Learning a New Language

In Dungeons and Dragons 5e, gaining a new language requires a trainer capable of teaching you that language and 250 days of training to master the language. There is also a training cost of 1GP/day of training required.
However, in order to demonstrate growing proficiency with a language in game terms, the following hybrid system will be used.
Levels of Competency
As you learn a new language, you gain some proficiency with it, and move from basic words, to phrases, to sentences, to complex meaning, and finally fluency.
You are considered fluent with any of the languages present on your character sheet at the start of the game. In addition, some particular class features or spells may grant you temporary or permanent fluency in a particular language. However, for languages you are not fluent in at the start of the game, learning them requires progression through escalating levels of competency. Competency is gained in the following order: Exposed, Passable, Adequate, Advanced, and Fluent. Each level has a corresponding DC for language-deciphering tasks, which use your intelligence modifier to determine pass or fail. Language challenges are divided into three types: Simple Translation, Complex Translation, and Esoteric Translation. See below for descriptions of the language competency levels and types of translation.

• Exposed Competency is your first exposure to the language and is gained after only a small amount of study. Exposed Competency is granted to a player character after 10 full days of studying with a qualified trainer in the chosen language.
• Passable Competency is gained after training and independent study for a total of 60 days, and represents the ability to understand the fundamentals of a given language.
• Adequate Competency is reached at 120 days of study, and represents an ability to use the language competently, if not elegantly, in most simple situations.
• Advanced Competency is reached after 180 days of study, and represents an ability to use the language competently and smoothly in simple and complex situations.
• Fluent Competency is reached after 250 total days of study, and represents complete mastery of the language.
• Simple Translation refers to everyday speech, common parlance in the chosen language, and translation of speech and written word that is not complex, flowery, or filled with difficult concepts.
• Complex Translation refers to very proper speech, difficult concepts, or more obscure vocabulary in the chosen language, either as spoken or as written.
• Esoteric Translation refers to writings and concepts that are written in archaic, coded, or intentionally complex versions of the language.

Studying a Language
Grasping the basics of a new language is hard work, and requires guidance by either a trainer fluent in the language or some other form of instruction, such as a book, which details how to learn the language. Therefore, hiring a trainer is the first step to gaining Exposure to the language.
Your DM will instruct you on what may be necessary to hire a trainer for a language - it can be recruiting someone you know is fluent in the language during downtime, or may require investigation in order to find a suitable trainer. Once a suitable trainer is located, there is a minimum starting cost of 50 GP of time and supplies from the trainer, and you must spend 10 days in dedicated training with the chosen trainer (assuming 8 hours of work a day) in order to gain the Exposed Competency. No intelligence check is necessary for exposure, only the GP cost and time.
Once you have gained the first level in competency in a language, there are several ways to progress and continue to move up competency levels. The most common way to do so is simply to study the language, which takes 1 hour per day for the total number of days needed to reach the next level of competency. For example, if you have been exposed to a language and study for a minimum of 60 days, you are ready to move onto the Passable level of competency.
However, as your competency increases, your time at study and ability to understand the concepts needed to fully grasp the language also increases. Upon reaching the necessary study time to reach Adequate Competency, instead of gaining the new competency level immediately, you must succeed on an intelligence check with a set DC in order to gain the new competency level. On a success, you gain the next competency level immediately; on a failure, you must study for an additional 5 days and attempt the check again. Each failure requires an additional 5 days of study before the check can be repeated. Follow the same steps to advance competency for each further level. Spells or temporary effects that boost or give advantage on intelligence checks do not apply to competency checks for learning a new language.
Advanced Progression
While studying consistently over time is the most direct way of learning a new language, those with higher intelligence can take shortcuts and study more decisively to advance through the competency ranks faster.
Once you have reached half of the necessary study time to advance to the next competency level, you can attempt to leap ahead in your studies by representing a quick intellectual grasp of the needed concepts. Make an intelligence check with the DC given for Advanced Progression - on a success, you are able to advance to the next competency level immediately. On a failure, you must continue studying as normal for the full number of days required for competency to advance.
Using Trainers to advance progression
Another effective way to shorten the time required to study a language is to recruit a trainer and work with them consistently. Consistent training after you have been exposed adequately to the language has a base cost of 2 GP per hour of training, and each hour of training completed with a trainer counts as a day of training towards your next level of competency. You may only train a maximum of four hours a day with a given trainer, and after those four hours you gain one level of exhaustion
Competency and Translation Table

Competency	Competency DC	Advanced Progression DC	Days Required for Competency (total)	Simple Translation DC	Complex Translation DC	Esoteric Translation DC
Exposed	None	None	10	DC 18	Cannot Attempt	Cannot Attempt
Passable	None	DC 18	60	DC 14	DC 18	Cannot Attempt
Adequate	DC 14	DC 21	120	Pass	DC 14	DC 22
Advanced	DC 16	DC 23	180	Pass	Pass	DC 20
Fluent	DC 18	DC 25	250	Pass	Pass	DM Discretion

Types of Languages
Some languages are much more easy to gain fluency in than others - this corresponds to some languages being more complex, more archaic, or just not well used in the world. Because of this, languages are divided into three types of languages: Common, Uncommon, and Obscure.
Keep in mind that how commonly used a language is in the world is not the only factor that decides its complexity. Some languages, such as Draconic, are quite common in Totalis Terra, but are also a complex language to learn, meaning that it falls in the Uncommon language category. Similarly, by usage Thieves' Cant is considered an uncommon language, but knowledge of its structure and workings is highly guarded, meaning it falls into the Obscure category. Orc, while not commonly spoken, is a simple language to master and is therefore considered common.
As languages become more uncommon or harder to master, the DC for checks related to language competency escalate. In addition, languages that are uncommon or archaic are much harder to find trainers for in the world, especially outside of areas of specific academic study. In practical terms, add +2 to any competency or advanced progression DCs for uncommon languages, and +4 to those checks for obscure languages. There is nothing added to the DC of translation checks for these languages based on how uncommon or common the language is, the escalating difficulty only applies to the difficulty learning the language, not the use of it once competency is gained.

Common (Straight DC)	Uncommon (+2 DC)	Obscure (+4 DC)
Common, Dwarvish, Gnomish, Halfling, Orc	Elvish, Goblin, Draconic, Undercommon	Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, Deep Speech, Primordial (all dialects), Sylvan, Thieves Cant

Additionally, there are some languages that are considered root languages: mastery over these languages will impact the learning of languages that share the same root, lowering the DC if you have mastery over another language in the root language category. While attempting to gain competency in a language where you have fluency in another language in the same root category, all competency and advanced progression DCs are reduced by 2.

Elven Root	Fiendish Root	Fey Root	Arcane Root
Elvish, Gnomish, Goblin, Undercommon	Abyssal, Infernal	Primordial (all dialects), Sylvan	Draconic, Celestial, Deep Speech