Random DMing idea

[afroakuma]

I've done this a couple of times, and I was wondering if anyone else has:

Using foreign languages in-game to represent other languages or incantations.

I use French for Elvish, Russian for Draconic, German for cleric spells and Italian for arcane spells.

Sample incantations:

Charm Person: Ascolta mi per piacere
Listen to me, if you please

Suggestion: Ti piace ascoltarmi
It pleases you to listen to me

Dominate Person: Ascolta e obbedisci a tutte le mie richiesti
Listen to and obey all of my demands

[weenie]

Yeah, tried it a few times, but it never worked out well. Shouldn't arcane language equal Draconic? That's how I always imagined it.

That was some wrong Italian btw

[Sstoopidtallkid]

I always thought of Halflings as speaking Romani. I'd say Dracoinc is Latin, Russian is Orcish, Irish is Dwarfish, German is Gnomish, French is Elven, and Arabic is Divine.

[afroakuma]

Wrong? Where was it wrong? Apart from le mie domande, which I am fixing.

I usually employ simpler Geman words for Orcish, since many of them are reasonably similar to English. I would definetely use Scottish orIrish Gaelic for Dwarven, if I knew any.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Foreign languages sound too much like the languages they are, to me. Italian sounds like Italian, Russian sounds like Russian...

That, and French is way too unlyrical and flowless to be Elvish. There's a reason Tolkien based the Elvish languages on Finnish...

[monty]

Personally, I'd put Italian as closer to Elvish. It sounds much more lyrical.

There's a reason most early operas were written in Italian.

[Fax Celestis]

Check it out. Great minds think alike.

[Oracle_Hunter]

I don't translate the dialogue, but I do give languages to my races in terms of naming.

My Eladrin are French

[afroakuma]

Elvish: Keska vuvulé madir?

French: Qu'est-ce que vous voulez me dire?

English: What would you like to tell me?

It depends on how you say it.

[Thane of Fife]

While this clashes with what you have written, here's a listing of spell names (admittedly for 2nd edition spells) in Latin.

I can't vouch for how accurate it is, but it looks good (sounds good, too).

[Zeta Kai]

I don't use real world languages. I don't have anything against them, but I prefer to use my own conlangs. Whenever one of the PCs casts a spell, they have to say the spell's name in one of my languages. And whenever a conversation takes place in a language that not everybody knows, they either pass notes or the people who can't speak it has to listen to the "iPod of Ignorance".

[afroakuma]

Alright, second part of the question: for spells and such, do you keep certain consistent somatic component descriptions? Do these vary between wizards and sorcerers?

Example:

Fireball
Wizard: Snap material component into the air, spin hands in a half circle clockwise, then a half circle counter, ending in the classic Street Fighter fireball stance.

Sorcerer: Snap material component into the air, center palm around it, emit fire energy from fingertips into sphere, flick wrist to release.

[Fiery Diamond]

I don't use real life languages. In fact, I often just use the English spell name. For somatic, the only one I have a set one for is scorching ray, which is basically a palm thrust.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Alright, second part of the question: for spells and such, do you keep certain consistent somatic component descriptions? Do these vary between wizards and sorcerers?

Example:

Fireball
Wizard: Snap material component into the air, spin hands in a half circle clockwise, then a half circle counter, ending in the classic Street Fighter fireball stance.

Sorcerer: Snap material component into the air, center palm around it, emit fire energy from fingertips into sphere, flick wrist to release.

Well, I'm in 4E now, but I've always liked distinguishing caster types. In 3E I didn't do it so much since remembering hand gestures like above is too hard and other changes would probably have bad mechanical effects.

For my 4E game, Wizards mainly cast via gesture while Warlocks cast via incantation. Priests & Paladins still pray.

[Raum]

I've done this a couple of times, and I was wondering if anyone else has:

Using foreign languages in-game to represent other languages or incantations.

Often, though not for incantations. It's usually Greek, Hebrew or Latin as an ancient language. Though a more recent (and modern) campaign used binary for a couple conversations...

Alright, second part of the question: for spells and such, do you keep certain consistent somatic component descriptions? Do these vary between wizards and sorcerers?

That's entirely up to the player(s)...and generally depends on how they view magic.

[afroakuma]

I wqs referring to your descriptions as a DM, not to asking players to do likewise.

[Oracle_Hunter]

I wqs referring to your descriptions as a DM, not to asking players to do likewise.

But you have to keep the world consistent. If enemy wizards have to do complicated hand gestures, so do PCs.

Anyhow, my PCs have run into that many enemy casters at the moment for them to pick up the styles. It's something to think about.

[Blue Warlock]

But you have to keep the world consistent. If enemy wizards have to do complicated hand gestures, so do PCs.

I disagree, I think spellcasting should be analogous to handwriting, the guys with lengthy somatic components just aren't writing in shorthand. It gives more room for players to use their own style.

[afroakuma]

Also makes Spellcraft checks more fun. We actually had the following dialogue:

Wizard (OOC): I roll a 16 Spellcraft.

DM (Me): The enemy mage makes a powerful clockwise rotating gesture in midair with both hands.

Wizard: Everybody get down!

Fireball ensues.

[valadil]

I've been using spanish for every language but common for years. It's best when everyone in the game speaks spanish, save the GM.

[weenie]

Well, it's not that terrible, but it isn't right either.

Charm Person: Ascolta a me per piacere

It should be Ascolta mi per piacere. Second one's alright and as for the third

Dominate Person: Ascolta e servi tutte le mie domande

domande = questions. Sounds similar to demands, but the meaning is completely off. richieste is what you were looking for here. The rest of the sentence isn't so much grammatically wrong, as it is awkward-sounding. I'd exchange it with Ascolta e obbedisci a tutte le mie richieste.