The myriad peoples of the Core Worlds speak a wide variety of languages, from the sector-wide trade tongue called Common to obscure alien dialects and ancient languages from other planes of reality. Many worlds have a shared planetary language, most ancestries speak a specific tongue, and all of the prevalent languages of the systems have both signed and written versions.
A character begins play speaking and reading Common, their Ancestry’s language (if any), and the language of their home world (if any). Characters with a positive Intelligence modifier know a number of additional languages equal to their Intelligence modifier.
The languages presented here are grouped according to how common they are throughout the known systems.
Common Languages
These languages are the most widely used and are regularly encountered in spaceports, trade hubs, and diplomatic stations. They are typically available to any character during character creation.
| Language | Typical Speakers |
| Common | Humans, trade officials, and most spacefaring travelers. The official language of the Riadian Coalition |
| Dverga | Dwarves, mining consortiums, traditionalist clans |
| Estrali | Elves, arcane scholars |
| Goblin | Goblins, hobgoblins, scavengers |
| Kraal | Kraal |
| Orcish | Orcs, aliens from the Unbroken Chain territories |
| Wulfen | Wulfen |
| Zentian | Zentian, most residents of the Spectrum Nebula |
Uncommon Languages
These languages are less ubiquitous, often spoken by specific alien species, extraplanar entities, or isolationist cultures. You can usually select these languages if you belong to the relevant ancestry or have a background related to their culture; otherwise, access is subject to GM discretion.
| Language | Typical Speakers |
| Aeolian | Air elementals, inhabitants of gas giants |
| Aklo | Otherworldly monsters, aberrations, void-cultists |
| Anemonian | Anemonians, aliens from the Xylan Stratocracy |
| Aquaine | Water elementals, oceanic preservers |
| Disirean | Angels, celestials |
| Draconic | Dragons, some reptilian humanoids, academics |
| Ferrumic | Metal elementals, asteroid miners |
| Harrath | Subterranean civilizations from Riadus |
| Infernal | Devils |
| Inza | Inza, aliens from the Inza Technate |
| Jotun | Giants, ogres |
| Kassyn | Kassyn |
| Krazkar | Demons, demonic entities |
| Necril | Ghouls, other intelligent undead, necromancers |
| Piezon | Machines and AIs of the Inza Technate |
| Pyric | Fire elementals, star-plasma entities |
| Radix-L | Robots, machines, AIs, pilots, mechanics |
| Skotian | Creatures from Skotos, shadow-dwellers |
| Sylvan | Vesperians, fey, plant creatures, some wulfen |
| Telluric | Earth elementals, crystalline entities, some Inza |
| Verdantic | Wood elementals, botanical collectives |
Rare Languages
These languages are spoken by very few, often limited to rare ancestries, ancient constructs, or unique entities. Learning these languages usually requires specific training or direct contact with a native speaker.
| Language | Typical Speakers |
| Fractal | Gallery AIs, elite hackers, influencer cliques |
| VeriLog | Systems ancestry |
Regional and Ancient Languages
Many specific worlds or ancient ruins contain languages that are not spoken widely in the Core World but are critical for local interactions. These include tongues such as Rissian, Torunese, and Zolonian, which may be found in specific sectors or on heritage worlds rooted in the original Riadus history.
Sign Language
You might know the signed languages associated with the languages you know, or how to read lips. You can learn these by taking the Sign Language or Read Lips skill feats, or both. If you are creating a character who is deaf, hard of hearing, or unable to speak, discuss with your GM whether it makes sense for your character to know sign languages or lip reading. If so, your GM might allow you to select one of these feats for free (even if you don’t meet the prerequisites) to represent your character concept.
Telepathy
If you have telepathy, you can communicate only with creatures that share a language with you unless otherwise stated. If you don’t share a language, you might be able to send and receive rudimentary emotional impressions at the GM’s discretion.
Machine Languages
Mechanical languages are protocols optimized for synthetic processing rather than biological speech, primarily used by AIs, robots, and mainframes for rapid data exchange. While these languages sound like static or random noise to the untrained ear, they carry dense streams of information that define the technological landscape of the Core Worlds. Mechanics, pilots, and hackers often learn to understand one or more of these languages to diagnose engine trouble or hack terminals, though “speaking” them effectively usually requires cybernetic augmentation or a specialized device to reproduce the precise electronic frequencies.
Radix-L
Radix-L is the universal trade tongue of the machine world, widely installed on everything from starship astrogation units to industrial utility robots. It functions as a dense, efficient data stream audible as a rhythmic sequence of electronic warbles, melodic chirps, and tonal beeps. Mechanics and pilots frequently learn to understand Radix-L to diagnose systems by ear, allowing for direct communication with hardware that lacks a user interface.
Piezon
Developed by the Inza to interface with their unique crystal-based technology, Piezon utilizes the natural piezoelectric properties of their tech to transmit data. The language manifests as a cascading series of high-pitched hums, vibrating oscillations, and resonant chimes that physically vibrate the air. It is the standard technical language of the Inza Technate, allowing users to instantaneously share complex data through sympathetic resonance rather than digital code.
Fractal
Originally a cryptic internal encryption developed by the curated AIs of the Gallery of the Zentian Nebula, Fractal has evolved into a sophisticated “art form” of code. When audible, it projects as ethereal, continuous sliding tones that glide seamlessly between octaves, shifting in harmonic intensity to convey massive concepts in a single breath. Elite hackers and archivists prize fluency in Fractal as a symbol of intellectual mastery, though its complexity makes it nearly impossible to decipher without advanced assistance.