MadScientistWorking Venture-Agent, Massachusetts—Boston Metro |
MadScientistWorking Venture-Agent, Massachusetts—Boston Metro |
Ferious Thune |
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HERE is John Compton's comment on the matter when they made the Golarion languages available to the core campaign. I don't think any further decision was issued. Maybe now that the team is settled in, they'll have time to consider it further.
GreySector RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8 |
Ascalaphus Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden |
As I understood it, the Tien thing is that humans from Tian Xia get Tien as their ethnic language, instead of Minatan/Minkaian/etc.
Tien characters don't get more languages than other humans, they just get Taldan-Common and Tian-Common instead of Taldan-Common, their ethnic language and a gaping gap where you'd expect the common language of their native continent.
Russ'K |
Russ'K wrote:I'm pretty sure that they don't get Tien for free.If Half-orc/Half-Tian PCs get Tien for free, I can't understand why Half-orc/Half-[ethnicity] PCs wouldn't get [ethnic language] for free.
Same for Half-elves.
The last time this came up, people argued that the Guide granted Tian characters the Tien language for free.
So whether you were Aasimar, Elf, or whatever, you got Tien in addition to all of your other languages.
Half-breeds included.
Russ'K |
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Although I couldn't find the thread itself, I found reference to it in the Guide 6.0 changelog:
We already had a thread on the Tien language thing, and I don't think it's changed. We agreed in that thread (without any feedback from anyone at Paizo) that anyone from the continent of Tian Xia gets Tien as a bonus language, regardless of race. Humans still get their ethnic bonus language, too (ie Minkaian for Tian-Min).
But confirmation from John would be stellar.
Andrew Christian |
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That line is regarding the Kitsune, Nagaji, Wayans from one of the Dragon Empires books. Those races don't get common. So if you are only using those books, you get both Tien and Common for free. If you are human you can pick an ethnicity and get that language and common for free.
No other characters can just arbitrarily decide to be Tien so the get Tien for free.
Jeff Merola |
That line is regarding the Kitsune, Nagaji, Wayans from one of the Dragon Empires books. Those races don't get common. So if you are only using those books, you get both Tien and Common for free. If you are human you can pick an ethnicity and get that language and common for free.
No other characters can just arbitrarily decide to be Tien so the get Tien for free.
The issue is that's not what the Guide says. I believe that's fully the intent of it, since you helped write the Guide, but you should know how such a general statement can and will be read by a decently sized portion of our population.
Ascalaphus Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden |
That line is regarding the Kitsune, Nagaji, Wayans from one of the Dragon Empires books. Those races don't get common. So if you are only using those books, you get both Tien and Common for free. If you are human you can pick an ethnicity and get that language and common for free.
No other characters can just arbitrarily decide to be Tien so the get Tien for free.
Interesting. That is NOT what I thought it meant.
Does that work the same for wayangs made with the ARG instead of DE?
Russ'K |
RAW you can never meet an orc as a PC half orc and yet you still end up speaking the language.
Orcs exist in Golarion; the Society just doesn't hire them. There's at least one scenario where you visit an orc city (Urglin), and another where you interact with an orc tribe. So besides the obvious possibility that one of your parents was an orc, it's also possible to meet orcs in game.
The same rationale holds true for the plane-touched races.
MadScientistWorking Venture-Agent, Massachusetts—Boston Metro |
Andrew Christian wrote:That line is regarding the Kitsune, Nagaji, Wayans from one of the Dragon Empires books. Those races don't get common. So if you are only using those books, you get both Tien and Common for free. If you are human you can pick an ethnicity and get that language and common for free.
No other characters can just arbitrarily decide to be Tien so the get Tien for free.
Interesting. That is NOT what I thought it meant.
Does that work the same for wayangs made with the ARG instead of DE?
That is a good question because it would mean my one character has an extra language she's missing
Andrew Christian |
Lau Bannenberg wrote:That is a good question because it would mean my one character has an extra language she's missingAndrew Christian wrote:That line is regarding the Kitsune, Nagaji, Wayans from one of the Dragon Empires books. Those races don't get common. So if you are only using those books, you get both Tien and Common for free. If you are human you can pick an ethnicity and get that language and common for free.
No other characters can just arbitrarily decide to be Tien so the get Tien for free.
Interesting. That is NOT what I thought it meant.
Does that work the same for wayangs made with the ARG instead of DE?
No. The Dragon Empires books are the only ones that let you pick the Tien ethnicity. But there is no reason you can't use both books. Maybe a bit expensive if all you are looking for is a free language though.
Majuba |
Yeah, the thing is the guide doesn't say "Humans from Tian get Tien" it says:
Quote:Tian characters receive the languages Tien and Common for free.
Key question, what are "Tian characters". It would follow simply that they are characters with the Tian ethnicity, which are thus human. Comparably, if it said "Varisian characters", I would assume humans with the varisian ethnicity, unless there were some context to indicate characters from the region of Varisia (not a nation). Assuming otherwise, Varisians from Ustalav wouldn't get the language. {All if there were a similar statement regarding "varisian characters" instead of explicit entries for ethnicity in ISWG.}
Jeff Merola |
Jeff Merola wrote:Key question, what are "Tian characters". It would follow simply that they are characters with the Tian ethnicity, which are thus human. Comparably, if it said "Varisian characters", I would assume humans with the varisian ethnicity, unless there were some context to indicate characters from the region of Varisia (not a nation). Assuming otherwise, Varisians from Ustalav wouldn't get the language. {All if there were a similar statement regarding "varisian characters" instead of explicit entries for ethnicity in ISWG.}Yeah, the thing is the guide doesn't say "Humans from Tian get Tien" it says:
Quote:Tian characters receive the languages Tien and Common for free.
Ethnicity is already covered prior to that line, and humans get common by default so that wouldn't make any sense anyway.
As pointed out it's supposed to only refer to Kitsune, Wayangs, and Nagaji made with the Dragon Empires book because they don't start with Common, it just does a bad job of communicating that.