Automatic literacy for PCs

[catsclaw227]

I am waffling back and forth on this topic and want to know what you all think are the advantages or disadvantages of making the PCs automatically literate to avoid the meta-gaming pitfalls of dealing with illiterate characters.

The Wilderlands (the game world I am using) requires an Educated or Literate feat and then skills to allow you to read languages. I want to use this but I feel strange about forcing a PC to spend feats and skill points on Literacy when they can be hard enough to come by.

What did you vote and why?

Catsclaw

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Historically speaking, until you get to the age of the printing press and a little beyond reading was actually only done much in the nobility and of course the educated. So it could make sense in the right ontext.

However, nobody ever said RPs have to follow historical assumptions. It is up to you and your game world.

Personally, I wouldn't do it. We are 21st century gamers. Most of us take reading for granted. Thus, most of our sharacters will also take reading for granted. The consequences of requiring a feat are probably that you will force your players to be illiterate (as I doubt many will burn a feat on it). Or .. you'll end up giving them an extra feat so they can take it - at which point you should just play the game as stated.

Neat concept. Historically reasonable. But giving that we play in a literate world ... not my first choice of ideas to incorporate.

 

[WayneLigon]

Literacy should not require skills and feats; both of those are in very short supply for most classes. The only exception would be a campaign set in the depths of the Dark Ages or something, where the 'genre' expects literate people to be very rare.

 

[Herobizkit]

Personally, I assume that all PCs are literate in their common tongue. Most of my worlds are beyond medieval times in at least some form, so I also assume that literacy is common for everyone.

In YOUR campaign, you have to figure out how to run a game while trying to describe the pictures and symbols PC's are trying to read. Or, assume that all cultures are tribal and that there is no written language.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Literacy requires a second skill point/bonus language. Some classes get one or two free bonus languages to be used for literacy in certain languages. (Cleric and Wizard being the most notable). And there is no Common.

The Auld Grump

 

[The Lost Muse]

That's one rule that hardly ever seems to come up in my games. If anything, the party Wizard, Bard, Monk, or Cleric should be literate in at least one language.

 

[Greylock]

Personally, I wouldn't do it. We are 21st century gamers. Most of us take reading for granted. Thus, most of our sharacters will also take reading for granted. The consequences of requiring a feat are probably that you will force your players to be illiterate (as I doubt many will burn a feat on it). Or .. you'll end up giving them an extra feat so they can take it - at which point you should just play the game as stated...

QFT

hth

 

[arscott]

In d20 modern, you just take seperate skills for read language and speak language (of course, it being a modern setting, you automatically speak and read your native language. (You also don't get bonus languages in d20 modern, so you actually have to spend skill points if you want to be bilingual or biliterate)

In the Dark Sun game I plan to run (where illitiracy is a big part of the setting because knowing how to read is usually illegal), I'm just going to adapt that system (minus the automatic read, of course). Folks will get read common (plus others, depending on race as a bonus language, though.

Literacy costing a feat seems too steep. After all, it's easier to learn to read than it is to learn to speak, and speaking languages just cost skill points.

 

[Mouseferatu]

In some campaigns, I assume literacy.

In others, I require the PCs to spend two skill points to become literate--but I also grant them two bonus skill points at 1st level. That way, they have the choice to be literate, or to spend the points elsewhere.

I have never, and will never, require a feat to be literate.

 

[Glyfair]

Literacy should not require skills and feats; both of those are in very short supply for most classes.

As long as the campaign world focuses on most people not being literate, I think you'll find being literate is definitely worth a few skill points (even for skill point light classes). A feat is another matter.

Personally, if I decided to run a literacy poor campaign world I'd have the PCs be literate per the D&D rules. I might consider giving them something a extra if they decide they don't want to be literate and normally would (i.e. they aren't running a barbarian).