A reason to actually invest in Speak Language? *gasp* [3.5, PEACH, WIP]

[Fortuna]

Speak Language (Int)

This skill permits a character to learn languages, as well as certain more esoteric uses described below. Every skill point invested in this skill allows the character to achieve a rudimentary grasp of a language, to improve one language that they have a rudimentary grasp of to fluency, or to improve one language known fluently to total mastery of the language. A character with a rudimentary grasp of a language must make a Speak Language check against DC 25 whenever they wish to use a Language-Dependant spell or make a skill check requiring speaking that language (such as Diplomacy or Bluff). A character fluent in a language can speak the language without making such a check. A character who has achieved mastery of a language has a rudimentary grasp of the language's immediate parent and sibling tongues (for instance, a character with mastery of Spanish would have a rudimentary grasp of Latin and of modern Romance languages). Spells such as comprehend languages and tongues grant only a rudimentary grasp of a language, since they are unable to translate idioms effectively and likewise fall down when confronted with complex sentence structure.

Extraplanar Dialects

Beyond the languages spoken by beings from the material planes, there are tongues which cause those with weak minds to go mad, speeches that can reshape reality at the fundamental level and dialects that touch the very souls of those that hear them. Only through deep study of the science and art of linguistics can these idioms be grasped in their full, reality-twisting power.

For every five skill points invested in Speak Language, one extraplanar dialect may be mastered in this way. This permits the character to use certain supernatural abilities if they succeed on a Speak Language check. Unless otherwise noted, all caster levels are equal to half the user's skill ranks in Speak Language. In order to use an ability from one of these dialects, the character must have mastered the ability and must make the skill check. Using such an ability is a standard action unless otherwise noted. Some sample dialects of this sort are given below.

Ignan (Roaring Flame dialect)

{table=head]DC|Ability

15|Ignite

25|Burning Hands

35|Scorching Ray[/table]

Ignite (Su): The character causes a spark, as if from striking a flint, to jump from their hand (or other appendage) and travel up to one foot in any direction.

Burning Hands (Su): The character duplicates the effects of a Burning Hands spell, except as a Supernatural effect.

Scorching Ray (Su): The character suplicates the effects of a Scorching Ray spell, except as a Supernatural effect.

Celestial (Blessed Touch dialect)

{table=head]DC|Ability

15|Soothing Voice

25|Cure Minor Wounds

35|Cure Light Wounds[/table]

Soothing Voice (Su): The character may use the result of this check-10 instead of a Heal check. The character must still be able to make a Heal check otherwise.

Cure Minor Wounds (Su): The character duplicates the effects of a Cure Light Wounds spell, except as a Supernatural effect and a swift action.

Cure Light Wounds (Su): The character duplicates the effects of a Cure Light Wounds spell, except as a Supernatural effect and a swift action.



Thoughts? The idea came from Truespeaking, but I figured it wouldn't hurt too much to give it out to anyone who wanted to invest (it's cross-class for most people, and even those that it isn't cross-class for get a maximum of four dialects pre-epic, none of which get higher than second level spells generally).

[DragoonWraith]

Do you still get 5 languages when you get a Planar Dialect?

Overall... I dunno, skill checks aren't really supposed to have combat application. Obviously the Truenamer kind of turns that on its head, but to even make those checks requires that you have Utterances.

On the other hand, it's awesome.

[Fortuna]

Yes, the languages are every skill point invested. You need to learn the base language of the dialect normally, but you do still get a language at every skill point.

[Zexion]

A character with a rudimentary grasp of a language must make a Speak Language check against DC 25 whenever they wish to use a Language-Dependant spell or make a skill check requiring speaking that language (such as Diplomacy or Bluff). A character fluent in a language takes no such penalties.

It's not exactly a penalty, it's more of a second skill check. Also you spelt dependent wrong.

BETTER:

A character with a rudimentary grasp of a language must make a Speak Language check against DC 25 whenever they wish to use a Language-Dependent spell or make a skill check requiring speaking that language (such as Diplomacy or Bluff). A character fluent in a language cal speak the language without having to make such checks.

[imp_fireball]

Overall... I dunno, skill checks aren't really supposed to have combat application.

Balance opposes trip, tumble opposes AoO to name a few...

[finalepic]

I like the idea, but I notice that Ignan duplicates a 1st and 2nd level spell while Celestial replicates a 0th and 1st level. Is this intentional? I know it's free healing and all, but does it matter if the healing is 1 point at a time of 1d8+1 points at a time?

Also, what CL are the spells cast at?

[Fortuna]

Thanks.

One thing I want to check: is the third skill point investment in a language reasonable, or should I scrap it? I'm nothing like fluent in anything but English, (working my way toward it for two languages, but a long way to go yet), so I thought I'd ask people who are bi/tri/way-too-much-time-on-their-hands-lingual.

EDIT: Spells are cast at 1/2 your Speak Language ranks, it says in the thingummy.

The healing is swift action healing, and its primary use is to stabilize.

[Lappy9000]

It's a little weird, but it's a lot awesome, so that makes the idea okay in my book. The abilities you chose for each language are nice in that it'd be really simple to create powers for other planar languages.

More mundane languages seem a bit left out, but then again, they're mundane. Good idea, I like it!

[DragoonWraith]

Balance opposes trip, tumble opposes AoO to name a few...

Sorry, they're not supposed to be offensive. Which is why UMD/UPD are the most powerful skills in the game - because they do. They're kind of aberrant that way. And the fact that tumble can be used in combat is another reason why it's one of the best skills, and markedly different from the others.

And Balance does not oppose trip. It's a Str or Dex check opposed by the tripper's Str check.

One thing I want to check: is the third skill point investment in a language reasonable, or should I scrap it? I'm nothing like fluent in anything but English, (working my way toward it for two languages, but a long way to go yet), so I thought I'd ask people who are bi/tri/way-too-much-time-on-their-hands-lingual.

I'd suspect that the biggest problem will be that the majority of settings don't go through the trouble of describing the relationships between languages. Not that it would be overly difficult to map out, just saying.

But I really can't speak to the reality of it too much; the only non-English language I have any real knowledge of is Latin, but I'm not even remotely fluent in that, and cannot follow friends' conversations in French or Spanish based on that knowledge - but probably couldn't follow a conversation in Latin, either, if I found any two people who could have a conversation in it. That said, I've heard stories of plenty of people getting by in France having studied Spanish, or similar.

[Fortuna]

Oh yeah, that reminds me: more extraplanar dialects wouold be appreciated, since that's the WIP part.

[lightningcat]

I'm liking this idea, but maybe they should be Spell-like abilities instead of Supernatural, otherwise they bypass things like Spell Resistance, and don't provoke AoO. And it might just be me, but I think chanting in a strange and unearthly language in the middle of combat should count provoke those.

[Zexion]

One thing I want to check: is the third skill point investment in a language reasonable, or should I scrap it? I'm nothing like fluent in anything but English, (working my way toward it for two languages, but a long way to go yet), so I thought I'd ask people who are bi/tri/way-too-much-time-on-their-hands-lingual.

I speak English, French, Spanish, Latin, the Attican dialect of Ancient Greek, and Chinese, and I don't find it that difficult to learn new languages (I'm working on Korean right now). See, once you learn your second new language, your brain makes it so much easier for you. I learned Latin in about a two and a half months, so you should listen to me.