Tongues

Tongues was a divination or alteration spell that allowed the caster or a touched creature to speak and understand additional languages. The alteration version was reversible, called babble, and could confuse all verbal communication in an area.

Effects
The divination version of tongues was much improved over the alteration version because it could be bestowed on another creature, had greater range, and lasted 10 minutes per level of the caster, but it was not reversible. The alteration version had a divine and an arcane variation that differed only in duration: the divine variation lasted 10 minutes  whereas the arcane variation lasted one minute per level of the caster. The area of effect for the alteration version was a circle of 30 ft (9.1 m) radius centered on the caster,  whereas the divination spell allowed the subject to communicate as far as his or her voice could carry.

The subject of tongues could only speak one language at a time but could understand other languages, therefore the subject could act as an interpreter but could not address a diverse crowd and be understood by all. This spell only allowed communication with intelligent creatures with the ability to speak; it did not otherwise bias creatures with respect to the subject.

When cast in reverse, babble canceled the tongues spell or confused all verbal communication in the area of effect, even between those that shared a common language.

Components
The divine versions of this spell required only verbal and somatic components. The arcane versions also required a small clay model of a ziggurat, which shattered when the verbal component was pronounced.

History
The spell was attributed to Netherese arcanist Dace in -1858 DR and was originally called Dace's tongue forms. It was also one of the spells available from the Balance of Belaros, a holy relic of Tyr.