“Languages” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.
Revised Language Rules
These house rules benefit settings with more languages than in the Shadowdark rules (p 32). In particular, each human culture or civilization would have its own language, as in the real world. The GM must not get carried away, however; more than a dozen or so Common languages and another dozen Rare and Extinct languages becomes unwieldy.
Initial Languages Known
All characters know the Common language and a number of additional Common Languages equal to their INT modifier + 1 (minimum 0). This does not include languages gained from Ancestry or Class.
All Wizards learn Magian, the language of spell books and scrolls, on top of the other languages noted in their class description.1
Learning New Languages
Summarizing the existing language learning rules, you must accumulate enough downtime to learn a language. Then, make an extreme (DC 18) INT check. If you succeed, you have learned the language. If you fail, you can try again as your next downtime activity, lowering the difficulty of the INT check by one step.
As a house rule, about six months of in-game time qualifies for the first attempt at learning a language. Every month after, if spend on the language, allows one further attempt.
New and Revised Languages
Languages spoken in the author’s multiverse.
Rare Languages
Languages of otherworldly or primordial beings.
| S | Language | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Astral | Astral Wardens, other astral beings | |
| X | Celestial / Supernal | Angels, extraplanar Lawful beings |
| X | Diabolic / Infernal | Demons, devils, extraplanar Chaotic beings |
| Lemurian | Lemurians (traders from beyond the sea) | |
| Magian | Wizards | |
| X | Primordial | Elder things, elementals, extraplanar Neutral beings |
| Voidspeech | Void Raiders |
Extinct Languages
Languages known only through written sources.
| Language | Sources |
|---|---|
| Ancient / Builder | old and strange ruins |
| Elysian | The Elysian Codex, The Elysian Grimoires |
| Grigorian | artifacts of the Grigorian Empire |
| First One | First One Cuneiform and Pictograms |
Language Relationships
Any languages not listed are effectively language isolates, i.e. they have no other related languages.
Here the author assumes powerful magical or divine beings from the “Primordial Age” somehow passed their language on to other powerful extraplanar beings. The version used by elementals and other “elder” creatures is Primordial, that of Lawful supernatural beings is Celestial (or Supernal), and that of Chaotic supernatural being is Diabolic (or Infernal). Wizards derived Magian from Primordial to record and speak spells.
Other interpretations are equally likely, e.g. that “elder things” refer to the creatures I call First Ones, and for inscrutable reasons they created the Primordial language for humanoid vocal apparatus.
Written Languages
| Script | Type | Languages / Writers | Resembles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astral Runes | alphabet | Astral | Neo-Tifinagh |
| Builder Glyphs | logograms | Ancient / Builder | Cretan hieroglyphs |
| Canon Script2 | abjad | Celestial | Quenti |
| Elysian Script | abjad | Elysian | Harta |
| First One Cuneiform | syllabary? | First One | dots in clay3 |
| First One Pictograms | pictograms | ALL4 | bas-reliefs3 |
| Grigorian Alphabet | alphabet | Grigorian | Deseret |
| Infernal Alphabet | alphabet | Diabolic | Enochian |
| Lemurian Script | abugida | Lemurian | Zanabazar |
| Magian Script | abjad | Magian | Alphabet of the Magi |
| Outer One Marks | ??? | Outer One | Dovahzul |
| Primordial Script | abjad | Primordial | Clouds and Rain |
| Supernal Script | abjad | Celestial | Tengwar |
| Void Glyphs | abjad | Voidspeech | Tifinagh (abjad) |
Written Language Relationships
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The author explains spell books and scrolls by assuming all Wizards have a common magical language that is not Common. Other interpretations are equally likely. ↩︎
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Used to write “The Canon”, a book that expounds on the entire ethos of Law. ↩︎
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See At the Mountains of Madness (novella) / Beyond the Mountains of Madness (RPG scenario). ↩︎ ↩︎
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First Ones’ Pictograms have a psychic component, so intelligent beings looking at the originals apprehend their meaning almost instantly. Rubbings or sketches of the pictograms do not have the same effect. ↩︎