The RotRL players guide says that humans or particular descent gain Varisian, Shoanti, or Chelaxian as a bonus langauge. Does this mean that they automatically speak it, in the sense that Elves automatically speak Common and Elven? Or it a bonus language in the rules sense, which is that it is a language to be picked with extra intelligence points, like how Draconic is a bonus language for Wizards?
Creative Director
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The RotRL players guide says that humans or particular descent gain Varisian, Shoanti, or Chelaxian as a bonus langauge. Does this mean that they automatically speak it, in the sense that Elves automatically speak Common and Elven? Or it a bonus language in the rules sense, which is that it is a language to be picked with extra intelligence points, like how Draconic is a bonus language for Wizards?
It's a bonus language in the rules sense.
Unless the GM feels generous, of course!
I'm one of those generous DMs. Those languages are automatic, "racial" languages for the respecitve humans in my games.
Same here.
Now that I think of it, humans already have 'Any' as a bonus language. I may have to be one of the generous DMs.
Didn't someone say before on the boards that Chelaxian = Common?
Erik Mona did in fact say that, and explained it from a campaign history perspective.
Chelaxian = Common, according to James Jacobs in chat last night.
Wait: So the average human with int 10 doesn't know his own language? He only knows common, but since he's not smart enough to pick up a bonus language for high int, he won't get the language his whole culture is supposed to speak?
I.e. a Shaonti commoner only knows common, but not shaonti?
Or am I missing something here? :P
(Anyway, I'd say make them automatic languages for them. Makes more sense and isn't gamebreaking)
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Creative Director
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Wait: So the average human with int 10 doesn't know his own language? He only knows common, but since he's not smart enough to pick up a bonus language for high int, he won't get the language his whole culture is supposed to speak?
I.e. a Shaonti commoner only knows common, but not shaonti?
Or am I missing something here? :P
(Anyway, I'd say make them automatic languages for them. Makes more sense and isn't gamebreaking)
The minimum is one language. So an average creature knows his language, unless he's lower than Intelligence 3. Creatures with Intelligence scores of 2 or lower cannot speak languages.
And yes. There IS no language called "Chelaxian." That's a relic already, something we introduced in the Player's Guide that got taken out. The most common language in Cheliax is Common (which is known as Taldorian as well, but most folks, including us editors, will usually call it "Common").
Wait: So the average human with int 10 doesn't know his own language? He only knows common, but since he's not smart enough to pick up a bonus language for high int, he won't get the language his whole culture is supposed to speak?
I.e. a Shaonti commoner only knows common, but not shaonti?
Or am I missing something here? :P
(Anyway, I'd say make them automatic languages for them. Makes more sense and isn't gamebreaking)
It would make sense for Shoanti and Varisians with an intelligence of 10 to speak only their own language and not Common/Chelish. It's just really inconvienient for PCs.
Anyway, I'd say make them automatic languages for them. Makes more sense and isn't gamebreaking.
IIRC from the RotRL player's guides, humans of lineal descent (Chelaxian, Varisian and Shoanti) can speak their own language and Common. So a Shoanti tribesman could speak Shoanti and Common (which, as we've found out, Common = Chelaxian).
It must chap a Shoanti to have to speak Chelish to communicate with his neighbors. :P
IIRC from the RotRL player's guides, humans of lineal descent (Chelaxian, Varisian and Shoanti) can speak their own language and Common.
This is what this whole discussion is all about: They get those languages as bonus languages, and James said that this means they can choose this as one of their extra languages for high int. (See the second post)
It would make sense for Shoanti and Varisians with an intelligence of 10 to speak only their own language and not Common/Chelish. It's just really inconvienient for PCs.
Of course it's quite inconvenient for PCs to not know common. But them not automatically knowing their native language is just as bad. It's as if elves with an int score of 10 would only know common, not elven.
The minimum is one language. So an average creature knows his language, unless he's lower than Intelligence 3. Creatures with Intelligence scores of 2 or lower cannot speak languages.
One language plus common or just one language?
I guess you mean one language to mean one language. That means that a Shaonti with int 10 either knows only common (and doesn't understand his native language) or only Shaonti (and will have a problem communicating with non-Shaonti unless someone else happens to know the language.
It must chap a Shoanti to have to speak Chelish to communicate with his neighbors. :P
You have no idea. . .
But on the positive side, speaking common does enable us to better appreciate the uniqueness of the individual cries for mercy as our foes flee before us.