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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JBowtie" data-source="post: 1725962" data-attributes="member: 1810">Here's a quick rundown of the implications from my last version. Right now I'm prepping for tonight's game and have made the following notes.The short version is that this one rule change has already altered the balance of power (churches are much more important) and made me revise the treasure assignment.Players just wanting to converse in a language only need to take one rank. This is in line with existing practice.Automatic and bonus languages are handled via fluencies; players can extend their starting languages by spending feats.Players can always spend skill points to learn new languages, or, critically, improve their existing languages.There are crunch benefits (synergy bonuses, actual skill checks) for spending more than one rank. The penalties for not doing so are not very harsh since we can handle normal conversation with one rank.Realistic literacy rules means most characters are functionally illiterate. This is not a big deal when 95% of the population is also illiterate.Clerics, with free literacy in one language, become really important community hubs since they do all the reading and writing. Also means most leaders will have a cleric on staff (which translates into more secular power for religions).Wizards also have great authority and don't have to rely on the church. Great potential for conflict between church and magic-wielders.Very few signs will be up, most of them will have a picture. Heraldry,seals and markers become far more important.  True to the reality of the day but often overlooked by adventure writers.Seals will be used instead of signatures; wax seals can be ruined by heat. Forgery involves carefully heating the seal and restamping it or reproducing an existing signet or seal.Signet rings, writs, and so forth as treasure allow creative literate players to take advantage of the reputation of the defeated before his death is widely known.Inscriptions and such will mostly be handled by Decipher Script, plan for this. Most important inscriptions will be accompanied by marks or pictures to get the gist across to the illterate majority; especially warnings or curses.Books are much rarer (therefore more valuable as treasure) and adventurer's journals kept only by wizards and clerics.NPCs (except messengers) will hardly ever have papers or journals on them. A written message on the battlefield is as good as encryption. Instead, drop hints with heraldry and uniforms. Maps will rarely be annotated (and may not be decipherable if they are); players will need to rely on recognition, rumour and conjecture to figure out a random map.One problem already: experts or an equivalent class need to be literate automatically; all your sages, scribes, magistrates, senechals, and scholars will know how to read and most of them won't be clerics or wizards.Tapstries, carvings, and paintings are great ways to supply information in the dungeon. Instead of inscribing the king's name, do a mosaic of the king that incorporates his best-known accomplishments. Instead of a journal entry describing a river, have a sketchbook with pictures of the river. Replace expository NPCs with tapestries showing the story of a famous battle (and bring the tapestry to town to get the old man to tell you about it, or give the bard a boost to his bardic knowledge).Oral history is more important. Old people are the storytellers and historians and the loss of them, especially in small communities, can devestate the entire area. How do we appease the volcano goddess? The old man would be able to tell us, but...</blockquote>

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