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You are skilled at working with language, in both its spoken and written forms. You can speak multiple languages, and can decipher nearly any tongue given enough time. Your skill in writing allows you to detect forgeries as well.
You are skilled at working with language, in both its spoken and written forms. Ranks in ''linguistics'' enable you to speak multiple languages, and decipher nearly any tongue given enough time. Your skill in writing allows you to detect forgeries.


As with all skills, the uses below are merely suggestions, and by no means the full gamut of possible ways a skill can be used. Players and GM's are encouraged to find additional ways to use each skill.


===Check===
As people learn languages, they achieve varying states of familiarity: pidgin, beginner, fluent, and native.


* [[Languages]]


* '''Secret Rolls''':In all cases, Linguistics checks are made secretly by the GM, so that you can't tell whether the conclusion you draw is true or false.
=== Pidgin ===
At the pidgin level, [[Bluff]], [[Diplomacy]] and [[Sense Motive]] checks are made at -5 penalties when attempted in this language.


* '''Decipher Written text or other communicative artifact''': You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form. The base DC is 15 for the simplest messages, 20 for standard texts, and 30 or higher for intricate, exotic, or very old writing. If the check succeeds, you understand the general content of a piece of writing about one page long (or the equivalent). If the check fails by less than 5, you avoid drawing a false conclusion about the text. If the check fails by more than 5, you think you have deciphered or understood it, but you draw some incorrect conclusion, such as opposite meaning (attack versus defend, for example), or wrong timescale (hours instead of days), wrong gender (she instead of he), wrong location (inside instead of outside, etcSuccess means that you do not draw a false conclusion; failure means that you might.
* '''Listen:''' When listening to conversations in the language, you understand approximately every third wordThis is enough to generally determine the topic of the conversation, but is highly prone to misinterpretation, since you often mistranslate critical words (like "not") that can completely alter the meaning of the statementIf someone wants you to fully understand what they're saying, they must speak slowly, and use gestures and pantomime to supplement their statements.


* '''Speak:''' You communicate at approximately the same degree a toddler communicates -- no full sentences, no conjugation, no subject/verb agreement, frequent mispronunciations, or incorrect word usage, etc. Only basic ideas can be conveyed, and technical conversations or topics requiring skill or training are impossible. Even regular conversations are painful affairs to observe, with each sentence taking around a minute to successfully convey.


* '''Comprehend a conversation in a language you don't know.''': You may also attempt to comprehend spoken languages in tongues you do not know.  The base DC is 20 for short statements with context or speech where the speaker is deliberately speaking slowly.  The DC is 25 for normal conversations with context, but with no attempt at helping the listener understand.  The DC is 35 or more if the language is at all difficult to hear (such as heard through a door, or when the speaker is also chewing food, or the language uses a non-audio method such as scent or expression or direct mental exchanges).  If the check fails by less than 5,  you avoid drawing a false conclusion about the exchange. If the check fails by more than 5, you think you have deciphered or understood it, but you draw some incorrect conclusion, such as opposite meaning (attack versus defend, for example), or wrong timescale (hours instead of days), wrong gender (she instead of he), wrong location (inside instead of outside), etc.  Success means that you do not draw a false conclusion; failure means that you might.
* '''Read:''' You can, very slowly, read the written language when you see it.


* '''Write:''' You are not capable of composing written messages in the language by yourself.


Successful checks to comprehend a conversation can be used as a starting point for learning the unknown language, if GM's wish to use the optional 'learning a new language' rules below.
=== Beginner ===
At the beginner level, [[Bluff]], [[Diplomacy]] and [[Sense Motive]] checks are made at a -2 penalty when attempted in the new language.


* '''Listen:''' You are able to listen to the spoken language with very little difficulty in understanding.  An occasional word will be unknown to you, but you can nearly always follow all but the most complex or theoretical of conversations.  You cannot understand idioms, euphemisms, or slang in this language, however.


===Uses===
* '''Speak:''' You know approximately 1,000 words, and are capable of speaking in full sentences, though you still make frequent mistakes (using the wrong word, etc.)You can function reasonably well among people who speak this language natively, though it is obvious that you are not a native speakerTechnical topics are still very difficult affairs, and take much longer to discuss with a beginner speaker as synonyms are sought and gestures replace jargon.
At low levels, listening in on enemy conversations in a language you don't know and interpreting the written notes of orcs and Giants isn't terribly difficult to a trained linguist. Most such rolls gain the "familiar territory" and even "homeland" modifiers. That +15 for languages close to home makes such checks trivially easy, and communication is an open bookHowever, when you encounter a truly alien language, such as the terrible Ackakakl, spoken by Fire Elemental nobility and used nowhere in the Prime Material, those difficulty numbers skyrocketIt takes a truly dedicated and adventurous scholar to even attempt to comprehend a language written in the pattern of a dancing flame.


Even more difficult is trying to detect a forgery written in AckakaklWas that little flame dancing in that lantern really ignited by the Lord of Heat, or is it a fake from his sister, the Mistress of Flame?
* '''Read:''' Much as with listening, you are capable of reading the written word of the language with very little difficultyTechnical words, idioms, euphemisms, slang, and sarcasm, are very difficult for you, but otherwise, reading the language comes quite easily to you.


Most difficult of all is actually learning to speak in Ackakakl, to make the sibilant hisses of combustion, the subtle crackles of fuel consumption, even the whooshing roars and snaps and pops of Fire itself.
* '''Write:''' You can write in the language with very little difficulty, though your writing lacks subtlety and nuance.  You have a limited diversity of synonyms, so long text, especially descriptive text, will appear uninspired and trite to native readers.  However, you can communicate most topics to a reader with little chance of misunderstanding.


And compared to the truly alien languages out there?  Even Ackakakl is pretty easy, all things considered.  At least it still uses sound....  
=== Fluent ===
You take no penalties when interacting with people using this language.


* '''Listen:''' You fully understand conversations in this language.  Only a few words are unknown to you, and you can usually figure out what the word means after breaking it down to its root.  You can only think in this language with effort and deliberate choice.


* '''Speak:''' You are easily understood, and are highly capable of making your point efficiently. Your accent gives away your foreign status, however, and there is a chance you will incorrectly use a euphemism, idiom, or slang.  You are highly versed in technical jargon for topics in which you have skill ranks, but have limited knowledge of technical jargon outside of areas you have actively studied.  While you are perfectly capable of humor and sarcasm in this language, it tends to be a bit blunt, lacking the subtlety and nuance of a native speaker.


===Modifiers===
* '''Read:''' You can easily read all but the most technical of texts at your normal reading speedTechnical texts can be deciphered, but take extra time.
* '''A language spoken in familiar territory''' -5 to the DC.
* '''A language spoken in your homeland''' -10 to the DC.
* '''Inside a city or otherwise cosmopolitan location''': -5 to the DC
* '''A language from an unusual or rare culture''': A matriarchy, perfect pacifists, within the Unterwelt, etc.  +5 to the DC
* '''A language from a very unusual or unique culture''': Personality cult Empire, non-humanoid society, magical post-scarcity society (wishes),etc.  +10 to the DC
* '''A language from an utterly alien culture''': Hive mind, fractal thinkers, higher-dimensional beings, deities, devils, demons, artificial language(scent, light, mental constructs, etc.),  +10 to the DC
* '''An unusual or rare language''': Sign language, tonal language, glottal stops galore, tooth-clacks, etc.  +5 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a different but similar plane of existence''': The Ether, the Plane of Shadow, The First World, etc+5 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a different but non-hostile plane of existence''': The Plane of Air, Elysium, The Silver Fields, etc.  +15 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a wildly different plane of Existence''': The Azure Sea, The Plane of Earth, the Plane of Water, etc. +20 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a wildly different and hostile plane of existence''': The Plane of Fire, the Nine Hells, the Abyss, etc +25 to the DC
* '''A language spoken in Very Bad Places''': The Sunward Reaches, The Infinite Well, Temperest, Hellcore, Lavarna, etc.  +30 to the DC
* '''A language spoken at The Edge of Reality''': Apocolyptica, The Outer Dark, The Fount of Reality, The Nascent Seed, etc.  +35 to the DC


* '''Write:''' You are able to write the language easily, and even insert a flair or voice to your writing, making it your own.  While you are perfectly capable of humor and sarcasm in this language, it tends to be a bit blunt, lacking the subtlety and nuance of a native speaker.


Most of the above penalties and benefits may stack.  For example, to decipher an Understanding Mote of the Solarian Waspines is modified by the fact that they are all hive minds (+15) speaking an artificial language of mental glyphs (+10), in a Very Bad Place (+30) for a base modifier of +55 to decipher the Mote.  To decipher a normal message between Waspines encoded on a Mote has a base DC of 20, so with modifers, requires a 75 Linguistics check to correctly interpret, and any result below a 70 gives the wrong information.  You might want to hit a library and get some help with that one....
=== Native ===
You take no penalties when interacting with people using this language.


===Action===
* '''Listen:''' You fully understand conversations in this language. All words are either known by you, or easily understood with some contextYou are capable of thinking in this language as easily as you think in your actual native tongue.
Varies. Deciphering a page of ordinary text in an unknown language takes 5 minutes (50 consecutive rounds). This only provides a cursory understanding of the page's information, and is not a comprehensive translation.   


Detecting a forgery using Linguistics takes 1 round of examination per page.
* '''Speak:''' You speak with a perfect accent of a native, and are eloquent and easily understood. You are also fully knowledgeable of local idioms, euphemisms, and slang.  You are capable of subtle humor and sarcasm, and can even use it such that only selected listeners will notice your digs at others present.


* '''Read:''' You can quickly read texts in this language with no difficulty.  Even poorly written documents, or shoddy handwriting, can be easily deciphered with enough context.


===Try Again===
* '''Write:''' Your writing is a perfect example of the language, containing grace and nuance, and capable of subtle humor or sarcasm. While actually creating written works of artistic merit requires either a [[Perform]] or [[Profession]] skill, you are well-positioned to use those skills.
Yes.


== Learn a Language ==
All player-character races speak, read, and write Common with "native" familiarity, beginning at character creation, regardless of their intelligence scores or any other factor.  Some races grant an additional starting language (which is also known at "native" familiarity).  In addition, player characters with high intelligence scores can gain bonus languages, one language per +1 modifier from their Intelligence score, which they select from their chosen race's list of available bonus languages. Bonus languages from high intelligence are known at "fluent" familiarity.


===Special===
Each time you put a rank into ''Linguistics'' you can spend 1 [[full day]] of studying to choose a language from among the basic starting languages or advanced starting languages, and gain "fluent" familiarity with both the spoken and written forms of that language.  You may instead choose a language from the encountered languages list, but only if you have actually heard a conversation or read a document in that language at some point in the past.  If you haven't been exposed to a language from the encountered languages list, you may not select it.  You may NOT choose a language from the secret languages list, unless you find someone who is willing to teach it to you. (In most cases, teaching a secret language to someone outside of the group in which it is meant to be known is punishable by death. As they say, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.)  You can never learn a secret language by overhearing it, or even translating a sample of its text, due to its deliberately complex nature.
You must be trained to use this skill, but you can always attempt to read archaic and strange forms of your own racial bonus languages. In addition, you can also always attempt to detect a forgery.


Upon placing your 10th rank into ''linguistics'', you may select one of your known "fluent" languages, and advance your knowledge in this language to "native".  You may select one additional known language from your "fluent" languages to promote to "native" familiarity for every 2 additional ranks after the 10th rank that you place in linguistics.  It is also possible to improve a known "fluent" language to "native" by way of [[Between Adventures#Improve Language to Native Fluency|Self-Improvement]], by spending several days studying the language.


===Detecting Forgeries===
== Comprehend Unknown Spoken Language ==
You may use Linguistics to determine if a written message, or other communicative artifact, was actually composed by a known individual. 
{{Template:SkillUse


* To detect a forgery, you must have seen an example of a known good text, or, have an actual sample of a known good text to use as a foundation from which to work. If you do not have such knowledge, you cannot even attempt to roll.
| Skill-Use = Comprehend Unknown Spoken Language


* The GM makes a roll of the Spycraft skill used to generate the forgery.  Note that most monsters have a base level of skill in all skills, and that can be used as the basis for the spycraft roll if there is no other information to generate a DC. The CR of the creator of the forgery is the base used to generate this Spycraft roll. 
| Core-Skill = Linguistics


* The linguist takes all modifiers for deciphering a language he does not know (see above) as negative modifiers to his roll to detect a forgery.  In general, detecting a forgery in a language you don't know can become VERY difficult to impossible, very quickly.
| Benefit = You may attempt to comprehend spoken languages in tongues you do not know.


* If the player is attempting to detect a forgery in a language he already knows well, then detecting a Forgery becomes an opposed check, the PC's Linguistics check against the Spycraft check of the creator.  
If you already know the language at the "fluent" or "native" level, you do not need to roll this; you can interpret the language automatically.  If you know the language at "pidgin" or "beginner", you must still make this skill check, but you get a bonus on your roll (see modifiers section).


* All Detect Forgery rolls are finally modified by the extra values in the table below.
''GM's should make this check in secret, due to the possibility of the player gaining incorrect information.''


| Action = Free action


====Additional Modifiers to Detect Forgeries====
| DC = * '''Basic Language:''' 20
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" style="text-align:center"
* '''Advanced Starting Language:''' 25
! Condition || Linguistics Check Modifier
* '''Encountered Language:''' 30
|-
* '''Secret Language:''' 50
| align="left" | Type of document unknown to reader || -2
 
|-
| Modifiers = * '''Pidgin Fluency:''' If you already know this language at "pidgin" fluency, you reduce the DC by -5.
| align="left" | Type of document somewhat known to reader || +0
* '''Beginner Fluency:''' If you already know this language at "beginner" fluency, you reduce the DC by -10.
|-
* '''Helpful Speaker:''' If the speaker is deliberately speaking slowly, or gesturing to assist your understanding, the DC is reduced by -10.
| align="left" | Type of document well known to reader || +2
* '''Eavesdropping:''' If the speaker doesn't know you are listening, the DC increases by +5.
|-
* '''Deliberately Quiet:''' If the speaker is whispering, or actively trying to keep others from listening in to his conversation, the DC increases by +10.
| align="left" | Handwriting not known to reader || -2
* '''Interference:''' If the speaker is behind a thick door, or chewing food while talking, the DC increases by +10.
|-
* '''Combat:''' If you are trying to understand a foreign language that is being spoken in the middle of a fight, the DC increases by +15.
| align="left" | Handwriting somewhat known to reader || +0
 
|-
| Take10-Take20 = You can take 10 (assuming you are not in combat), but you cannot take 20.
| align="left" | Handwriting intimately known to reader || +2
 
|-
| Assist = No, things are happening too quickly for an ally, jabbering in your ear, to help you.
| align="left" | Reader only casually reviews the document || -2
 
|-
| Success = If you succeed by 4 or less, you understand enough of the conversation to get the general idea of what was said, including any proper nouns (person's name, place name, etc.).
| align="left" | Document contradicts orders or knowledge || +2
 
|}
If you succeed by 5 or more, you also learn the language at the "pidgin" level of fluency, assuming it is not a secret language.  If the language is not a secret language, you may learn it at the "fluent" level of fluency if you spend one of your ranks in Linguistics to do so (that is, you have now successfully encountered enough of the language to learn it).
* (Epic Only) If you have at least 21 ranks in ''linguistics'', and you succeed by 10 or more, you learn the language at the "beginner" level of fluency, assuming it is not a secret language. You must still spend one of your ranks in ''linguistics'' to learn this language at the "fluent" level of fluency.
 
Even though you might be able to understand some of a secret language via this skill use, you may not learn the language (even at the "pidgin" level) without the assistance of a teacher willing to teach the language to you.
 
| Failure = If you fail by 4 or less, you are simply unable to understand what was said. You are aware that you failed.
 
If you fail by 5 or more, or roll a natural 1, you misinterpret what you hear. Examples include guessing the opposite meaning (e.g., attack versus defend), the wrong timescale (hours instead of days), the wrong gender (she instead of he), the wrong location (inside instead of outside), etc.  You are not aware that you failed.
* (Epic Only) If you have at least 21 ranks in ''linguistics'', you are no longer subject to misinformation due to a failed check. Failures at this level are always treated as though they were by 4 or less, even if you roll a natural 1.
 
| Retry = Assuming you know you failed, you may retry again if the conversation continues for at least 10 minutes.  If you fail the second attempt, you must wait 24 hours before trying again with that language (regardless of whether you are exposed to new conversations or different speakers during that time).
 
You may not retry the check if you are unaware of your failure.
 
| Provokes = No
 
}}
 
== Translate Unknown Written Language ==
{{Template:SkillUse
 
| Skill-Use = Translate Unknown Written Language
 
| Core-Skill = Linguistics
 
| Benefit = You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language.
 
If you already know the language at the "fluent" or "native" level, you do not need to roll this; you can interpret the language automatically.  If you know the language at "pidgin" or "beginner", you must still make this skill check, but you get a bonus on your roll (see modifiers section).
 
''GM's should make this check in secret, due to the possibility of the player gaining incorrect information.''
 
| Action = 10 minutes per page.
 
| DC = * '''Basic Language:''' 20
* '''Advanced Starting Language:''' 25
* '''Encountered Language:''' 30
* '''Secret Language:''' 50
 
| Modifiers = * '''Pidgin Fluency:''' If you already know this language at "pidgin" fluency, you reduce the DC by -5.
* '''Beginner Fluency:''' If you already know this language at "beginner" fluency, you reduce the DC by -10.
* '''Hurry:''' You can attempt to reduce the time taken to 1 minute per page by increasing the DC by +10.  You can attempt to reduce the time taken to 1 full round action per page by increasing the DC by +20.  You cannot reduce the time taken to less than 1 round per page.
* '''Take Your Time:''' If you spend 1 hour per page, you can decrease the DC by -10. If you spend 1 day per page, you can reduce the DC by -20.
* '''Good Work Space:''' If you are in a quiet, well-lit, dry area, with few distractions, such as a study, you can reduce the DC by -5.
* '''Multiple Documents:''' If you have multiple different documents in the same language, the DC is reduced by -5 per additional document.  A document is text which can stand on its own.
* '''Instructional Document:''' If the document was intended to teach something to the reader, the DC is reduced by -5.  If it was intended to teach the language itself, the DC is reduced by -15.
* '''Bad Penmanship:''' If the writer of the document has bad handwriting, the DC is increases by +5.  If the writer had truly atrocious handwriting, the DC increases by +15.
* '''Damaged Document:''' If the document is waterlogged, or otherwise damaged, the DC increases by anywhere from +2 to +20, depending on the damage.
* '''Incomplete Document:''' If you only have part of the document, but ''not'' because of damage to the document, the DC is increased by +10.
* '''Short Document:''' If the document is less than a full page in length (less than 250 words), but ''not'' because of damage, or being incomplete, the DC is increased by +2 per 50 words less than 250, rounding up, to a maximum of +10 for less than 50 words.
 
| Take10-Take20 = You can take 10 (assuming you are not in combat), but you cannot take 20.
 
| Assist = Yes (up to 5 allies)
 
| Success = If you succeed by 4 or less, you are able to translate enough of the text to guess at the general meaning, including any proper nouns (person's name, place name, etc.).
 
If you succeed by 5 or more, you also learn the language at the "pidgin" level of fluency, assuming it is not a secret language.  If the language is not a secret language, you may learn it at the "fluent" level of fluency if you spend one of your ranks in Linguistics to do so (that is, you have now successfully encountered enough of the language to learn it).
* (Epic Only) If you have at least 21 ranks in ''linguistics'', and you succeed by 10 or more, you learn the language at the "beginner" level of fluency, assuming it is not a secret language. You must still spend one of your ranks in ''linguistics'' to learn this language at the "fluent" level of fluency.
 
Even though you might be able to understand some of a secret language via this skill use, you may not learn the language (even at the "pidgin" level) without the assistance of a teacher willing to teach the language to you.
 
| Failure = If you fail by 4 or less, you are simply unable to determine the contents of the message. You are aware that you failed.
 
If you fail by 5 or more, or roll a natural 1, you misinterpret the text. Examples include guessing the opposite meaning (e.g., attack versus defend), the wrong timescale (hours instead of days), the wrong gender (she instead of he), the wrong location (inside instead of outside), etc. You are not aware that you failed.
* (Epic Only) If you have at least 21 ranks in ''linguistics'', you are no longer subject to misinformation due to a failed check. Failures at this level are always treated as though they were by 4 or less, even if you roll a natural 1.
 
| Retry = Assuming you know you failed, you must wait 24 hours before trying again.
 
You may not retry the check if you are unaware of your failure.
 
| Provokes = Yes


}}


====Learn a New Language====
== Speak / Write Unknown Language ==
Whenever you put a rank into this skill, you learn to speak and read a new language.  Note that this is per rank put into Linguistics, not your total skill bonus.
{{Template:SkillUse


* For a listing of available languages, see the [[Languages|languages]] section of this page.
| Skill-Use = Speak / Write Unknown Language


==Learning A New Language (Optional Rule)==
| Core-Skill = Linguistics
The Linguistics skill allows characters to learn a new language for each rank they place in the skill. Some GM's may want to keep this simple and assume the character has acquired some means of studying the new language and is doing that in their spare time. Other GM's may wish to add a little more realism into the learning process. After all, while you may have a rank in a skill granting you the mental space to learn a new language, you may not have had enough exposure to pick up that language without some effort first.


It's up to the GM whether characters can just learn one or more of the encountered languages when they level up. Perhaps there is a great library where tomes containing lexicons of bizarre and diverse tongues can be perused and studied. Maybe a college teaches classes on how to speak High Draconic. Or maybe the players just need to run into these things and piece it together from scraps of conversation they overhear through closed doors.
| Benefit = You can attempt to speak or write in a language you haven't learned.  


If you already know the language at the "fluent" or "native" level, you do not need to roll this; you can speak, read, and write the language automatically.  If you know the language at "pidgin" or "beginner", you must still make this skill check, but you get a bonus on your roll (see modifiers section).


===Making A Check To Learn A New Language===
''GM's should make this check in secret, due to the possibility of the player gaining incorrect information.''
GM's should allow a linguistics check for each significant exposure to a new language, even if the character rolling the check doesn't have any available language "slots" at the time. The DC for this check is as follows:


| Action = * '''Speaking:''' Free action (longer conversations will take longer, obviously)
* '''Writing:''' Full-round action for 1 to 2 sentences, or 10 minutes per page.


{| border="1" cellpadding="5" style="text-align:center"
| DC = * '''Basic Language:''' 20
! align="left" | Degree of exposure to new language || width="100" | Linguistics Check DC
* '''Advanced Starting Language:''' 25
|-
* '''Encountered Language:''' 30
| align="left" | Character is in an immersive environment || 15<sup>1</sup>
* '''Secret Language:''' &mdash; (you cannot communicate in a secret language you don't know)
|-
| align="left" | The language being studied is commonly spoken but is not the only language being spoken || 20
|-
| align="left" | The language being studied is only observed from a single source (one conversation, one letter, one book, etc.) || 25
|-
| align="left" | The language being studied is observed from a source which is, itself, not fluent in the language || 30
|}


:<sup>1</sup> - <small>An immersive environment is one in which the language in question is the only one spoken by the locals, and basic interactions can only be performed in that language. For each full day of exposure to a language an immersive environment, the DC of the check decreases by 2 until the check is made, at which point it resets to 15. In this way, even characters without ranks in Linguistics can eventually pick up a language in a place they are forced to use it to interact. The DM may rule that this bonus can reach a maximum size, depending upon the alienness of the place and people speaking the language.</small>
| Modifiers = * '''Pidgin Fluency:''' If you already know this language at "pidgin" fluency, you reduce the DC by -5.
* '''Beginner Fluency:''' If you already know this language at "beginner" fluency, you reduce the DC by -10.
* '''Impeded:''' If your speech or handwriting are impeded in some way (e.g. chewing food, under a bed, etc.), the DC is increased by +10. This penalty increases to +20 if you are greatly impeded (e.g. manacled, gagged; but seriously, what game are you playing?).
* '''Blood For Ink:''' If you lack paper, ink, or a writing implement, the DC (for writing) is increased by +2 to +10, depending on how creative you are forced to become.


| Take10-Take20 = You can take 10 (assuming you are not in combat), but you cannot take 20.


===Modifiers===
| Assist = * '''Speaking:''' no
* '''A language spoken in familiar territory''' -5 to the DC.
* '''Writing:''' yes (up to 5 allies)
* '''A language spoken in your homeland''' -10 to the DC.
* '''Inside a city or otherwise cosmopolitan location''': -5 to the DC
* '''Unusual or rare culture''': A matriarchy, perfect pacifists, within the Unterwelt, etc.  +10 to the DC
* '''Very unusual or unique culture''': Personality cult Empire, non-humanoid society, magical post-scarcity society (wishes), +15 to the DC
* '''Utterly alien culture''': Hive mind, fractal thinkers, higher-dimensional beings, deities, devils, demons, artificial language(scent, light, mental constructs, etc.),  +20 to the DC
* '''Unusual or rare language''': Sign language, tonal language, glottal stops galore, the Unterwelt, etc.  +10 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a different but similar plane of existence''': The Ether, the Plane of Shadow, The First World, etc.  +10 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a different but non-hostile plane of existence''': The Plane of Air, Elysium, The Silver Fields, etc.  +20 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a wildly different plane of Existence''': The Azure Sea, The Plane of Earth, the Plane of Water, etc. +25 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a wildly different and hostile plane of existence''': The Plane of Fire, the Nine Hells, the Abyss, etc +30 to the DC
* '''A language spoken in Very Bad Places''': The Sunward Reaches, The Infinite Well, Temperest, Hellcore, Lavarna, etc.  +35 to the DC
* '''A language spoken at The Edge of Reality''': Apocolyptica, The Outer Dark, The Fount of Reality, The Nascent Seed, etc.  +40 to the DC


| Success = You are able to communicate your idea with enough success to prevent its misinterpretation.  It was likely an atrocious example of the language, however.  Hopefully, no impressionable children were nearby.


Most of the above penalties and benefits may stack.  For example, the Solarian Waspines are all hive minds (+15) speaking an artificial language of mental glyphs (+20), in a Very Bad Place (+35) for a base modifier of +70 to learn their language. Atropals and Sphinxes are even worse than that! Good luck!
| Failure = If you fail by 4 or less, you fail to convey your idea, and your audience is left wondering what you meant to say.  


If you fail by 5 or more, or roll a natural 1, you said something you really didn't mean to say.  This can range from reversing the intended message (e.g. leaving out a "not") to saying something insulting.  In any event, your target audience will likely respond in a way you didn't intend.  Depending on the intended message, your audience may become hostile, or otherwise have its attitude towards you reduced.


Situational penalties and bonuses can also apply to this check, such as the speaker deliberately trying to teach the character the language (generally a +2 to +10 bonus, depending on how skilled the teacher is at teaching), or the speaker deliberately trying to be obscure or hide their meaning (e.g. "do you have the package?") which can impose anything from a -2 to a -10 penalty. A completely nonsense source of the language (such as a code) may not even allow a check at all.  
| Retry = No. Regardless of whether you know you failed, you just don't know how to express your meaning in this language.


; Pidgin : After two successful rolls (and usually a minimum of two days of study), the character can speak the language at the Pidgin level, meaning they communicate at approximately the same degree a toddler communicates -- no full sentences, no conjugation or subject/verb agreement, frequent mispronunciations or incorrect word usage, etc. Only basic ideas can be conveyed, and technical conversations or topics requiring skill or training are impossible. Even regular conversations are painful affairs to observe, with each sentence taking around a minute to successfully convey. At the pidgin level, bluff, diplomacy and sense motive checks are made at -10 penalties when attempted in the new language.
| Provokes = No


; Novice : After a 5 successful rolls, the character can speak the language at a novice level. This includes a vocabulary of around 1000 words, and the ability to address more advanced topics, albeit with frequent mistakes (using the wrong word, etc.). Understanding comes easier than expression at this level. This is a fully functional degree of familiarity, though it is obvious to everyone that the character is not a native speaker. Technical topics are still very difficult affairs, and take much longer to discuss with a novice speaker as synonyms are sought and gestures replace jargon.  At the novice level, bluff, diplomacy and sense motive checks are made at a -4 penalty when attempted in the new language. This is the highest degree of familiarity with a language that someone without the Linguistics skill can achieve.
}}


; Fluent : After 10 successful rolls, the character is considered fluent in the language. This includes a vocabulary of around 2000 words, as well as knowledge of technical words related to skills the character has training in. Characters may also know some technical jargon from areas they aren't trained in, if they specifically study that area, though unless they also spend skill ranks on the topic being studied, experts of that topic will likely identify them as imposters or wannabes. Fluent speakers suffer no penalties on bluff, diplomacy and sense motive checks with other speakers of the language, though native speakers will be able to tell that fluent speakers are not native, due to accents and other minutia being slightly off.  You must have at least 1 rank in linguistics for each language you wish to learn at the 'fluent' level.
== Detect Forgery ==
{{Template:SkillUse


; Native : A minimum of 10 ranks in the Linguistics skill is required before a character can speak a language other than their native tongue at a 'native' fluency.  For every 2 ranks beyond 10, one additional language can be so mastered, assuming the character also has exposure and time to study each new language. Considerable time and study is required to achieve proper mimicry of local dialects, learn the many euphemisms and achieve believable nuance with the language. GM's are encouraged to make this process reasonably achievable, since the PC's are heroes and therefore achieve great things much easier than normal folks. A general guideline is 2 weeks of further study after the fluent level is achieved before the language can be spoken at the 'native' level.  Linguists with more than one 'native' language gain a +4 bonus to sense motive checks when interacting with someone in that language, because the linguist has spent so much time studying nuance.
| Skill-Use = Detect Forgery


* For a listing of available languages, see the [[Languages]] page.
| Core-Skill = Linguistics


| Benefit = You can examine a document or credentials in a language you know, to attempt to determine whether or not they are a forgery.  To detect a forgery, you must have seen an example of a known valid document (or credential), or have an actual sample on-hand to use as a foundation from which to work. If you do not have such knowledge, you cannot even attempt to roll.


==Epic Skill Uses==
''GM's should make this check in secret, due to the possibility of the player gaining incorrect information.''
Note: All uses below require a minimum of 21 Ranks in the skill to use.


| Action = 1 round per page


===Detect Forgery Without Comparative Basis (References)===
| DC = opposed by forger's [[Spycraft]] skill check.
(DC of forgery +30)


It is normally impossible to detect a Forgery if you don't have a sample of known good text to work from. If you have 21 or more ranks in Linguistics, you are so good the normal rules are no longer applicable to you. You may attempt to 'cold read' a text or other communicative artifact, at the cost of a heavy +30 penalty to the Difficulty. This is a trick you mostly want to try on nice, vanilla languages you know intimately well and grew up with.
| Modifiers = * '''Foreign Language:''' If the forgery is written in a language you are entirely unable to read, the DC is increased by +10.
* '''Pidgin Fluency:''' If you only have pidgin fluency in the language the forgery is written in, the DC is increased by +5.
* '''Beginner Fluency:''' If you only have beginner fluency in the language the forgery is written in, the DC is increased by +2.
* '''Fluent:''' If you are fluent in the language the forgery is written in, there is no penalty or bonus to the DC.
* '''Native Fluency:''' If you have native fluency in the language the forgery is written in, reduce the DC by -2.
* '''Familiar Handwriting:''' If the forgery attempts to mimic the handwriting of someone whose handwriting you are extremely familiar with, reduce the DC by -2.
* '''Contradictory:''' If you have certain knowledge that is contradicted by the forged document, reduce the DC by -2.
* '''Hasty Review:''' If you spend only a standard action to review the document, increase the DC by +5. If you spend only a swift action, increase the DC by +10.
* '''Bad Lighting:''' If you are in flickering light (like a torch), the DC is increased by +2.  If you are in dim light (and lack low-light vision) or worse, you cannot even attempt to detect a forgery.


| Take10-Take20 = You can take 10 (assuming you are not in combat), but you cannot take 20.


| Assist = Yes (up to 5 allies). Assisting allies must be adjacent to the document. If there is not enough room, they cannot assist.


===Speak a language you don't even know===
| Success = If your ''linguistics'' check equals or exceeds the forger's [[Spycraft]] check, you can tell whether the document is legitimate or a forgery.


It is possible to decipher a conversation in a language you don't understand, if very difficult in the truly alien languages.  If you have 21 or more ranks in Linguistics, you can try an even more ambitious feat, namely, walking up to a pack of Ordinate Arch-Fiends and striking up a conversation in Exaction, a language you've never even heard before.  The base DC is 25 for short statements with context or speech where the speaker is deliberately speaking slowly.  The DC is 30 for normal conversations with context, but with no attempt at helping the listener understand. The DC is 35 or more if the conversation is at all difficult to hear (such as heard through a door, or conducted under a lavafall or other noisy environment, or when the speaker is also chewing food, or the language uses a non-audio method such as scent or expression or direct mental exchanges). This roll is then modified by all modifiers to understand a conversation in the table below.  You better hope the GM allows you that 'familiar territory' and 'cosmopolitan location' bonus, because you're going to need it!
| Failure = You believe the document to be legitimate. You are unaware that you failed.


If you make the roll, you are assumed to be able to work your way through one brief conversation at the Novice level. (See above). This also counts as one success to learn the language.  If you fail the roll by 5 or less, you still manage to speak to them, but it's at the pidgin level.  If you fail the roll by more than five, you still manage to speak to them...but you do not say what you think you're saying.  This usually leads to a fight, so approach with caution!
| Retry = No


| Provokes = Yes


===Modifiers===
}}
* '''A language spoken in familiar territory''' -5 to the DC.
* '''A language spoken in your homeland''' -10 to the DC.
* '''Inside a city or otherwise cosmopolitan location''': -5 to the DC
* '''A language from an unusual or rare culture''': A matriarchy, perfect pacifists, within the Unterwelt, etc.  +5 to the DC
* '''A language from a very unusual or unique culture''': Personality cult Empire, non-humanoid society, magical post-scarcity society (wishes),etc.  +10 to the DC
* '''A language from an utterly alien culture''': Hive mind, fractal thinkers, higher-dimensional beings, deities, devils, demons, artificial language(scent, light, mental constructs, etc.),  +10 to the DC
* '''An unusual or rare language''': Sign language, tonal language, glottal stops galore, tooth-clacks, etc.  +5 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a different but similar plane of existence''': The Ether, the Plane of Shadow, The First World, etc.  +5 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a different but non-hostile plane of existence''': The Plane of Air, Elysium, The Silver Fields, etc.  +15 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a wildly different plane of Existence''': The Azure Sea, The Plane of Earth, the Plane of Water, etc. +20 to the DC
* '''A language spoken on a wildly different and hostile plane of existence''': The Plane of Fire, the Nine Hells, the Abyss, etc +25 to the DC
* '''A language spoken in Very Bad Places''': The Sunward Reaches, The Infinite Well, Temperest, Hellcore, Lavarna, etc.  +30 to the DC
* '''A language spoken at The Edge of Reality''': Apocolyptica, The Outer Dark, The Fount of Reality, The Nascent Seed, etc.  +35 to the DC

Latest revision as of 22:44, 20 June 2020

Description

Ability Score Used: Intelligence
Armor Check Penalty Applies? No


You are skilled at working with language, in both its spoken and written forms. Ranks in linguistics enable you to speak multiple languages, and decipher nearly any tongue given enough time. Your skill in writing allows you to detect forgeries.

As with all skills, the uses below are merely suggestions, and by no means the full gamut of possible ways a skill can be used. Players and GM's are encouraged to find additional ways to use each skill.

As people learn languages, they achieve varying states of familiarity: pidgin, beginner, fluent, and native.

Pidgin

At the pidgin level, Bluff, Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks are made at -5 penalties when attempted in this language.

  • Listen: When listening to conversations in the language, you understand approximately every third word. This is enough to generally determine the topic of the conversation, but is highly prone to misinterpretation, since you often mistranslate critical words (like "not") that can completely alter the meaning of the statement. If someone wants you to fully understand what they're saying, they must speak slowly, and use gestures and pantomime to supplement their statements.
  • Speak: You communicate at approximately the same degree a toddler communicates -- no full sentences, no conjugation, no subject/verb agreement, frequent mispronunciations, or incorrect word usage, etc. Only basic ideas can be conveyed, and technical conversations or topics requiring skill or training are impossible. Even regular conversations are painful affairs to observe, with each sentence taking around a minute to successfully convey.
  • Read: You can, very slowly, read the written language when you see it.
  • Write: You are not capable of composing written messages in the language by yourself.

Beginner

At the beginner level, Bluff, Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks are made at a -2 penalty when attempted in the new language.

  • Listen: You are able to listen to the spoken language with very little difficulty in understanding. An occasional word will be unknown to you, but you can nearly always follow all but the most complex or theoretical of conversations. You cannot understand idioms, euphemisms, or slang in this language, however.
  • Speak: You know approximately 1,000 words, and are capable of speaking in full sentences, though you still make frequent mistakes (using the wrong word, etc.). You can function reasonably well among people who speak this language natively, though it is obvious that you are not a native speaker. Technical topics are still very difficult affairs, and take much longer to discuss with a beginner speaker as synonyms are sought and gestures replace jargon.
  • Read: Much as with listening, you are capable of reading the written word of the language with very little difficulty. Technical words, idioms, euphemisms, slang, and sarcasm, are very difficult for you, but otherwise, reading the language comes quite easily to you.
  • Write: You can write in the language with very little difficulty, though your writing lacks subtlety and nuance. You have a limited diversity of synonyms, so long text, especially descriptive text, will appear uninspired and trite to native readers. However, you can communicate most topics to a reader with little chance of misunderstanding.

Fluent

You take no penalties when interacting with people using this language.

  • Listen: You fully understand conversations in this language. Only a few words are unknown to you, and you can usually figure out what the word means after breaking it down to its root. You can only think in this language with effort and deliberate choice.
  • Speak: You are easily understood, and are highly capable of making your point efficiently. Your accent gives away your foreign status, however, and there is a chance you will incorrectly use a euphemism, idiom, or slang. You are highly versed in technical jargon for topics in which you have skill ranks, but have limited knowledge of technical jargon outside of areas you have actively studied. While you are perfectly capable of humor and sarcasm in this language, it tends to be a bit blunt, lacking the subtlety and nuance of a native speaker.
  • Read: You can easily read all but the most technical of texts at your normal reading speed. Technical texts can be deciphered, but take extra time.
  • Write: You are able to write the language easily, and even insert a flair or voice to your writing, making it your own. While you are perfectly capable of humor and sarcasm in this language, it tends to be a bit blunt, lacking the subtlety and nuance of a native speaker.

Native

You take no penalties when interacting with people using this language.

  • Listen: You fully understand conversations in this language. All words are either known by you, or easily understood with some context. You are capable of thinking in this language as easily as you think in your actual native tongue.
  • Speak: You speak with a perfect accent of a native, and are eloquent and easily understood. You are also fully knowledgeable of local idioms, euphemisms, and slang. You are capable of subtle humor and sarcasm, and can even use it such that only selected listeners will notice your digs at others present.
  • Read: You can quickly read texts in this language with no difficulty. Even poorly written documents, or shoddy handwriting, can be easily deciphered with enough context.
  • Write: Your writing is a perfect example of the language, containing grace and nuance, and capable of subtle humor or sarcasm. While actually creating written works of artistic merit requires either a Perform or Profession skill, you are well-positioned to use those skills.

Learn a Language

All player-character races speak, read, and write Common with "native" familiarity, beginning at character creation, regardless of their intelligence scores or any other factor. Some races grant an additional starting language (which is also known at "native" familiarity). In addition, player characters with high intelligence scores can gain bonus languages, one language per +1 modifier from their Intelligence score, which they select from their chosen race's list of available bonus languages. Bonus languages from high intelligence are known at "fluent" familiarity.

Each time you put a rank into Linguistics you can spend 1 full day of studying to choose a language from among the basic starting languages or advanced starting languages, and gain "fluent" familiarity with both the spoken and written forms of that language. You may instead choose a language from the encountered languages list, but only if you have actually heard a conversation or read a document in that language at some point in the past. If you haven't been exposed to a language from the encountered languages list, you may not select it. You may NOT choose a language from the secret languages list, unless you find someone who is willing to teach it to you. (In most cases, teaching a secret language to someone outside of the group in which it is meant to be known is punishable by death. As they say, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.) You can never learn a secret language by overhearing it, or even translating a sample of its text, due to its deliberately complex nature.

Upon placing your 10th rank into linguistics, you may select one of your known "fluent" languages, and advance your knowledge in this language to "native". You may select one additional known language from your "fluent" languages to promote to "native" familiarity for every 2 additional ranks after the 10th rank that you place in linguistics. It is also possible to improve a known "fluent" language to "native" by way of Self-Improvement, by spending several days studying the language.

Comprehend Unknown Spoken Language

You may attempt to comprehend spoken languages in tongues you do not know.

If you already know the language at the "fluent" or "native" level, you do not need to roll this; you can interpret the language automatically. If you know the language at "pidgin" or "beginner", you must still make this skill check, but you get a bonus on your roll (see modifiers section).

GM's should make this check in secret, due to the possibility of the player gaining incorrect information.

Action Required:

Free action

DC of Check:
  • Basic Language: 20
  • Advanced Starting Language: 25
  • Encountered Language: 30
  • Secret Language: 50
Modifiers to Check
  • Pidgin Fluency: If you already know this language at "pidgin" fluency, you reduce the DC by -5.
  • Beginner Fluency: If you already know this language at "beginner" fluency, you reduce the DC by -10.
  • Helpful Speaker: If the speaker is deliberately speaking slowly, or gesturing to assist your understanding, the DC is reduced by -10.
  • Eavesdropping: If the speaker doesn't know you are listening, the DC increases by +5.
  • Deliberately Quiet: If the speaker is whispering, or actively trying to keep others from listening in to his conversation, the DC increases by +10.
  • Interference: If the speaker is behind a thick door, or chewing food while talking, the DC increases by +10.
  • Combat: If you are trying to understand a foreign language that is being spoken in the middle of a fight, the DC increases by +15.
Take 10? / Take 20?

You can take 10 (assuming you are not in combat), but you cannot take 20.

Allows Assists?

No, things are happening too quickly for an ally, jabbering in your ear, to help you.

Results of Success

If you succeed by 4 or less, you understand enough of the conversation to get the general idea of what was said, including any proper nouns (person's name, place name, etc.).

If you succeed by 5 or more, you also learn the language at the "pidgin" level of fluency, assuming it is not a secret language. If the language is not a secret language, you may learn it at the "fluent" level of fluency if you spend one of your ranks in Linguistics to do so (that is, you have now successfully encountered enough of the language to learn it).

  • (Epic Only) If you have at least 21 ranks in linguistics, and you succeed by 10 or more, you learn the language at the "beginner" level of fluency, assuming it is not a secret language. You must still spend one of your ranks in linguistics to learn this language at the "fluent" level of fluency.

Even though you might be able to understand some of a secret language via this skill use, you may not learn the language (even at the "pidgin" level) without the assistance of a teacher willing to teach the language to you.

Consequences of Failure

If you fail by 4 or less, you are simply unable to understand what was said. You are aware that you failed.

If you fail by 5 or more, or roll a natural 1, you misinterpret what you hear. Examples include guessing the opposite meaning (e.g., attack versus defend), the wrong timescale (hours instead of days), the wrong gender (she instead of he), the wrong location (inside instead of outside), etc. You are not aware that you failed.

  • (Epic Only) If you have at least 21 ranks in linguistics, you are no longer subject to misinformation due to a failed check. Failures at this level are always treated as though they were by 4 or less, even if you roll a natural 1.
Retry Allowed?

Assuming you know you failed, you may retry again if the conversation continues for at least 10 minutes. If you fail the second attempt, you must wait 24 hours before trying again with that language (regardless of whether you are exposed to new conversations or different speakers during that time).

You may not retry the check if you are unaware of your failure.

Provokes AOO?

No

Translate Unknown Written Language

You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language.

If you already know the language at the "fluent" or "native" level, you do not need to roll this; you can interpret the language automatically. If you know the language at "pidgin" or "beginner", you must still make this skill check, but you get a bonus on your roll (see modifiers section).

GM's should make this check in secret, due to the possibility of the player gaining incorrect information.

Action Required:

10 minutes per page.

DC of Check:
  • Basic Language: 20
  • Advanced Starting Language: 25
  • Encountered Language: 30
  • Secret Language: 50
Modifiers to Check
  • Pidgin Fluency: If you already know this language at "pidgin" fluency, you reduce the DC by -5.
  • Beginner Fluency: If you already know this language at "beginner" fluency, you reduce the DC by -10.
  • Hurry: You can attempt to reduce the time taken to 1 minute per page by increasing the DC by +10. You can attempt to reduce the time taken to 1 full round action per page by increasing the DC by +20. You cannot reduce the time taken to less than 1 round per page.
  • Take Your Time: If you spend 1 hour per page, you can decrease the DC by -10. If you spend 1 day per page, you can reduce the DC by -20.
  • Good Work Space: If you are in a quiet, well-lit, dry area, with few distractions, such as a study, you can reduce the DC by -5.
  • Multiple Documents: If you have multiple different documents in the same language, the DC is reduced by -5 per additional document. A document is text which can stand on its own.
  • Instructional Document: If the document was intended to teach something to the reader, the DC is reduced by -5. If it was intended to teach the language itself, the DC is reduced by -15.
  • Bad Penmanship: If the writer of the document has bad handwriting, the DC is increases by +5. If the writer had truly atrocious handwriting, the DC increases by +15.
  • Damaged Document: If the document is waterlogged, or otherwise damaged, the DC increases by anywhere from +2 to +20, depending on the damage.
  • Incomplete Document: If you only have part of the document, but not because of damage to the document, the DC is increased by +10.
  • Short Document: If the document is less than a full page in length (less than 250 words), but not because of damage, or being incomplete, the DC is increased by +2 per 50 words less than 250, rounding up, to a maximum of +10 for less than 50 words.
Take 10? / Take 20?

You can take 10 (assuming you are not in combat), but you cannot take 20.

Allows Assists?

Yes (up to 5 allies)

Results of Success

If you succeed by 4 or less, you are able to translate enough of the text to guess at the general meaning, including any proper nouns (person's name, place name, etc.).

If you succeed by 5 or more, you also learn the language at the "pidgin" level of fluency, assuming it is not a secret language. If the language is not a secret language, you may learn it at the "fluent" level of fluency if you spend one of your ranks in Linguistics to do so (that is, you have now successfully encountered enough of the language to learn it).

  • (Epic Only) If you have at least 21 ranks in linguistics, and you succeed by 10 or more, you learn the language at the "beginner" level of fluency, assuming it is not a secret language. You must still spend one of your ranks in linguistics to learn this language at the "fluent" level of fluency.

Even though you might be able to understand some of a secret language via this skill use, you may not learn the language (even at the "pidgin" level) without the assistance of a teacher willing to teach the language to you.

Consequences of Failure

If you fail by 4 or less, you are simply unable to determine the contents of the message. You are aware that you failed.

If you fail by 5 or more, or roll a natural 1, you misinterpret the text. Examples include guessing the opposite meaning (e.g., attack versus defend), the wrong timescale (hours instead of days), the wrong gender (she instead of he), the wrong location (inside instead of outside), etc. You are not aware that you failed.

  • (Epic Only) If you have at least 21 ranks in linguistics, you are no longer subject to misinformation due to a failed check. Failures at this level are always treated as though they were by 4 or less, even if you roll a natural 1.
Retry Allowed?

Assuming you know you failed, you must wait 24 hours before trying again.

You may not retry the check if you are unaware of your failure.

Provokes AOO?

Yes

Speak / Write Unknown Language

You can attempt to speak or write in a language you haven't learned.

If you already know the language at the "fluent" or "native" level, you do not need to roll this; you can speak, read, and write the language automatically. If you know the language at "pidgin" or "beginner", you must still make this skill check, but you get a bonus on your roll (see modifiers section).

GM's should make this check in secret, due to the possibility of the player gaining incorrect information.

Action Required:
  • Speaking: Free action (longer conversations will take longer, obviously)
  • Writing: Full-round action for 1 to 2 sentences, or 10 minutes per page.
DC of Check:
  • Basic Language: 20
  • Advanced Starting Language: 25
  • Encountered Language: 30
  • Secret Language: — (you cannot communicate in a secret language you don't know)
Modifiers to Check
  • Pidgin Fluency: If you already know this language at "pidgin" fluency, you reduce the DC by -5.
  • Beginner Fluency: If you already know this language at "beginner" fluency, you reduce the DC by -10.
  • Impeded: If your speech or handwriting are impeded in some way (e.g. chewing food, under a bed, etc.), the DC is increased by +10. This penalty increases to +20 if you are greatly impeded (e.g. manacled, gagged; but seriously, what game are you playing?).
  • Blood For Ink: If you lack paper, ink, or a writing implement, the DC (for writing) is increased by +2 to +10, depending on how creative you are forced to become.
Take 10? / Take 20?

You can take 10 (assuming you are not in combat), but you cannot take 20.

Allows Assists?
  • Speaking: no
  • Writing: yes (up to 5 allies)
Results of Success

You are able to communicate your idea with enough success to prevent its misinterpretation. It was likely an atrocious example of the language, however. Hopefully, no impressionable children were nearby.

Consequences of Failure

If you fail by 4 or less, you fail to convey your idea, and your audience is left wondering what you meant to say.

If you fail by 5 or more, or roll a natural 1, you said something you really didn't mean to say. This can range from reversing the intended message (e.g. leaving out a "not") to saying something insulting. In any event, your target audience will likely respond in a way you didn't intend. Depending on the intended message, your audience may become hostile, or otherwise have its attitude towards you reduced.

Retry Allowed?

No. Regardless of whether you know you failed, you just don't know how to express your meaning in this language.

Provokes AOO?

No

Detect Forgery

You can examine a document or credentials in a language you know, to attempt to determine whether or not they are a forgery. To detect a forgery, you must have seen an example of a known valid document (or credential), or have an actual sample on-hand to use as a foundation from which to work. If you do not have such knowledge, you cannot even attempt to roll.

GM's should make this check in secret, due to the possibility of the player gaining incorrect information.

Action Required:

1 round per page

DC of Check:

opposed by forger's Spycraft skill check.

Modifiers to Check
  • Foreign Language: If the forgery is written in a language you are entirely unable to read, the DC is increased by +10.
  • Pidgin Fluency: If you only have pidgin fluency in the language the forgery is written in, the DC is increased by +5.
  • Beginner Fluency: If you only have beginner fluency in the language the forgery is written in, the DC is increased by +2.
  • Fluent: If you are fluent in the language the forgery is written in, there is no penalty or bonus to the DC.
  • Native Fluency: If you have native fluency in the language the forgery is written in, reduce the DC by -2.
  • Familiar Handwriting: If the forgery attempts to mimic the handwriting of someone whose handwriting you are extremely familiar with, reduce the DC by -2.
  • Contradictory: If you have certain knowledge that is contradicted by the forged document, reduce the DC by -2.
  • Hasty Review: If you spend only a standard action to review the document, increase the DC by +5. If you spend only a swift action, increase the DC by +10.
  • Bad Lighting: If you are in flickering light (like a torch), the DC is increased by +2. If you are in dim light (and lack low-light vision) or worse, you cannot even attempt to detect a forgery.
Take 10? / Take 20?

You can take 10 (assuming you are not in combat), but you cannot take 20.

Allows Assists?

Yes (up to 5 allies). Assisting allies must be adjacent to the document. If there is not enough room, they cannot assist.

Results of Success

If your linguistics check equals or exceeds the forger's Spycraft check, you can tell whether the document is legitimate or a forgery.

Consequences of Failure

You believe the document to be legitimate. You are unaware that you failed.

Retry Allowed?

No

Provokes AOO?

Yes