Hall of the Flesh Eaters language question ***SPOILERS***

[O.J. Pinckert]

I'm preparing to run HotFE, and in the Cannibal Castaways encounter there is the opportunity for the PCs to converse with the Kuru Barbarians. It states that there is a -8 penalty on the Diplomacy check if they are unable to speak Kuru.

This is the first time that I've heard of this language. Is it a dialect of another language? (Perhaps Polyglot?)

Given that this is a low level game, it seems like a significant penalty for a language that the PCs are unlikely to know.

I'm thinking of allowing the players to try using Polyglot in place of it with only a -2 penalty. What does everyone else think?

[John Compton]

I imagine Kuru would have strong similarities to (or at least common origins with) Polyglot. I would likely categorize someone using Polyglot as attempting a creative solution and provide them a lesser penalty. I would do something similar for anyone who had comprehend languages or a similar spell active.

[Nefreet]

The GM Discussion Forum would be a better location for this, too. There's already a thread there about this scenario.

[Mat Black]

I'm not even sure that kuru is an allowed choice for PFS.

[TriOmegaZero]

I had never even heard of kuru before this scenario.

So we murderhoboed them.

[bugleyman]

Steven Schopmeyer wrote:

I had never even heard of kuru before this scenario.

So we murderhoboed them.

In fairness, I didn't give you much of a choice. My bad. :/

[TriOmegaZero]

You also forgot about the surrogate, so I call it an even trade. ;)

[bugleyman]

Steven Schopmeyer wrote:

You also forgot about the surrogate, so I call it an even trade. ;)

Guilty as charged.

[Zach Klopfleisch]

Steven Schopmeyer wrote:

I had never even heard of kuru before this scenario.

So we murderhoboed them.

I hadn't heard of it, either.

I GM'd this twice at 1-2, and neither group came within 20 feet of the surrogate to even see him until the fight was over. So negotiating was never even an option.

[deusvult]

O.J. Pinckert wrote:

I'm preparing to run HotFE, and in the Cannibal Castaways encounter there is the opportunity for the PCs to converse with the Kuru Barbarians. It states that there is a -8 penalty on the Diplomacy check if they are unable to speak Kuru.

This is the first time that I've heard of this language. Is it a dialect of another language? (Perhaps Polyglot?)

Given that this is a low level game, it seems like a significant penalty for a language that the PCs are unlikely to know.

I'm thinking of allowing the players to try using Polyglot in place of it with only a -2 penalty. What does everyone else think?

Even higher level characters are virtually guaranteed not to speak Kuru.

However, Comprehend Languages is a first level spell and can, if used, allow the lowest levels of parties some chance to negotiate. (with the -8 penalty if they only understand it but can't speak it, as with Comp. langs)

So, no. I would not allow a substitution for Polyglot. I don't recall if the text allows for a sense motive to realize the cannibals can be reasoned with after the link is down, but that is something I'd probably allow if it isn't there.