I am playing a barbarian in a 3.5 campaign where most of the role-playing happens in libraries. I have decided to "buy" my way out of illiteracy, so that I can be involved in more of the game than the fights. Any tips on working around the "can't read, can read" issue?
I'm straining to figure out how you ended up in this situation - did your DM not realize that reading might be a requirement? What is the in-game reason your Barbarian ended up in a library campaign?
Without understanding anything about what's going on, I'd say to abandon any hope of contributing to the "reading" component and provide the things that Barbarians do - bodyguard, door-breaker, and book smasher.
I do not at all miss 3.5e's fiddly nonsense such as this.
The lore of the game is vast and written down. The main problem that I am running into is that the other players are spending more and more time "researching" solutions to the game world's problems. I, as a Barbarian, cannot help, and therefore, am stuck listening to a play rather than being a part of it. I would like some tips about role-playing the fact that my character could not read until now.
Thought: Maybe your character's interest was piqued not because of the words on the page, but because of art or maps, something visual. Then, invested in finding out more about the subject, that drove him to begin learning simple words, maybe from a helpful librarian, or from another PC.
You could also talk about the fact that seen as you are a barbarian and the library setting is not really your setting, that the time spent there would be "downtime", so maybe you could pick up the use of some new tools. Playing off the idea that maybe your character started to really get into maps, you could grab the Cartographers Tool Proficiency. From there you could begin studying all the maps the libraries have, and when the PC's come back and say, "We've spent 43 days researching and we just need to find the thing we've been researching" then you can whip out your map knowledge and be like, "Orog know where island of the dead is, it's 43 degrees south by southwest of the Christening Cove" and suddenly you're useful in the library setting, you're the MAPBarian!
Bah! Reading is for women and priests! Play your barbarian how he was meant to be played! :)
I've played many barbarians from several editions and played them as illiterate regardless of whether they had that in the rules or not. There is plenty of fun to be had with that.
If you are really concerned then perhaps ask your DM about making a different character who would be more in line with the game he is running? I honestly don't understand the whole 'adventure in a library' thing but it sounds like your DM may be running a more puzzle and mystery type game. Shame on him for not warning the group before the game started. Or shame on you for not listening. Either way it sounds like a change is in order.
If you want to keep your character then just multi-class a bit. Barbarians from 3.x don't loose a lot from grabbing a couple of levels from ranger or rogue and both would be helpful. The bump in skill points will make picking up literacy much less painful plus you will get some nice benefits along with the dip.
As for role playing picking up reading, I wouldn't worry about that too much. If your barbarian is hanging around with characters that can read and the campaign has been mostly about reading then it's safe to say your character just 'picked it up'. You might have some fun with it and role play having a hard time reading for the few sessions after spending the points. The other players may even get in on the fun and help you finish sentences and such. My warning here is to not over due it. Play that way for a couple of sessions and move on. Otherwise it becomes less fun and more tedious.
Update: I just read up on the 3.5 barbarian and you automatically gain literacy by taking a level of another class. So a one or two level dip in fighter sounds like an excellent choice.
I was going to mention the maps and cartography, but I see someone already snagged that. The other thing I might suggest is that, as a Barbarian, role-play wise maybe you're not talented in normal literacy, but thanks to your life on the fringes you can read non-standard records--i.e., you're the Barbarian that can read pictographs (like Egyptian hieroglyphs) and have come across oral histories not yet written down--an invaluable resource your other characters might not know about.
That's probably how I'd play it, honestly. The main group is researching left, right, and center, and I'd be off in the historical scrolls going, "Oh, so that's how the Tieflings fell before the rise of Elves. Interesting." And to everyone else the scroll would look like "Bird flying, Right angle, Feather, Campfire." You'd have to discuss it with the DM, but it'd be a way to both keep your Barbarian upbringing and be useful in researching with your team. After all, who knows what secrets are written down in non-languages?
But if you don't want to go the Cartography and/or pictographs route, then maybe dipping into a level of something else--especially given the 3.5 rule of automatically gaining literacy--is worthwhile.
I am playing a barbarian in a 3.5 campaign where most of the role-playing happens in libraries. I have decided to "buy" my way out of illiteracy, so that I can be involved in more of the game than the fights. Any tips on working around the "can't read, can read" issue?
I'm straining to figure out how you ended up in this situation - did your DM not realize that reading might be a requirement? What is the in-game reason your Barbarian ended up in a library campaign?
Without understanding anything about what's going on, I'd say to abandon any hope of contributing to the "reading" component and provide the things that Barbarians do - bodyguard, door-breaker, and book smasher.
I do not at all miss 3.5e's fiddly nonsense such as this.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.
The lore of the game is vast and written down. The main problem that I am running into is that the other players are spending more and more time "researching" solutions to the game world's problems. I, as a Barbarian, cannot help, and therefore, am stuck listening to a play rather than being a part of it. I would like some tips about role-playing the fact that my character could not read until now.
Thought: Maybe your character's interest was piqued not because of the words on the page, but because of art or maps, something visual. Then, invested in finding out more about the subject, that drove him to begin learning simple words, maybe from a helpful librarian, or from another PC.
You could also talk about the fact that seen as you are a barbarian and the library setting is not really your setting, that the time spent there would be "downtime", so maybe you could pick up the use of some new tools. Playing off the idea that maybe your character started to really get into maps, you could grab the Cartographers Tool Proficiency. From there you could begin studying all the maps the libraries have, and when the PC's come back and say, "We've spent 43 days researching and we just need to find the thing we've been researching" then you can whip out your map knowledge and be like, "Orog know where island of the dead is, it's 43 degrees south by southwest of the Christening Cove" and suddenly you're useful in the library setting, you're the MAPBarian!
*sips tea*
Bah! Reading is for women and priests! Play your barbarian how he was meant to be played! :)
I've played many barbarians from several editions and played them as illiterate regardless of whether they had that in the rules or not. There is plenty of fun to be had with that.
If you are really concerned then perhaps ask your DM about making a different character who would be more in line with the game he is running? I honestly don't understand the whole 'adventure in a library' thing but it sounds like your DM may be running a more puzzle and mystery type game. Shame on him for not warning the group before the game started. Or shame on you for not listening. Either way it sounds like a change is in order.
If you want to keep your character then just multi-class a bit. Barbarians from 3.x don't loose a lot from grabbing a couple of levels from ranger or rogue and both would be helpful. The bump in skill points will make picking up literacy much less painful plus you will get some nice benefits along with the dip.
As for role playing picking up reading, I wouldn't worry about that too much. If your barbarian is hanging around with characters that can read and the campaign has been mostly about reading then it's safe to say your character just 'picked it up'. You might have some fun with it and role play having a hard time reading for the few sessions after spending the points. The other players may even get in on the fun and help you finish sentences and such. My warning here is to not over due it. Play that way for a couple of sessions and move on. Otherwise it becomes less fun and more tedious.
Update: I just read up on the 3.5 barbarian and you automatically gain literacy by taking a level of another class. So a one or two level dip in fighter sounds like an excellent choice.
Current Characters I am playing: Dr Konstantin van Wulf | Taegen Willowrun | Mad Magnar
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I was going to mention the maps and cartography, but I see someone already snagged that. The other thing I might suggest is that, as a Barbarian, role-play wise maybe you're not talented in normal literacy, but thanks to your life on the fringes you can read non-standard records--i.e., you're the Barbarian that can read pictographs (like Egyptian hieroglyphs) and have come across oral histories not yet written down--an invaluable resource your other characters might not know about.
That's probably how I'd play it, honestly. The main group is researching left, right, and center, and I'd be off in the historical scrolls going, "Oh, so that's how the Tieflings fell before the rise of Elves. Interesting." And to everyone else the scroll would look like "Bird flying, Right angle, Feather, Campfire." You'd have to discuss it with the DM, but it'd be a way to both keep your Barbarian upbringing and be useful in researching with your team. After all, who knows what secrets are written down in non-languages?
But if you don't want to go the Cartography and/or pictographs route, then maybe dipping into a level of something else--especially given the 3.5 rule of automatically gaining literacy--is worthwhile.
When you get yourself banned from the library forever, be sure to say: "but I'm with them!" And point 😎. Then have fun with your friends outside!
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DM -- Elanon -- Homebrew world
Gronn -- Tiefling Warlock -- Amarath
Slim -- Halfling Cleric -- CoS (future Lord of Waterdeep 😁)
Bran -- Human Wizard - RoT
Making D&D mistakes and having fun since 1977!
Look for answers outside the libraries.
I suggest the inn or tavern. It can be surprisingly helpful when you just happen to meet the head librarian on his lunch break.
It's only a bribe if he is offended....it's only intimidation if he reports you to the guard....
Pain Heals, Chicks Dig Scars, Glory Lasts Forever!