The problem with Languages

[Wevi]

I played a character that I wanted to know as many Languages as possible. Ever time I leveled up I got a new Language, But we never could explain this. What would be a reason my character would just learned a Language?

[Val'bryn2]

A rank in the linguistics skill.

[Wevi]

Val'bryn2 wrote:

A rank in the linguistics skill.

Yes that what I was doing but say to a NPC "I put one Rank to Linguistics." Then I would be look at like I crazy.

[The Sideromancer]

I would like to point out that much of the rules system can be empirically determined from the inside, so if you are speaking with an NPC with a lot of time and power or an associate thereof, they may know exactly what you're talking about.

[Guang]

Unmentioned study right before bedtime every night since the last level.

A pen pal, magic mouth pal, or what have you.

The equivalent of listening to language teaching audio files while asleep for the last level.

Divine revelation, gift of tongues as a sign of favor.

(Just a few ideas from a polyglot who wishes it had been that easy)

[Renata Maclean]

Generally, when gaining a rank in a knowledge skill (or Linguistics) it's assumed that you've studied the skill in question somehow. Hence why you know more.
The system doesn't really account for the ability to level those skills outside of areas where you can study them

[Claxon]

Ummm...your character was interested in learning languages and during their downtime was readying books on learning them.

[Irontruth]

You've always known it, it just hasn't come up before.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

I carry "The big book of language deconstruction" How have you not seen me reading this every night? Pay attention, dude.

[Shadowborn]

Not everything your character does is roleplayed at the table. What does the character do in their off-time? The answer is: study languages.

[Lady-J]

Claxon wrote:

Ummm...your character was interested in learning languages and during their downtime was readying books on learning them.

or you hungered for the knowledge of language and thus ate the books to gain their power

[Zeroaim]

Wevi wrote:

I played a character that I wanted to know as many Languages as possible. Ever time I leveled up I got a new Language, But we never could explain this. What would be a reason my character would just learned a Language?

If you're playing a character specialized in stacking languages I'd say he/she's a linguistic genius, in the classical sense of the word, it's after all a PC. Picking up a new language should be something the character can just casually do, in the real world Daniel Tammet learned Icelandic (one of the hardest languages) in just a week.

The character learning it "instantly" could just be having experienced it before and now seeing/hearing it again was enough to understand it fluently.