I can keep putting new and fresh stuff out there from week to week, consider supporting me on Patreon as well.

A Whole New World

The idea for this campaign started with wanting to take my players to a unique part of the Golarion setting for Pathfinder. While there was an adventure path that took place in the Darklands (the massive subterranean realm that was like a literal underworld through huge swaths of the setting), there was so much of it still to explore. The theme of the game was that it would have heavy survival elements, in addition to the goals the party was trying to achieve. That meant it was one of those games where I wanted people to track their food and water, their carrying capacity, their ammunition, etc. A big part of the challenge was going to be resource use and conservation while in a place that was so utterly alien to most of them (one member of the party, acting as guide, was a svirfneblin come up from below).

And hostile... let's not forget about that.

A pair of characters in the game were a wandering, crossbow wielding human mercenary, and his adopted goblin daughter. He'd found her on a job, realized it was just a sprog, and took her with him rather than leave her to the mercy of the elements, and human prejudices. Neither of them had any idea where she came from, but even as a goblin she looked a little unusual. She didn't quite map to any of the clans or tribes they'd come across, and it was put forth that it would be fun to find out more about where she came from at some point on the journey into the subterranean realms.

The party had managed to survive the first four or five levels, and they were engaged in a battle with gargoyles who were guarding a bridge over a chasm, when a mysterious figure leaped down from atop a nearby wall. Masked and wearing goggles, the small figure wielded a spear, and had a utility belt of strange, unusual items. Providing necessary aid at a clinch moment, he helped drive off the gargoyles. When he removed his mask, the figure was a long-limbed, spindly-fingered goblin. A goblin who looked far more like our party member than any of those who dwelt closer to the surface had.

The issue came when he tried to talk to them, and of course no one could understand the combinations of clacking teeth, clucking tongue, and deep throaty growls. After all, they were more than a mile below ground, and none of them (even the guide) had been to this section of the Darklands before... why would they understand him? In response the party's goblin tried some of the surface dialect she'd picked up, as did her adopted dad. The new goblin tilted his head, frowned, and mouthed a few words silently before grinning.

"What's shaking daddy-o? Saw you and the hep round were in some serious shade and thought maybe you could use a few fingers, right? Call me Spider, all the rats and scaps round here do!"

What followed was one of the more amusing sessions I've ever had figuring out how to make players work for their understanding, but keeping it fun and light instead of frustrating.

Fun With Linguistics

One thing I always try to avoid when I run games is the idea of a monoculture, which seems to be particularly prevalent among non-human creatures in a lot of RPGs. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is the idea of racial languages like "elven," "dwarven," "orc," and "goblin". Just living in America I know that a majority of the population technically speaks English, but talking to someone in Chicago, versus talking to someone in Ohio, and then talking with someone from the Alabama/Florida line, or deep in Texas country, it's likely you'll run into a fair bit of confusion.

This is something I try to represent when it comes to linguistic drift, local dialects, and other aspects of communication when players are going far afield from where they're more comfortable. And I know I'm not the only game master who does this (I know there's plenty of folks who reach for the "thee" and "thou" when they want something to sound antiquated), but if there was one piece of advice I would give it's to change up the communication style and structure.

With Spider, I didn't want my players to feel I'd just rendered all of their languages and specialties useless because they only applied to the surface. The idea was to make Spider's lingo (and that of the rest of his tribe, if they'd ever reached them) sound outdated and confusing, but more like you were trying to have a conversation with a greaser from the 50's than to converse with a character in Shakespeare. Because it wasn't just that the words were different, it was that there were concepts in the Darklands that didn't have an equivalent on the surface, so the players needed to pick them up via context (and the occasional Intelligence/Linguistics check). Much like how there are certain ideas from 70-80 years ago that just wouldn't make sense to us today if they weren't explained.

While it started as an off-the-cuff gag, it actually turned into a whole session of fascinating roleplaying as the party tried to really pick up what Spider was laying down. Information about their current situation was exchanged (how they needed to root out the gargoyles to pass this area), but most of it was just interpersonal stuff and light RP. Stuff that still probably would have happened had I not gone all-in on an odd speech pattern, but which would have been wrapped up and forgotten about in relatively short order.

So, my advice to fellow game masters, think about how people speak in a given area. Not just the accent and word choice, but what's the culture that informs the way they think and act? Is there something simple you could map it onto to provide a kind of real world meta-reference for the players? Because at the end of the day, the way creatures talk is a lot like hit points; it's an approximation for our understanding. So get creative with it, and go a little nuts!

Speaking of Avoiding Monocultures...

This experience is actually something I'm planning on weaving into my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age RPG setting for both Pathfinder Classic and Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. In addition to tossing out alignment entirely, I'm also breaking down as many monoculture ideas as possible... and part of that means there's going to be a lot of languages in this setting (which will emphasize players finding ways to communicate as a potential challenge).

I'm currently working on the first of a new line of supplements titled Species of Sundara, but while you wait on that, I've got several fun location splat books that have already dropped! And while they're intended for use with the overall setting as it grows, you can use them (as well all the story and mechanical goodies they contain) in whatever setting you happen to be running! So if you haven't grabbed your copies yet, consider checking out the following:

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!

- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.

- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.

- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? Or do you have your own story you'd like to share with folks?

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I help out from time to time. Or, to check out books like my hard-boiled cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.