Campaign Literacy

## Reading Between the Lines

Literacy wasn't always guaranteed in D&D and it wasn't until 5e that characters were granted reading and writing by default, as listed in the PHB racial traits, at least in "Common."

While we appreciate streamlining the game, this vastly underestimates the value of compulsory education. Suddenly, against a modern, real-life world that is *still* rampant with illiteracy, characters in a late-middle ages setting are granted a skill that takes years worth of training that some of the *players* haven't even mastered.

If every adventurer could read, much less every other Tom, Dick and Gorlag the Destroyer, then gunpowder would be common, monsters would be memories, and the industrial revolution would've already happened. This is an artificiality that makes *zero* sense.

## Common is Only So Common

Common is the trade language of Faerûn, but different areas have different "Commons." Dialects varied from region to region, and there were some distinct variants that were otherwise recognizable... but still sometimes a challenge.

Common in Faerûn is technically a language called Thorasta, of the Thorass Language Group. The real-world inspiration for Thorass are Earth's Italic languages (the progenitor of the "Romance languages").

*We're rebalancing that*...

### Who Is Affected...?

This has particular impact on characters created for the Stonehearth Allies and Opponents paths, including those in the ***Outsiders' Path*** and ***Walking the Edge*** mini-campaigns.

Characters who have grown up in the Stonehearth jurisdiction, those on the Stonehearth Subjects path, including the ***Tip of the Spear*** mini-campaign, have been subject to *compulsory eduction*, and can therefore read.

### Can Your Character Read?

The character background is the key to whether they can read or not at the beginning of the campaign. Here are the guidelines for determining if they have the skill to decode squiggles on paper. While it's not necessary players take advantage, this is an opportunity to craft a textured character background.

* *Arcana*, *history* and *religion* skills guarantee literacy.
* *Investigation* and *Nature* skill will grant literacy if Intelligence is at least 10.
* *Insight*, *Medicine* and *Perception* will grant literacy if both Wisdom and Intelligence is 10 or over.
* Additionally, proficiency in certain tools (PHB 154) indicates the character has achieved basic literacy, perhaps even in the process of learning that tool set. The *Alchemy*, *Calligrapher*, *Cartographer*, *Herbalist*, *Tinker* or *Navigator's* tools grant literacy by association.
* Given the nature of magic, Wizards and Clerics are granted literacy by default of their career path.
* Finally, a character with an Intelligence of 14 or more is self-taught in literacy regardless of background or profession.

### Ironically, I Can't Read This...

Hooked on Phonics may not have worked for your character... *yet*. Illiterate characters still have a variety of methods that can bring illumination later on.

* Taking a skill on level-up, if that's granted at that point.
* Role-playing between adventures: just as characters can perform other actions produce items, learn skills and so on, they can work with their DM to learn choice of skill with associated literacy attached (see above). When 5.5e, 6e, or whatever comes out, we'll adjust this accordingly.