You are skilled at working with language, in both its spoken and written forms. You can speak multiple languages, and can decipher nearly any tongue given enough time. Your skill in writing allows you to create and detect forgeries as well.
Check
You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form. The base DC is 20 for the simplest messages, 25 for standard texts, and 30 or higher for intricate, exotic, or very old writing. If the check succeeds, you understand the general content of a piece of writing about one page long (or the equivalent). If the check fails, make a DC 5 Wisdom check to see if you avoid drawing a false conclusion about the text. (Success means that you do not draw a false conclusion; failure means that you do.)
Both the Linguistics check and (if necessary) the Wisdom check are made secretly by the GM, so that you can't tell whether the conclusion you draw is true or false.
See below.
Action
Varies. Deciphering a page of ordinary text takes 1 minute (10 consecutive rounds). Creating a forgery can take anywhere from 1 minute to 1d4 minutes per page. Detecting a forgery using Linguistics takes 1 round of examination per page.
Try Again
Yes.
Special
You must be trained to use this skill, but you can always attempt to read archaic and strange forms of your own racial bonus languages. In addition, you can also always attempt to detect a forgery.
Create or Detect ForgeriesForgery requires writing materials appropriate to the document being forged. To forge a document on which the handwriting is not specific to a person, you need only to have seen a similar document before, and you gain a +8 bonus on your check. To forge a signature, you need an autograph of that person to copy, and you gain a +4 bonus on the check. To forge a longer document written in the hand of some particular person, a large sample of that person's handwriting is needed. The Linguistics check is made secretly, so that you're not sure how good your forgery is. As with Disguise, you don't make a check until someone examines the work. Your Linguistics check is opposed by the Linguistics check of the person who examines the document to verify its authenticity. The examiner gains modifiers if any of the conditions are listed on the table above. Table: Detecting Forgeries
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Learn a LanguageWhenever you put a rank into this skill, you learn to speak and read a new language. Common languages (and their typical speakers) are listed below. Note: Some of the languages listed below are specific to the Golarion Campaign Setting. They are provided here both as a resource for those playing in the Golarion Campaign Setting and as ideas for types of languages a GM might create for his own world. Aboleth
Spoken By: Aboleth and other deep sea (aquatic) aberrations. Source: Bestiary 1 Abyssal
Spoken By: Demons and other chaotic evil outsiders The language of demons, Abyssal is often spoken by evil spirits. Aklo
Spoken By: Derro, inhuman or otherworldly monsters, evil fey. This ancient tongue is spoken by the denizens of the Darklands, strange eldritch entities, and certain ancient intruders from the First World. Ancient Osiriani
Spoken By: The ancient Osiriani people. This precursor to modern Osiriani shares many similarities and differs mainly in its hieroglyphics and lexicon. Speakers of this tongue can speak modern Osiriani, but with an archaic accent. Source: Inner Sea World Guide Aquan ("Tongue of the Sea")
Spoken By: Aquatic creatures, water-based creatures The so-called “tongue of the sea” is spoken primarily in the sunken nation of the locathahs— those who trade frequently with the ocean empires often speak this tongue as well. Auran ("Tongue of the Heavens")
Spoken By: Flying creatures, air-based creatures A soft-spoken, breathy language, also known as the “tongue of the heavens.” Azlanti
Spoken By: The Azlanti people. One of the most widely spoken languages of its time, Azlanti became the basis for dozens of languages all over Avistan and Garund. Source: Inner Sea World Guide Boggard
Spoken By: Boggards. Source: Bestiary 1 Celestial
Spoken By: Angels and other good outsiders. The language of angels. Common
Spoken By: humans and the other core races Cyclops
Spoken By: Cyclops and their kin. Once the ancient language of the giants, this tongue was created before the rise of humanity by the cyclopes of Ghol-gan. Source: Bestiary 1 Dark Folk
Spoken By: Dark creepers, dark slayers, and dark stalkers (creatures of the Dark Folk subtype.) Source: Bestiary 1 Draconic
Spoken By: dragons, reptilian humanoids Drow Sign Language
Used By: Drow. Like Druidic, drow sign language is a "secret" language. Druidic
Spoken By: Druids (only) Druidic is a secret language known only to druids. It is a free language for a druid; that is, it doesn't take up a language slot. Druids are forbidden to teach this language to nondruids and has its own alphabet. Dwarven
Spoken By: Dwarves. D’ziriak
Spoken By: D’ziriak. The insectoid d'ziriak language consists of buzzes and chitters. It is an obscure one known by few outside their race. Source: Bestiary 2 Elven
Spoken By: Elves, half-elves Giant
Spoken By: Cyclopses, ettins, giants, ogres, trolls This brutish tongue and its numerous minor variants are spoken in any region where the wrath of giants is known. Gnoll
Spoken By: Gnolls Gnome
Spoken By: Gnomes Goblin
Spoken By: Bugbears, goblins, hobgoblins The official language of hobgoblins, this dialect is similar to the Goblin tongue. Grippli
Spoken By: Grippli. Source: Bestiary 2 Halfling
Spoken By: Halflings Ignan ("Tongue of Fire")
Spoken By: Fire-based creatures Also called the “tongue of fire.” Infernal
Spoken By: Devils and other lawful evil outsiders The language of devils is often spoken by evil spirits. Necril
Spoken By: undead An ancient language of the dead, this whispering tongue is shared among undead throughout Golarion, and is also often associated with necromancy. Orc
Spoken By: Orcs, half-orcs Protean
Spoken By: Proteans. Like the proteans chaotic nature, the protean language itself is mutable, evolving so quickly that few outsiders can understand it without magical aid. Source: Bestiary 2 Shadowtongue
Spoken By: Residents of Nidal. Shadowtongue is a mix of Infernal, Azlanti, and Common, and is rarely spoken beyond Nidal’s borders. Source: Inner Sea World Guide Sphinx
Spoken By: Sphinxes. Source: Bestiary 1 Sylvan
Spoken By: Centaurs, fey creatures, plant creatures, unicorns. The language of the fey. Tengu
Spoken By: Tengu The official language of the tengu race. Source: Bestiary 1 Terran ("Tongue of Earth")
Spoken By: Earth-based creatures. Also called the “tongue of earth.” Treant
Spoken By: Treants. Source: Bestiary 1 Undercommon
Spoken By: Drow, duergar, morlocks, svirfneblin. This language is derived from an ancient combination of Elven and even older tongues. Vegepygmy
Used By: Vegepygmies. Vegepygmy is not a spoken language since Vegepygmies cannot speak. They communicate via a crude language of rhythmic taps, beats, and clicks. Source: Bestiary 1 |
