NPC Dialog, A little help from experienced RP players

vold316 · May 2013

I have created a quest where the players have to talk to Orcs and Goblins and i have no idea of how to write in english as a Goblin and Orc (forgotten realms not WoW), actually since english is not my native language i even have troubles to write as human, but i'm not looking help here for that.

So, i would appreciate if you guys would post here some phrases in english, talking as a Goblin and Orc, and maybe in the future i will be asking about other humanoid species.

Thanks.

aggropotato · May 2013

I'd imagine they speak in a sort of pidgin common/english, with guttural sounds, dropped consonants and poor grammar.

This might be helpful, although it's not canon D&D:

http://www.shadowclan.org/warhammeronline/language.htm

Try my quest below, I have lots of talking goblins

kamaliicious · May 2013

Ironically it will be easier for you as someone who speaks more than one language and for whom English is a second language. Orcs and goblins don't speak perfect English (technically the language is called "Common" in Forgotten Realms) so it will be like people who speak it, but not very well. They just need to be talking about things that an orc or goblin would talk about.

scantrell · May 2013

Here's my 2 CP, hopefully it helps.

First, take into account the intelligence of your NPC. A highly intelligent NPC may speak fluent Common, and as such, would not sound greatly different than a human. Guards or other martial types may speak more "Broken English" or in shorter phrases "Get them!", "Kill the Intruders!" etc.

In many settings, creatures of lower intelligence typically use either shortened words, or replace digraphs (two letters that make a single sound, like "th" or "ch") with a single letter. For example "Dey told us to guard dis place!". You can also start taking out words to make the sentence seem less fluid, i.e. "Wut dey want us to do?" rather than "What do they want us to do?". Again, this is sometimes overused for creatures, and certainly used often for lower intelligence creatures.

Another thought comes from the concept that Common isn't their native language either, so they may face the same challenges and speak in similar patterns as yourself, where English isn't your first language. Perhaps you can draw from your own issues with spoken English, and replicate that for your creatures. They would speak Common as well as someone who speaks English that isn't a native speaker, based on their intelligence, education, and immersion in the language.

In general, Orcs are often characterized as brutish and rough. "Who dares come here? We kill you now!" etc. But that's a bit of a stereotype. I prefer to have NPCs speak relative to their circumstance, so if you have an Orc wizard he will certainly be more fluent than say a lowly minion guard. But in all things, I can see Orcs having a bit of the "tough guy" edge.

Goblins, hmm...I supposed it depends how you want them characterized. Are they crafty, and as such might tend to speak more (a bit but don't copy exactly the style) of say a Gollum from Lord of the Rings? Or perhaps more as a Ferengi from Star Trek? For example "Oooh, you seek the stone do you? Yes, yes...I can help you, human, for a price!" Or are they more simplistic? Or even cowardly? "Aiieee! Flee brothers, flee! They are too strong!".

I guess I've rambled and not been as helpful with specific phrases, sorry! If nothing else, hopefully I've provided some food for thought.

vold316 · May 2013

aggropotato wrote:

I'd imagine they speak in a sort of pidgin common/english, with guttural sounds, dropped consonants and poor grammar.
This might be helpful, although it's not canon D&D:
http://www.shadowclan.org/warhammeronline/language.htm
Try my quest below, I have lots of talking goblins

I will try your quest to learn more about it. Thanks.

kamaliicious wrote: »

Ironically it will be easier for you as someone who speaks more than one language and for whom English is a second language. Orcs and goblins don't speak perfect English (technically the language is called "Common" in Forgotten Realms) so it will be like people who speak it, but not very well. They just need to be talking about things that an orc or goblin would talk about.

Hahaha, me glad to hear that.

vold316 · May 2013

@scantrell (didn't want to quote the whole text).
Awesome man, that helps a lot!

kamaliicious · May 2013

vold316 wrote: »

Hahaha, me glad to hear that.

See, you're halfway there, an orc might say something like that.

Another option would be to run around in the orc district of Neverwinter. If you're above level by 10 or so the orcs will ignore you completely unless you attack them. Then you can watch what they say.

coanunn · May 2013

A few things that I've always done with Goblins, keep them skittish. They are going to be extra cagey and unwilling to tell people everything. As a race goblins thrive on survival above all else. An old goblin is rare and they got that way by keeping things that helped them secret. Adventurers kill goblins, goblins kill goblins, overlords kill goblins.. they are a race for which personal survival is of the highest order so they hide their motivations well, don't reveal all their information, etc.

I also tend to use outdated phrasing when dealing with a group that is a non-native speaker. The best example would be when I was a french student years and years ago the words "Je t'adore" meant "I love you" while "Je t'aime" simply meant you were my friend or I enjoyed spending time with you. Over the years the cloquial meaning shifted such that "Je t'adore" is a very outdated way of saying this and "Je t'aime" now means I love you. The language didn't change, they still actually mean exactly what they always have but due to evolution of language the way it's used has changed. Thus my training leads me to still say "Je t'aime" when I'm talking about a friend or someone I like to hang out with and that makes me sound very odd to a native speaker or even someone who more recently learned the language. This works for your orcs and goblins, they would use these older versions of the language as their culture wouldn't be keeping up on the language the same way.

Also, as @scantrell pointed out the classic:

In many settings, creatures of lower intelligence typically use either shortened words, or replace digraphs (two letters that make a single sound, like "th" or "ch") with a single letter. For example "Dey told us to guard dis place!". You can also start taking out words to make the sentence seem less fluid, i.e. "Wut dey want us to do?" rather than "What do they want us to do?". Again, this is sometimes overused for creatures, and certainly used often for lower intelligence creatures.

This works amazingly well so long as it is not overdone. Again think about the motivations of the speaker, their circumstance. Maybe they would drop whole words of orcish or goblinoid right in the middle of a sentence as well.

ovaltine74 · May 2013

You don't have to go all stereotypical either. Many times thinking of what orcs typically sound like, and altering it makes the story a bit more interesting. You run the risk of criticism, but I feel adding that originality is worth the risk.

aggropotato · May 2013

A thoroughly eloquent goblin/orc could be played for comedic effect.

These are fictional constructs, so I don't mind dipping into stereotypes

... unless they start petitioning for Greenskin rights.

NPC Dialog, A little help from experienced RP players

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