How can one establish communication with intelligent creatures lacking language?

Question

The ice toad (Frostburn 140-1) is a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 6 yet no language. Beyond being conceptually annoying and making me feel bad for the handful of aberrant genius ice toads that lack the capacity to express their brilliance outside their own heads, this utter lack of language makes the often neutral ice toads almost totally inscrutable.

1. Can intelligent creatures with no language learn languages? For example, could the ice toad just sink a couple of skill points into the cross-class skill Speak Language and pick up Common? Could the ice toad then speak Common?
2. Besides the extraordinary ability tongue of the sun and the moon of a level 17 monk and maybe the obscure 8th-level Drd spell speak with anything [div] (Masters of the Wild 94), is there a spell or special ability that permits communication with such language-adverse yet intelligent creatures?¹ With such creatures, the typical go-to methods all seem to fail (the supernatural ability telepathy and the spells comprehend languages, tongues, and arguably even telepathic bond).

---

¹ Early access to the special ability tongue of the sun and the moon would be acceptable, I guess.

Answer 1

The psionic power mindlink does exactly what you want: It's low level and works on any creature that has an Intelligence of 3 or higher. (As long as you spend the points to make it work on an unwilling target.)

And most importantly:

You can communicate telepathically through the bond even if you do not share a common language.

As a backup option, as long as you can touch the ice toad, you can cast tongues on it. Tongues doesn't require a willing creature, so as long as the ice toad fails its will save this should allow it to speak to and understand you.

This spell grants the creature touched the ability to speak and understand the language of any intelligent creature, whether it is a racial tongue or a regional dialect. The subject can speak only one language at a time, although it may be able to understand several languages.

This won't allow it to speak to other ice toads:

Tongues does not enable the subject to speak with creatures who don’t speak.

So if you want it to be able to speak to other ice toads, you'll have to cast the spell on them too.

There is one other fly in this ointment:

The subject can make itself understood as far as its voice carries.

This is potentially problematic, because if ice toads don't have a voice (which may or may not be the case), they will be able to understand you but not speak loud enough for you to hear. This will enable any communication method that relies on the creature understanding you, and might allow communication methods that rely on the creature having a language. (Depending on whether understanding every language counts as "having a language"; I can't find a rules definition of what that requirement actually entails.)

Alternatively, with one-way communication established, you may be able to talk it into accepting a telepathic bond or some other method that relies on having a willing target.

Answer 2

Magical Beasts can have character levels.

From the SRD:

The separate table for Intelligence ensures that no PC ends up with an Intelligence score lower than 3. This is important, because creatures with an Intelligence score lower than 3 are not playable characters. Creatures with any ability score lower than 1 are also not playable.

As mentioned in comments- Remorhaz, from the SRD:

Abilities: Str 26, Dex 13, Con 21, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 10

No statistics is less than 3 - therefore - theoretically playable.

Ability modifiers would be:

• Strength +16
• Dexterity +2
• Constitution +10
• Intelligence -6
• Wisdom +2
• Charisma +0

Work with your DM to figure out a level adjustment. There are rules to figure out level adjustments within Savage Species.

---

Savage Species even outlays a monster class for the Griffon (p. 174). The Griffon is a magical beast. This could be a good model for your Ice Toad to follow, since Griffons can't speak as well.

Automatic Languages: None. A griffon cannot speak or communicate without the assistance of magic, but it can understand Common.

Communication without the assistance of magic could be a key factor. Tongues, comprehend languages, and etc. could be a further avenue of enabling communication.

Gloves of Man (Savage Species, p. 57) could be a good magic item investment as well.

These magic gloves provide humanoid fingers and thumbs for the wearer. Any creature may wear them, provided the creature has tentacles or paws over which to slip them.

Battle Signs and Drow Sign Language are examples of non-verbal communication that everyone in the party would have access too, including the magical beasts that otherwise wouldn't have a language.

---

One way to get a guaranteed language:

Druidic

A druid also knows Druidic, a secret language known only to druids, which she learns upon becoming a 1st-level druid. Druidic is a free language for a druid; that is, she knows it in addition to her regular allotment of languages and it doesn’t take up a language slot. Druids are forbidden to teach this language to nondruids.

---

Not to mention Use Magic Device for scrolls that could change your form into one that could speak.

Use a Scroll

If you are casting a spell from a scroll, you have to decipher it first. Normally, to cast a spell from a scroll, you must have the scroll’s spell on your class spell list. Use Magic Device allows you to use a scroll as if you had a particular spell on your class spell list. The DC is equal to 20 + the caster level of the spell you are trying to cast from the scroll. In addition, casting a spell from a scroll requires a minimum score (10 + spell level) in the appropriate ability. If you don’t have a sufficient score in that ability, you must emulate the ability score with a separate Use Magic Device check (see above).

Answer 3

Can intelligent creatures with no language learn languages? For example, could the ice toad just sink a couple of skill points into the cross-class skill Speak Language and pick up Common? Could the ice toad then speak Common?

Not entirely. An Ice toad that gains a skill rank can take a rank in Linguistics to Understand Common, but if they lack the Vocal chords to speak that Language they won't be able to Vocalize their knowledge of your language.

Once said ice toad manages an understanding of your language, then Telepathy(Su) and other abilities like Telepathic Bond will function properly. You could also use the Polymorph spell to turn the ice toad into a creature with Vocal Chords such as Human or Elves, so they can speak Common with you until the spell expires.

Answer 4

The Polymorph spell would suffice

Creatures with a score of 3 or more are regarded as having humanlike intelligence, capable of more than just simple, instinctual thoughts. Moreover, they can understand language.

The Monster Manual (p.7) refers to this matter in the entries section:

Intelligence: [...] Any creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher understands at least one language (Common, unless noted otherwise).

This doesn't mean that a creature is automatically able to speak such a language since the books happen to make a distinction between the terms speaking and understanding in many instances.
Furthermore, it can be argued that understanding a language might not be sufficient to establish the writing capability of that creature, while being able to speak would be enough. (The rules assume that writing is as hard to learn as speaking, see the question Min INT score needed to read).

The anatomical scenario:

Some creatures just "cannot" speak (e.g. the infamous Tarrasque), underlying an impediment that could arguably be anatomical but, truly, the reason behind it is anyone's guess.
Polymorph can clearly overcome the anatomical limit, as it retains the following feature from the spell Alter Self:

If the new form is capable of speech, you can communicate normally.

It's not clear if the polymorphed creature is physically able to speak all languages, but Common seems to be within reach of the broadest spectrum.

The unfathomable scenario:

Other creatures like the Ice Toad (or the much misunderstood Gray Render) lack the entry entirely, allowing them to understand Common but not explicitly able to speak the language.

The Player's Handbook II (p.96) introduced the Polymorph Subschool, a section added to a later reprint of the PHB (p.320) in which we read:

• The subject retains the ability to understand the languages it understands in its natural form. If the assumed form is normally capable of speech, the subject retains the ability to speak these languages as well. It can write in the languages it understands, but only if the assumed form is capable of writing in some manner—even a primitive manner, such as drawing in the dirt with a paw.

(Emphasis mine)

A polymorphed creature would in fact be able to scratch on the ground the words in its head overcoming the undiscernible reasons behind his mutism.

Beware, ice toads having levels in the barbarian class might find themselves locked out of this option due to their illiteracy.

Answer 5

Much of "verbal" communication is in fact, non-verbal; tone, timeliness of expression, gestures and body language. It is conceivable an intelligent but non-verbal creature could hold up two fingers, for example in response to a question. The more intelligent and social the creature, the more likely it would have a formalized method of communication. Limitation of vocal chords would not limit an intelligent creature's ability to point, gesture or otherwise "communicate".

If you read "no language" as "no communication", then this precludes any and all communication, so the question is moot.

However, if you read "no language" as literally "no spoken or written language", as is the case with nearly all creatures the game rates as "animal intelligence"; like a score of 1 or perhaps 2, and you see all the myriads of communication between bees, ants, horses, ad nauseum, then clearly communication is possible. If the creature has a score of 6 for Intelligence, it will not only be able to communicate with others of it's own kind, it will be able to reason, ponder consequences, et al. I think it would be nonsense to assume you could not establish communication with such a creature.

For a real world example, your dog is conceivably what the game would rate as a 1 Intelligence, but yet it can communicate to you when it's water bowl is empty, right?