No. If your modifier is 0 or less, you simply get no bonus languages.
If your INT score is between 3 and 11, you can read and speak your racial languages. If your INT score is above 11, you gain bonus languages (depending on how high your INT is). If your INT score is below 3, you cannot comprehend languages.
There are races that do not have common as a racial language. Strix are such an example. This is why most strix PCs either have a positive INT modifier or put a rank into linguistics so that they can learn common.
So what exactly do you mean by "demihuman"?
No worries labmix, we're happy to help!
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If you have a penalty, you can still read and speak your racial languages unless your Intelligence is lower than 3.I don't see how this implies losing your racial languages. I can only see it as meaning that you DON'T lose them (you "can" still read and speak..."), unless you go to INT 2 or lower (such as with feeblemind).
I'm not saying you're wrong that the grammar can flip the other way, but I'm not seeing it. Can somebody explain how such an interpretation would work? Like by adding in your assumed words and commas or whatever to make it clear how you're seeing the meaning break down that way?
You've misunderstood the concern. He's not worried about losing racial languages, he's worried about losing Common.
unless you go to INT 2 or lower (such as with feeblemind).
No need for that. You can start a pathfinder character with a 1 int. For instance you roll up an orc. Use Standard or Classic method and roll a 3 or 4. That leaves you with a 1 or 2 Int.
The real question is what you do with a Duergar that rolls less than a 5 in Charisma... It's good to know you can make a character that is always unconscious.
So what exactly do you mean by "demihuman"?
That is a very old D&D term for core races other than humans.
Penalties cannot reduce an ability score below one.
Cool, I looked for that rule and couldn't find it. Where is it hiding?
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You've misunderstood the concern. He's not worried about losing racial languages, he's worried about losing Common.Common is a racial language for races that get it. Racial languages aren't languages with the same name as a race, but rather languages that are granted for free to a certain race's members. For example, a gillman's racial languages are Common and Aboleth, and a kitsune's racial languages are Common and Sylvan.
These are in addition to any starting racial languages and Common.
If Common is a racial language, why say "racial languages and Common" instead of just "racial languages"? So in this line of the rules we have a differentiation between "racial languages" and "Common", while in the part about INT penalties only the racial languages are stated to be retained.
Penalties cannot reduce an ability score below one.Cool, I looked for that rule and couldn't find it. Where is it hiding?Core Rulebook Glossary
In essence, penalties cannot decrease your ability score to less than 1.
This section seems to be directly talking about Ability Score Damage, Ability Drain and penalties from "spells and abilities".
The full text says "Some spells and abilities cause you to take an ability penalty for a limited amount of time. While in effect, these penalties function just like ability damage, but they cannot cause you to fall unconscious or die. In essence, penalties cannot decrease your ability score to less than 1."
To me this doesn't sound like minuses you take from race at creation but from things like an alchemist drinking his Mutagen and taking a "–2 penalty to one of his mental ability scores." I don't see how your racial stat bonuses and penalties count as "spells and abilities".
I will thank you for pointing out the section though. I knew I'd read something about minimum stat but couldn't find it. I may not agree with it's relevance, but I appreciate your pointing it out.
Thanks, y'all. I figured I was nitpicking too much...
Actually no, even going strictly by RAW, you don't lose language for having a negative INT modifier.
You apply your character's Intelligence modifier to:
The number of bonus languages your character knows at the start of the game.
Common and Dwarven are not bonus languages. So you can't lose them for having a negative INT mod.
Races have starting racial languages in their entries. Pretty straight forward.
Somewhat related to this: Recently I could have sworn I saw something go including an alternate rule by which demihumans non-Human Humanoids could start out knowing the regional language (Common/Taldane, Common/Tian, Varisian, etc.) Instead of the (usually restricted) list of languages they can know for having a high intelligence, but I can't remember where this was. Was it somewhere in Pathfinder Unchained, Heroes of the Streets, or a PFS-specific thing, or something else altogether?
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Somewhat related to this: Recently I could have sworn I saw something go including an alternate rule by which
demihumansnon-Human Humanoids could start out knowing the regional language (Common/Taldane, Common/Tian, Varisian, etc.) Instead of the (usually restricted) list of languages they can know for having a high intelligence, but I can't remember where this was. Was it somewhere in Pathfinder Unchained, Heroes of the Streets, or a PFS-specific thing, or something else altogether?
Inner Sea Races, page 193. ^_^
^Is this linked online anywhere yet? (Doesn't seem to be in the official PRD, although Inner Sea Races might not be in the set of books intended to go onto the PRD.)
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^Is this linked online anywhere yet? (Doesn't seem to be in the official PRD, although Inner Sea Races might not be in the set of books intended to go onto the PRD.)
It might not end up online at all. As a Campaign Setting book, Inner Sea Races isn't going on the PRD, and the text is flavor-based (making it ill-suited for a site like d20pfsrd). Maybe it'll be on Archives of Nethys at some point.
Racial language is a subjective term. Elven is a racial language for elves. It is not a racial language for humans. Pretty obvious IMHO.
Common is the same. It is a racial language for some races. It is not a racial language for others. It just happens to be the most *ahem* common language.
I would say your latter interpretation is correct.