Secret Tongue
Advanced
Intelligence Skill Group: Acolyte, Administratum, Ecclesiarchy, Gutter, Military, Tech. Other secret tongues may be available at the GM’s discretion. Secret Tongue is used to speak and comprehend a particularly obscure and arcane language known to only those of a specific profession, organisation or class. Secret tongues are more like codes than real languages. By the use of signifiers, body language and code words, users can speak in one tongue but use a secret language to impart deeper meaning or to relay a lot of information quickly. Under normal circumstances, Skill Tests are unnecessary if all speakers know the secret language. They may be required in adverse conditions such as communicating in a noisy venue, or during the chaos of battle. Groups of Acolytes may develop their own coded language, unique to their cell. This is represented by the Secret Tongue (Acolyte) skill.
Acolyte: A pre-arranged series of code phrases and inflections intelligible only to a fellow cell member. Note that each cell of Acolytes has a unique version of this language.
Administratum: A collection of acronyms, jargon and procedural formalities used by the Administratum. Note that this is an exceedingly long- winded language.
Ecclesiarchy: An allegorical language of devotion and politics, full of strange metaphors and specialised High Gothic.
Gutter: A pidgin version of Low Gothic spoken by the lowest levels of Imperial society, incorporating a mishmash of colourful slang terms.
Military: A selection of coded phrases, jargon, references to ancient battles and a surprising number of terms for death.
Tech: The Lingua Technis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, comprising of jargon, binary and in some cases low or high frequency sound waves. A Secret Tongue Test is usually a Free Action.
Alternatively, if you first make a Secret Tongue Test you gain +10 to a subsequent related Cipher Test, representing the multiple layers of meaning and code hidden within the message.
Intelligence Skill Group: Acolyte, Administratum, Ecclesiarchy, Gutter, Military, Tech. Other secret tongues may be available at the GM’s discretion. Secret Tongue is used to speak and comprehend a particularly obscure and arcane language known to only those of a specific profession, organisation or class. Secret tongues are more like codes than real languages. By the use of signifiers, body language and code words, users can speak in one tongue but use a secret language to impart deeper meaning or to relay a lot of information quickly. Under normal circumstances, Skill Tests are unnecessary if all speakers know the secret language. They may be required in adverse conditions such as communicating in a noisy venue, or during the chaos of battle. Groups of Acolytes may develop their own coded language, unique to their cell. This is represented by the Secret Tongue (Acolyte) skill.
Acolyte: A pre-arranged series of code phrases and inflections intelligible only to a fellow cell member. Note that each cell of Acolytes has a unique version of this language.
Administratum: A collection of acronyms, jargon and procedural formalities used by the Administratum. Note that this is an exceedingly long- winded language.
Ecclesiarchy: An allegorical language of devotion and politics, full of strange metaphors and specialised High Gothic.
Gutter: A pidgin version of Low Gothic spoken by the lowest levels of Imperial society, incorporating a mishmash of colourful slang terms.
Military: A selection of coded phrases, jargon, references to ancient battles and a surprising number of terms for death.
Tech: The Lingua Technis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, comprising of jargon, binary and in some cases low or high frequency sound waves. A Secret Tongue Test is usually a Free Action.
Ciphers
Although much of the meaning of a secret tongue requires body language and verbal intonations, it can be conveyed as part of a crude cipher. You may make a Difficult (–10) Secret Tongue Test instead of a Cipher Test.Alternatively, if you first make a Secret Tongue Test you gain +10 to a subsequent related Cipher Test, representing the multiple layers of meaning and code hidden within the message.
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