this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2025
378 points (97.5% liked)

RPGMemes

13928 readers
1693 users here now

Humor, jokes, memes about TTRPGs

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
all 25 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 64 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

Necromancer: "I am versed in the ancient tongues! The forgotten lore! The oldest words ever spoken. And you come here to challenge me?! ស្លាប់"

Barbarian: "Huh?"

Necromancer... flipping through spellbook: "Uh... ꯃꯥꯡꯍꯅꯕꯥ꯫ !"

Barbarian: shrug

Necromancer... tearing out pages in frustration: "Η ζωή σου τελειώνει τώρα!!!"

Barbarian: Razing axe over head, somewhat bemused

Necromancer, relieved sigh: "Here it is." Makes the Crotch Chop gesture

Barbarian clutches chest, keels over

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 15 points 17 hours ago

That first line is reminiscent of Snowcrash.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago (3 children)

I was bummed in Dragonlance when our favorite Death Knight, Lord Soth, finally uses power word kill, points his finger and just says "die". C'mon!

[–] Iunnrais@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

Personally, I describe the word as basically being every language spoken at once, yet you hear it most clearly in whatever language you understand best, and more to the point, it speaks most clearly to your soul, which (on a failed save) cannot help but to obey and thus perish. Even on a save I try to describe just how creepy and horrifyingly eldritch it is.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 2 points 7 hours ago

Should be "power phrase" instead of power word, so it could get super fancy

[–] Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net 2 points 9 hours ago

Like, at least be a little fancy with it and use "perish" or some other posh word.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 27 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

In dnd 5e, there's no RAW to support this.

In PF2e, you don't need to understand the spell but you need to be able to hear it. So deafening yourself does in fact protect against Power Word Kill, RAW.

[–] Stamets@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 39 minutes ago* (last edited 38 minutes ago)

Honestly, deafening yourself should not protect you from power word kill. It's supposed to be a version of true speech. You are not saying it to the person. You were saying it to the universe. Whether or not that person can hear you is completely irrelevant to the situation. It's the universe and all of creation hearing you and answering that call.

I was just posting a silly meme. That being said, that is another thing about Pathfinder that I absolutely hate and why I will literally never play it

[–] RenLinwood@lemmy.blahaj.zone 27 points 17 hours ago

I don't think that's how words of power work but I'm still laughing

[–] Gutek8134@lemmy.world 9 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Power words are just truespeech in ~~5e~~ Forgotten Realms

The way I understand it, the whole world knows this language

Funny meme doe

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 10 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

the whole world knows this language

That would be super dangerous.

It's prolly more accurate to say "reality obeys this language"

[–] Gutek8134@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Yup, this phrasing is better. Thanks for correction

[–] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

"Illiterate" is "unable to read", FYI.

[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 5 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Uneducated or monolingual would work better.

[–] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

Neither effectively encompasses "inability to understand" the spell's language, though.

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 4 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (2 children)

illingual works if we're willing to make up words, and operating under the assumption that the barbarian doesn't know much of any language, rather than that they are fluent and well spoken in some language other than common

[–] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 10 hours ago

Making shit up as we go is how language evolves, so that could work —though one could certainly argue that even a primitive system of clicks, grunts, gestures, etc. to convey meaning would negate that term's all-encompassing scope. I suppose, according to this silly pedantry I've stepped in, the more precise term would describe an inability to parse "languages used by the majority of current civilizations", or something like that. 😅🤷🏼‍♂️

[–] swab148@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 13 hours ago

"Illingual" sounds like the dopest rap album of 1989

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 3 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

Uneducated is probably best. For all we know, that barbarian is conversational and literate in 3 different non-common languages, can communicate in 6 and has a doctorate from a far eastern university - barbarian is a class, not a job or ethnicity.

In the real world, there are many places with a high density of non-European languages.

[–] MotoAsh@piefed.social 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Wouldn't the allegory for class be job? Or maybe career?

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 4 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Not really. D&D characters have jobs (unless they're unemployed), the class just describes a set of skills that would (hopefully) be useful for that job. Class is more equivalent to a university degree or trade school diploma - it usually suggests certain jobs, but those skills are usually useful and sought after in many different careers.

Warriors can have many different jobs, like bodyguard, townguard, soldier/mercenary, robber, brigand, monarch, hunter, or something completely different like university professor and the character just takes their exercise regimen really seriously.

[–] MotoAsh@piefed.social 1 points 12 hours ago

So they're more of just skill sets (lol obviously).

I guess my mental dissonance came from you saying "it's a class, not a job ...", when naturally, skill sets are critically important to jobs! I guess a bit of a Venn diagram type confusion. lol Saying "not" about overlapping circles can get interesting with interpretations.

[–] 13igTyme@piefed.social 5 points 17 hours ago

One of my favorite lines from Q.

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 1 points 16 hours ago

I think power words work with Earthsea rules.