Lore question - Nightmares

[TheBrogueadier]

Or to give it another topic title:
My other horse is a flaming beast from the lower planes.

A quick question to thems what has a better grasp on general lore than me (or handy access to the right books)..

Can nightmares speak?

I was mulling this over last night, on the one hand they look like horses, on the other hand they're an entirely suppernatural/demonic entity with a reasonable Int (13 if I remember correctly).

Could such a thing speak? (or use other methods of vocalised/mental communication beyond body language/neighing) Could it whisper sweet nothings or call out a curse before damning a person to flame-hoofed skull splatteryness?

Ta!

[Kaybrie]

By the source material Nightmares have no language of their own. Though rule one of DnD is the DM is always right, so really it would be up to the individual dungeon master.

[TheBrogueadier]

Ah, fair enough..

I'll wait for one of them to make a call on it.

Otherwise I'll have to crack out a copy of 'The Horse Whisperer' (Monty Roberts book, not the Robert Redford film) and get my equine body-language shizzle on..

[Phantom Lamb]

I don't think so

[Urithrand]

I agree with PL, they're not humanoid and there's no reason why they should be able to, any more than a horse.

[black hand]

I know I read it somewhere... I just can't remember where, but nightmares do not speak, but due to their intelligence and being a manifestation of evil, they are quite capeable of understanding what is being said around them. If they did speak, I don't think they would be taken serisouly as it would probably look like how Mr. Ed speaks, and the poor summoner would have to try not to laugh, or face a very mad horsey.

As for following orders, commands, and what-have you, they have the last say in whether they will listen to you or not.


Kasso's right though; In the end, it's the DM's porogative. The Monster Manual could say that they can resite the entire collection of Shakespere, but if the DM's says no, we have a mute nightmare.

[Product of Void]

alright kids gather around.

A long time a go a young demon prince pestered his daddy for a pony. And after weeks of beatings the pestering continued. So broken by his own child he decided to give him a pony. In order to survive hell fire elmentals were breed into it. It took a few dozen horses to figure it out.

So after many dead horses a burning pony was born, and given to the demon prince. Which after many joyful minutes was eaten by the horse.

Once rumor spread all demon kings wished for a nightmare to give to their annoying brats.

or so I hear :P

[MithrilBlade]

I agree with PL, they're not humanoid and there's no reason why they should be able to, any more than a horse.

That is not the approach you should have for any outsiders.
I think that in case of nightmares it is indeed the issue that they can't speak, but there are a whole deal of strangest insect or ooze monsters which are completely capable in speech, hell even many undead with around 6 INT score are able to talk, but just rarely do around prey.

Outsiders seem to in general take the strangest forms and you shouldn't really consider nightmare an ordinary horse, but instead a demon that adopted the form of a horse, with the fiendish traits like burning hooves and poisonous breath.

One thing is for certain however: nightmares with 13 int (that exceeds that of average human easily), are capable in understanding speech and very complicated instructions by the rider so they are not by any standards in the level of horse, but superior to them in every way.

However, that is just the official lore of demons, so the decision what to do with it is yours really.

[Urithrand]

That is not the approach you should have for any outsiders.
I think that in case of nightmares it is indeed the issue that they can't speak, but there are a whole deal of strangest insect or ooze monsters which are completely capable in speech, hell even many undead with around 6 INT score are able to talk, but just rarely do around prey.

Outsiders seem to in general take the strangest forms and you shouldn't really consider nightmare an ordinary horse, but instead a demon that adopted the form of a horse, with the fiendish traits like burning hooves and poisonous breath.

One thing is for certain however: nightmares with 13 int (that exceeds that of average human easily), are capable in understanding speech and very complicated instructions by the rider so they are not by any standards in the level of horse, but superior to them in every way.

However, that is just the official lore of demons, so the decision what to do with it is yours really.

These are the exceptions, not the rules. Unless specifically stated otherwise, nothing non-humanoid should be able to speak.

[gbbishop]

nightmares have NO languages as per the 3.5 source book monstrous manual (happened to be using it tonight as a mouse pad) no languages mean no speach... unless of course given by a dm

many other non humanoid creatures do have the ability to speak. the winter wolf for instance has giant and common. but again, why would a winter wolf talk to you rather than eat you....