Unskilled
Grunt, Emote, and Mimic
Characters who wish to communicate in a language that they do not speak are left with only the simplest, most universal modes of communication at their disposal. Body language and facial expression, gesticulation, emoting, and mimicry are by and large the limit of his ability to convey information - and often even these are imperfect between cultures that may have differing interpretations of certain body-language. Such a character has very little hope of conveying anything but the most simplistic message.
Beginner (1-2)
Intelligible
The character is able to communicate basic ideas or information with a combination of the simpler words of the language, and the use of pointing, mime, body language and the like. He isn't usually able to have a complex conversation, or communicate ideas or feelings about events clearly, but he can usually convey what he wants, or what's going on, if often long-windedly and imprecisely.
Conversant (3)
Communicate
The character has a normal, functioning understanding of the language. He can communicate facts, ideas, feelings, and information in a clear and concise manner.
Literate (4-5)
Read/Write
The character can read and write.
Expert (6-7)
Highly Articulate
The character can attempt particularly difficult, highly delicate, brutally economical, or remarkably moving expressions of language.
Advantage:
Dialects and Origins
an even more complex, often exciting or niched action or one that improves the quality of the primary action or actions
Advantage:
Master (8-9)
Linguist
The character is at the very cutting edge of his chosen language, understanding the construction of words and sentences. He is a veritable walking dictionary, and what's more he is developing the ability to construct and deconstruct the language, trace it back to its origins, and make greater deductions on a historic level based on his findings.
Advantage:
Perfect (10)
Mothertongue
The character has mastered communication beyond the constraints of language, and can generally make himself thoroughly understood no matter the language barrier.
Advantage:
Specialities
Dialect: Many languages are in a state of evolution, and regional dialects and pidgins emerge all the time, eventually reshaping the parent language or eventually splintering off into its own language down the march of years. The dialect speciality is an enabling speciality, meaning that it generates no bonus to the parent skill, but allows characters to speak fluently in a dialect of the parent language chosen for the skill. Native speakers of the parent language will understand a dialect with a die of disadvantage without this speciality, and any level of dialect speciality mitigates this.
Pidgin: Merging distinct languages together to make an easier-to-learn mish-mash of both that speakers of either parent language can struggle along with is a cruder, but equally common form of linguistic evolution. Indeed it accounts of the rapid spread of Irian linguistic influences alongside their wealthy and far-reaching traders. Not all pairs of languages will be joined by a pidgin, but where they are the skill is only useful if a character has one of the parent languages, but not the other. Should he speak both, of course, a pidgin would be of little use. The dialect speciality is an enabling speciality, meaning that it generates no bonus to the parent skill, but allows characters to communicate with others with the pidgin at their full speak language skill level, with a die of disadvantage, and speak to a character without the pidgin, but with the opposite parent language, with two dice of disadvantage.
Verbosity: This speciality signifies that the character has access to a considerably broader range of vocabulary than he actually fully understands. The verbosity speciality is an enhancement speciality, meaning that it provides a bonus to applicable actions. It might be deployed when trying to impress, intellectually intimidate, or confuse a character with an equal or lower speak language skill, but could reverse into a penalty in such situations for characters with a higher skill.
| Skills |
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| Acumen | Alchemy | Animal Training | Artistry | Athletics | Awareness | Bargaining | Body Control | Brawn | Conning | Cookery | Deduction | Disguise | Divhi Religion | Divination | Engineering | Farming | Flattery | Gaming | Governance | Healing | Herbalism | Herding | Intimidation | Leadership | Marksmanship | Martial Combat | Material Crafting | Music | Numeracy | Oratory | Performing | Questioning | Region Lore | Region History | Resolve | Riding | Sleight of Hand | Speak Language | Stamina | Stealth | Strategy | Swimming | Teaching | Terrain Survival | Tracking | Trapping | Unarmed Combat | Vehicle Handling | Wit |
