Bilingual (minor general virtue)
The character has two lining languages he can speak as native languages.
Why?
Many tribunals (like Stonehenge) are a linguistic nightmare for characters speaking just one language. It is not unlikely that characters grow up in environments in which more than one language is used. In game, it is nice if you can talk to people and grogs (without flatout ignoring translation issues). Plus, languages won't unbalance the game.
Potential criticism:
This virtue gives more xp than well-travelled or similar virtues (50xp). There is the virtue Linguist, which seems less generous (in HoH:TL25)
I have always considered the language rules in Ars to be too harsh. A level 2 should mark operational fluency, and 3 foreigner-level knowledge. 4 would be would be operational academic (my current level, or maybe I am a 3) and 5 would be native, as usual. 6 for high education level, as usual.
The problem is that as per the RAW language level below 4 is more or less that of a donkey. At level 3 you should be able to tour the country without major misshaps and level 4 should be enough to talk about techie matters. In Mythic Europelanguages are full of dialects anyway, so a level 2 should be opertational lknowledge. I would expect redcaps to have aorund 4-6 langages at level 2, a pair at level 3 and 1-2 at level 4-5. Same for itinerant merchants like ship captains. But they could go away with lingua franca at level 3 and that would be it for sailors.
So your virtue looks weak to me. I would up the stakes for it no problem.
Language has never been a real consideration IMS anyway: it is like everybody talked lingua franca at level 10 when we play. IIRC we have never made a language roll. it is just a largely ignored passive ability
I don't see this virtue to powerful so I don't take your criticism
While other virtues grant less XPs your virtue grant it only for one ability and is thus far more resticted.
Same goes for Linguist, it led learn you all languages easier and is very useful when you want to acquire Adamic (was that the name for the language of Adam?)
Xavi and me can say that the levels of langauge are too harsh, we are from one country with many dialects, many languages nears, and many languages on the same country... and on 1220 there werre 3 times the languages and dialects...
Well, when people talk about how many dialects and variantions there are for languages I certainly see the merit in a score of 4+ in languages used. Because one could assume this is for a "base" of that language, for one of said dialects. So when needing to speak with people from a different one I expect a -1 or -2 seems appropriate.
So while levels of 2 and 3 might be ok if you speak the dialect you've learnt, you will have problems outside these areas. Hence a score of 4 being what you need. To get on ok. Everywhere.
