Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition skill
Language (Other)
Language (Other) is a skill in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition: Reading, writing, and speaking a language that is not your own, each one bought separately.
Last reviewed
Key facts
- Base Value
- 1
Overview
Language (Other) starts at 1 percent, the lowest base value in the game, because a language nobody taught you is genuinely closed. Every language is tracked as its own skill with its own rating. In a Mythos campaign this is not decoration. Tomes arrive in Latin, German, Arabic, or worse, and translation is frequently the gate between the party and the plot. It also opens doors the moment the investigation leaves home.
How it works
Base Value: 1%, per language Fluency Bands: Roughly 30 percent handles simple conversation, 50 percent is functional, and 70 percent or more reads as fluent. Written Sources: Archaic script is harder than modern print, and dead languages such as Latin or Ancient Greek cover reading only. Buying It: Language slots usually come from occupation points, with personal interest points at INT times 2 covering a second one.
Tips and playstyle
Best for: Academics, translators, diplomats, and any group whose campaign leans on old documents. Character concepts: A philologist, a missionary back from Damascus, an antiquarian who reads Latin faster than English. Synergies: Library Use finds the source, Occult and Cthulhu Mythos tell you what it means, and History places it in time.
Frequently asked questions
How high do I need this to read a Mythos tome?
Around 50 percent lets you grind through a text with a dictionary. Serious study of an old tome wants 70 percent or more.
Does every language cost points separately?
Yes. Buying Latin does nothing for German. Breadth spreads you thin, so most parties pick one specialist per campaign language.