Languages Question

[nerdvana]

In 3rd Edition (and previous) languages would have a difficulty that you could tweak from species to species (so you could say Species X's language is M/A for insectoids like them, but for mamalian species it is M/H). How would you do that with 4th Edition?

[Sanity]

You simply dont.

Languages got simplified to a pretty large degree. I find that a little sad, but I understand the reasons.

[nerdvana]

Originally Posted by Sanity

You simply dont.

Languages got simplified to a pretty large degree. I find that a little sad, but I understand the reasons.

Granted. Now, that's not really the answer I'm looking for. Basically I started this thread to see if/how people are doing it. Obviously, like me, you haven't found a way to do it that is satisfactory. :)

I'll toss an idea out... perhaps for some languages simply knowing them or being able to speak them requires an Unusual Background also? (to increase the cost of the language effectively)

[knarf]

My suggestion would be to charge Unusual Backgrounds for rare, exotic or complex languages. Maybe only 1 point for unusual human languages, like some rare dialect of Chinese, and 5 or 10 points for nonhuman or lost languages.

[Ogo]

Even a 5 pt UB just to pick up a language seems like a lot.

You could require a perk in addition to the language, for the spoken version anyway: "Xslerbokeidjncjd Linguistic Familiarity" or something, for wierd non-human stuff spoken by a human. I'm assuming a written script would never require anything extra unless it's in 3d or inscribed in invisible psychic marks or something equally alien to our concept of literacy.

Or you could require that extra perk for an Indo-European speaker learning Arabic or Mandarin, if you wanted to be really hard-ass about linguistic differences, and save larger UBs for the truly wierd and out-there stuff.

[nerdvana]

Originally Posted by Ogo

Even a 5 pt UB just to pick up a language seems like a lot.

You could require a perk in addition to the language, for the spoken version anyway: "Xslerbokeidjncjd Linguistic Familiarity" or something, for wierd non-human stuff spoken by a human. I'm assuming a written script would never require anything extra unless it's in 3d or inscribed in invisible psychic marks or something equally alien to our concept of literacy.

Or you could require that extra perk for an Indo-European speaker learning Arabic or Mandarin, if you wanted to be really hard-ass about linguistic differences, and save larger UBs for the truly wierd and out-there stuff.

I think that is a good approach. May also have perk related tie-ins for writing too as some of the ways languages are written are very, very different. :)

[Gold & Appel Inc]

I like the Perk approach for learning a language that violates the character's linguistic assumptions, but if the problem is a matter of physical equipment there should probably also be some sort of cap involved as a 0-Point Taboo Trait.

Example: Snake Men and Hu Men can learn to understand and write each others' languages at no penalty after they pay for the Perk-Level UB, but neither possesses the palatte to properly enunciate the other's tongue and is at a maximum of Broken to communicate, persuade, or entertain verbally.