Two New Language-Related Feats | EN World Tabletop RPG News & Reviews

Publish date: 2024-08-08
IMC, language plays an important part. PCs are at the bottom of a dungeon, some ancient runes adorn the wall. Can the PCs decipher it before the walls crush them? :)

To make up for the skill point cost, I've increased the number of skill points that each class gets. Some classes, like Druid, get languages per their class. So, Druids get Druidic as a language, which I made the same as the Fey language. So, they get 10 ranks in that language as per their class. Everyone starts out with 10 ranks in common. Well, here are the rules from my House Rules:

 Languages are a separate skill. So, you could have 5 ranks in Elven. When you speak with an Elf, you will be forced to make an “Elven” skill check. If you botch it, you might inadvertently tell the Elven prince that his shoes taste like water, instead of asking for safe passage through his land.
 Each character starts with 10 ranks in Common.
 Druids get +1 free ranks in Druidic (Fey) every level starting at 1st.
 Rogues get +1 free ranks in “Thieves Cant” every level starting at 1st.
 Barbarians have 10 ranks in Common, but can only speak it. Reading/writing common is a separate skill, which they can put points into if they desire to.
 Clerics gain +1 ranks each level in the following languages: Celestial, Abyssal, and Infernal. This includes read/write as well as speaking.
 Paladins gain +1 ranks in Celestial each level.

 Comprehend Languages – This skill adds +10 to the language skill check for one language for the duration of the casting time. So, if you encounter an Elf, and a Halfling in a cage, and each only speaks Elven and Halfling, you’d need to cast the spell two times in order to be able to understand them. And even then, you have to make a skill check (with a +10) in order to decipher what they are saying. The same applies to their written language. There are some languages that this spell will not confer.
 Tongues – this spell adds +10 to your language checks for both speaking and deciphering the language of another creature. In addition, multiple languages are granted for a single casting. So, in the above example, you could speak to both the elf and the halfling without casting an additional spell.

It just makes it all the more realistic, IMHO.

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