25 Languages
25. Languages (Optional Rules)
This section provides an optional add-on for treating Languages as a mechanical system. If your campaign involves ancient ruins, diverse cultures, or high-stakes social negotiation, use these mechanics to give fluency a mechanical weight.
25.1 Narrative Permission
At baseline, Languages grant narrative permission:
- You cannot attempt complex social or academic checks (such as deciphering ancient texts, haggling over exotic goods, or subtly persuading a specific guard) without the appropriate language.
- If you lack the language entirely, you can only communicate through basic gestures and intent. You may face automatic Catastrophe or Failure on nuanced social rolls.
25.2 Languages as Tags
If this add-on is used, known languages act as Tags (see Section 6). However, they do not count toward a character's soft limit of 7 active Character Tags. They are tracked separately in a "Known Languages" list.
When interacting with a person, culture, or artifact that inherently shares a language you know, you can invoke your Language Tag to add an Aspect Die to the dice pool for that roll.
Like any Tag, a language can only be used if it is contextually relevant and meaningful to the situation. Speaking Elvish does not directly help you dodge a falling rock, but it will help you parlay with an Elven scouting party.
25.3 Fluency Tiers
Your proficiency in a language determines its mechanical impact. When you gain a language Tag, note its tier:
| Tier | Narrative Impact | Mechanical Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Basic / Broken | Grants permission to communicate basic concepts. Enough to ask for directions or buy goods. | No Aspect Die is granted. |
| Fluent | Full conversational and reading ability. | Acts as a normal Tag, contributing a standard Aspect Die to the pool. |
| Native / Scholar | Deep cultural, historical, and linguistic mastery. | Grants an Aspect Die and allows the player to Step Up their Tone Die one tier (e.g., a Careful d6 becomes a d8). |
25.4 Gaining and Losing Languages
Like normal Tags (Section 6.4), Language Tags are gained through play.
You might gain or improve reading/speaking a language by: - Spending significant downtime studying ancient texts - Living among a foreign faction during a World Cycle - Surviving a prolonged event where only that language was spoken
Languages do not degrade as quickly as other Tags, but prolonged disuse might downgrade a Native speaker to Fluent, or a Fluent speaker to Basic.
25.5 Example
For practical examples, see Appendix A (e.g., Ready to use examples.md).