Trading Languages for Skills

[Wildfire]

Normal:

[PHB Pg. 9] You apply your character?s Intelligence modifier to:

-   The number of languages your character knows at the start of the game.

[PHB Pg. 82]

-   You can purchase Speak Language just like any other skill, but instead of buying a rank in it, you choose a new language that you can speak.
(I?m assuming that in this instance you spend one skill point to learn the language and do not assign any further points to that language skill. Effectively, any language costs 1 skill point)

New:

A character, upon creation, can use their intelligence modifier to assign bonus points to intelligence based skills (Appraise, Craft, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Forgery, Knowledge, Search, Spellcraft) instead of languages. These points are considered to be ranks in a skill (there is still the limit of 3+level of ranks in any skill).

For example:
Lord Manhammer has an intelligence of 18 with a +4 modifier. He can choose to use his modifier to purchase intelligence based skills instead of languages. Since Lord Manhammer doesn?t like to talk he puts his points on skills. He decides to put all four points into Craft (weapons).

When Lord Manhammer reaches 4th level he bumps his intelligence up to 19 and at 8th level up to 20 giving him a modifier of +5. He can take that 1 point difference and assign that point to another intelligence based skill or a language. He assigns it to Craft (weapons) again giving him a rank of 5 in that skill (but he could choose to learn a language if the inspiration moves him to do so.).
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[Wildfire]

Characters that have already been made are allowed to be retrofitted to take advantage of this House Rule.