Speak Language Skill vs. Bonus Languages

[chogenkiboy]

Selecting intelligence bonus languages based on race in the Background tab seems to work fine (including Languages Allowed for a custom race), but when I select Speak Language as a skill, I'm forced to go back to the Background tab and choose from leftover racial bonus languages. Unless I’m mistaken, the skill should enable a character to choose from any allowable campaign language.

Ideally, I think selecting Speak Language should trigger a dialog box to select any campaign language not already known (seems more intuitive than going back to background). However, if the language selection for a Speak Language skill will still be chosen in the Background tab (I realize this might be easier to implement within the existing architecture), the selection list should be any campaign language not already known.

Thanks,
Cho-genki-boy

 

[chogenkiboy]

Also, the Speak Language skill is a class skill for Bard ONLY. The SRD in Hero Lab is incorrect.
Cheers,
Cho-genki-boy

 

[rob]

At 09:53 PM 2/2/2007, you wrote:

Selecting intelligence bonus languages based on race in the Background tab seems to work fine (including Languages Allowed for a custom race), but when I select Speak Language as a skill, I'm forced to go back to the Background tab and choose from leftover racial bonus languages. Unless I’m mistaken, the skill should enable a character to choose from any allowable campaign language.

Ideally, I think selecting Speak Language should trigger a dialog box to select any campaign language not already known (seems more intuitive than going back to background). However, if the language selection for a Speak Language skill will still be chosen in the Background tab (I realize this might be easier to implement within the existing architecture), the selection list should be any campaign language not already known.

Since the Skills tab merely assigns skill points to languages, they must still be selected somewhere. So selecting them on the Background tab is easiest way of handling this. However, this brings up the issue of distinguishing race/class restricted languages from "any" language when skill points are used.

Perhaps a better solution here would be to change the way that skill points are allocated to languages. Instead of assigning skill points to a single total, languages could be handled like a Knowledge:Other skill. When you add the skill, it requires you assign the proper skill points, plus it uses a menu to choose which language is learned via the skill.

What do you think?

-Rob

NOTE! Doing this will BREAK existing characters. The current skill would go away, so any points assigned to it will disappear and the character will have to be corrected to the new method. Existing portfolios should still load fine, except for the hero needing to be fixed after the load.

 

[Colen]

At 04:00 PM 2/3/2007, you wrote:

>Selecting intelligence bonus languages based on race in the
>Background tab seems to work fine (including Languages Allowed for a
>custom race), but when I select Speak Language as a skill, I'm
>forced to go back to the Background tab and choose from leftover
>racial bonus languages. Unless I'm mistaken, the skill should enable
>a character to choose from any allowable campaign language.


I think the best solution would be to have two sets of languages on
the background tab - one for 'starting languages', and one for
'further languages' that could be learned by spending points on the
Speak Language skill.


>Ideally, I think selecting Speak Language should trigger a dialog
>box to select any campaign language not already known (seems more
>intuitive than going back to background). However, if the language
>selection for a Speak Language skill will still be chosen in the
>Background tab (I realize this might be easier to implement within
>the existing architecture), the selection list should be any
>campaign language not already known.


The thing I don't like about doing this is that you'd end up with 3
different 'speak language' skills if you wanted to speak 3 extra
languages, which would take up valuable space on the 'skills' screen,
in which space is already at a premium.



--
Colen McAlister (colen@wolflair.com)
Chief Engineer, Lone Wolf Development
http://www.wolflair.com/

 

[chogenkiboy]

A separate list on the Background screen is fine... I'm guessing the red text/validation warning will remind users when a language choice is still pending... the biggest concerns are restoring the ability to choose non-bonus languages and correcting the skill point cost.

BTW, per PHB pg. 57, the Wizard may substitute Draconic for one of the bonus languages available to the character... might be easier just to add it as a background choice since most characters won't get enough bonuses to choose everything... maybe add a comment within the XML in case someone questions it later.

Thanks!

 

[Colen]

At 08:51 AM 2/7/2007, you wrote:

>A separate list on the Background screen is fine... I'm guessing the
>red text/validation warning will remind users when a language choice
>is still pending... the biggest concerns are restoring the ability
>to choose non-bonus languages and correcting the skill point cost.


That should hopefully be something we fix soon.


>BTW, per PHB pg. 57, the Wizard may substitute Draconic for one of
>the bonus languages available to the character... might be easier
>just to add it as a background choice since most characters won't
>get enough bonuses to choose everything... maybe add a comment
>within the XML in case someone questions it later.


I think this is currently working; it looks like Wizards can take
Draconic as a bonus language right now.


Here's another question... if my intelligence score is less than ten,
do I start off with fewer languages than normal? I assume not, but it
never says...



--
Colen McAlister (colen@wolflair.com)
Chief Engineer, Lone Wolf Development
http://www.wolflair.com/

 

[DannyBoy2k]

Heh. No. You're always able to speak your base language(s).