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Languages



There are many languages throughout Aether Spira. Languages are categorized as common, uncommon, rare and unique.

Learning a language requires 1 month of study and skill roll of 15 for a common language, 20 for an uncommon language, and 25 for a rare language. This difficulty increases by 5 if the language is dead or unique or if you are not the correct type of creature meant to speak it (or by 10 if two of these things are true or by 15 if all three are true). For example, creatures that do not have the Aquatic or Water type have difficulty speaking Hydros.

You can repeat these attempts as many times as you like. Having a teacher or tome to study give you a circumstance bonus to these rolls. Once you've learned a language, you become able to communicate casually with it, requiring a skill roll of the same DC -5 to do so. If you learn a language again while already knowing it, you become fluent in it, requiring no such roll to communicate with it again.

The maximum number of languages you can know is 2 + half your Cipher (Linguistics) or Civilization (Lore: Society) modifier, whichever is greater. If you learn more languages than this, you forget whichever you haven't used in the longest time.

LanguageRaritySpoken by
AbyssalRareGreat old ones, eldritch horrors
AerosUncommonAir elementals
AkloRareA secretive language spoken by aberrations and occult spellcasters
AncientUncommonA dead language supposedly spoken by the first mortals of Aether Spira
AstralUncommonAstrals and space travelers.
BoggartCommonAmphibians native to the southwestern swamplands.
BrailUncommonWritten-only language using bumps or engravings
CelestialRareAngels
CommonCommonThe most commonly spoken language on Aether Spira.
Deep SpeechRareAberrations, deep ones, occult spellcasters.
DiabolicRareDemons, hags, witches.
DigitalUncommonAndroids, automatons, robots
DraconicUncommonDragons, draconians, lizardfolk
DruidicRareA secretive language spoken by primal casters, plantfolk such as dryads, huldra, leshy, and treants.
DwarvenCommonDwarves. Dwarven runes are the most common kind on magic items.
ElvenCommonElves, the first mortal descendants of the fey.
EmpyrealRareArchons
EnochianRareDevas
GaiosUncommonearth elementals
GnomishCommonGnomes and gnolls (gnome-sized dog-like creatures)
GoblinCommonGoblins, gremlins, and other goblinoids
High-speechRareA secretive language spoken by arcane spellcasters, arcane outsiders
Hive-speechUncommonGirtablilu, melissalaiki, myrmidons, and other bug-like beings
HobbishCommonHobs
HydrosUncommonWater elementals
InfernalRareDevils
JotunCommonGiants
KappanCommonKappas
KashanCommonKashas
KoboldCommonKobolds
LuminUncommonphotoluminous creatures
LunaricUncommonaka "moon speech", werecreatures
NaganCommonNaga, serpentfolk
OrcishCommongoblins, ogres, oni, orcs, trolls
ProteanRareproteans, titans, beings of chaos
PyrosUncommonFire elementals
UrsineCommonArktos, bjorn, onikuma, riksa, werebears
SignCommonLanguage of hand signals used to communicate visually only
SolaricUncommonaka "sun speech", solars
SylvanUncommonBakemono, forest cryptids, greenfolk
TauricCommoncentaurs, fauns, and minotaurs
TenguCommonharpies, tengu
Thief CantUncommoncriminals, smugglers, thieves, tricksters, undercover law enforcement
ThumpsUncommonLanguage of taps and pauses used to communicate through solid surfaces
UndercommonCommonDenizens of Agartha (Hollow Earth)
VanaraCommonVanara, yeti
WulvericCommonWulver



Common Languages

Common languages are spoken by the mortal races native to Aether Spira. Most characters can learn common languages with a high Intelligence modifier but not uncommon or rare languages.

Western Languages: Bjorn, Boggart, Elven, Gnoll, Wulveric
Northern Languages: Dwarven, Giant, Goblin, Orcish
Midland Languages: Gnomish, Hobbish, Jambavani, Rougarou
Eastern Languages: Kappan, Kashan, Kitsune, Tengu, Vanarese
Southern Languages: Draconic, Kashan, Kobold



Uncommon Languages

Uncommon languages are rarer than common languages but are still considered common enough to be learned or heard of at large. In order to learn an uncommon language, a character must start with it at 1st level from their race or invest 1 rank in the Linguistics skill.



Rare Languages

Rare languages are dead languages, languages from alien or extraplanar sources, secretive languages, or simply so obscure they're nearly impossible to find. Not only can characters only learn rare languages by investing 1 rank in the Linguistics skill, they must encounter the language in-game and learn it from a teacher or special book designed to teach the language.