GURPS - Compendium 1..

THE GIFT OF TONGUES:
OPTIONAL LANGUAGE RULES
This article (by Steffan O'Sullivan) originally appeared in a slightly different
form in Roleplayer magazine, issue #26.
Have you ever had a run-in with an IQ 15 character who has half a point in
four different languages? He speaks German, Arabic, Russian and Chinese fluently,
can mimic regional accents effortlessly, and can fool any KGB or CIA
man he meets - all for 2 points total! The basic GURPS language rules leave a
little to be desired.
Accent vs. Knowledge
Basically, these rules divorce accent from general knowledge of a foreign language.
When implementing these rules, leave knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, syntax,
etc., as it is in the Basic Set. But mastering an accent takes time - or a native ability
represented more by the Language Talent advantage than by IQ. Therefore, these
rules do not tie learning an accent to IQ.
To use these rules, simply follow the table Levels of Language Skill
(p. B55). However, ignore all references to accent in that table, and use
the following simple rule instead:
Any foreign language known at IQ-2 or worse is spoken with a thick
accent.
Any foreign language known at IQ-1 is spoken with a distinct
accent.
Any foreign language known at IQ is spoken with a slight accent.
Any foreign language known at IQ+1 or higher is spoken with no
accent (except for certain M/VH languages that can never be pronounced
properly).
This rule will ensure that if a spy wants to fool Saddam Hussein that
he's an Arab, he will have spent more than 1/2 point in Arabic!
Note that Language Talent, Eidetic Memory and Linguistics all contribute
to learning an accent.
For those who use the Mimicry: Human Speech skill (p. 152), add
1/5 of the Mimicry skill (rounded down) to accent ability - but not to
knowledge of any language.
Mimicking an Accent
This optional rule can be used either with the rules above or with the
existing rules in the Basic Set. An accent in this case refers to regional
accents as well as generic, undefined foreign accents. These rules might be
very useful in a spy campaign, but not come into much use otherwise.
According to the Basic Set, mimicking a regional accent is automatic
once you have skill level 13, and impossible before that. This section
proposes that a skill roll should usually be required, at least the first time
the character attempts to mimic an accent. There will be a penalty to the
speaker's language skill, as defined below.
If the accent being mimicked is fairly close, regionally, there is a -1
penalty. This might be the case when a Virginian is trying to sound like a
Georgian, for example. Where the accent is further apart - a New
Englander and a Texan, for example - there is a -2 or -3 penalty. For foreign
accents of the same language, such as an American trying to sound
Australian, there would be a -3 or -4 penalty. The GM is the final arbiter of
the penalty assessed.
Firearms Specialization
and Familiarity
Specializations are for types of
weapons that are different enough that the
use of each type is a separate skill.
Specializations sometimes default to oneanother.
Familiarity is the degree to which a
shooter knows how to use a particular
firearm. Shooting firearms and maintaining
firearms use slightly different interpretations
of the same skill.
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