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Drizzt Do Urden
Acolyte
Netherlands
33 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Mar 2003 : 12:46:04
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i believe (correct me i've i'm wrong) that in the D&D forgotten realms campain setting, says everone (execpt barbarians) can write and read, but i don't believe that because nowadays there are many people who can't read and write, and even then the forgotten realms is mostly in the high time of the middle ages; and why should a former slave (slave born)in calisham can write and read in the beginnen...
Sounds like strange, that a student of mage can write and read okay, but a son of a farmer somewhere in the western heartlands... i can't believe that...
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Once the Menzoberrenzan Drow run away from the Drow Practices in other cities. Then they settled Menzoberrenzan, and prayed to there evil and mad godess Lolth, the Spider Queen. Then they turned the same way has there far away cousins (isn't that ironic)
Bless Mielikki, and the good people of the Realms |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2003 : 13:10:50
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I completly agree with you. IMO only the wizard, the bard and some cleric should earn it for free.
A ranger that passed all his life in the Wilderness, won't learn to write, as well as the druid, the rogue who comes from the bard places of the city,... |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2003 : 19:44:40
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Well, then you also have to think about character backgrounds. What if the new fighter in the game is the son or daughter of a weathy merchant? He or she would have learned to read.
I think it should be DM's choice, with guidelines. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2003 : 21:50:44
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| Yes, background could explain. But it doesn't, it's just written "all character can write and read except the barbarian". Which i think reduce a lot the "power" of the letter (i tried to translate a proverb... hard) |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2003 : 07:28:26
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It's okay -- it got through.
You're right. Writen words had an even greater power back then. In any medieval setting, this should be taken into acount. There should be a skill for "Scribing" in the third edition -- they put in just about everything else!
My proposal (anyone, feel free to adopt this): Bards, wizards, and clerics would get this for free. Based on detailed background, the DM decides if any other characters might receive this ability. Ability, of course, is based on Intelligence. It is trained only. No rolls or rechecks (or develop your own), and the DM decides if reading a message is beyond a character's abilities (i.e., big words).
Sorry that isn't in a format worthy of the PHB -- I was too lazy, and wrote that on the spot. Feel free to add your own comments. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Yasraena
Senior Scribe
USA
388 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2003 : 03:42:11
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| That's pretty much how I do it in my campaign, Bookwym. Most PC's usually have the ability because I make them write at least a one page background for their characters when they create them (and they ALWAYS seem to put that fact into them) but it still isn't free. ALL new pc's, whether bards, clerics or whatever, have to pay the cost (in game terms) to have the skill. If they want to learn another language other than their native one, they pay again. I will say that most 'regular' type npc's in my games don't have the skill. It just doesn't make sense to me that they would. I mean, why would a peasant farmer or someone similar have the ability? His life is such that he probably never has the chance to use the skill, let alone have the chance to learn it. |
"Nindyn vel'uss malar verin z'klaen tlu kyone ulu naut doera nindel vel'bolen nind malar."
Yasraena T'Sarran
Harper of Silverymoon |
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zemd
Master of Realmslore
France
1103 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2003 : 13:55:58
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| In races of faerun, they made a rectification, given the race and the class, you can or can't read and write. (BTW great book!) |
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Sarta
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2003 : 10:35:57
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I would be a bit more generous than this. You forget that Oghma and Deneir's clergy do spend time teaching people to read. I'd say anyone living in or near a moderately sized town has an opportunity to learn to read.
While I agree that it shouldn't necessarily be universal, I also do not feel that players should be forced to spend a feat (or something similar) in order to learn to read.
After all, are you going to tell a player who has purchased decipher script and forgery for his rogue character (a class that you seemed to leave out) that unless he writes a detailed background, his character is illiterate?
Personally, I simply interpreted the books to read that all PC's are literate, but barbarians. This doesn't necessarily mean that illiteracy rates are very low -- just amongst pc's.
Sarta |
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ShadowPavement
Acolyte
11 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2003 : 16:50:56
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I always thought of the Forgotten Realms as being at the beginning of the renesance. They have smokepowder and, if I remember corectly, the gnomes have invented the printing press.
Instead of FR having a renesance dealing with art or technology specifically I've always seen it as having a magical renesance, especially since FR is a pretty magic heavy world to begin with.
With priests of ohgma and denir and the ability to magiacally copy books I don't see a good reason why people, at least those living in major urban centers shouldn't be able to read.
Just some thoughts.
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Some people would complain if you hanged them with a brand new rope.
-Hanibal Smith |
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AraznBlair
Learned Scribe
USA
114 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2003 : 21:42:36
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| Correct me if I'm wronge but I could have sworn the the PHB covered the reading and writting ability. It does say that everyone except Babarians could read but I'm pretty sure they also said that it depended on the characters background. That if they came from a poor family the chances of knowing how to read or write would be slim. I think that it is up to the DM after the they and the player had gone over their background. |
Arazn Blair
Fightermage Extrodinare |
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Valius
Acolyte
14 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2003 : 17:16:01
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| If you like some historical accuracy a Druid should also be able to read and write, or at least the head of an order. They often travled to other places(Rome for example) and studied there. |
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why everone can read in the forgotten realms
