Read and Write Languages

Step

 * Rank+PER

Action

 * Sustained

Strain

 * 1 (see text)

Skill Use

 * No (see text)

Description

 * The adept magically learns to read and write different languages. Using this talent he can learn a number of languages equal to his Read and Write Language rank.
 * If he has not reached this maximum, the adept can attempt to learn a new language by reading at least one page of text written in the language for at least one minute, then making a Read and Write Language test against the language’s Learning Difficulty. If successful, he learns the language and notes it on his Character Record Sheet. If the test fails, the adept cannot attempt to learn that specific language again until he improves his Read and Write Language rank.
 * The Learning Difficulty for the different racial languages is shown in the Language Table. The numbers reflect the difficulty of learning the base “racial” versions of these languages. Dialects are considered different languages for the purposes of this talent (see below).
 * When reading a language learned through this talent, the adept makes a Read and Write Language test against the Learning Difficulty of the language. The success level determines how well he understands the content.
 * Simple sentences or ideas, such as “The mayor’s house lies east of here,” may only require a single success; histories or legends containing peculiar idioms or flowery phrases may require two; manuals or other books filled with jargon specific to a field of study require three successes; understanding philosophical treatises on the nature of magic, or other writings filled with specialized academic language and abstract ideas, may require four or more. Partial successes may convey more or less detail at the gamemaster’s discretion.
 * When writing, use the same process as for reading, depending on the complexity of the topic the adept is writing about.
 * The effect of each test lasts for a number of hours equal to the adept’s Read and Write Language rank, allowing reading and writing at the level achieved by the test result. If the adept needs to read or write at a higher level, he must make another Read and Write Language test. The Strain cost reflects the concentration required. It takes about one minute to read a page of text; writing a page of text takes about ten minutes.
 * Dialects
 * Languages are often complex and most possess many different variations, called dialects. These dialects are sometimes regional, others by city, or even by kaer. The Learning Difficulty of a dialect is based on the original language, usually the base DN +2, but higher difficulties are possible. The adept must know how to read and write the base language before he can attempt to learn a dialect of that language. If the adept knows the base language of a dialect, he can communicate, but his ability to do so may be limited at the gamemaster’s discretion.
 * There is a non-magical version of this talent, but it is different enough that it is covered in more depth in the Skills chapter, p. 182.