Help with Animal Language

[LordCove]

This has come up a few times... and I'm curious to see how others RP the animal's ear use. Having seen various different ways of it being used, I just made up my own way and went on from there.

I'll list my two examples and hopefully get some input from others ( Rangers / Druids ) on how they use it, and, well, basically hijack who ever shows the best way to use it and RP it that way from now on.

Ranger

Has an Ear for Animal Language...
But I dont RP him as being able to understand every language.
I basically picked a few animals Id believe he'd understand ( Wolf, Monkey ) and try to only let him communicate with said animals.
He could understand them, but not actually "speak" back to them.
( A thanks to Jacchri for pointing this out once, when I had Sall "speaking" to a dog, and Jacchri started laughing when Sall began "barking" )

Druid

Has an Ear for Animal Language...
He can understand all animals, or should be able to. The Druids wide range of Nature knowledge I'd have thought would make this plausible.
But again... he can only "speak" back to certain ones... ( Monkey, Wolves...) by more or less mentally projecting his meanings.
As previously with some Wemics... all he could do was project "feelings" to them ( ie. " you feel a sense of greetings / thanks / relief... ect ) ... since Wemics are so rare. The same would probably be done for other rare animal species.


I'm just curious how others are using there ear.
I'm not fond of the idea my Ranger can sit and hiss and snakes and chirp at birds and hold entire conversations....
... nor the idea that every time my Druid talks to his monkey ( no jokes please!) he is actually screeching and chittering to it.

Nothing on Lore but a Stub for Animal Ear... so any input folks.
Can my Druid sit and really "talk" to plants and snakes and birds and Wemics?
Can my Ranger understand Kenku's and Minotaurs and what-not?

[Dorganath]

I think the key thing to remember is that it's not a "language".

Most animals lack the intelligence to put together anything more than the most simple thoughts. The "language" is sort of a reading of the creature and perhaps a degree of empathy.

A typical conversation between a person and an animal might go along the lines of...

"What is wrong?"
"hungry"
"Why hungry?"
"no food"
"Why no food?"
"green skins kill food"

What would NOT happen is this:

"Pardon me, good badger, but have you perchance seen a band of wandering orcs around?"
"Why yes, my good fellow. In fact, I did just hours ago. The ruffians stormed through our good forest and trampled the underbrush and other tasty morsels, making them thoroughly inedible. Indeed, I'd not even wish to place such things in my mouth that have been trampled by soiled orcish boots."

So again...simple thoughts.

And as for types of animals...it's not like each has its own "language". Sure there are subtleties to how each species might communicate, but the whole point is that someone with the Animal ear has learned the commonalities between them all.

Also, I think some common sense should be applied. Some animals are more intelligent than others. A wolf, for example, would be able to put phrases together whereas a squirrel might simply say, "ACORNS!"

[Hellblazer]

You made my day there Dorg thanks for the laugher

[Frances]

I'm reminded of a commercial I saw. I don't remember the item advertised, but it came with the ability to speak to animals. Unfortunately, all the man's dog was saying was "Sausages! Sausages! Sausages!"

[ycleption]

While I agree wholeheartedly with you Dorg, I think lot of people fall into the trap of thinking that omitting things like articles and misusing pronouns somehow makes their communication simpler, regardless of the idea... "me hungry" expresses the exact same idea as "I am hungry," since animal isn't a language per se, there is no need to make it sound like poor english.... likewise, saying "you speak me where be castle?" doesn't magically make the concept of "castle" any more intelligible to an animal because you're using poor grammar.

Personally, I've always felt a wide degree of latitude to describe how my druid is communicating... whether it's "/dm [*yips brightly* blah blah blah]" or /dm [*stares deep into the panther's eyes* blah blah blah]. I try to think about what kind of animal it is, and decide whether vocal communication is more likely or some other kind... (wikipedia is very useful when you want to know what some random animal sounds like, if you that route)

[Dorganath]

Oh yeah, agreed. An animal wouldn't know "castle". They would know "rock" though.

Like I said...Simple.

And contrary to the belief of one particular ranger, there is no such thing as "deer lore".

[miltonyorkcastle]

*snickers at the "deer lore"*

[lonnarin]

Originally Posted by LordCove

Can my Druid sit and really "talk" to plants and snakes and birds and Wemics?
Can my Ranger understand Kenku's and Minotaurs and what-not?

Maybe and Yes and Yes and Yes and Yes and No.

There is no plant language in layo thus far. A treant might scream "Defiler of Trees!" at you though while thumping you, so maybe.

Snakes are animals. If you shake a rattle at a rattlesnake, it will stay out of your way or try to mate with you. If you spit on a cobra, it will get angry. You can talk to snakes, just talk like a snake. so Yes.

Birds are very vocal and even mimic other sounds they try to communicate with. My cockatiel curses like a sailor, chirps like about 20 species of birds, whistles, coos, begs for food and the like. When you whistle back to her in whatever bird call you wish, she will respond with that specific call. Birds not only talk CONSTANTLY, but they even learnt he languages of other birds and other animals that aren't even bird. so a definite YES there.

All the Wemics I met save for one spoke some common, and the one exception spoke lion. I was able to speak to the latter with my ranger and druid. Yes there.

Kenkus scream "I kill youuu!" and "Eeeek! I'm dying!" in combat. Sure, it's not MUCH of a conversation, but it is communication none the less. Further, they probably squawk like birds and mimic other birds like most birds do. a definite yes.

No for the Minotaur. Every time I met one they just scream that weird giantkin tongue, "Eeeergh? Zonuflux!" I'd guess that you need to speak to them in giant. I doubt they speak bovine, since they never seem to moo like a cow, just grumble giant.

I wholleya gree with Dorg though that you need to take intelligence into consideration when depicting the level of communication. Like his examples, I once was GMing a session where players tried asking detailed questions from a mole about troops formations of orcs.

"Hi there!"

"Hello!"

"what's your name?"

".... hello?"

"did you see any orcs around here?"

"... um...food?"

"oh! hahah, here you go little buddy, ok now about those orcs, which way did they go?"

"YUM!" *rubs his nose on his shoe* "Looove!" *coos*


Whenever I pick up our cat and she start meowing constantly to complain, I'd just as much assume she's either cussing me out, or screaming "Don't eat me! Don't eat me! HELP!"

[aragwen]

Originally Posted by Dorganath

And contrary to the belief of one particular ranger, there is no such thing as "deer lore".

There is not!? *winks*