Starting Languages: Common


Rules Questions


Just wanted to ask if the "free" common affects any other than the original core races.

Paizo, Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Page 17 wrote:
"The number of bonus languages your character knows at the start of the game. These are in addition to any starting racial languages and Common. If you have a penalty, you can still read and speak your racial languages unless your Intelligence is lower than 3."

As example player wants to play Kobold (Paizo, Advanced Race Guide, Page 133) or Strix (Paizo, Advanced Race Guide, Page 200), and they do not have common listed as their starting language. Or some even more exotic race that is not even normally listed as playable race could get common as their starting language if player would be allowed to play said race.

Do playercharacters of all races regardless of their starting languages get common as one their starting language?

Grand Lodge

Kobolds begin play speaking only Draconic. Kobolds with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common, Dwarven, Gnome, and Undercommon.

Strix begin play speaking Strix. Those with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Auran, Common, Draconic, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Infernal.

Not all races start with common automatically.


blackbloodtroll wrote:

Kobolds begin play speaking only Draconic. Kobolds with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common, Dwarven, Gnome, and Undercommon.

Strix begin play speaking Strix. Those with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Auran, Common, Draconic, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Infernal.

Not all races start with common automatically.

So does it mean then that even if common is not listed in languages for the race you can still learn common as bonus language? Haven't had time to find playable race that does not have common at all in their languages list. Anyone able to explain why is common then mentioned in the first quote of the core book?

Grand Lodge

No.

The Core assumes you are playing a Core race.

There are Exotic races that do not automatically begin with common.


blackbloodtroll wrote:

No.

The Core assumes you are playing a Core race.

There are Exotic races that do not automatically begin with common.

All the core classes have common listed as their starting language, therefore the common mentioned in the intelligence ability is reduntant and could be removed altogether?


Almost nobody from Tian-Xia automatically starts with Common. The Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play says "Tian characters receive the languages Tien and Common for free", but does this only apply to humans of one of the Tian ethnicities or to any PC from Tian-Xia? I'm asking because I need to know just how smart I need to make my Tian kitsune for him to speak Common.

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