Tongue & Runes of Babel

[Ravor]

I was wondering how best to build the total ability to communicate with anyone, regardless of written or spoken language. (Each person in a crowd would hear or read the communication as their favored language.) I started with tweaking "Universal Translator" from APGII (page 16) in order to cover two-way communications. (Good news, you know what the bad guys are saying at all times; bad news, they can also understand you at all times.)

 

 

Babel's Tongue: Telepathy 4d6 (standard effect: 12 points) (Human class of minds), Persistent (+1/4), Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Area Of Effect (Voice Range; +1) (60 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), Incantations (Requires Incantations throughout; -1/2), No Range (-1/2), Always On (-1/2)

 

Active Points 60 / Real Cost 20

 

 

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Now the real question is, how would be the best way to simulate the same two-way ability with written communications? I was thinking about some sort of cosmetic transform with an auto-reseting trigger of "when read".

[Sean Waters]

Re: Tongue & Runes of Babel

 

Telepathy is easily stopped with mental defences, which could be a problem. It certainly allows communication with any willing subject but still requires an attack roll which may not be the best approach for the skittish - and of course you can not communicate your good intentions until you have done it. It also will not work against those with very high EGO.

 

The other question is this: do you want anyone to be able to understand you, regardless of what languages they speak, or do you, in effect, want to be able to speak any language?

 

If it is the former, my approach would be to not try and build it, but agree a cost for a new language ("Babel"?) that is universally understood. I would simply base this on the cost of universal translator from the Talents section of the core rules and slightly modify how that works to reflect the change i.e. two people who do not share a common language can both understand you and be understood by you.

 

If it is just 'knowledge of all lanuguage' then the unmodified UT from the core rules works.

[Tom Cowan]

Re: Tongue & Runes of Babel

 

How about starting with-

Universal Translator 11-, Usable Simultaneously (all targets standing within 10 meters of Grantor; +1 1/2) (50 Active Points)

[Ravor]

Re: Tongue & Runes of Babel

 

The interesting thing is that the only real difference between Universal Translator & Babel's Tongue is that I removed the "broadcast only" limitation & added the "always on" bit.

[Christopher]

Re: Tongue & Runes of Babel

 

How about:

Detect meaning of speech of Character, Area of Effect

You simply give everyone a Universal translator just for you.

 

For written words that everyone understands:

Here whatever you wrote upon will "emmante" the same power as above. Maybe it only works on short range or if targets touch the message.

The value of this is difficulty - could it be used to transmit orders the same way the normal lanuage can? Or would it be mostly useless/as dangerous as usefull.

 

A potential secodn option:

A Complciation called "Is understood by everyone". Basically the character cannot speak in the "wrong" tongue, to hide information from eavesdropping.