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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ryujin" data-source="post: 4723658" data-attributes="member: 27897">In a Western style Bronze age/Dark Ages/Medieval world the only people who could be presumed literate might be the clergy(Clerics, Avenger). I would extend that to Wizards, as they are usually assumed to have been steeped in ancient mystic tomes during training and Paladins, by virtue of having to learn their scriptures. Invokers seem to be virtually divine Warlocks, so it would depend upon the background of the character. Warlords would also depend upon background.Warlocks, Wardens, Sorcerers, Barbarians, Bards, Shaman, Druids would almost certainly start as illiterate. Druids and Bards, in particular, are the antithesis of the written word. Their histories were passed on via oral tradition. Bards were known for their unbelievable memories, often reciting the Clan history of a dying man well through the night, purely from memory. Backgrounds would mitigate somewhat against this, but even a noble born Barbarian would spend far more time proving his battle prowess than he would in softer pursuits. It wouldn't matter if he was born son to the king of the land, because reading isn't something that he would put effort into.  Many more "modern" nobles could barely make their mark, let alone read. There's a reason why the profession of Scribe existed. Someone who grew up as a traveling trader would possibly know rudimentary math and be literate. The more advanced the society, the more likely this is.Some feats would imply, but not guarantee literacy. For example Ritual Caster, Religion, History. As stated though, Bards had great historic knowledge without use of the written word.In short, there are no hard and fast rules unless you create them.</blockquote>

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