LANGUAGE RULES
Language Ruleset
Base Concept
Every character speaks at least Common.
At Intelligence 9+, characters know Common + Racial.
Additional languages are gained based on Intelligence score.
Language Acquisition by Intelligence
| Intelligence Score | Languages Known | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 3–8 | 1 | Common only |
| 9–12 | 2 | Common + Racial |
| 13–15 | 3 | Common + Racial + 1 extra |
| 16–17 | 4 | Common + Racial + 2 extra |
| 18–20 | 5 | Common + Racial + 3 extra |
| 21+ | 6+ | Common + Racial + 4 or more (1 extra per point above 21) |
Learning Languages Beyond Starting Slots
Natural Immersion: Living among a group of speakers for 1 year grants fluency.
Tutor Training: With a trained teacher, fluency after 3 months.
Scrolls/Books: Certain scrolls or tomes grant instant permanent fluency.
Magical Means: Spells or glyphs may allow temporary fluency (duration varies by spell).
Language Chart
| Name of Language | Who Speaks It |
|---|---|
| Common | Spoken across Vorrengarde, trade and diplomacy tongue |
| Dwarvish | Dwarves, stonecraft clans |
| Elvish | Elves of deep forests |
| Halfling Cant | Halflings of the world |
| Orcish | Orc tribes, warbands |
| Goblin-Tongue | Goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears |
| Giant-Speech | Giants of the mountains and tundra |
| Trollish | Troll clans, swamp dwellers |
| Gnoll Tongue | Gnoll packs |
| Lizardfolk Dialect | Lizardfolk of southern swamps |
| Serpent-Speech | Yuan-ti, serpent cults |
| Draconic | Dragons and dragonkin |
| Faye-Tongue | Faye creatures, forest spirits |
| Sylvan | Used by dryads, treants, woodland beings |
| Fiendish | Fiends, demons, Abyssal entities |
| Infernal | Devils, pact-bound sorcerers |
| Celestial | Holy orders, angels (rare) |
| Arcane | Mages, scholars of magic |
| Holy Script | Clerics, priests |
| Ley-Speech | Pre-Severing glyph-users, ley beasts |
| Old Vorrengarde | Scholars, archivists of the Fall |
| Meadwyn Trade Cant | Merchants, caravans of old vorrengarde |
| Ashkarthian | Old Soldiers of Ashkarth legions |
| Neurovian | Arc-Knights, scholars |
| Obsindian Court-Tongue | Nobility of Obsindia |
| Halvarethian | Hidden society of Halvareth |
| Pirate | Seafarers, raiders |
| Miner’s Slate | Dwarven mining crews |
| Beast-Speech | Druids, beast-born |
| Elemental Tongues (Fire, Water, Earth, Air) | Elementals, elemental mages |
| Halacanth | Halvreathian public speech |
| Ghoulish | Undead cults, necromancers |
| Crypt-Tongue | Skeletal warriors, liches |
| Pre-Severing Ancient | Lost ruins, elder creatures |
| Leystorm Chant | Corrupted faye, ley-fracture cults |
| Kobold | Kobolds, wyrm-servants |
| Ogre-Tongue | Ogres, brutish tribes |
| Cyclopean | Cyclops , Cyclops seers |
| Harpy Song | Harpies, avian faye |
| Siren Song | Sirens of coastal waters |
| Merfolk Speech | Merfolk, sea elves |
| Kraken-Speech | Pre-Severing sea beasts, deep dwellers |
| Frost-Tongue | Kodiaks, winter beasts |
| Sand-Cant | Desert folk of the east |
| Stone-Rune | Carved dwarvish variant for constructs |
| Sky-Speech | Aarakocra, birdfolk |
| Shadow Cant (Forbidden) | Corrupted entities of the ley |
| Feydark Whispers | Corrupt faye, twisted forest spirits |
Using the Chart
Characters start with Common and their Racial Language (if INT ≥ 9).
Extra language slots may be filled by player choice or DM-guided on the chart.
Some languages (Fiendish, Pre-Severing Ancient, Shadow Cant) may require special approval, since they are rare or dangerous.
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