Questions about certain checks

[Squirrel_Dude]

I and my party have been having some disagreements and discussion about how to perform certain ability score and skill-checks.

1. How do straight Strength and Dexterity checks work? Is it a D20 + Strength modifier, or a D20 + Strength Score, or D20 + Something Random + Strength Modifier/Score?

2. How do other DM's and players handle the Speak Language Skill?

[Fax Celestis]

1. d20 + Str mod

2. One rank (two skill points) buys you a language. Classes that have Speak Language as a class skill (like factotum and spellthief) can buy languages at 1:1.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Speak Language seems way overpowered.

[SamBurke]

Speak Language seems way overpowered.

The uses of multiple languages are much greater IRL. It comes up occasionally, summoned animals and roleplaying and such, but that means you're already working with someone who can handle power.

Also, you've never been to Europe, have you? (Come to think of it, neither have I, but that's beside the point...) There, with tiny countries bordering tons of others, they speak two or three languages, and that's normal.

[Anxe]

Pretty sure that was sarcasm.

[Squirrel_Dude]

Isn't that the point of bonus languages from intelligence, though?

An Elf Beguiler(which has Speak Language as a class skill), with 18 intelligence, at level 8, could know:

Elven
Common
Draconic
Orc
Goblin
Sylvan
Celestial
Abyssal
Aquan
Auran
Dwarven
Giant
Gnome
Gnoll
Halfling
Ignan
Infernal
Terran
Undercommon
That's all the languages except Druidic

Unless you run into Druids, the NPC can not say something without the Beguiler being able to know what they said. Personally, that seems a little OP.

[Fax Celestis]

A first level spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/comprehendLanguages.htm) and a third level spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/tongues.htm) would disagree with you.

[jiriku]

Yeah, that's how it works. In practice though, speaking lots of languages gets players into trouble just as often as it gets them out. Players will do the dumbest things. And speaking someone's language is of little use in getting them to do what you want if you haven't also got ranks in an appropriate social skill.

[Squirrel_Dude]

A first level spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/comprehendLanguages.htm) and a third level spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/tongues.htm) would disagree with you.Because we all know how spellcasters are the most balanced classes in 3.5


I see your point, though. The skill doesn't matter that much because characters can eventually just get the equivalent with permanency + tongues.

[Fax Celestis]

Not even that. Language is merely a tool for players to role-play: what they do with that tool is up to them.