Optimizing Linguistics

[Alex12]

Hey, all.
In a campaign I'm in right now, I'm playing a third-party race (Ponyfinder Zebra) with a very good racial bonus to Linguistics: +4, and each rank in the skill gains an additional language (for a total of 2 languages per rank), in addition to a free feat at level 1. We're currently level 2, with one mythic tier, and I'm playing an Empiricist Investigator with 18 Int (and all my other stats in the 10-12 range). I'm looking for ways to optimize that Linguistics skill- I've currently got Skill Focus (Linguistics), Mythic Skill Focus (Linguistics) and Orator (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/orator), which has already been useful. The next feat I plan on taking is Esoteric Linguistics (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/esoteric-linguistics). I also have the mythic ability Display of Intelligence, which lets me spend a use of mythic power for a +20 bonus to an Int-based skill, as well as a free +1d6 from Inspiration and a trait that once per day lets me roll twice and take the better result on an Int-based skill check.

In short, while I'm pretty much set in terms of getting the skill as high as possible (Int boosts, skill-increasing items) I was wondering if anyone had any other ways to get more functionality from the skill?

[Ninjaxenomorph]

... I think you're good, actually. Seem to have all the bases covered. Just don't make sure you run out of languages to learn!

(You'll never run out of languagues)

[Oddman80]

Sooo.... What do you plan on doing with all that linguistic aptitude? Are you going to be a master forger? A diplomatic interpreter? A lore keeper of rare and ancient works?

[Geddy2112]

Also be sure to take druidic decoder so you can gain access to druidic. Gotta know all the languages....

[Alex12]

... I think you're good, actually. Seem to have all the bases covered. Just don't make sure you run out of languages to learn!

(You'll never run out of languagues)
2 languages per level. It's more plausible than you might think. At level 2, I speak 11 languages (10 if you don't count lip-reading as a language). I've already got Common, Sylvan, Polyglot, Elven, Dwarven, Draconic, Ophiduan, Abyssal, Infernal, Vegepygmy, and lip-reading.

Also be sure to take druidic decoder so you can gain access to druidic. Gotta know all the languages....
Awesome, I missed that one.
I suspect knowing druidic might also give me a bonus to BluffLinguistics checks made to make druids think I'm a druid too.

Sooo.... What do you plan on doing with all that linguistic aptitude? Are you going to be a master forger? A diplomatic interpreter? A lore keeper of rare and ancient works?
All of the above, kinda. Given the combat hyperfocus of my party members (ophiduan dirty trick specialist monk and dwarven barbarian), it's really up to me to handle everything they can't (magic stuff, party face, healing, trap-handling, pretty much all Int-based skills).
It's already saved our lives in some negotiations with a high girallon (Keeping in mind that we are currently at level 2, and could not in any way have taken him). Orator is awesome like that. I'll also be able to use scrolls with it next level.
I really just didn't want to waste a +4 racial modifier.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

You already have a head start, but really you won't run out of racial monster languages. Like Aboleth. I don't see Undercommon or the elemental tongues either.

And if you're REALLY in a pinch.... Technically Golarion takes place in the same realm as Earth... And in Rasputin Must Die, Russian was an actual language.

[Yanisa]

2 languages per level. It's more plausible than you might think. At level 2, I speak 11 languages (10 if you don't count lip-reading as a language). I've already got Common, Sylvan, Polyglot, Elven, Dwarven, Draconic, Ophiduan, Abyssal, Infernal, Vegepygmy, and lip-reading.

Hmmm... do you run out of languages? Too lazy to figure out why, but you seem to start with 9 languages and gain 2 per level. For a total of 47 languages.

A quick counting here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/linguistics) tells me there are 34 languages "race based languages", 2 of those are secret (Druidic and Drow-Sign language) so that 32 to start with. Beyond that it heavily depends on your setting.

Golarian for instance adds 14 more languages (10 human languages (http://pathfinder.wikia.com/wiki/Human_languages_of_Golarion) and 4 dead languages (http://pathfinder.wikia.com/wiki/Dead_languages_of_Golarion)) which brings the total languages close to 46... Lip reading puts us to the magic number 47. Without druidic or drow sign-sign.

What Ninjaxenomorph said holds also true, there is some way to travel to our real world from Golarion, no clue about the details. Some quick googling told me there are at least 6909 languages in our world (source (http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/fire/naclo/pages/Ling/Fact/num-languages.html)). So good luck with that.

But if you are in a different campaign I dunno... At least fill out the 32 race based languages before you start thinking about running out of languages to pick. :smalltongue:



Edit: In Golarion there is also SPACE travel. Which adds 3 more languages (at least in the book People of the Stars) but I suspect most DnD groups don't space travel. Unless your DM is Lord British.

[Alex12]

Hmmm... do you run out of languages? Too lazy to figure out why, but you seem to start with 9 languages and gain 2 per level. For a total of 47 languages.

A quick counting here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/linguistics) tells me there are 34 languages "race based languages", 2 of those are secret (Druidic and Drow-Sign language) so that 32 to start with. Beyond that it heavily depends on your setting.

Golarian for instance adds 14 more languages (10 human languages (http://pathfinder.wikia.com/wiki/Human_languages_of_Golarion) and 4 dead languages (http://pathfinder.wikia.com/wiki/Dead_languages_of_Golarion)) which brings the total languages close to 46... Lip reading puts us to the magic number 47. Without druidic or drow sign-sign.

What Ninjaxenomorph said holds also true, there is some way to travel to our real world from Golarion, no clue about the details. Some quick googling told me there are at least 6909 languages in our world (source (http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/fire/naclo/pages/Ling/Fact/num-languages.html)). So good luck with that.

But if you are in a different campaign I dunno... At least fill out the 32 race based languages before you start thinking about running out of languages to pick. :smalltongue:



Edit: In Golarion there is also SPACE travel. Which adds 3 more languages (at least in the book People of the Stars) but I suspect most DnD groups don't space travel. Unless your DM is Lord British.
Huh. Good to know that I'm probably not going to run out of languages (worst case scenario, I guess, is that I start making up languages).

We're in Golarion, at the moment specifically in the Mwangi expanse. We've got People of the Stars, and I, at least, think space travel would be awesome. Of course, not having a proper caster in the campaign puts a bit of a damper on that, aside from finding a portal or something. Since we're using Dreamscarred Press stuff, that does add at least a couple of languages (Ophiduan, for instance).

I think it's safe to say, though, that this particular character is already probably the best linguist in the region, and might possibly be one of the best linguists on the planet, with a +17.