Languages [3.PF]

[bartman]

When you create a very knowledgeable character, what do you choose for your languages? I currently have my choice of 10 languages (10 ranks in Linguistics), aside from common, for my character. I was thinking of taking the major racial languages, elven, dwarven, halfling, orc, gnome, and of course draconic. I am at a loss as to how I should prioritize the others. If I take this character very far, he will eventually know all the languages, and of course if I run into a situation where I need a language I do not have, then it would get bumped up the priority list.

That being said, the remaining languages are:
Abbysal
Aklo
Aquan
Auran
Celestial
Druidic (unlikely)
Giant
Goblin
Gnoll
Ignan
Infernal
Sylvan
Terran
Undercommon

How would you prioritize them?

[Apophis]

Well, it depends on what kind of creatures are in your campaign. If there aren't many Outsiders, that pushes Abyssal, Celestial, and Infernal pretty far down on your list. If you aren't around many bodies of water, Aquan is unimportant. The same with Ignan, Auran, Aklo, and Terran.

Is this your plan?
As for the rest:
Undercommon, Giant, Sylvan, Goblin, Gnoll.

Since you can't learn Druidic without becoming a Druid, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Elfin]

Draconic is often my first pick, just because it's cool. After that, I tend to go for Celestial, Infernal, Undercommon, and Giant.
Abyssal isn't high on my list, as it's hard to think if a situation where I'd be talking to a demon.

[dsmiles]

As for the rest:
Undercommon, Giant, Sylvan, Goblin, Gnoll.

That pretty much sums it up for me, too. Except that I'd probably substitute some form of sign language for sylvan. Useful in situations where stealth is a must and telepathy isn't available.

[Amnestic]

Since you can't learn Druidic without becoming a Druid, I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm...not sure about that. Admittedly working off of 3.5 rules here, PF might be different, but you become an ex-Druid if you teach Druidic to a non-druid, which implies that you can learn it without being a druid, you just cost another person their class levels in doing so.

Obviously this'd be a huge rarity and almost never occur, but it's still possible, I think.

[BiblioRook]

Hopefully your DM actually fleshes out the world properly and uses languages so you get to feel your investment was worth something. This is a problem I'm facing now, I basically did what you did and invest in as many languages as possible, but after catching my DM twice in moments of 'you weren't supposed to understand that' he basically now just uses languages he knows I don't have. I mean, do they even actually write books in Ignan?

[hewhosaysfish]

I'm...not sure about that. Admittedly working off of 3.5 rules here, PF might be different, but you become an ex-Druid if you teach Druidic to a non-druid, which implies that you can learn it without being a druid, you just cost another person their class levels in doing so.

Obviously this'd be a huge rarity and almost never occur, but it's still possible, I think.

Of course, once one non-druid learns Druiduc then they can teach it to other people without losing anything at all.

Except when the non-fallen Druids come along and sic bears on him. Which I guess they would, since it's supposed to be a secret language.

But they're only Druids; how scary can they be?

[TroubleBrewing]

I mean, do they even actually write books in Ignan?

I... I don't think so. The irony of someone writing a book in the language of beings of fire is palpable. Unless the books are on stone tablets.