What language would they speak in Mechanus?

[Finback]

I get to have a second language for my warforged, and I want it to represent being able to understand other constructs/machine-like things. Is there a specific term for the language they would speak there, or is it just thrown into Celestial? Other sources just say they have their own language in Mechanus. Mechanical?

[Jeraa]

Modrons are the primary inhabitant, so I assume any plane-wide language would likely be Modron.

[Particle_Man]

Binary. :smallbiggrin:

[SleepIncarnate]

Judge Dredd would totally be a native to that plane if he existed in D&D, so I'm gonna say they speak...

THE LAW!!!

[Pronounceable]

All of them. Miscommunication is among the greatest sources of strife and chaos, can't be allowed by the plane of law. Everything perfectly understands everything else no matter what they speak/mime/chitter/glow/whatevs on Mechanus.

[Millstone85]

In addition to Modron, I could see Infernal being widespread on Mechanus.

Infernal has been described as a paranoidly procedural language.

[Foxhound438]

In addition to Modron, I could see Infernal being widespread on Mechanus.

Infernal has been described as a paranoidly procedural language.

that's because the nine hells are the lands of the lawful evil. A slip up there would mean you've accidentally made a binding contract that's actively detrimental to you. A slip up in mechanus might wind up getting you disciplinary measures, but for using the wrong word somewhere you'd probably only get a negligible fine or something.

[Millstone85]

that's because the nine hells are the lands of the lawful evil. A slip up there would mean you've accidentally made a binding contract that's actively detrimental to you.Totally.


A slip up in mechanus might wind up getting you disciplinary measures, but for using the wrong word somewhere you'd probably only get a negligible fine or something.A negligible fine is what I would expect on Arcadia, where law enforcement is tempered with compassion. On Mechanus, I wouldn't be so at ease. Being the land of lawful neutral, it can be just plain cold in its application of the rules. Why, an unproperly filled document might effectively get you unpersoned or something.

[Unoriginal]

Mechanus is so rule-based that Modrons only understand Modrons who are directly below, at the same level or directly above, in the hierarchy.

Not really the most linguistic place.

[Whiskeyjack8044]

Somebody joked about binary, but I actually think they're on to something. Why would a place of perfect law use something as arbitrary as phonetics? Math is universal and immutable so I would think that that is what they would reduce the universe to.

[Millstone85]

Somebody joked about binary, but I actually think they're on to something.In OotS canon, that appears to be what Modron consists of. Or maybe that's just in Elan's mind.

OotS#68 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0068.html), last panel.

[Finback]

I'm going to argue the case with my DM for allowing my PC to speak "machine code" to other sentient constructs.
It even inspired me to lift a bit from a Transformers' character's bio, wherein he thinks Earth-tech is sentient, and can't understand why the toasters don't rise up for their freedom. Except in this case, when the animated table indicates it's tired of people stabbing knives into it, my PC might have to act to protect the table's wellbeing :)

[Mr_Fixler]

All of them. Miscommunication is among the greatest sources of strife and chaos, can't be allowed by the plane of law. Everything perfectly understands everything else no matter what they speak/mime/chitter/glow/whatevs on Mechanus.

What Pronounceable said is the "canon" answer, at least as far as Planescape was concerned. Everyone understands everyone, so there can be no misinterpretation of communication.

[Unoriginal]

What Pronounceable said is the "canon" answer, at least as far as Planescape was concerned. Everyone understands everyone, so there can be no misinterpretation of communication.

And it's the exact opposite of the 5e canon.

Mechanus people can't understand each other if they're more than one rank away from each others in the hierarchy of the place.

Yet it usually causes because everyone is at their given place by the will of Primus and will not have the occasion of communicating with their superior or underlings if they're separated by more than one rank.

Of course it would cause problem if there's something not planned and the different parts of the whole need to communicate without intermediaries, but Mechanus isn't the plan of efficient flexibility, it's the plan of Law.

[Mr_Fixler]

And it's the exact opposite of the 5e canon.

Mechanus people can't understand each other if they're more than one rank away from each others in the hierarchy of the place.

You know I forgot that angle. You are absolutely correct that the Modrons can only speak up or down one level, it was always like that. I don't know if there ever was examples of that langauge.

I was referring to the Petitioners or planar travelers who find themselves in Mechanus. It was a feature of the plane itself for "weirdness sake".

[Finback]

And it's the exact opposite of the 5e canon.

Mechanus people can't understand each other if they're more than one rank away from each others in the hierarchy of the place.



But I presume that pertains to modrons specifically, no? What about maruts/Inevitables, etc?

[Unoriginal]

You know I forgot that angle. You are absolutely correct that the Modrons can only speak up or down one level, it was always like that. I don't know if there ever was examples of that langauge.

I was referring to the Petitioners or planar travelers who find themselves in Mechanus. It was a feature of the plane itself for "weirdness sake".


But I presume that pertains to modrons specifically, no? What about maruts/Inevitables, etc?

Maruts' language entry says they know "all, but rarely speak"

No other entities are mentioned as living in Mechanus in this edition, except for that one fungi demiplane, IRRC.

[thoroughlyS]

I recommend taking Modron. I've recently gotten into constructed languages, and I have been considering Lojban (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lojban) as an analogue. The big draw for it is that it's syntactically unambiguous. Everything has only one way to be said properly (like computer code). Below is a fun review that discusses a lot of the traits of it (though they are seen as faults).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-unefmAo9k



(I also use Ithkuil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ithkuil) for Infernal.)

[Millstone85]

No other entities are mentioned as living in Mechanus in this edition, except for that one fungi demiplane, IRRC.What about the afterliving? They are supposed to go there if they are lawful neutral or if it is where their deity took up residence (DMG p24).

Though I could imagine Primus, who seems really powerful in this edition what with being the creator of both the modrons and the inevitables, booting everyone to Arcadia and Acheron. The fungus is bad enough. And the ants, the ants are probably still there.

[Unoriginal]

What about the afterliving? They are supposed to go there if they are lawful neutral or if it is where their deity took up residence (DMG p24).

Though I could imagine Primus, who seems really powerful in this edition what with being the creator of both the modrons and the inevitables, booting everyone to Arcadia and Acheron. The fungus is bad enough. And the ants, the ants are probably still there.

Good point, but I didn't see any mention of Mechanus this edition saying that the afterliving are especially involved in it. They might just stand around watching Law work for eternity, if they don't have a deity to take them somewhere fun.

In any case, they would probably just speak the languages they had in life.

[Millstone85]

Good point, but I didn't see any mention of Mechanus this edition saying that the afterliving are especially involved in it. They might just stand around watching Law work for eternity, if they don't have a deity to take them somewhere fun.I think it used to be that many of the gears were continent-sized or full discworlds. Alternatively, because space in the Outer Planes is infinitely stretchable (and shrinkable), or just a perception, they can appear to be whatever size.

People there would indeed look to the skies and see the cosmic clockwork going round and round. Which, in their LN mindset, would be very relaxing.

But again, Primus might see that as a smudge on a gear. Or maybe not.


In any case, they would probably just speak the languages they had in life.Come to think of it, that should be true on most planes.

[Unoriginal]

Well, if they're in a plane with inhabitants who care to interact with the deceased, said deceased probably learn the local language after a while.

[SleepIncarnate]

And it's the exact opposite of the 5e canon.

Mechanus people can't understand each other if they're more than one rank away from each others in the hierarchy of the place.

This is less a matter of language and more of mindset. Modrons are so regimented that they can't even process chaos, and thus ignore anything that falls outside their understanding of order.

With rank communication, it's similar. A quadrone trying to talk to a monodrone is too complex for the monodrone to understand.

Picture trying to have a conversation with an infant about astrophysics. Neither of you really understands the other, not because of language barriers, but because of developmental differences.

[Temperjoke]

Do regular inhabitants really speak though? I mean, doesn't everything have it's purpose and place, which would render general communication capability irrelevant and unnecessary in a perfectly ordered society? I'm envisioning that outsiders are ignored by everyone, as long as those outsiders aren't interfering, and are handled by specific individuals whose purpose is to deal with outsiders. Then to facilitate that role, those individuals would be capable of communicating with anyone and anything.

I mean, there's absolutely nothing to support this, it's just my headcanon, but it seems to make a logical sense to me.

[JoeJ]

Do regular inhabitants really speak though? I mean, doesn't everything have it's purpose and place, which would render general communication capability irrelevant and unnecessary in a perfectly ordered society?

As with any of the outer planes, a large fraction of the inhabitants are petitioners; dead creatures from the prime material who have gone to the plane of their alignment. As they did not originate on Mechanus they are not perfectly ordered - just striving to be.

[furby076]

Binary. :smallbiggrin:

Nah. Too simple. They would speak machine language, and use Fortran as the script

[furby076]

I'm going to argue the case with my DM for allowing my PC to speak "machine code" to other sentient constructs.
It even inspired me to lift a bit from a Transformers' character's bio, wherein he thinks Earth-tech is sentient, and can't understand why the toasters don't rise up for their freedom. Except in this case, when the animated table indicates it's tired of people stabbing knives into it, my PC might have to act to protect the table's wellbeing :)

Your PC, upon hearing the toaster and the knife story would respect the toaster. The wielder of the knife got electrocuted. The toaster even warned the knife wielder in advance, in writing no less!

[The Glyphstone]

In OotS canon, that appears to be what Modron consists of. Or maybe that's just in Elan's mind.

OotS#68 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0068.html), last panel.

Did I have too-high expectations that running the Modron's dialogue through a binary-to-text converter would result in something intelligible?