Level
1st
Casting Time
1 Action
Ritual
Range/Area
Self
Components
V, S, M *
Duration
1 Hour
School
Divination
Attack/Save
None
Damage/Effect
Social
For the duration, you understand the literal meaning of any spoken language that you hear. You also understand any written language that you see, but you must be touching the surface on which the words are written. It takes about 1 minute to read one page of text.
This spell doesn't decode secret messages in a text or a glyph, such as an arcane sigil, that isn't part of a written language.
* - (a pinch of soot and salt)
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Posted Feb 8, 2025You could always have it so the writing is enchanted in some way to resist Comprehend Languages. It is, as they say, your world.
I would however suggest something else, such as putting the writing somewhere that the characters cannot touch the writing, as that is required per the spell's text.
That or I might try to find another reason to need to speak to an NPC, like the answer to a riddle that can't be gleaned from the literal meaning alone, relying on some metaphor (in the language in question) that the player characters might not be aware of.
This spell has some inherent limitations you could make use of if you want to.