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View Full Version : Please Help!- Decipher script ruling



Wind d8/d12
2010-01-16, 09:53 PM
I hate to do this to my players, but I'm Rule:0 ing out the decipher script skill in a few sessions. (Hopefully they don't read these boards...)
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but here's the situation: Standard D&D High Fantasy campaign with a bit of mindfreaking from time to time, so what happens shouldn't come as a big surprise being as my players have already met transdimensional beings without feeling confused or overwhelmed. When they find a (technomagic) device the entire party will make saves or go unconscious. The Machine will zip them through space-time-causality and they will temporarily find themselves trapped in Modern Day until (if they can figure it out....) the device's power cell can recharge itself with it's electron net. Here is the problem: I'm afraid that the mere presence of unknown languages and signs and labels will immediately prompt those who can to make decipher script rolls until someone ruins my fun.

So please, can someone try to justify how a (sufficiently skilled) Bard or Rogue, etc can get any meaning out of 卵、ミルク、チーズ、世界を除けば。 or 如果雞蛋、牛奶和乳酪,您排除世界。 Or even something not so far removed from english like: Si l'oeuf, le lait et le fromage, vous enlèvent le monde?

taltamir
2010-01-16, 09:57 PM
do you want them to succeed or fail at deciphering the script?
how can they get stuff out of it? magic! "comprehend language" for example is level 1 spell. and your cleric knows it...

as for skills... that depends if skills are Ex or not... Ex abilities are not magical, but they DO break the laws of physics as we know them... So I don't know yet...

Also it depends on the score, with high enough DC you can do ridiculous things... walking on water is DC80, so is squeezing your human sized body via a 2 inch hole. DC120 to go through a completely solid wall of force. DC100 to walk on the a smooth flat ceiling. etc

Time travel has a lot of issues, I suggest make it interdimensional travel or even planetary travel or some such... that way if they bring back a solar charger and a laptop with encyclopedias on the HDD (and all the physics and chemistry etc knowledge on it) you can say "it doesn't work in this dimension"

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/DecipherScript.htm
Decipher script is pretty obvious about what it does...
"You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form."
This explicitly says they can decipher a different language. (so easily too...)
A street sign is DC20, a page with simple text is DC25, a difficult text page is DC30

If you are gonna nerf the hell out of it just tell them it is a banned skill and refund them their skillpoints to spend on other things... problem is, magic STILL lets them do all of...
level 1 spells allow you comprehend every language ever, perfectly, and every cleric has it, level 1 spells let you create food and water...
What we consider miracles, DnDlanders consider cantrips... (turn water into wine falls under prestidigitation, create mana (food) from the sky is create food and water, etc etc)

Wind d8/d12
2010-01-16, 10:07 PM
The magic is unavoidable but I'm toying with temporarily nerfing the cleric because his deity doesn't transcend space and time. He would still be allowed to use his domain spells and "Burn a turn undead to do other cool stuff" abilities. I figure since one of his domains is healing I'll let him keep his slots.

I'd rather them figure it out piece by piece and if they figure a sign says "All trucks must chock tires prior to unloading" would ruin the surprise.

Wind d8/d12
2010-01-16, 10:09 PM
And yeah I was considering a parallel dimension sort of thing rather than explicity putting them in the past of the real world. I've already had characters in other campaigns invent the McGriddle and assassinate Buddha a few levels after I included a historic landmark from the real world...

Foryn Gilnith
2010-01-16, 10:11 PM
Computational Linguistics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_linguistics) may be relevant to the functioning of Decipher Script. However, I would say you're well within your rights to nerf Decipher Script in this way. Just not too hard - let them try to make high-DC leaps each time they get a piece of evidence.

Magic is something you'll have to deal with on your own.

Wind d8/d12
2010-01-16, 10:12 PM
Sorry for the multi-post but my creative juices are flowing after messing with babelfish. Maybe they wouldnt see "All Trucks must chock tires" They would see "Every trailwagon needs to quit rolling" I guess that could preserve some of the flavor, at least until they stumped me on engrish-like translations.

taltamir
2010-01-16, 10:16 PM
Sorry for the multi-post but my creative juices are flowing after messing with babelfish. Maybe they wouldnt see "All Trucks must chock tires" They would see "Every trailwagon needs to quit rolling" I guess that could preserve some of the flavor, at least until they stumped me on engrish-like translations.

decipher script, as written, does not translate, it gives "overall meaning"... and it carries a risk of a "wrong interpretation" every time they fail the check.

so when used on "All Trucks must chock tires" "the text says something about chocking wagons" or "something about doing something to wagon wheel" for more complete interpretation "it says all wagons must chock their wheels". you don't actually need to provide a complete translation

Wind d8/d12
2010-01-16, 10:16 PM
Computational Linguistics[/URL] may be relevant to the functioning of Decipher Script.
So basically the study of how to make a universal translator.
Maybe I could do just that, find an automated translator that I could put sign text into and translate it to a Maori dialect or something (trying not to sound ignorant.....something primitive?) then translate it back. Ok thanks for the ideas!

taltamir
2010-01-16, 10:19 PM
as a player, I have to say I hate when a DM makes an ability useless after the fact. Had I known ahead of time I'd have not wasted my feat / skills on it.

Do consider banning it outright and refunding them their skillpoints for use on other abilities.

Optimystik
2010-01-16, 10:24 PM
as a player, I have to say I hate when a DM makes an ability useless after the fact. Had I known ahead of time I'd have not wasted my feat / skills on it.

Do consider banning it outright and refunding them their skillpoints for use on other abilities.

This is exactly what I was coming here to say.

Wind d8/d12
2010-01-16, 10:29 PM
Well, the idea is that they don't have any context that would apply to their decipher script, their skills were developed in a place that goes by different rules! If they were going to stick around, or get stuck as may be the case for them, I'll just let them retrain or something. They get by using it occasionally in the regular setting, and they should be going back there unless they break the artifact/lost-tech gizmo.

taltamir
2010-01-16, 10:29 PM
as for magic... how long are they gonna be there?
if they are there for a short enough time to not get a chance to prepare spells, and did not prepare comprehend language in the morning... well too bad :)
ask to see their list of currently prepared spells. most likely nobody has it.

if you have a sorcerer who actually took it as a spell known, or a wizard who always walks with it prepared (and is of low enough level for it to actually cost him), consider letting it go as is... this is a very obscure thing to prepare and it would be nice to reward it. although... if you tell them you are banning decipher script they just might prepare it...

Actually, its only 10min/CL... what level are they? ok, you can read the language... for 1 hour a day... good luck the other 23 hours.


Well, the idea is that they don't have any context that would apply to their decipher script, their skills were developed in a place that goes by different rules! If they were going to stick around, or get stuck as may be the case for them, I'll just let them retrain or something. They get by using it occasionally in the regular setting, and they should be going back there unless they break the artifact/lost-tech gizmo.

mmm... it is an alternate dimension with different rules of physics and magic? decipher script doesn't work as well because it is so alien, but will work back in their home dimension? magic doesn't work too well because of this world being... i donno, I am actually not sure what to tell you.

Wind d8/d12
2010-01-16, 10:30 PM
You guys gave me some good ideas, thanks! I panicked when I realised the rules were pretty general regarding D S

Foryn Gilnith
2010-01-16, 10:49 PM
Do consider banning it outright and refunding them their skillpoints for use on other abilities.

I don't think that was hyperbole. Do consider banning Decipher Script. It's a metagame restriction, sure, but so is "No evil characters allowed". It shouldn't break your players' backs too much.