according to the dungeon master's guide(specifically the 2014 version), dark speech is considered a language with the book of vile darkness teaching you the language, however the "language" options seen in humans and some subclasses say "a language" without any further stipulations, could a person learn dark speech via playing as a human and would it do anything without attunement to the book of vile darkness?
addition: the line "While you carry the Book of Vile Darkness and are attuned to it, you can use an action to recite words from its pages in a foul language known as Dark Speech." is seen in the 2014 version of the book of vile darkness, and it calls dark speech "a foul language known as Dark Speech"
RAW what languages are available whenever you get to pick are subject to DM’s discretion. Beyond goes a little overboard tabulating all the technically possible options, so you see stuff like that or Giant Owl that weren’t written to be typical player-facing options.
according to the dungeon master's guide(specifically the 2014 version), dark speech is considered a language with the book of vile darkness teaching you the language, however the "language" options seen in humans and some subclasses say "a language" without any further stipulations, could a person learn dark speech via playing as a human and would it do anything without attunement to the book of vile darkness?
addition: the line "While you carry the Book of Vile Darkness and are attuned to it, you can use an action to recite words from its pages in a foul language known as Dark Speech." is seen in the 2014 version of the book of vile darkness, and it calls dark speech "a foul language known as Dark Speech"
The 2024 update renames this Vile Speech and adds that it is a dead language.
The 3rd Edition Book of Vile Darkness had a feat for learning Dark Speech and using it to perform various effects. I think it is meant to be a special language that mortals cannot normally learn but have a magical power similar to the Power Word spells. The Book of Exalted Deeds may or may not have had an equivalent for Supernal and/or the Words of Creation (I don't know if all the Words of Creation are Power Words, if all Power Words are Words of Creation, or if neither is true).
I would say this is just like verbal component spellcasting. You learn the "language" by learning the spells. If someone wanted to learn Dark/Vile Speech, I would direct them down those lines looking for spells that produce effects in line with the corrupting effects of the language.
according to the dungeon master's guide(specifically the 2014 version), dark speech is considered a language with the book of vile darkness teaching you the language, however the "language" options seen in humans and some subclasses say "a language" without any further stipulations, could a person learn dark speech via playing as a human and would it do anything without attunement to the book of vile darkness?
addition: the line "While you carry the Book of Vile Darkness and are attuned to it, you can use an action to recite words from its pages in a foul language known as Dark Speech." is seen in the 2014 version of the book of vile darkness, and it calls dark speech "a foul language known as Dark Speech"
The 2024 update renames this Vile Speech and adds that it is a dead language.
The 3rd Edition Book of Vile Darkness had a feat for learning Dark Speech and using it to perform various effects. I think it is meant to be a special language that mortals cannot normally learn but have a magical power similar to the Power Word spells. The Book of Exalted Deeds may or may not have had an equivalent for Supernal and/or the Words of Creation (I don't know if all the Words of Creation are Power Words, if all Power Words are Words of Creation, or if neither is true).
I would say this is just like verbal component spellcasting. You learn the "language" by learning the spells. If someone wanted to learn Dark/Vile Speech, I would direct them down those lines looking for spells that produce effects in line with the corrupting effects of the language.
to grossly oversimplify, learning dark/vile speech would pretty much result in you knowing more spells? i could see it doing that as you are described as "reciting from the book" when you speak dark/vile speech from the book rather than actually knowing the language
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according to the dungeon master's guide(specifically the 2014 version), dark speech is considered a language with the book of vile darkness teaching you the language, however the "language" options seen in humans and some subclasses say "a language" without any further stipulations, could a person learn dark speech via playing as a human and would it do anything without attunement to the book of vile darkness?
addition: the line "While you carry the Book of Vile Darkness and are attuned to it, you can use an action to recite words from its pages in a foul language known as Dark Speech." is seen in the 2014 version of the book of vile darkness, and it calls dark speech "a foul language known as Dark Speech"
RAW what languages are available whenever you get to pick are subject to DM’s discretion. Beyond goes a little overboard tabulating all the technically possible options, so you see stuff like that or Giant Owl that weren’t written to be typical player-facing options.
Who would you talk to with Dark Speech?
zero clue, this is a hypothetical
The 2024 update renames this Vile Speech and adds that it is a dead language.
The 3rd Edition Book of Vile Darkness had a feat for learning Dark Speech and using it to perform various effects. I think it is meant to be a special language that mortals cannot normally learn but have a magical power similar to the Power Word spells. The Book of Exalted Deeds may or may not have had an equivalent for Supernal and/or the Words of Creation (I don't know if all the Words of Creation are Power Words, if all Power Words are Words of Creation, or if neither is true).
I would say this is just like verbal component spellcasting. You learn the "language" by learning the spells. If someone wanted to learn Dark/Vile Speech, I would direct them down those lines looking for spells that produce effects in line with the corrupting effects of the language.
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My houserulings.
to grossly oversimplify, learning dark/vile speech would pretty much result in you knowing more spells? i could see it doing that as you are described as "reciting from the book" when you speak dark/vile speech from the book rather than actually knowing the language