Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition skill
Language (Own)
Language (Own) is a skill in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition: Fluency in your native language, starting equal to EDU and covering reading, writing, and rhetoric.
Last reviewed
Key facts
- Base Value
- EDU
Overview
Language (Own) starts at your EDU rather than a fixed number, so a professor begins near 80 percent while a dockworker begins near 50. It is the one skill whose base chance is a characteristic, not a printed value. It is almost never rolled for ordinary conversation. It gets rolled when the text is dense, the handwriting is ruined, the dialect is unfamiliar, or someone has to write a letter that persuades a stranger.
How it works
Base Value: Equal to EDU Creation Note: Because the base tracks EDU, age-driven EDU improvements at creation raise the starting rating with it. Common Rolls:
- Reading archaic, technical, or water-damaged text
- Drafting persuasive letters, articles, and reports
- Following an unfamiliar regional dialect or trade jargon Research Link: Library Use finds the document; this skill is what lets you read a difficult one.
Tips and playstyle
Best for: Everyone owns it at EDU. Journalists, lawyers, and professors push it higher. Character concepts: A newspaper editor, a defense attorney, a professor who reads faster than the rest of the table. Synergies: Library Use to locate sources, Law and History to interpret them, Persuade when the document has to convince somebody.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to spend points on my own language?
Usually not. It already starts at EDU, which is high for educated investigators. Spend only if writing or reading is the character's actual job.
When would a Keeper call for this roll?
When a document resists you: legal boilerplate, a period dialect, ruined handwriting, or a speech that must land on a hostile audience.