Been looking at altering this so the base Language/Native is spoken and having a written version being at about half this level.
So for example a Barbarian Mercenary has Language/Native of 79% he'd be able to read and write in his chosen native language at half this (rounded up) at 40%.
However thats where I'm focusing this question at.
In the game i ran one PC (Lord James) managed a Language check so I gave him Language/Latin at base level but this raised a query from another player and it got me thinking that what i should have done was developed this separation of Read & Write from Spoken Language.
What I am considering is letting the Barbarian PCs have Read & Write Norse at half their native language level and the nobles have Read & Write Latin instead since they're of different cultures and although this might be unnecessary if would open up another area to develop, that of scrolls.
I'm trying to run a low magic campaign where the only spellcasters would be the usual spellcasting professions so no common magic is available.
Most of the magic they have is either enchanted items recovered froma crypt or potions bought from their village.
Their equipment is bronze but the blacksmith recently got access to four ingots of steel and I'm looking at giving him a means of developing this ala Conan with the original movie's talk about the secret of steel by having him come into possession of scrolls hinting at the process perhaps even how to enchant weapons (eventually and by that a long way off yet) but using the above i figured they be written in ancient Norse so that its something only a barbarian character would recognise as important.
The previous adventure had them delve a crypt where they came across a number of carving and writings talking about an ancient cataclysm and a war against the forces of darkness which is where I allowed one PC to gain access to the Latin Language.
Is this going too far?
So for example a Barbarian Mercenary has Language/Native of 79% he'd be able to read and write in his chosen native language at half this (rounded up) at 40%.
However thats where I'm focusing this question at.
In the game i ran one PC (Lord James) managed a Language check so I gave him Language/Latin at base level but this raised a query from another player and it got me thinking that what i should have done was developed this separation of Read & Write from Spoken Language.
What I am considering is letting the Barbarian PCs have Read & Write Norse at half their native language level and the nobles have Read & Write Latin instead since they're of different cultures and although this might be unnecessary if would open up another area to develop, that of scrolls.
I'm trying to run a low magic campaign where the only spellcasters would be the usual spellcasting professions so no common magic is available.
Most of the magic they have is either enchanted items recovered froma crypt or potions bought from their village.
Their equipment is bronze but the blacksmith recently got access to four ingots of steel and I'm looking at giving him a means of developing this ala Conan with the original movie's talk about the secret of steel by having him come into possession of scrolls hinting at the process perhaps even how to enchant weapons (eventually and by that a long way off yet) but using the above i figured they be written in ancient Norse so that its something only a barbarian character would recognise as important.
The previous adventure had them delve a crypt where they came across a number of carving and writings talking about an ancient cataclysm and a war against the forces of darkness which is where I allowed one PC to gain access to the Latin Language.
Is this going too far?
