4e:Strange Linguistics

This variant rule provides more depth to the languages system by replacing the basic unknown/known binary into unknown/known/fluent.

To a character...

• an unknown language is one they cannot understand at all, either when spoken or read. Writing it is out of the question.
• a known language is one they have only a general understanding of, either when spoken or read. Complex words may be outside their knowledge. They cannot write anything except the simplest short sentences if they wish to be understood.
• a fluent language is their mother tongue, or one they know just as well.

For every language your character should know (including open options such as "choice of one other"), gain 2 points of fluency. For one point, you gain known understanding of a language. For two points, you gain fluent understanding of a language. You can also use one point to improve a known language to a fluent language.

Particularly difficult or archaic languages might take extra points of fluency to learn.