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There currently is not a legal option. However, we deaf Pathfinders would love for you to join our Petition for a Non Evil Sign Language that all Pathfinders could learn.
Owner - D20 Hobbies
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What am I missing?
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Seekers of Secrets
Everything in this book is legal for play with the following notes.
The Pathfinder Society possesses a number of secret gestures, shorthand codes, and slang terms specific to the association. These furtive communications can vary wildly from region to region, with some being specific to certain venture-captains or initiate instructors under whom a particular Pathfinder has studied.
Gestures: Pathfinders have a variety of gestures used to communicate silently in dangerous situations, or subtly across a crowded room. Though rarely as versatile as a naturally evolved sign language, these gestures can prove invaluable, and every Pathfinder picks up a handful during training, most relating to combat, directions, and hazards, often varying with the cohort of initiates to which a given Pathfinder belonged. Even when two Pathfinders' signs differ significantly, certain gestures common to all who've studied in the Grand Lodge can go a long way toward establishing that an inquisitive stranger is in fact a fellow member of the Pathfinder Society.
While it isn't called "PFS Sign Language", it is a sign language, is legal today (maybe not intentionally), and people have used it on characters I've GM and played with.
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It's a language in HeroLab, I know that's not "proof".
But looks like a language write up rules section.
Do you have a link to where you have been told because if it's not allowed I'd need that to get it flagged correctly as not pfs legal in HL.
Where are you getting this? I just checked Herolab and I see no such option.
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It appears it can as an adjustment somewhere along the time between 2009 and now.
I'll send the adjustment to herolab tagged as not PFS legal as a lot of people have and do use that and there is widespread confusion from those who didn't understand including me apparently.
Did we ever get a confirmation or insight from John Compton?
Initially what is stopping me from making a handout of common tactical hand gestures and going over group tactics before our scenario mission with my fellow Pathfinders? Which would only strengthen roleplay throughout the session.
It's my understanding that Pathfinders share valuable information with each other whether it is tactical, educational, or fundamental. Going over group dynamics and adaptability seems logical. Including tactical signage. But it would help for future player characters if we had a definite answer or alternative to allow such characters the room to take such a language.
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It appears it can as an adjustment somewhere along the time between 2009 and now.
I'll send the adjustment to herolab tagged as not PFS legal as a lot of people have and do use that and there is widespread confusion from those who didn't understand including me apparently.Did we ever get a confirmation or insight from John Compton?
Initially what is stopping me from making a handout of common tactical hand gestures and going over group tactics before our scenario mission with my fellow Pathfinders? Which would only strengthen roleplay throughout the session.
It's my understanding that Pathfinders share valuable information with each other whether it is tactical, educational, or fundamental. Going over group dynamics and adaptability seems logical. Including tactical signage. But it would help for future player characters if we had a definite answer or alternative to allow such characters the room to take such a language.
We have a local player that does exactly that with one of his PCs. Well, not exactly, he actually role-plays out the lesson.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Did we ever get a confirmation or insight from John Compton?
Well, I'm taking his "we don't want to add this" as a sign it isn't allowed.
Ideally, it would be nice to note the Seeker of Secrets Additional Resources to say "everything except Covert Communication". Mostly because everything is everything and explicitly includes covert communication. At worse with a skill rank in linguistics. At best for free.
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Did we ever get a confirmation or insight from John Compton?Well, I'm taking his "we don't want to add this" as a sign it isn't allowed.
Ideally, it would be nice to note the Seeker of Secrets Additional Resources to say "everything except Covert Communication". Mostly because everything is everything and explicitly includes covert communication. At worse with a skill rank in linguistics. At best for free.
It isn't needed because the section "Covert Communique" doesn't introduce any rules elements, it is entirely lore.
Since Pathfinder Sign isn't a language, does that mean it's legal for my characters to know it without a feat or skill-point expenditure? Because I've already roleplayed my sorcerer as knowing it without any such expenditures (though the rest of the party just stared uncomprehendingly, as they had skipped that lesson).
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It's not a language. It's just a series of commands/hand signals. I.e. come, go, halt, danger, etc. There's nothing there that says "this is a full language and you can learn it via linguistics."Give a +5 RP bonus if they discuss these commands at the beginning.
Secret Messages: You can use Bluff to pass hidden messages along to another character without others understanding your true meaning by using innuendo to cloak your actual message. The DC of this check is 15 for simple messages and 20 for complex messages. If you are successful, the target automatically understands you, assuming you are communicating in a language that it understands. If your check fails by 5 or more, you deliver the wrong message. Other creatures that receive the message can decipher it by succeeding at an opposed Sense Motive check against your Bluff result.
Tell them to Take 10.
The issue there is the phrase "assuming you are communicating in a language that it understands."
Which means you have to select an extant, legal language to convey the secret message in. So you can convey a secret message in Elven, but not in "pantomime" or "varisian hand-sign" because they aren't extant, legal languages you can learn via linguistics.
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Venture-Agent, Nebraska—Omaha
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There is a trait (Expressive Pantomime) to make it possible to communicate simple messages without a language.
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Basically you're not going to find one for PFS. There are numerous (now 8) seasons of PFS that would have to be retrofitted to be able to account for a savvy party of Pathfinders that all know sign language. This is my short restatement of a post by John Compton from a while ago.
In a game where Endure Elements and Create Water make desert travel a casual stroll, standard issue Handy Haversacks bypass carry capacities, and Eidolons auto succeed most smuggling missions, I find the "imbalance" of the party speaking sign language to be trivial at best. Besides, NPCs can (and often should) be on their guard when PCs begin speaking in a conspiratorial manner in a language they do not understand.
I've been working on a rudimentary sign language based on Spellcraft. Maybe I should make a formal write up and pass it around.