You are skilled at working with language, in both its spoken and written forms. You can speak multiple languages, and can decipher nearly any tongue given enough time. Your skill in writing allows you to create and detect forgeries as well.
Create or Detect Forgeries
Use this skill to fake a written order from the duchess instructing a jailer to release prisoners, to create an authentic-looking treasure map, or to detect forgeries that others try to pass off.
Forgery requires writing materials appropriate to the document being forged, enough light or sufficient visual acuity to see the details of what you're writing, wax for seals (if appropriate), and some time. To forge a document on which the handwriting is not specific to a person (military orders, a government decree, a business ledger, or the like), you need only to have seen a similar document before, and you gain a +8 bonus on your check. To forge a signature, you need an autograph of that person to copy, and you gain a +4 bonus on the check. To forge a longer document written in the hand of some particular person, a large sample of that person's handwriting is needed.
The Forgery check is made secretly, so that you're not sure how good your forgery is. As with
Disguise, you don't even need to make a check until someone examines the work. Your Forgery check is opposed by the Forgery check of the person who examines the document to check its authenticity. The examiner gains
Modifiers on their check if any of the conditions on the Forgery Check Modifiers table exist.
Action: Detecting a forgery takes 1 round of examination per page. Crafting a forgery takes anywhere from 1 minute to 1d4 minutes per page, depending on the complexity of the document.
Try Again: A retry is never possible after a particular reader detects a particular forgery. But the document created by the forger might still fool someone else. The result of a Forgery check for a particular document must be used for every instance of a different reader examining the document. No reader can attempt to detect a particular forgery more than once; all further checks produce the same result, even if they're suspicious about the document.
Restrictions: You must be trained to use this skill, but you can attempt to detect a forgery untrained. Forgery is language-dependent; thus, to forge documents and detect forgeries, you must be able to read and write the language in question. A
Barbarian can't learn the Forgery skill unless he has learned to read and write.
Special: A document that contradicts procedure, orders, or previous knowledge, or one that requires sacrifice on the part of the person checking the document can increase that character's suspicion (and thus create favorable circumstances for the checker's opposing Forgery check).
Decipher Script
You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form. The base DC is 20 for the simplest messages, 25 for standard texts, and 30 or higher for intricate, exotic, or very old writing.
If the check succeeds, you understand the general content of a piece of writing about one page long (or the equivalent). If the check fails, make a DC 5
Wisdom check to see if you avoid drawing a false conclusion about the text. (Success means that you do not draw a false conclusion; failure means that you do.)
Both the Linguistics check and (if necessary) the
Wisdom check are made secretly, so that you can't tell whether the conclusion you draw is true or false.
Action: Deciphering a page of ordinary text takes 1 minute (10 consecutive rounds).
Try Again: Yes, but further attempts take significantly more time. Each attempt beyond your first to decipher a script takes a day's worth of uninterrupted work.
Restrictions: You must be trained to use this skill, but you can attempt to decipher a script of an archaic or strange form of your own race's bonus languages untrained.
Create or Decode a Cipher
You can use the Linguistics skill to create a private cipher. This code system allows you (or anyone with the proper key) to record information without the risk of others reading it. Any document you create using your private cipher can be read only by you or someone who has the proper decoding information. Other characters with ranks in the Linguistics skill can attempt to decipher the code. The DC for such a decoding attempt is 10 + your total skill modifier at the time that you create the cipher. (In effect, you "take 10" on a skill check to create the cipher, and those attempting to decode it make a Linguistics check opposed by your take 10 result.)
Action: Creating a cipher takes 10 minutes per page of text. Decoding a cipher takes 1 hour of uninterrupted work. Deciphering text takes 1 minute per page once the decoding information is known.
Try Again: Creating a cipher has no check, and thus cannot be retried. Decoding a cipher can be retried, but further attempts take significantly more time. Each attempt beyond your first to decode a cipher takes a day's worth of uninterrupted work.
Special: The degree of success when decoding a cipher can reduce the time required to do so. A success by 5 or more reduces the time required from 1 hour to 30 minutes. Success by 10 or more reduces the time to 10 minutes, and success by 15 or more reduces the time required to 1 minute. After the cipher is decoded, you must still spend the time deciphering the text (1 minute per page).
Learn a Language
Whenever you put a rank into this skill, you learn to speak and read a new language. Common languages (and their typical speakers) are listed on the common languages table.
Skill Unlock
A character who selects this skill for the Signature Skill feat or a
Rogue who selects it for their Rogue's Edge class ability gains the following abilities when they reach the designated number of ranks in this skill:
- 5 Ranks: You can use Linguistics instead of Sense Motive to intercept and interpret secret messages (see the Bluff skill). You gain a +1 Insight Bonus on Perception and Disable Device checks to detect or Disarm written magical traps. This bonus increases by 1 for every 5 ranks beyond 5 you possess in Linguistics.
- 10 Ranks: If you succeed at a Linguistics check by at least 10 when examining writing, you can learn the precise meaning rather than general content, and you never draw false conclusions on a failed check. A successful DC 30 Linguistics check reveals the general meaning of speech, a successful DC 35 check reveals 1d4 pieces of specific information, and a successful DC 40 check reveals exact meaning.
- 15 Ranks: You can decipher magical writings (as read magic) by succeeding at a Linguistics check (DC = 25 + caster level). If you identify a written magical trap in this way, you gain a +2 Circumstance Bonus on Disable Device checks to Disarm it.
- 20 Ranks: You can attempt to decipher magical or non-magical text at a rate of one page per round. If you instead spend 1 minute per page, roll twice and take the better result.
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