Decipher Script (Int; Trained Only)
Use this skill to piece together the meaning of ancient runes carved into the wall of an abandoned temple, to get the gist of an intercepted letter written in the Infernal language, to follow the directions on a treasure map written in a forgotten alphabet, or to interpret the mysterious glyph painted on a cave wall.
Check: You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form. The base DC is 20 for the simplest messages, 25 for standard texts, and 30 or higher for intricate, exotic, or very old writing.
If the check succeeds, you understand the general content of a piece of writing about one page long (or the equivalent). If the check fails, the DM makes a DC 5 Wisdom check for you to see if you avoid drawing a false conclusion about the text, (Success means that you do nor draw a false conclusion; failure means that you do.)
The DM secretly makes both the Decipher Script check and (if necessary) the Wisdom check, so that you can't tell whether the conclusion you draw is true or false.
Action: Deciphering the equivalent of a single page of script takes 1 minute (ten consecutive full-round actions).
Try Again: No.
Special: A character with the Diligent feat gets a +2 bonus on Decipher Script checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more tanks in Decipher Script, you get a +2 bonus on Use Magic Device checks involving scrolls.
Expanded Description - Complete Adventurer
You can use the Decipher Script skill to create a private cipher. This code system allows you (or anyone with the proper key) to record information without the risk of others reading it. Any document you create using your private cipher can be read only by you or someone who has the proper decoding information. Other characters with ranks in the Decipher Script skill can attempt to decipher the code. The DC for such a decoding attempt is 10 + your total skill modifier at the time that you create the cipher. (In effect, you "take 10" on a skill check to create the cipher, and those attempting to decode it make a Decipher Script check opposed by your take 10 result.)
Action: Creating a cipher takes a week of uninterrupted work. The first attempt to decipher a code system created by the Decipher Script skill requires a day of uninterrupted work, and subsequent retries each take a week's time.
Try Again: You can attempt to decipher a private cipher more than once, but you must spend a great deal of time on each retry attempt. Each attempt to decipher a code beyond your first attempt takes a week's worth of uninterrupted work. The first attempt to decipher a code system requires only one day's work.