[Graves]

I would like to have this setup for my language skills but I do not know the Knowledge skill point cost or even if it is possible to have multiple specializations for Language skills...

English - Native language
  Trog (Lingo specialization)
  Military Jargon (Lingo specialization)
  Read/Write English (specialization)

Or'zet - (at least rating 2 if ratings are required)
  Read/Write Or'zet (specialization)

The 20th anny core book is too vague. I do not know what my options are and how much they would cost...

Please advise. Thanks.

[Mason]

Knowledge skill points cost exactly half of active skill points, at creation and during play.

You get a number of free skill points to use for Knowledge skills equal to your (3(Intuition+Logic)). So, 3 times the sum of your Intuition and Logic attributes. Points past that must be bought for 2 BP each, or Karma equal to the new Rating you are buying.

By the rules, multiple specializations in a single skill are not allowed. Knowledges work the same as Active skills, you just invent your own skill names.

Yes, languages do need Ratings.

[Graves]

That did not answer my questions at all. I asked whether multiple specializations were allowed for Language skills, just how much the configuration I listed would cost, and if Language skill ratings are ever required.

I know exactly how many Knowledge skill points I have available, how much each rank in a Knowledge or Language skill or skill specialization costs, and the build point cost if I choose to spend more than just the free Knowledge skill points.

[Netzgeist]

No, you can't have more than one specialization on any given skill, be it Knowledge or Active.

On the matter if Language Skills are ever required: Well, a character who has no rating on a language skill is not familiar with the language, so you would not be able to understand anything said/written in it at all. A three on a Language skill means you can talk almost without problems, but you'd still not be as fluent as a native speaker and probably wouldn't understand very complex notions (being this the point of any communcation, you should roll Intuition + Language to know if you understand anything). Also, your ratings on social skills are capped by your language ratings when using them on a different language other than your natural language.

[_Pax_]

That did not answer my questions at all. I [didn't ask] whether multiple specializations were allowed for Language skills, just how much the configuration I listed would cost, [...]

  The answer was and is, "Nothing .... because you cannot have that many specialisations on a single skill.  Ever.  Period.  End of discussion."

  It's impossible to have three specializations, therefor, there simply isn't a cost you can spend to legally have it.

[...]  and if Language skill ratings are ever required.

  You cannot use a Social skill (etiquette, con, negotiate, etc) at a rating higher than the language you are using.  So if you have Or'zet 2 (Spoken +2, then effectively you have 4 ranks of Or'zet when speaking.  Your Etiquette 6 will only count as Etiquette 4 if you have to communicate in Or'zet.

[Lethe]

I do not know the Knowledge skill point cost

I know exactly how much each rank in a Knowledge or Language skill or skill specialization costs

In your first post you said the opposite! So don't complain, if people are trying to help you.

You can only have one specialization per skill, including language skills.
You can't specialize on your native language skill, because it has no rank. You are assumed to know all lingos in that... not really realistic, don't ask, thats how it is.
We can't tell you the cost for your setup, because its not valid with the rules.

[Mason]

A specialization costs 2 Karma. At creation, it costs 2 BP. If your GM allows you to break the one specialization per skill limit, you simply pay for each one.

However, looking again, you have the specialties in your native language. You don't pay anything for your native language. Therefore, you simply buy the rating in Or'Zet, which you said is 2, and the specialization, which is 2 BP. You have all lingos in your native tongue, and you never make tests to understand your native tongue.

Therefore, your cost for what you asked is 2 Knowledge points and 2 BP. If you have no more knowledge points, they cost 2 BP each - as I said, exactly half the cost of active skill points. I don't know if you can use knowledge points for the specialization, I don't think the book mentions it.

[Graves]

Someone who has English as their native language cannot read and write if they can speak the Trog Lingo...

A reformed Ork ganger that joins the military is unable to speak both Trog and Military Jargon...

How does that make sense?

[Netzgeist]

Trying to translate real world situations to game mechanics will always show the mechanics discrepancies; but your question was about game mechanics, so the answers here indicated how in this particular RPG system this situations work.

[Mason]

What? No, no no! I said that you can understand ALL SPECIALIZATIONS of your native tongue. Granted, that doesn't make too much sense either, but what I am saying is that Ork ganger understands trog slang AND military jargon AND hacker lingo AND wiz-speak and so forth, in his native language. You also read and write automatically.

In other words, you always understand your native tongue and spend ABSOLUTELY NO points on it. Zero. Zip. Nada.

I imagine the designers did it that way because if a given character doesn't get some lingo thing, he'd just ask for clarification, thus still understanding the message and thus not needing to make a test. It's an oversimplification of reality. Also, you don't need a specialization to make a test. those just add 2 dice to the given base skill when the specialty applies.

[_Pax_]

Someone who has English as their native language cannot read and write if they can speak the Trog Lingo...

  Not true at all.  To be unable to read or write in your native language, you have to take the Illiterate negative quality.

A reformed Ork ganger that joins the military is unable to speak both Trog and Military Jargon...

How does that make sense?

Not having a Specialisation in a lingo, doesn't mean you're unable to speak it at all.  It just means, you don't speak it better than you speak the baseline language.

If you have French 3 (Military Jargon +2), then you're better at speaking and understanding military jargon than, say ... today's newspaper, when using the French language.  (For example, someone who learned French after joining the French Foreign Legion - you would learn the military side REALLY QUICKLY, compared to everyday conversational French.)

In terms of game mechanics - when dealing with current or former military personnel, your language rating is effectively 5 - and so, you can use Social skills (Etiquette, Leadership, Con, Negotiation, etc) at up to rating 5.  But when dealing with a shopkeeper on the Champs Elysees, you're not going to be able to make effective use of military jargon, so you'll be limited to using those social skills at a rating of 3.

[Graves]

Thank you all.

I apologize for my less than diplomatic comments, I can be hot-headed at times.

[Mason]

Glad to be of help. Feel free to ask more questions if you need to