What do you think of my mod to the Language Skills...

[Davelozzi]

I use a very similar system in my D&D campaigns but I require much lower ranks:

rank 1: basics ("where's the bathroom?","more ale, please")
rank 2: can understand most things, but speaks slowly and with heavy accent
rank 3: fluent
ranks 4+: excellent vocabulary and language skills

plus 1 rank required in read language required to read/write a language that you can speak.

To compensate, I give everyone 2x their Int bonus as language specific skill points at 1st level, and then they can use their regular batch of skill points from there out.

IMO, requiring the amount of points that you suggest would make it so no one would ever take foreign languages, which can often make things inconvenient in the game.

 

[Mistwell]

Its similar to what is in Kingdoms of Kalamar's Players Guide. Not bad at all.

1) It is more severe than KoK
2) KoK has only a dozen or so languages, while d20 Modern has hundreds if not thousands.
3) KoK has one primary language for most NPCs: Common. d20 Modern does not.

It may be a similar rule, but in a new context of d20 Modern it puts PCs at a significant disadvantage. There are already enough skills to spend points on (and double the number of skill points needed to devote to mastering a language as it is in d20 Modern versus D&D for example). Making language learning more "realistic" in this context is not something that adds to the "fun" of the game, and "fun" should be your goal, not "realism".

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Re: Thanks!

I actually intended to make taking a second language more onerous because learning a second language is never easy.

Hmm- you may want to put in some flexibility in for choosing additional languages at creation versus later down the road. I know people who have grown up in Europe who speak multiple languages.

Are you considering making changes to the linguist ability of the smart hero?

good luck
SD

 

[jaerdaph]

Thinking Ouside The Box

1) It is more severe than KoK
2) KoK has only a dozen or so languages, while d20 Modern has hundreds if not thousands.
3) KoK has one primary language for most NPCs: Common. d20 Modern does not.

It may be a similar rule, but in a new context of d20 Modern it puts PCs at a significant disadvantage. There are already enough skills to spend points on (and double the number of skill points needed to devote to mastering a language as it is in d20 Modern versus D&D for example). Making language learning more "realistic" in this context is not something that adds to the "fun" of the game, and "fun" should be your goal, not "realism".

1) I agree. Definitely take a look at KoK if you can, Jontu.
2) Good point but not necessarily relevant - AdCs and PrCs for linguistic specialists could be designed to make it easier to learn more than 12 languages, if you and your players want such characters in your campaign.
3) Based on my experience of living in the capital of the world, New York City, and my years on Interent message boards with contributors from around the globe, I'd say that d20 Modern could most definitely have the equivalent of Common - English.

 

[Mistwell]

Re: Thinking Ouside The Box

3) Based on my experience of living in the capital of the world, New York City, and my years on Interent message boards with contributors from around the globe, I'd say that d20 Modern could most definitely have the equivalent of Common - English.

Capital of the world?

Let me preface this by saying I am an American, and consider myself patriotic.

That said - I think the arrogance you display in making that statement is exactly why people want to run planes into buildings there - not because it is actually the capital of the world, but because people who live there THINK it is. It is sheer, unadulterated arrogance. In my opinion, the closest the planet has to a capital is The Hague, and even that is pushing it. There is no real capital of the world, and if there were it would not located in a partisan nation, but a neutral one.

As for english being the same as common - news flash: most people on the planet do not speak english, and the VAST overhwhelming majority do not read it.

I'm sorry to get political, but your statement struck a nerve, and I don't think my reaction is an uncommon one amongst the population of the world.

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Re: Re: Thinking Ouside The Box

That said - I think the arrogance you display in making that statement is exactly why people want to run planes into buildings there - not because it is actually the capital of the world, but because people who live there THINK it is.

That is uncalled for, and untrue.

As for english being the same as common - news flash: most people on the planet do not speak english, and the VAST overhwhelming majority do not read it.

While you may not care for how he said it- he is accurate when putting his comments in the framework of business. New York is the center of a lot of global business, and English is the language of global business.

SD

 

[Mistwell]

Re: Re: Re: Thinking Ouside The Box

That is uncalled for, and untrue.



While you may not care for how he said it- he is accurate when putting his comments in the framework of business. New York is the center of a lot of global business, and English is the language of global business.

SD

While your comment is disputable in itself, regardless, his comment was not in the framework of business. You are the first person to mention business. It was a broad statement - "New York City is the capital of the world". It isn't even the capital of the United States. Nor is it the most populated city. It is an economic capital for the united states, and perhaps for the form of economics called Capitalism (though that is disputable) - but I think it is faulty to confuse economics with national or international capitals. Capital, when used generally, is a political term - not an economic one (unless you mean "obtain capital to invest").

If we are going to start naming capital cities of various things, I think you can come up with accuarte statements. But THE capital of THE WORLD? There isn't one. Nor is there a universal language, though there are near-universal languages for specific fields (and some people trying to make a universal political laguage, like Esperanto). Heck, I have trouble enough finding people who speak english in my own town in the United States - Los Angeles, the most populated city in the United States. And since you live in New York, you of all people should know just how many people living in the US do NOT speak english.

My dispute is with the broad generalization of the statement, and I do think I am justified in pointing it out and making an issue of it

Back to the topic at hand - Perhaps you can apply the proposed system (or peferrably the KoK system) to types of languages. In other words, you can gain skill ranks in "Romantic Languages", for example, and have some facility in all romance languages. I think that would make the sheer number of languages in the world more manageable for PCs to learn.

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Thinking Ouside The Box

And since you live in New York, you of all people should know just how many people living in the US do NOT speak english.

I can tell you that since I live in New York- I am not going to watch someone from the Golden state of California even suggest it was any silly arrogance of a New Yorker is why 3000 people here died. I am not surprised by such an ignorant and rude comment, but I am disgusted.

My dispute is with the broad generalization of the statement, and I do think I am justified in pointing it out and making an issue of it

As am I justified in dropping a waste of air on the ignore list. Congratulations.

SD

 

[jaerdaph]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Thinking Ouside The Box

Wow. I'm in complete shock after reading that.

Mistwell, you are reading WAY too much into my comments. If anyone is making an issue of anything here, it's you.

Lighten up. Seriously. We're talking about a game here.

And by the way, I lost a family member and three friends in the World Trade Center attacks. I found YOUR comments hurtful and very distasteful.

 

[Mistwell]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thinking Ouside The Box

Wow. I'm in complete shock after reading that.

Mistwell, you are reading WAY too much into my comments. If anyone is making an issue of anything here, it's you.

Lighten up. Seriously. We're talking about a game here.

And by the way, I lost a family member and three friends in the World Trade Center attacks. I found YOUR comments hurtful and very distasteful.

Then I sincerely apologise, that was not my intent at all (to cause harm). I knew people lost in the tragedy as well. It was a national event, like Pearl Harbor.

I think people are misconstruing what I said. I didn't say that I think the attack was justified - not at all. It was a horrible thing to happen, and in my mind could never be justified.

All I said was what I believe was the thinking behind the choice of the target city, as opposed to the thinking behind making the attack itself against the US or the Western Powers in general. My opinion is the same belief many others hold as well, though admittedly just one of many potential reasons for the target choice - population density, economics, opportunity, etc...

The "making an issue of it" was in response to the "uncalled for and untrue" statement, not your message.

Again, I am sorry if my opinion was hurtful, that was not my intention, and I should have worded it better to make that clear. I'm sorry you lost people close to you, and I hope my comments didn't open wounds with you.

But I agree, we should all lighten up on this issue, myself included. Why don't we get back to the topic at hand (before the thread gets yanked). What do you think of the idea of having ranks in language-groups, like "romance languages"?