So I had an idea for adding a bit of exotic flair to your games in foreign lands.
First, write out about 12 different two-letter words. Try saying these words in different combinations to get a mouthfeel for your new fantasy language. You could also think of some larger words and then break them down into basic phonemes.
Whenever you need a strange, foreign-sounding word, first roll a d6: that’s how many phonemic parts the word has. If you need help, assign each part of the word to a d12 and roll those as well.
Then, roll a d6:
- The word sounds as its spelled, no wonkiness or strangeness.
- The word is has a different emphasis on the syllables for this language: roll a 1d4 (beginning, middle, end, all of them) and figure out which part of the word is pronounced strangely.
- The word means both the thing and the opposite thing: a wound and a not wound, healed, or a sword and a not sword, tool. Lost in Translation ensues.
- The word, if not pronounced correctly, is a slur. A player who mispronounces gets a charisma disadvantage or attacked, whatever’s funnier.
- The word, if composed of four or more language units, is actually two words, that together make this word. Especially fun if you already have some words in play.
- The word has another word that’s somewhat interchangeable with it (dirk, knife, dagger). Whenever the player says the word, roll a second word that the NPC might respond with it.
If you’re like me, you can keep track of your fantasy words using a spreadsheet, and reward your players when they remember to use them, like how’d you reward them for remembering the NPC’s real name instead of the made of almost names they actually use.
I’m going to start churning these out more regularly.