Sending, word limits, and languages

[Random832]

Two related questions: Are there any rules anywhere for being able to include more (or less) information in a Sending in a language other than common? And, second, what are the rules equivalent to the 25-word limit for D&D translations to real-world languages other than English?

[Myrmex]

Two related questions: Are there any rules anywhere for being able to include more (or less) information in a Sending in a language other than common? And, second, what are the rules equivalent to the 25-word limit for D&D translations to real-world languages other than English?

I don't think so. You could go look up elven or something, and see if you could. I usually let my players make an int check to see what they can send in sending, and then a wis check at the other end to get the gist of it.

If they don't want to count out the words, that is.

[mikeejimbo]

25 words isn't much, and it depends on your chip architecture anyway. It can be anywhere from 2 bytes to 8, right? If you're lucky you'll get 8, but that's still only 200 characters.

Oh! You could use a hashing algorithm to improve that...

[JeenLeen]

I think somewhere (Fiendish Codex?) it mentions that Infernal is a very precise and grammatically condensed language. It would make sense for a single word to include what multiple words in English could mean. "The low level paladin is heading towards the base" could be "low-ranker-walking paladin upper-ranker's" for example; 9 words condensed to 2. Think 1984's language.

[valadil]

You might be able to send a mixed language message if you knew what langauges your recipient had available. It would probably involved an int check and some fudgery based on what languages you have. IE if you have to communicate "red dragon" it seems like a safe bet that Draconic would have a single word for that term.

[Alejandro]

To answer your question about the 25 word limit for using a real world language other than English, I would do this:

As a group, put together a 25 word message in English that a player might actually use. Then, translate it into the language you are wanting to use (I assume there is one or you wouldn't be asking.) See how many words, phrases, syllables, kanji, etc (I don't know which non English language you want) it takes to send that same message, and then use that limit.

[Tokiko Mima]

Not that I would actually try this, but with if someone decided to remove all spaces and punctuation from their message? Would it count as one really long nonsense word? Could you Send a message in an encrypted format? :smallamused:

[Random832]

(It's ridiculously difficult to search for this stuff in languages I don't actually know)

From the Asmodée DRS:

Communication à distance

Ce sort permet de contacter, à n’importe quelle distance, une créature connue du personnage et de lui envoyer un message ne dépassant pas 30 mots.

Google says: "This spell can contact at any distance, a creature known to the person and send a message not exceeding 30 words."

So there is precedent for the word limit being revised as the system is translated into other real-world languages.


Not that I would actually try this, but with if someone decided to remove all spaces and punctuation from their message? Would it count as one really long nonsense word? Could you Send a message in an encrypted format? :smallamused:

I assume the word limit is a stand-in for a time limit combined with a requirement to enunciate clearly.


IE if you have to communicate "red dragon" it seems like a safe bet that Draconic would have a single word for that term.

On the other hand, there's no reason to think Common doesn't. It's basically a "The same average amount of information can be communicated in Common in whatever length the message can be as 25 words of English (or 30 of French)" It might be fifty words in Common, or fifteen, for all we know.

[quick_comment]

If you use RSA encryption, you can put your entire message into one word (really a number), and as your 2nd word, you include your private key.

Or you set up keys ahead of time, and encrypt with their public key, but that assume you have coordinated with this person in advance.

It also assumes they can make the int check to decode it.

[SilveryCord]

"I'll let you copy the French Sending from my spellbook--it lets you get 30 words in!"

I think the best way to rule it is that the 25 word limit refers to what you, the player, are able to say, in english. Common != english and I think it's assumed that your character can't 'cheat' or use compression because the magic wouldn't let him get a clear message across. Spells in D&D do not work like they are connected to some universal computer.

[Random832]

"I'll let you copy the French Sending from my spellbook--it lets you get 30 words in!"

Why not, as long as the player composes the message in French? :smallcool:

But anyway, my other point was - if we suppose that the same information content takes less time to say in e.g. Draconic or Elven, then it might make sense to allow a few more words if they're using that in-game language

[Steward]

That's pretty interesting. If Sending was more relevant in my campaigns, I'd probably learn to speak French to squeeze out 5 more words.

[MickJay]

I expect these 5 extra words are there to accommodate the prepositions, so unless you're sending something grammatically incorrect, you wouldn't be sending more information. I expect Sending could transfer something like 20 words in Polish or Japanese, just for the sake of conveying similar amount of information as English. Most people would drop all the fancy stuff like prepositions or definite articles when these are not essential for proper understanding of the message, though (in which case the French version should also have ~25 words).

[mikeejimbo]

Spells in D&D do not work like they are connected to some universal computer.

Well they should. RSA encryption is a great idea.

[John Campbell]

My DM has a similar - six-word - limit on what you can say as a free action.

The Black Speech is syntactically sparse, and agglutinative - a lot of sentences that'd be six or eight words in English are two or three in Black Speech.

My next character is a half-orc, and there will be at least two other PCs in the party who speak Orcish.

I am so going to make him regret that house rule.