Languages, ciphers, cant, dead tongues, translation.
Linguistics covers grasping unknown tongues, translating written text,
speaking a language passably, decoding ciphers, reconstructing dead or
fragmentary languages, and cracking one-time cant codes. Languages drift,
creolise, die, and mutate; Linguistics tracks them all. A spacer picks
up a xeno dialect in three conversations; a codebreaker reads a dead
cipher by the pattern of its silence; a scholar hears a dead language
breathing in the cant of a backwater Station. Every faction, every corp,
every pirate band runs a cant, and the one who can read it has leverage.
The difference between a diplomat and a corpse is often a correctly
conjugated verb.
Rules Reference
Field
Value
Armor Check Penalty
false
Key Ability
INT
Trained Only
true
Untrained Use
Know native tongue and one trade pidgin; gist of related languages at DC 12 only.
Key Ability
INT
Notes
Special: Each additional language costs 1 rank. Ciphers are separate from
languages. Does not cover behaviour reading or institutional knowledge.
Special: Each additional language known beyond the first requires 1 rank invested
in Linguistics. A character with 5 ranks speaks 6 languages (native +
5 purchased). Ciphers and cant codes are treated as separate from
languages; cracking them does not require knowing the underlying tongue.
Linguistics does not cover reading behaviour (Insight) or institutional
knowledge (Lore).
Untrained: An untrained character knows their native tongue and one trade pidgin
(Gutter, Basic, or equivalent). They can attempt to grasp the gist of
a related language at DC 12 but cannot translate texts, speak fluently,
decode ciphers, or work with dead tongues. You cannot fake fluency;
the words either come or they do not.
Descriptors
dc: 12
Field
Value
dc
12
task
Grasp the gist of an unknown language
dc: 15
Field
Value
dc
15
task
Translate a written text from a known or related language
dc: 18
Field
Value
dc
18
task
Speak a language passably
dc: 22
Field
Value
dc
22
task
Decode a cipher or encrypted message
dc: 25
Field
Value
dc
25
task
Reconstruct a dead or fragmentary language
dc: 28
Field
Value
dc
28
task
Crack a one-time cant or slang code
Synergy
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Lore
threshold
5
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Computers/Slicing
threshold
5
Synergies
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Lore
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Computers/Slicing
Uses
application: Grasp the gist of an unknown language
Field
Value
application
Grasp the gist of an unknown language
dc
12
failure
You misread tone or idiom; the meaning you take is wrong.
success
You pick up enough to understand intent -- threats, questions, commands.
application: Translate a written text from a known or related language
Field
Value
application
Translate a written text from a known or related language
dc
15
failure
Errors creep in; key phrases mistranslated or idioms rendered literally.
success
Clean translation; meaning, nuance, and context intact.
application: Speak a language passably
Field
Value
application
Speak a language passably
dc
18
failure
Your accent or grammar marks you as an outsider; -2 to social checks in that tongue.
success
You pass for a non-native speaker; accent noticeable but functional.
application: Decode a cipher or encrypted message
Field
Value
application
Decode a cipher or encrypted message
dc
22
failure
Partial decode; you get fragments and gaps.
success
Cipher broken; plaintext recovered.
application: Reconstruct a dead or fragmentary language
Field
Value
application
Reconstruct a dead or fragmentary language
dc
25
failure
The reconstruction is speculative; translations are unreliable.
success
Enough grammar and vocabulary recovered to translate inscriptions or records.
application: Crack a one-time cant or slang code
Field
Value
application
Crack a one-time cant or slang code
dc
28
failure
The code holds; you need more samples or a key.
success
The cant is transparent; you read it like a native.