[Mazes & Minotaurs] Languages house rule

My current Mazes & Minotaurs campaign started out with a more-or-less historical ancient world as its setting. Therefore I wanted to include some of the cultural and linguistic background of the ancient world. I ended up dividing up the languages into groups. The grouping is rather broad, but it works in the framework of the game, where the player characters are (mostly) Greek. And I think for a game with this premise it's okay to simplify things and keep the division between "Greeks", "barbarians", and "the East". "Ancient" languages (that is, languages that are "extinct", like Minoan) are not currently accounted for.

This houserule makes languages MATTER, but without bogging down the game with too much extra rules or bookkeeping.

Individual languages aren’t tracked, but there are three language groups and a catch-all skill for reading and writing.

Greek. The default language. All player characters (except Amazons and Barbarians with a negative Wits modifier) are assumed to know Greek.

Oriental. The languages of the cultures of the Near East: Egyptian, Akkadian, Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, etc. Greeks merchants and sailors learn them by interacting with other nations, mercenaries serve in the armies of Eastern kings, mystics and scholars search for wisdom.

Barbaric. All the languages of the peoples of Europe, Asia Minor and the mountains, steppes and deserts of Asia and Africa. Examples: Scythian, Cimmerian, Thracian, Pelasgian, Macedonian, Phrygian, Lydian, Carian, Lemnian, Etruscan, Celtic, Old Latin, Umbrian, Berberian… and the tongues of sentient wilderness creatures! Greeks learn these languages if they have dealings with neighboring tribes, or come from a mixed Greek-Barbaric family.

Literacy. The Greek world has only recently emerged from the Dark Ages. The Greek alphabet is still under development, but there are of course many writing systems available. To avoid complexity, if a character buys this skill, they are considered literate in all writing systems for the languages they know.

Starting languages:

Characters get a number of “language points” equal to their Wits modifier. For each point, they can buy one group from those available for their class (see table below). For example, a Noble with +2 Wits knows Greek and buys Oriental and Literacy.

Δ = the class starts with this language.

Δ* = the class starts with this language if their Wits modifier is zero or positive.

‡ = the class may buy this language with their language points.

	Language availability
Class	Greek	Barbaric	Oriental	Literacy
Amazons	Δ*	Δ
Barbarians	Δ*	Δ
Centaurs	Δ*	Δ
Nobles	Δ	‡	‡	‡
Spearmen	Δ	‡	‡
Elementalists	Δ		‡	‡
Lyrists	Δ	‡	‡
Nymphs	Δ	‡	‡
Priests	Δ		‡	‡
Sorcerers	Δ		‡	‡
Hunters	Δ	‡
Thieves	Δ	‡

 

Leaning new languages:

Characters may learn foreign words, basic sentences, or even a couple of written signs during the game. However, they can only buy a new language group or literacy if their Wits modifier increases through level advancement.

[Magic Item] The Beastly Crown

Here's a quick magic item to celebrate the beginning of another cycle!

The Beastly Crown

A wrought-iron wreath with thorns and claws and fangs. Ordinary animals and their “giant” versions become more amiable to the wearer of the Crown: make Reaction rolls using 3d6, but drop the lowest die. When encountering a new kind of ordinary animal (or its “giant” version), the wearer may roll a Language skill check (for non-LotFP systems – roll a d6, chance of success is [1 + Intelligence bonus]-in-6). 

On a success, the wearer learns the animal’s language, can communicate with it (as per the spell Speak with Animals), and will also retain knowledge of this language as long as the crown is worn. Taking off the crown (even for a split second) erases all the known animal languages. 

If the Language skill check is a failure, the wearer must save against Magic or take on a random feature of the animal's appearance.