At the Narrator’s discretion, the following additional rules may be added to the system described above, either individually or all together.

Dialects and Coded Speech

When a character encounters a dialect other than their native dialect (or the dialect they predominantly studied), they treat their language rank and associated language bonus as one rank lower than usual, or two ranks lower if the dialect is particularly unfamiliar, even if they are fluent in the language. Coded speech such as Thieves’ Cant can be mechanically treated as an unfamiliar dialect.

A character can learn a new dialect (or treat an unfamiliar dialect as a standard dialect) for 1 language point, or learn an unfamiliar dialect for 3 language points. What dialects exist within each language depends on the Narrator and the setting, but in general, different cultures use different dialects.

Low-Complexity Languages

Some languages (such as pidgins used primarily for trade) are not capable of expressing the same range of nuance and complexity as others. It is not possible to use low-complexity languages beyond the rank of advanced, or possibly even intermediate. To increase the importance of languages in your setting, consider making Common and Undercommon low-complexity languages.

Distant Relatives

A character that learns a language to the rank of Fluent only considers unfamiliar languages to be standard (instead of familiar) if they are distant relatives.

Further Granularity

At the Narrator’s discretion, characters who are interested in learning a language in such a way that significantly restricts the extent to which they can use that language may treat an unfamiliar language as standard or treat a standard language as familiar for the purposes of determining point costs. Examples include only learning to read a language but not how to speak it, or only learning to sign a language. Discounts should only be given if the restriction imposed is narratively significant; e.g., characters learning a language with no writing system don’t receive a discount for not learning how to read.

Reaching the fluent rank in a language in which a character has such a restriction only affects the classification of related languages if a character learns the related languages with the same restrictions. A character may remove such restrictions by investing a number of language points equal to 1 + 1/2 their current language points in the relevant language, rounded up.

Let’s apply this system to Varia, the elven berserker from Chapter 1 of the Freelinking: Node title Adventurer’s Guide does not exist . We need one language from Varia’s culture to be her native language, so we’ll chose Orc. She could also become fluent in Common, but we’ve spoken to our Narrator and the other players about Varia not being as comfortable in Common and obtained their approval, so instead we’ll roll 4d4 for language points. We get 14, and we’ll invest 6 into Common to bring Varia to the Advanced rank. That leaves us with 8 points, which we’ll hold on to for now.

Varia also gets a language of her choice from the Soldier background, so we’ll roll 4d4 again, getting 9 new points for a total of 17. We want Varia to be fluent in Sylvan, which is an unfamiliar language in her setting, so it will cost 15 points. However, if we have her learn Elvish first for 10 points, we can treat Sylvan as familiar instead, and it will then only cost us 6 points to achieve the fluent rank. We will therefore spend 16 points to learn both Elvish and Sylvan.

This leaves us with 1 point. Looking through the list, we note that Goblin and Gnoll are familiar languages for Varia. If we invest 1 point into Gnoll, we can bring it to an intermediate rank, making our final list of languages as follows:

Beginner: Goblin (0 points, +0 bonus)

Intermediate: Gnoll (1 point, +5 bonus)

Advanced: Common (6 points, +15 bonus)

Fluent: Elvish, Orc, Sylvan

Later in her travels, Varia enters a tavern where another patron attempts to speak with her in Gnoll. Varia is of intermediate rank in Gnoll, and mostly holds her own in the conversation, often leaning on Orc to fill in the gaps. Once the patron asks Varia for directions to the next town however, the Narrator decides that there’s an interesting chance for failure in this interaction and calls for a Survival check using Gnoll. We would like to use Varia’s Survival proficiency on this check, but we can’t do so reliably with intermediate rank, so we choose to make a language check first. Gnoll is a familiar language for us, so we only need to meet a DC of 15 to be able to use our proficiency bonus while speaking it.

We roll and the d20 shows an 8. We add Varia’s –1 Intelligence modifier and her +5 language bonus for Gnoll for a total of 12—below what we hoped for. Not only can we not use our proficiency bonus for the upcoming check, but we can’t even use our +1 Wisdom modifier! Bracing ourselves, we roll the Survival check. We breathe a sigh of relief when we see a 19. Although Varia would have gotten a 22 if she’d been fluent in Gnoll, the 19 is sufficient. Varia knows the route well, and so even though she realizes she doesn’t know the Gnoll words she would want to use in this situation, she gets the main points across to the traveler.

Whenever you want to make an ability check, the Narrator decides whether the activity described requires the use of a particular language. Examples include rousing a crowd to action with a speech, researching in a library, or eavesdropping on a conversation. If so, you can choose to either make a language check or rely on their language rank. If the latter, you simply find your rank for the given language on the Language Modifications table below and apply the corresponding modifications to any ability checks you make using that language.

At any point, however, you can choose to push their abilities by making an active language check. In this case you add your Intelligence modifier + your language bonus for the language in question, then compare the results to the DC column of the Language Modifications table. Until the end of the scene, encounter, interaction, or until the Narrator decides circumstances have changed sufficiently, the character applies the modification corresponding to the highest DC they met to any checks using the relevant language, even if doing so would be worse than relying on their rank.

Neither skill specialties nor proficiency bonuses apply to language checks. If multiple languages apply to a check (such as when translating), characters make the check using the language in which they have the lowest rank.

Table: Language Modifications

* Add +5 to the DC for unfamiliar languages and -5 for familiar languages.

** Checks may still benefit from temporary expertise dice , such as from a sage follower or the guidance cantrip.

Alternative Communication

Methods In place of using language, you can attempt a skill check to try to communicate in other ways. Typically, a Culture check is used to convey information without using language, while a Insight check is used to understand the gist of what a creature using language is saying without actually understanding their words. Narrators might also allow other skills and abilities, such as Performance to sing a song in another language without knowing what it means, or Religion to identify common prayers in a holy text. You do not add your language bonus to skill checks.

Adjusting Existing Rules

Although it is impossible to anticipate every language-related feature which may be added to the game in the future, the following adjustments to existing features can guide Narrators toward reasonable equivalents when using these advanced rules.

• Features that allow rudimentary conversation or basic language skills allow a character to temporarily advance one rank and add +5 to their character’s language bonus for a given language. Examples include the ranger’s Studied Adversary feature or the Vox savant’s Ear for Languages (see Adventures in Zeitgeist ).
• The herald’s Bestowed Understanding divine lesson allows a character to treat any language as familiar.
• When using these rules, the bonus to Insight checks granted by the comprehend languages and fey tongue spells also applies to language checks.
• The Forgotten Language result on the Facts and Discoveries Critical Success table (see Chapter 6: Ability Scores in Adventurer's Guide ) instead grants 5 language points.
• The Archaeologist savant’s Philologist feature from “Exemplars of the Academy 2: Seekers of Secrets” in Gate Pass Gazette Issue #18 allows them to make a History check in place of a language check.
• Certain items may allow a character artificial skill in a language. For example, the phrasebook from “Well-Equipped: Cultural Gear” in Gate Pass Gazette Issue #19 , allows a qualified user to be considered a beginner in the translated language as long as as they are able to consult it, at the cost of taking additional time to communicate.

Effects Requiring Shared Languages

Features and effects that require two creatures to share a language, like the modify memory spell, work if both creatures are at least beginners in the language. However, saving throws against such effects are made at advantage if both creatures are not of intermediate rank or higher.

Languages are classified as familiar, standard, or unfamiliar based on a character’s existing language proficiencies and the setting. Familiar languages are closely related to one a character knows, while unfamiliar languages have very little in common with any languages a character knows. Any language that does not meet either of these qualifications is considered standard. A language’s classification influences how difficult it is to learn, and a single language can be classified differently for different characters at the same time.

The Narrator decides which languages have which classification, but the following table of relationships is appropriate for many settings and may either be used wholesale or as a starting point for a setting-specific language tree.

Only the entries listed in the Languages sidebar of Chapter 2: Origins in Adventurer’s Guide have been included in this table. Other languages in Level Up you may wish to incorporate into your system include Boggard, Druidic, Giant Eagle, Giant Elk, Giant Owl, Jabber, Minotaur, Mycelial, Shahuagin, Scorpionfolk, Troglodyte, Winter Wolf, Worg, and Yeti. While some of these languages may be closely related to each other, without an appropriate feature or background, it is likely that they are unfamiliar to most adventurers. There is also the Khalkos language, but as it is scent-based, it is considered unfamiliar to all non-Khalkoi and is nearly impossible to learn without intensive study with a fluent speaker.

Table: Language Relationships

Reclassifying Languages

When a character reaches the fluent rank in a language, that language and any other languages it is related to are reclassified as familiar. When this happens, a character retains their language rank in any related languages, but their language bonuses and points for those languages are adjusted to match their current rank in the familiar classification according to the Levels of Language Proficiency Table.

Learning Languages

During character creation, choose any number (but at least one) of the languages from your culture for your character to be fluent in. In the case of each you do not choose to be fluent in and each time a feature grants a language proficiency, you may instead receive either 10 or 4d4 language points and invest them into as many languages as desired. If a feature names a specific language, like Celestial from the aasimar Planetouched gift, you should first consult your Narrator before exchanging it for language points.

The number of language points you invest in a given language determines both your language rank and your language bonus (see Language Checks below). Points invested in a language in excess of what is required for a given rank have no effect until you can invest enough additional points to reach the next rank. Note that all characters are at least beginners in any familiar languages, as the rank has a 0 point requirement.

Note: While this article mostly references “speaking” in terms of communication, learning a language is assumed to allow a creature to also read, write, and sign at the same level of proficiency. Those wishing for a more technical approach should consult Further Granularity under Additional Options below.

Training

You can also gain language points by training during downtime. To gain 1 language point, you must study for a number of days equal to 25 – twice your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). Doing so means paying 2 gold and 5 silver per day of study for a tutor. The Narrator may also rule that an ally fluent in the language is able teach you for a negotiated (or perhaps no) fee. The Narrator can also give out language points as adventuring rewards to characters who extensively practice their skills in an appropriate region.

Table: Levels of Language Proficiency

A character using these advanced rules can have one of five language ranks for any given language: non-proficient, beginning, intermediate, advanced, and fluent. See Learning Languages below for details on how to determine your language rank. Whenever a character attempts to use a language, players and Narrators can refer to the following descriptions of language ranks to guide roleplay.

Non-Proficient

Creatures without a given language proficiency do not speak the language, although they may still use a language to a limited extent. Trained animals, for instance, can comprehend a few words, and characters may learn basic phrases like “Thank you”, “Where is the privy?”, or “Excuse me, do you speak [language]?” through cultural osmosis or a brief crash course.

Beginner

Beginner speakers use short and simple present tense phrases about very common subjects. They have a limited vocabulary, make frequent mistakes, and often have heavy accents, which makes it almost impossible for them to blend in with native speakers. Although they struggle to comprehend those who don’t speak slowly or simplify their language, they can still manage to meet their basic needs in a foreign environment.

Intermediate

Intermediate speakers can use longer phrases and are comfortable with different tenses. They can speak about a wider range of subjects than beginners but still usually know only generic, common words. Although their mistakes and accents are still noticeable, they may receive compliments on their language skills from native speakers. They usually understand others well enough to get their general meaning, although they may miss significant details and be overwhelmed by particularly fast speakers or highly informal or technical speech.

Advanced

Advanced speakers can usually pass as fluent speakers, except when they encounter jargon, slang, or unfamiliar idioms. They may still have an accent, but they can hide it with effort, and their errors are usually subtle and infrequent. Advanced speakers are comfortable enough to start playing with how they express themselves, but they sometimes misjudge how well they can do so and occasionally fail to pick up on puns and nuances that would be obvious to native speakers.

Fluent

Those who are fluent in a language are either native speakers or not meaningfully distinct from native speakers.

There are three main factions in Shalehold, two of which are specialized organizations detailed here.

Notable Organization: Fisherfolk

Made up of some of the founding merchant families of Shalehold, the Fisherfolk have a strong grasp on any shipping or transportation via the river.

Structure: Oligarchy of two representatives from each of the five founding families, led by an annually elected leader.

Symbol: A fish caught in a net on a blue field

Base of Operations: Grade 4 House, a building of understated opulence called The Kelpie Lodge.

Beliefs: The old order (and its power structure) should be maintained.

Goals: Preserve the prosperity and influence of the five families.

While the name reveals their humble origins, the families of the Fisherfolk have become the economic leaders of Shalehold. However, no matter how much wealth lines their pockets, the five families and their client families can’t break the glass ceiling of social status to be truly accepted by the nobility. This has led to some quietly paying off lawmakers at best, and others planning an eventual bloody revolt at worst.

Notable Organization: The Knotmakers

Officially this group is known as the Honorable Guild of Shalehold Ropemakers, but the legitimate business has long ago given way to criminal enterprise.

Structure: Authoritarian. Multiple smaller gangs led by a single boss

Symbol: A rope tied into a complex knot on a black field

Base of Operations: Grade 3 Guildhouse, ostensibly for Honorable Guild of Shalehold Ropemakers, located in the labyrinthine slum known as The Knot.

The Knotmakers have no united beliefs or goals beyond survival and personal gain. Currently led by Mariam “Shark Tooth” White, the one-time guild has something in common with its parent organization: they put a great deal of emphasis on membership. While there are some boroughs far from the docks that are outside their reach, every criminal working in Knotmaker territory pays a portion of their haul to the Knotmakers or (if they’re lucky) lives to regret it. Previous leadership exempted children under 12 from this rule, leading to ringleaders recruiting young urchins to their numbers in droves. Shark Tooth White is planning a crackdown on such activities, including a sure-to-be unpopular “tax” on a group for each child they have as a member.

Gul, Knotmaker Rumormonger

At 16, Gul is the oldest of his dockside crew, but one of the youngest full members of the Knotmakers (use stats for a cutthroat , with a dagger in place of a shortsword). His lank brown hair, oversized clothes, and a fine layer of dirt make him appear sick and emaciated, but he is healthy and possessed of wiry strength and the reflexes of a striking snake.

While he’s still quick enough to pickpockets or cut a purse, Gul spends most of his time in the pose of a beggar boy down by the docks listening to comings and goings and selling on rumors. He is extremely protective of his crew, and more than one angry merchant has felt the nick of his blade, and a few guards who were too liberal with the lash have been found under the docks with a single knife wound.

Idilia, Baroness of Riva

Like many aristocrats of far-flung provinces, Baroness Idilia (use stats for a noble ) claims descent from a glorious line of royalty, which she has reinforced by becoming a prolific patroness of the arts. Statues, paintings, and more immortalize ancestors of a lineage at least half fabricated. What is not an illusion, however, is her family’s influence on Shalehold. Her household troops have robust numbers, and the ships that patrol Shalehold’s harbor and surrounding waters are paid for from her own substantial coffers, keeping both the Fisherfolk and the Knotmakers, the two other factions in the city, ostensibly in check.

Clamoring around Idilia are her many courtiers, seeking the scraps of her fortune and favors. While she may seem like a vain, empty-headed old gossip, the baroness’s social prowess is razor sharp, and she uses her many parties and salons to gather and pass on information of all kinds. The jockeying for favor and position have only increased in recent years, as the now middle-aged Idilia has had several consorts, but no named heir.

Thandor, Darn, and Karrel Goldbeard, Illicit Traders

Even within a crime-riddled and lawless city, you find merchants who ply their trade in honesty, never cheating or stealing. The Goldbeards are not that kind of merchant. Shaving coins, adding a thumb to the scale, and passing stolen and counterfeit goods are all in a day’s work for these tall, blonde-haired, and charming dwarf brothers..

Thandor (use stats for pugilist variant: hill dwarf wrestler) entered the city over a decade ago, and shortly after his arrival had a questionable windfall. He immediately sent for his two younger brothers, Darn and Karrel (use stats for thug ), who joined his new venture in attempting to fleece every resident and visitor of Shalehold they could. Despite a rocky start and some initial conflict with the Knotmakers, the three now work independently under a special dispensation.

Their store and yard sit on the edge of the knot but they rarely interact with its residents. From that slumped building they sell anything they can get their hands on with little concern for the niceties of legal ownership. There is a saying among the locals, “If you sell to the Goldbeards it probably wasn’t yours; if you buy from them it probably wasn’t theirs; and either way you should check your purse before you leave.”

One of the most dramatic examples of technological progress is the introduction of cyberware, which allows living creatures to replace parts of themselves with artificial components or implant devices which grant them new abilities into their bodies.

Prosthetics

The most common and simplest form of cyberware are prosthetics. It is the default assumption that any world with FTL travel will have also developed sophisticated prosthetics, though the specifics of those can vary. A character that has suffered the loss of a limb, organ, or other body part can receive a fully-functional replacement for 1,000 credits, though in some settings this type of medical care may be fully or partially-covered by a character’s government benefits or insurance plan. In other settings, this service may be significantly more expensive, costing 5, 10, or even 100 times as much, making these prosthetics the realm of the wealthy or well-connected and consigning the poor to non-technological options.

Prosthetics function just like the body part they emulate (though they may look different). The prosthetic may be plastic, or metal; vat-grown clones from creature’s own stem cells are fully indistinguishable from the original.

Enhancement Implants

Implants provide new or enhanced capabilities to a creature. The cost listed for enhancement implants includes the cost of having them surgically implanted. As long as the implant procedure is done with the proper equipment, there is no chance of rejection or failure; however, creatures need time to adjust to the presence of the implants. Therefore, a character may only have a number of enhancement implants equal to or less than proficiency bonus. If more are added, the newest implants simply do nothing until the implanted character’s proficiency bonus rises enough to accommodate them, with the oldest inactive implant always coming online first.

Despite the advantages they provide, enhancement implants have drawbacks as well — they require some level of external networking to function, which makes them vulnerable to various attacks such as hacking and EMPs. The DC to hack an implant is 8 + the creature’s Intelligence modifier + its proficiency bonus.