For each slot spent on a new language, the character can speak the language (not necessarily very well) and can read it (if he is intelligent enough to read his regular languages). Characters still get all the free languages they’re entitled to from their Intelligence and racial abilities. Characters have trouble speaking these additional “skill languages.” A character speaking a skill language will automatically understand someone speaking slowly and simply. If the character is listening to someone who is excited or using technical speech, he must make his skill roll to understand the language. Failure means he didn’t understand what was said. The character speaking a skill language communicates in the same way. When he’s struggling to explain something fast, complicated, or technical or when he’s flustered or excited, he must make a skill roll to get the idea across.
🗣️ Racial Variants #
| Variant | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Gnomish | Loan-Word Logic | Gnomes don’t let a missing word stop them. If they fail a roll to explain something technical, they use Gnomish engineering terms instead. The listener must make an Intelligence check to follow the “math” of the sentence. |
| Elven | Lyric Substitution | If an Elf fails a roll to speak a skill language, they default to poetic metaphors. They get their point across, but it takes twice as long to explain, as they describe a “sword” as “the silver tongue of the forest.” |
| Dwarven | Grammatical Stubbornness | Dwarves refuse to “butcher” a tongue. If they are flustered, they simply stop speaking until they can find the exact right word. They cannot be rushed, but they never accidentally say the wrong thing (no critical fails). |
| Orc | Physical Punctuation | When a Orc struggles to find a word, they use gestures or demonstrations. They can use Strength or Charisma for the skill roll if the topic is physical (e.g., “Hit him here”) or intimidating. |
🗺️ Regional Variants #
- The Trade-Hub Polyglot (Metropolitan/Urban)
In the capital, you hear fifty languages a day. You’re used to the “slang.”
- Specialty: Pidgin Mastery. They are +4 to understand someone who is “excited” or “flustered,” as they are experts at reading intent through broken grammar and hand signals.
- The Isolationist Scholar (Wilderness/Academic)
Trained in a library far from native speakers.
- Specialty: High-Literacy. They have no trouble with “technical” or “ancient” speech (no roll needed for academic topics), but they take a -4 penalty to understand common street slang or regional accents.
- The Border-Lander (Wilderness/Frontier)
Grew up where two nations (and two languages) meet and blur.
- Specialty: Code-Switching. They can blend two skill languages they know into a “Border-Tongue.” They can communicate complex ideas to anyone who knows either language, though the roll is made with a -2 penalty.
- The Diplomatic “Grey-Tongue” (Imperial/Courtly)
Trained to speak without actually saying anything.
- Specialty: Vague Fluency. If they fail a roll to explain something “fast or complicated,” they manage to sound so polite and professional that the listener thinks they understood, even if they didn’t. This prevents a negative reaction from a botched conversation.
⚖️ The “Flustered” Mechanic #
As per the rules, a roll is required during excitement or technical talk.
- The “Mistranslation” Rule: If a character fails their skill roll by 5 or more, they don’t just fail to communicate—they accidentally say something offensive or provide the wrong technical instruction (e.g., “Cut the red wire” instead of “Don’t cut the red wire”).
Design Tip: A character with Storytelling can use it to assist their Language roll. By framing their “skill language” speech as a story, they can use their Storytelling modifier to bypass the “Technical Speech” penalty.
