Leonine Roar

Imith Anala knows nine languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Giant, Orc, Sylvan and Common.

Impressive!  He’s just one of a few “language master” characters in our current D&D Next: Murder in Baldur’s Gate-inspired Forgotten Realms campaign.

Immediately upon seeing that language list, I knew I wanted to do something new as DM – yet simple and elegant – to highlight character languages and make those multilingual choices flavorful and rewarding.

We’ve all seen them or created them – characters with a ridiculously long and eclectic list of languages.  Like me, you’ve probably gone the typical route when an NPC or monster speaks an unusual language – if one of the PCs knows it, you translate the scene aloud right into “Common” on the spot.

Easy, quick and yet – how rewarding is it?  Does it really add any flavor or realism to the campaign?  What about the characters who really wouldn’t understand the full details of a flirtatious exchange of Infernal between the tiefling bard and the tiefling leader of a band of noble estate squatters?  Or when an orc insults or creatively curses out that disgusting elf mage Imith in Orcish – while spitting in his face?

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Ever wish you had a quick, easy way to keep your players’ attention between game sessions?  Frustrated by no one (maybe even you!) remembering what they were doing last time, with whom, or why?

Here’s one quick way to fix this common problem every GM and playgroup faces, while keeping your story and characters brilliant and alive: use story glue.

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Ever notice how the pain and suffering of some of your favorite characters in books, TV, movies or campaigns – and how they deal with the unenviable hand they’re dealt – is exactly what draws you into their story?  Frodo, Aragorn, Buffy, Angel, Selene and even Conan. 

There’s something about experiencing their struggles and trials first-hand, from every angle, that leads us to being sympathetic and even identifying with their scars, skeletons and fears.  They leap off the screen or from the pages – or in D&D, they vault right out of the game and gameworld, capturing your imagination. 

You root for them because of what they’ve gone through, who they are because of it and who they become.

In your D&D stories, whether you play or DM, you too can bring your characters to life by getting right to the heart of their pain and suffering.   

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