Alternate Linguistics Rules

[Persell]

I know that there has been some debate as to the Linguistics Ability and several houserules on the subject (some from our very own Flagg). I'm currently STing a game that has been running for a couple of months and we've been using the regular ol' rules. However, with the inclusion of a new player - an Eclipse caste who wants to be a bit of a cunning linguist (ho ho!) - my players have been hassling me for an alternative to the "Why can't I learn more than 5 languages?" rule. I understand their concerns, but I don't want to retcon that much.


An alternate set of rules that they've suggested follows basically thus (I hope I can explain it)


- Every dot in Linguistics gives you 3 Language Specialty points.


- You can also buy Language Specialty points as regular specialties, although there is no upper limit to the amount of Language Specialties you can have.


- Each rank (1-3) of Language Specialties confers a different degree of understanding for a target language. 1 is basically conversational, but not to a degree necessary for Social Combat. 2 is regionally conversational - you speak a particular dialect of a language. For example, you could know Great Forks Riverspeak, but still have trouble (effective rating 1) with Riverspeaking in Nexus. 3 is a mastery of the language.


They suggest that this houserule will allow them to buy languages as specialties - thus learning new languages (and without a 5 language limit, which doesn't strike us as very fair) and would also keep their current Linguistics scores intact.


Does anybody here see any possible problems, or have any comments as to this proposed system?

 

[Cynis Filthist]

there has been alot of ideas for alternate linguistics rules, this one is as solid as any.  I have been considering allowing the square of your linguistics score in languages, so someone with 1 dot will speak 1 additional language, someone with 5 dots will speak 25 additional languages.

 

[FluffySquirrel]

I personally just say you should be able to buy languages seperately at 2-3xp a pop or such. They're -not- specialities though, you can still choose to buy 3 linguistics specialities. The linguistics ability itself doesn't just cover your ability you speak languages, though you get a free one with each point, it covers your artistic and poetic use of the languages, which is why it helps in writing and such.

 

[Flagg]

I personally just say you should be able to buy languages seperately at 2-3xp a pop or such. They're -not- specialities though, you can still choose to buy 3 linguistics specialities. The linguistics ability itself doesn't just cover your ability you speak languages, though you get a free one with each point, it covers your artistic and poetic use of the languages, which is why it helps in writing and such.

This almost exactly matches my rules.

 

[Moonsilver]

I just use the normal rules but allow Linguistics to have some of the academics knowledge that is found in Lore, Lore is so top heavy.


So Linguistics is used with in ciphers, numerology and the basics of culture in the languages known.

 

[Coyotekin]

I just use the normal rules but allow Linguistics to have some of the academics knowledge that is found in Lore, Lore is so top heavy.
So Linguistics is used with in ciphers, numerology and the basics of culture in the languages known.

I agree with you about Lore and like your take on Linguistics at this point.


As for having more languages for your Polygot in training I think I would treat the Linguistics skill like Abberant did. I think it went along the line of 1-3-5-10-15 with each number representing the next dot in Linguistics skill. After all these are Exalts and many of them live to be millenias old, so why shouldn't they have the ability to be fluent in so many languages. Especially as an Eclipse where it comes naturally as Divine Right.

 

[Dracogryff]

What I've done in a hybrid Exalted modern setting game I'm trying to run, since there's tons of modern languages out there, is take and make the Linguistics ability all about the ability to express oneself in writing, and capability with the written word, while making a Language background that people can buy (and yes, it can go over 5). Each dot in the Language background gives a player another language they can speak. Main thing I'm trying to determine is how much XP to make it cost in total per dot (I currently have it as 1XP a dot, so long as you have a teacher or book or something to allow you to learn it)...and whether dots in the Linguistics ability should make a person speaking another language more fluent (or less accented, however you'd term it)...but since the game is set in post apocolyptic America, right outside the Wyld zone of New York, there's been little concern over learning new languages at the moment. Silly Americans don't know much beyond English.


Though if one of them Canadians shows up, they might want to pick up French...


I think I saw this concept on Lore somewhere...did Flagg make a Linguistics background?