Post by dwsage007 on Aug 29, 2015 2:06:46 GMT -7
So I've seen a lot of different ways of handling knowledge checks-some people give everything but the shoe size if you identify a dragon, some people will say that it's a DC 20 Knowledge(Nature) check to know that bears use their claws and teeth to maul people. I figured I'd share the system that my home group started using for knowledge checks, and see how well it's received.
A successful knowledge check allows you to ask one question if you beat the CR+10 knowledge check, and one additional question per 5 over that. You will automatically be granted iconic information (Along the lines of ‘Use fire or acid to kill Trolls, a Hydra regrows its heads, Red Dragons breathe fire and are typically pretty evil.’) and their creature type. (Which also grants knowledge of which saves are typically good and which are poor, what status effects they're immune to, and if they're mindless or intelligent.) If you need no specific information, then random tidbits are given. Specific questions may be drawn from…
Note:Templates that add a positive amount to the CR of the creature add 5 to the DC to identify it. True Dragons are a special case-the difficulty to identify them is always a flat DC 15, as information and legends on Dragons are spread far and wide. (AKA:It's weird that you can identify that a baby dragon breathes fire, but it's nigh-impossible to know that an Elder Wyrm does the same.)
A successful knowledge check allows you to ask one question if you beat the CR+10 knowledge check, and one additional question per 5 over that. You will automatically be granted iconic information (Along the lines of ‘Use fire or acid to kill Trolls, a Hydra regrows its heads, Red Dragons breathe fire and are typically pretty evil.’) and their creature type. (Which also grants knowledge of which saves are typically good and which are poor, what status effects they're immune to, and if they're mindless or intelligent.) If you need no specific information, then random tidbits are given. Specific questions may be drawn from…
- Whether it is vulnerable, resistant, or neutral to a single element
- A single weakness, such as a Vampire's weakness to holy symbols
- How to overcome its DR, if any.
- Roughly how much DR it has.
- Special senses it possesses, such as Lifesense or Blindsight.
- How fast it moves, and what movement types it possesses.
- Immunities to status effects that don’t come from its type.
- Roughly how many HD it has (Primarily for identifying if Sleep or Color Spray will be relevant against it)
- 3 Spell-like abilities it knows, from strongest to weakest.
- Roughly how much SR it has.
- Two Special Abilities or Special Qualities it has.
- Common diplomacy tactics against this creature (This includes what languages it speaks and what it eats.)
Note:Templates that add a positive amount to the CR of the creature add 5 to the DC to identify it. True Dragons are a special case-the difficulty to identify them is always a flat DC 15, as information and legends on Dragons are spread far and wide. (AKA:It's weird that you can identify that a baby dragon breathes fire, but it's nigh-impossible to know that an Elder Wyrm does the same.)