Sign Language
A character with this proficiency can communicate with hand movements instead of speech. Sign language can convey messages of the same complexity and nuance as a spoken language, providing the participants can see each other’s hands. If two characters with this proficiency wish to communicate, both must make proficiency checks. If both succeed, they may use sign language to silently converse for a full round. They may continue their conversation by making successful checks on subsequent rounds. During a round when either character fails his check, the communication is garbled; the sender’s finger movements weren’t precise, the receiver wasn’t paying attention, or something blocked the line of sight. On a natural roll of 20, the receiver interprets the message as the opposite of what the sender intended.
A character with this proficiency may also try to convey a simple message to a character without the proficiency. The player must first whisper the phrase to the DM, who decides if the phrase is acceptable. Acceptable phrases include “Don’t move,” “Follow me,” and “I’m hurt.” Complicated phrases or those containing proper nouns are unacceptable, such as “My name is Grog,” “Take three steps north, then look up,” and “We can find the antidote in Elk Valley .” If the DM deems the phrase unacceptable, sign language can’t be attempted; no proficiency check is necessary. If the DM allows the phrase, the character makes a check. If the check succeeds, the phrase is successfully communicated. If the check fails, the phrase is garbled. On a natural roll of 20, the receiver misunderstands the phrase, interpreting it as the opposite of its actual meaning. A character can’t attempt to communicate the same phrase more than once to the same recipient.
Sign language is most frequently used by dwarves who were engaged in long running warfare with other dwarves or races. Dwarven sign language tends to be more complex and allows far more expressions and more complex sentences. If a Dwarf is signing, a +2 bonus should be used when giving short, easily recognized commands. More detailed signals require a -1 modifier.
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