Mimic

[dier_cire]

The thing about translating a language is that it's not just this word means this. you have to know the grammer and context in how things are. "he killed Bob" could mean Bob killed him in one language and vice versa. This is extremely hard to represent in game.

The hard part possibly translating without skill in game is that the npcs aren't going to always have an untranslated copy. So the pc would have to give them all their notes, then the npc would have to see if they have the words, etc. It gets too clunky to work well.

I still think that once you've deciphered a language, you should have the ability to swap it out with one of your known languages just like you do skills. (like if I'm Daniel and I've been deciphering ancient so many times my head spins, eventually I'll just unlearn say Egytian, and learn Ancient as a language. Now if/when I ever get to Atlantis I'm all set. Course if I go back to Abydos I'm screwed)

And I'm not sure either way on the globalized read/write. It's neat but how many people would really use it? Especially if people were allowed to swap languages?

[Zydana]

This topic was currently brought up again. Unfortunatly, when it was asked long ago, there had been no clarification on the subject.

I feel like I might get shot for asking this one.

Mimic
With this skill the Sage may mimic ANY first level Discipline or Path except for wilderness survival, Alchemy, and Arcane. It takes a half an hour to receive the skill, but the skill lasts until you mimic a different skill. Any armor restriction of the mimicked skill does apply.

As ANY is in all caps and sage skills are not on the exception list...

Basic Sage skill

Read/write
This skill allows you to read\write 2
languages.

Master Sage skill

Decipher Script
A Sage may know any language by spending 1 hour on the words. Once deciphered the Sage would need to write the translation on another piece of paper OR the Sage will need to decipher it again the next time the words wish to be read.

Why would a sage spend an hour to know one language for a few minutes when they can learn two languages in a half hour and know it for as long as they have it mimiced??

Is there a difference in the two? I mean, do you have to be able to reconize the language you want to be able to read/write and the Decipher script lets you read an unknown language?

Also, it was asked when "With this skill the Sage may mimic ANY first level Discipline or Path except for wilderness survival, Alchemy, and Arcane." When it says that you can mimic any first level path does that mean you can mimic the path or just one of the path skills? It says you can mimic any first level path so it sound like you are getting the whole basic path abilities. This person doesn't fequent the boards often so they would like the clarification.

[GM_Chris]

it is 1 skill at a time not an entire basic path

[Zydana]

that's what I thought but they pointed out that it seemed like it was worded the other way.

What about mimic read/write VS decipher script?

[GM-Mike]

The time on decipher script will be dramatically changed in the offseason so I believe this will be moot

[Zydana]

good to know, thanks.

[Eilonwy]

it is 1 skill at a time not an entire basic path

1 skill at a time, but 1 chosen from any listed in the basic path? Sorry if this is a strange question but someone asked me to double check with the GM's in case I had heard wrong.

[GM-Mike]

Any basic path skill, yes

[Eilonwy]

Thanks. I will pass it on to the gypsy...

[Kalphoenix]

Oh, and just my two bits (I know this was commented on in the thread), but I wouldn't mind seeing something on buying extra languages as well.

I always thought you could buy additional languages later for 10 points a piece (like during creation), but I guess I was wrong. I think that's a reasonable cost though for the language...it's not like you are just learning the minor points of the language, you are LEARNING the language, nuances and all, which makes it a little more pricy. I think much more than that would be a little too expensive though.

[Todd]

Ok. Assuming you take Read/Write at Character Creation, anyone can start with One language.
Sages learn Two more languages with their Basic Path, giving them a possible Three languages.*
Anyone else who might like to can purchase the Read/Write skill for 20 points (after spending 20 points on Research). Giving them a possible Three as well but at the cost of 40 additional EXP.
Now, at Master Path the Sage also gets the Decypher Script skill, So they can translate ANY language.

Now I have this question to throw a wrench in the works...

Why is Decypher Script a skill?
Wouldnt it be just as easy to 'Mimic' Read/Write again?

And if you can Mymic Read/Write, and as the rules state...

..the skill lasts until you mimic a different skill

A Master Sage could Mymic at the begining of the event, and have 5 Languages total.

[Onimaster]

Well, decipher script also works for codes beyond basic languages.

I think maybe we should look at the read/write, mimic, decipher tree and see if maybe we can come up with either specific instances when you can't use one and need the other, or ways they can improve performance.

Like, I could see a limitation on Mimic that you can't pretend to have a skill you already actually posses. Just like you can't double up on disguise multiple times for other races. So, they couldn't mimic read/write because they have it under basic sage.

[Todd]

I see what your saying, but the rules arent clear on it.

Playing devil advocate.. are you really using the same skill?

I can read, Common Elven & Gavin, and I Mimic to read Gnome & Avayana.

Its not like Im reading the same language faster or anything.