Hey Folks,
I'm wondering how the ruling on this one is.
The description of the spell says:
'This spell grants the creature touched the ability to speak and understand the language of any intelligent creature, whether it is a racial tongue or a regional dialect.'
At least to me, druidic is neither a racial tongue, nor is it a regional dialect. I searched google and this board for answers, but did not find anything clearly relevant to this problem. Thus excuse me if I missed seeing something obvious.
On a sidenote: I ask this question because it's currently relevant in the campaign I'm GMing where the players will come across a magic item which will need a command word for being activated. This word has to be spoken in druidic language and thus could only be tricked by utilizing 'Use Magic Device'.
Well with the last part just being for seeing the circumstances, I wonder how tongues works in the special case of the druidic language.
Thanks in advance for your help!
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Doesn't matter, the spell says 'any tongue spoken by any intelligent creature'.
Are druids intelligent? Well, most are. There are a few morons around.
Do druids speak Druidic? Yes.
Now, here's the thing, it doesn't teach you druidic, any more than it teaches you Ancient Sumerian, or Drow, or Aklo. All it does is allow you to understand and be understood. So yes, you can, for the duration, speak in Druidic. Then when the conversation is over, you no longer have that ability.
The way I treat it in my games is like a universal translator from star trek. You speak in your native language, but the magic translates it to the language being used by the person you are talking to. And, vice versa, it translates that language to your native language. So to you, it's all the same, you don't actually suddenly know druidic words, you just know what someone said in druidic, and they will hear your words back in druidic. Saves on the whole 'Ok, teach me druidic with tongues' cheat. :)
I guess it would also require knowing OF druidic
I guess it would also require knowing OF druidic
Nope, you just have to hear someone speaking a language you don't know and cast the spell.
You don't cast the spell and say 'I want to speak druidic', you cast the spell and you can understand and speak to someone else. Until they speak, the spell doesn't know what language to 'reply' in.
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After reading the full spell description.
This spell grants the creature touched the ability to speak and understand the language of any intelligent creature, whether it is a racial tongue or a regional dialect. The subject can speak only one language at a time, although it may be able to understand several languages. Tongues does not enable the subject to speak with creatures who don't speak. The subject can make itself understood as far as its voice carries. This spell does not predispose any creature addressed toward the subject in any way.
If it were me running the game. I would interpret it as MDT has stated, and because you are actually speaking in that language, I would allow tongues as a viable way to speak command phrases in an unknown language. However, any character who observes him activate the Magic Object, can eventually learn to activate it. You don't have to understand a phrase to mimic it. Though it might be hard to make sure you got it right without a coach. That's my interpretation anyway.
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You don't cast the spell and say 'I want to speak druidic', you cast the spell and you can understand and speak to someone else. Until they speak, the spell doesn't know what language to 'reply' in.
I would disagree, I feel like if you have heard the language at least once, you should be able to pull it off. It does state that you can only speak one language at a time. So what is preventing you from choosing that language?
First of all, you don't need to know Druidic to activate the device, you just need to know the command word. For example if the activation word is "qapla" I can say it without knowing its meaning or even the language it is in.
So were they told to the activation word is "apple" in Druidic? Then they would need to learn the Druidic word for "apple." They wouldn't have to learn the whole language.
sorry, apparently I was unclear. You have to know OF druidic, as in you cant just walk down the street and start speaking druidic if you have never heard of it before
Thanks for the answers so far!
@Vod Canockers: There is a built-in trick by my mighty GM-Powers ;) - They weren't told the command word at all on a sidenote. But nevertheless that's not the topic to be discussed.
As far as I got this now, following facts:
- You do not exactly SPEAK a certain language, when tongues is cast.
- The only things you understand and speak is still 'displayed' in your language, but by the power of the spell, words spoken are directly 'translated' into the mind of the caster and the person he speaks to.
- You don't learn any languages.
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I find the hooplah around the Druidic language to be silly.
I was just wondering if Druidic serves any purpose other than a GM plot device. Maybe it should just be dropped and druids offered a bonus language like Sylvan or one of the elemental languages instead...
They would get more use I'm sure.
Learning Druidic, as a non-Druid, is not impossible.
All you need is high diplomacy, some extra coin, and a scroll of Atonement.
Or an ex-druid.
That's what Atonement(a Druid spell mind you) is for.Or an ex-druid.Learning Druidic, as a non-Druid, is not impossible.
All you need is high diplomacy, some extra coin, and a scroll of Atonement.
Yes, but if you find an ex-Druid, one that has already taught another the language or has decided to clear cut his grove for a "magic mart," you don't need the Atonement spell.
I find the hooplah around the Druidic language to be silly.I was just wondering if Druidic serves any purpose other than a GM plot device. Maybe it should just be dropped and druids offered a bonus language like Sylvan or one of the elemental languages instead...
They would get more use I'm sure.
It can be IC very useful to have a language you're almost certain nobody else can speak. I mean, I'd keep my journal and spell notes in Druidic, and the command words of any item I made for myself (or contingent spell) would be in Druidic.
It's nice fluff also, but there are mechanical uses to it.
I know, but it makes it less likely to just be randomly guessed.
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It's my understanding that you don't even necessarily have to know the language you're speaking in with tongues. It just allows you to speak it once heard, so then hey we can communicate. I don't know what language I'm speaking or what language you are but I can communicate with you.
Also when learning the command word of an item you may not know what language it's in, it's just a command word. I usually let them get that with the spellcraft check to gain access to it just for ease of play. If the command word is in druidic then they inadvertently know a word in druidic, but weren't really taught it or its meaning. I know a smattering of other words in a few other languages in reality based on hearing them but I may not know exactly what all of them mean, for example.
