Non-Magical Speech

[Gelcur]

I'm looking to make an animal character that can communicate without sharing a language, sort of like Chewbacca.

I know Voice of the City exists. I could swear I ran into something else similar and wanted to compare the two. Of course now I have forgotten even where I read it.

It can be in Dragon or a web enhancement or alternative rules. Just not magical, I'm not looking for Tongues spell or a magic item or telepathy.

Maybe the vast knowledge of the people here can help track down what I lost.

[noob]

I'm looking to make an animal character that can communicate without sharing a language, sort of like Chewbacca.

I know Voice of the City exists. I could swear I ran into something else similar and wanted to compare the two. Of course now I have forgotten even where I read it.

It can be in Dragon or a web enhancement or alternative rules. Just not magical, I'm not looking for Tongues spell or a magic item or telepathy.

Maybe the vast knowledge of the people here can help track down what I lost.

You can use the handle human skill to get humanoids to follow your commands which is a form of communication but that skill might be cat only.(no I am not joking sadly)

[Gelcur]

I am working on a cat so it is viable. Don't think that was the option I was looking for though. I remember it was similar to Voice of the City, and what I am remembering is I wanted to check the DCs if this was just better, easier to use.

[sleepyphoenixx]

You can understand the gist of what someone is saying with Wanderer's Diplomacy (PHB2) but can't talk back.
There's also the Smatterings feat (RoD) to ask and understand simple questions or explanations. This one doesn't explicitly require the ability to speak, but it's kind of implied.

[Ruethgar]

There was a roughly planned character, Sir Bearington the Bear. Not awakened, just a bear with high Bluff and Disguise to convince people he was actually saying something and that he was human. Since technically Bluff is not language dependent, it could work. Probably would need massive sense motive too.

This is the Fabulous Cats article with Handle Humanoid and other cat-specific feats and abilities. Wish it were easier to link on mobile, sorry for that.

http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fools/20030401c

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Several corvids (the birds, not a misspelled virus) can speak, as can numerous parrots and other birds. Get one such as your familiar at 5th+ level. Or take Improved Familiar to get a familiar with telepathy.

Also, psicrystals have telepathic speech and can be used as universal translators.

A crown-bound shedu crown grants 100' telepathy.

Pearls of speech are cheap, and while they're magic items, they can serve in a pinch until you can get telepathy up and running, and they can work for when telepathy won't. A device of such (from Ravenloft: Legacy of the Blood) is a nonmagical version that will work regardless of magical availability. More expensive, though, what with the requirement for a (rather expensive) fuel cell.

[Troacctid]

From the Bluff skill:

You can use Bluff to get a message across to another character without others understanding it. The DC is 15 for simple messages, or 20 for complex messages, especially those that rely on getting across new information. Failure by 4 or less means you can’t get the message across. Failure by 5 or more means that some false information has been implied or inferred. Anyone listening to the exchange can make a Sense Motive check opposed by the Bluff check you made to transmit in order to intercept your message.
There doesn't seem to be any requirement that you share a language.

[Thurbane]

Not exactly what OP is looking for, but on vaguely related topics...

Tibbits can communicate with cats, non-magically, through the Feline language.

Knights Challenge transcends language barriers, but only works on creatures with an Int of 5 or higher, I believe.

Tamer of Beasts can speak with his animal companions non-magically.

[Telonius]

Maybe the Renthisj Draconic word, from the Dracolexi prestige class (Races of the Dragon)? It's a Supernatural ability, but it lets the target be understood by anything that speaks a language.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

At 17th level, monk gets to speak with any living creature. Doesn't work with (non-warforged) constructs and undead.

[Ruethgar]

Maybe the Renthisj Draconic word, from the Dracolexi prestige class (Races of the Dragon)? It's a Supernatural ability, but it lets the target be understood by anything that speaks a language.

Would this technically include all animals via the Forest Gnome animal language?

[Gelcur]

From the Bluff skill:
...

There doesn't seem to be any requirement that you share a language.

I think actually this was what I was thinking of. Odd forgot it was just I'm the Bluff skill. Thank you.