Powers: Alignment Languages

Powers: Alignment Languages

The first edition of D&D had a peculiar concept - alignment languages. As far as I know, most players weren't content with it, and these languages were discontinued in the later editions. However, I find this concept fascinating. Let's try to convert these languages into GURPS.

Each alignment (lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, lawful neutral, true neutral, chaotic neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil, chaotic evil) has a corresponding secret language that has spoken, written, and signed forms. These languages can only be learned by creatures of the appropriate alignment, i.e. creatures with divine abilities granted by deities of that cosmic alignment and outsiders associated with this alignment. For example, the clerics of the Shining One (a lawful good deity) and archons (outsiders with lawful and good subtypes) may learn Integriform, the lawful good alignment language. If the speaker violates the deity's dogma or his appropriate moral code, he loses the ability to speak and understand the language until he atones. Thus, the language itself should get the Pact, -10% limitation to represent the moral code the user must conduct. A being that knows any alignment language automatically recognizes all other alignment languages it hears or reads, but it does not necessarily understand it. Such beings react to speakers of "foreign" alignment languages at -1, because these languages sound unnerving to them. Thus, the language also gets Nuisance Effect, Recognizable, -5% limitation. In addition, when a creature speaks an alignment language, it is automatically understood by other creatures of the same alignment. For example, a cleric of the Shining One might be able to talk to clerics of other lawful good deities and lawful good outsiders and be understood (but he won't necessarily understand the response). This is useful when talking to coreligionists from foreign lands or having secret conversations with other members of the church. Thus, the language gets Universal, Same alignment, +25%.

Alignment languages have some other properties too. When speaking an alignment language at Accented with a creature of the same alignment as the language, the speaker gets +1 to Influence roll and +1 to Fortune-Telling, Leadership, Panhandling, and Public Speaking skills. In addition, such creatures react at +1 to the speaker. Speaking the language at Native doubles these bonuses.

Alignment languages can also be used to aid spellcasting. Prior to casting a spell granted by a deity of the appropriate alignment, the caster may opt to take a Ready maneuver to speak aloud a phrase in the alignment language to get a bonus (+1 if Accented, +2 if Native) on all casting rolls and other rolls made to use the spell (effectively, it's a Talent), if the casting begins in the next second.

After all, let's calculate how much a language should cost.

Alignment Language (Broken) [4]

Statistics: Language (Alignment; Broken/Broken/Broken; Nuisance Effect, Recognizable, -5%; Pact, -10%; Universal, Same alignment, +25%) [4].

Alignment Language (Accented) [11]

Statistics: Charisma 1 (Accessibility, Only same alignment, -50%; Pact, -10%) [2] + Divine Talent 1 (Requires Words, -10%; Takes Extra Time 1, -10%) [4] + Language (Alignment; Accented/Accented/Accented; Nuisance Effect, Recognizable, -5%; Pact, -10%; Universal, Same alignment, +25%) [7].

Alignment Language (Native) [22]

Statistics: Charisma 2 (Accessibility, Only same alignment, -50%; Pact, -10%) [4] + Divine Talent 2 (Requires Words, -10%; Takes Extra Time 1, -10%) [8] + Language (Alignment; Native/Native/Native; Nuisance Effect, Recognizable, -5%; Pact, -10%; Universal, Same alignment, +25%) [10].

Let's also come up with some evocative names for the nine languages:

Lawful Good - Integriform

Neutral Good - Honesty

Chaotic Good - Hero's Cant

Lawful Neutral - Foundational Discourse

True Neutral - Heart Tongue

Chaotic Neutral - Spontaneous Cipher

Lawful Evil - Thrallphrase

Neutral Evil - Selflish

Chaotic Evil - Violence