What's the cost of a Universal Translator as an advantage?

[Michael Cule]

I've had cause from time to time to give people the ability to understand anything they can hear.

Now when this is a setting based effect (as it is in STAR TREK or, to a lesser extent, DR WHO) this isn't a problem. Everybody gets it and the effect is free.

But when its something some people have and other people don't I need a Character Point cost.

So what is it worth?

(I can do discounts for being Gadget based or dependent on Mana or whatever Handwavium applies myself. What's the basic cost?)

Why aren't I giving it to everyone or at least all PCs when it exists in the game universe? Well, in this particular case because the technology that makes it possible also allows something very horrible to exist... And if they can figure out that it might make them vulnerable to the horrid thing it might make for a story.

[WingedKagouti]

Supers lists Omnilingual (40 points) for Accented level in all (non-secret) Earth languages and Xeno-Omnilingual (80 points) for Accented level in all (non-secret) languages regardless of planet/planes of existence/whatever as potential Unusual Backgrounds.

[Michael Cule]

Ah thank you!

Omnilingual seems to be the sort of thing I'm looking for. Or at least it has a good (if arbitrary) base cost. The explanation (Superserendipity but only for Languages) doesn't fit the effect of carrying a Star Trek Communicator or hanging around the TARDIS but I can fiddle with that.

The Telepathy based Universal Translator on p148 of POWERS seems a little restricted for what I'm looking for, since it requires telepathic contact in the first place. It's not the effortless thing I see in the sources I'm trying to imitate.

Though I'm not at all sure I like the idea of discriminating between own species and all species like that.

[Stormcrow]

If the universal translator is a device that someone can buy and have implanted, then it's just an Accessory perk.

If it's a futuristic device that other people don't typically have access to, then it's an Accessory with an accompanying Unusual Background (the cost of which depends on how much it gets you: if the only thing you get is the universal translator, then I'd guess about 10 points).

It really depends on the setting.

[Imbicatus]

If it’s technology that is in the game then it’s equipment bought with cash and a possible unusual background or high TL advantage. If it’s not something that can be bought anywhere, then make it as the omnilingual advantage with gadget limitations.

[Flyndaran]

I have one minor issue with Omnilingual. It only allows one to understand two languages at once. So it wouldn't allow what I saw George Takei do many years ago. He held conversations with three people simultaneously in English, Spanish, and Japanese.