I am new to D&D, only started getting into it a little over a month ago now, still learning and reading through the books - still not even managed to play a game yet lol 😭
Anyhow, I am a fan of the Drow, I have always been a Dark Elf fan (for anyone who knows of Warhammer I used to play Dark Elves) and obviously they speak Elvish. But I am a little confused as to which Elvish is correct in terms of scripture? The Players Hand Book shows an example of the Elvish alphabet, but then in the Sword Coast Adventures Guide it shows a completely different version of the Elvish alphabet. Having done a little internet search I then found yet another Elvish alphabet for D&D which looked a little more like the Lord of the Rings Elvish script. So it has just left me a little confused as a new comer to the game and lore - Which one is the correct version, especially for Drow?
When you find a group, talk with the GM to determine which script you will use if there is to be any written non-Common to be seen in the campaign at all. If you intend to GM, it is your decision regarding what to use. (It could be none of those and an entirely different script or even ideographic.)
If anything, the presence of two different alphabets should indicate that the lore is customizable for the campaign's needs.
(I prefer my Abyssal to be written in messy phonetic sentences using the Infernal alphabet with many alternate spellings and ambiguities in meaning. I prefer my written Infernal to look like elaborate summoning circles with the Infernal alphabet embedded within - an extremely precise and legally binding language.)
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
For Dwarvish (and Orcish) writings I use allcaps and no vowels to simulate a runic alphabet, so PRNH would be the Dwarven name Prinnah, and MGRL would be the Orc name Yimgarl.
For Elvish I tink of something with a minimum of 3 syllables and vaguely Spanish sounding and then add apostrophes and/or accent marks into it, like Ci'allandriall, or Para’nté as family names, and I don’t bother with different scripts at all.
The script has changed a few times over the years. One way to look at it is that SCAG uses a Forgotten Realms alphabet that's pretty consistent across the editions and the PHB is more of a generic "elven." So talk to your DM, and assuming they don't care, use whichever you like. D&D lore isn't quite like, say, WOW lore, where everyone who plays it is playing the same game. Most DMs - even those who set their stuff in the Realms - have homebrew worlds or at least certain homebrew deviations from the official timeline, if there even is one.
That makes sense given the common dwelling of the Underdark.
I've read people describe the rare writings of Illithids as a kind of memory-infused Braille (I want to state "qualish"? but my memory's not good with names) and also read that they read it with their face tentacles.🤣 (It makes me think of licking a book or signpost to read it.)
Going on that same theme, one could make it so that the Elvish writing always includes magic and touching or viewing the script can have effects. I read somewhere that it evolved from some Fey language or some such and might be responsible for much of the original V components in spells (also now evolved to use non-Elven languages).
The history of the setting can be vague a lot of the time.
One question is: "What is the purpose of the script in the campaign?" That might help determine the next question to ask regarding the script itself.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Hey everyone.
I am new to D&D, only started getting into it a little over a month ago now, still learning and reading through the books - still not even managed to play a game yet lol 😭
Anyhow, I am a fan of the Drow, I have always been a Dark Elf fan (for anyone who knows of Warhammer I used to play Dark Elves) and obviously they speak Elvish. But I am a little confused as to which Elvish is correct in terms of scripture? The Players Hand Book shows an example of the Elvish alphabet, but then in the Sword Coast Adventures Guide it shows a completely different version of the Elvish alphabet. Having done a little internet search I then found yet another Elvish alphabet for D&D which looked a little more like the Lord of the Rings Elvish script. So it has just left me a little confused as a new comer to the game and lore - Which one is the correct version, especially for Drow?
Many thanks,
Carl.
When you find a group, talk with the GM to determine which script you will use if there is to be any written non-Common to be seen in the campaign at all. If you intend to GM, it is your decision regarding what to use. (It could be none of those and an entirely different script or even ideographic.)
If anything, the presence of two different alphabets should indicate that the lore is customizable for the campaign's needs.
(I prefer my Abyssal to be written in messy phonetic sentences using the Infernal alphabet with many alternate spellings and ambiguities in meaning. I prefer my written Infernal to look like elaborate summoning circles with the Infernal alphabet embedded within - an extremely precise and legally binding language.)
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
For Dwarvish (and Orcish) writings I use allcaps and no vowels to simulate a runic alphabet, so PRNH would be the Dwarven name Prinnah, and MGRL would be the Orc name Yimgarl.
For Elvish I tink of something with a minimum of 3 syllables and vaguely Spanish sounding and then add apostrophes and/or accent marks into it, like Ci'allandriall, or Para’nté as family names, and I don’t bother with different scripts at all.
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The script has changed a few times over the years. One way to look at it is that SCAG uses a Forgotten Realms alphabet that's pretty consistent across the editions and the PHB is more of a generic "elven." So talk to your DM, and assuming they don't care, use whichever you like. D&D lore isn't quite like, say, WOW lore, where everyone who plays it is playing the same game. Most DMs - even those who set their stuff in the Realms - have homebrew worlds or at least certain homebrew deviations from the official timeline, if there even is one.
FWIW, my drow write in braille, so...*shrug.*
That makes sense given the common dwelling of the Underdark.
I've read people describe the rare writings of Illithids as a kind of memory-infused Braille (I want to state "qualish"? but my memory's not good with names) and also read that they read it with their face tentacles.🤣 (It makes me think of licking a book or signpost to read it.)
Going on that same theme, one could make it so that the Elvish writing always includes magic and touching or viewing the script can have effects. I read somewhere that it evolved from some Fey language or some such and might be responsible for much of the original V components in spells (also now evolved to use non-Elven languages).
The history of the setting can be vague a lot of the time.
One question is: "What is the purpose of the script in the campaign?" That might help determine the next question to ask regarding the script itself.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
do your research and it'll be easy to find out