New Talent: Multilingual

[CourtFool]

This proposal is only for cinematic campaigns. Those looking for granularity and/or realism should completely ignore this proposal.

 

Cost - # Languages

5 - 1

10 - 5

15 - 10

20 - All Known Languages

25 - Any Language including languages the character has never been exposed to before.

 

The character is considered completely fluent in and capable of imitating dialects for every language known.

 

I have always thought that languages were overpriced. This seemed even more evident with characters that are fluent in many languages. And do not even get me started on a concept like a sentient computers or spells that allow you to understand languages.

 

I know there are a couple different ways to approach such concepts, but none of them really felt right to me. Universal Translator has the pesky accent and skill roll issue. Detect seemed rather vague and did not allow for speech.

 

Some of you may recognize that this proposal was heavily inspired by TriStat’s Progression Chart.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: New Talent: Multilingual

 

Not a bad approach, although it can make Languages more expensive at the 5-point level, and not much cheaper (depending on exactly which Languages you have) at the 10 and 15-point levels.

 

I'd probably be inclined to just add a "Universal Linguist" ability (you can speak/write/understand any Language that you could possibly have been exposed to) for 20 points, and use the normal Language system for less than that.

[Gary]

Re: New Talent: Multilingual

 

I have a system vaguely like that, but it affects all background skills.

 

http://herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=952381&postcount=1

[ghost-angel]

Re: New Talent: Multilingual

 

I think it's a pretty solid concept for games where languages may come up, but otherwise doesn't require the granularity in the system now. Repped.

[Dust Raven]

Re: New Talent: Multilingual

 

Cost - # Languages

5 - 1

10 - 5

15 - 10

20 - All Known Languages

25 - Any Language including languages the character has never been exposed to before.

 

The character is considered completely fluent in and capable of imitating dialects for every language known.

Not bad. Even with a cinematic campaign, a bit more granularity might be appropriate. I don't know many linguists that speak each and every language they know with perfect fluency as if they were a native raised speaking that language, even in fiction.

 

An optional option for the option above could separate the level of fluency from the number of languages known. Instead of knowing all languages spoken at the same level of fluency, you can know some at basic level, and others at a higher level. An adjusted cost chart might look like this:

 

Cost - # Languages

3 - 1

5 - 5

10 - 10

15 - All Known Languages

20 - Any Language including languages the character has never been exposed to before.

 

Cost - # Languages spoken with complete/native fluency plus dialects

2 - 1

3 - 5

5 - 10

8 - All Known Languages

10 - Any Language including languages the character has never been exposed to before.

 

This makes the languages cheaper for the fewest known languages on the chart, but more expensive for all languages, which is fair I guess; knowing every language in existance should cost a lot, at least in a campaign where it would mean something.

[TheRavenIs]

Re: New Talent: Multilingual

 

I like that....repped.

[CourtFool]

Re: New Talent: Multilingual

 

Not bad. Even with a cinematic campaign' date=' a bit more granularity might be appropriate. I don't know many linguists that speak each and every language they know with perfect fluency as if they were a native raised speaking that language, even in fiction.[/quote']

 

James Bond and Sidney Bristow jump to mind.

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: New Talent: Multilingual

 

I like it! Another possibility is to use a doubling method: X points for one language, +Y points for each 2x the number of languages Maybe X=5 and Y=2, so you get one language for 5, two for 7, four for 9, eight for 11, sixteen for 13, thirty-two for 15, etc. Some people might like this as being consistant with other doubling mechanics in HERO (noncombat multiples, multiple followers, Multiform, UBO, etc.

 

I have always thought that languages were overpriced.

I agree. What I do is price them like every other background skill: 2 points for an 11- roll, 3 points for 9+(INT/5)-, +1 to the roll for each +1 point.

 

2 points lets you use the language like a normal user of the language - natively fluent - but it won't make you a champion at Scrabble in the language or win you a literary award.

 

This is consistant with the the way other background skills like PS's work: 2 points means you know the PS well enough to hold a job in that profession, to be a normal practitioner of it - but not necessarily the world's formost, or even a particularly outstanding example.