Bardic Knowledge vs. Knowledge Local

[Three_Haligonians]

Hey all,

I'm positive I did this once already but, I can find no sign of a previous thread. Perhaps the crash.. ate it? I don't know. So I am going to ask again:

Where do you folk draw the line between Bardic Knowledge and Knowledge Local? I mean, Knowledge Local covers "legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions, humaniods." Bardic Knowledge on the other hand grants information on "local notable people, legendary items, or noteworthy places."

Seems to me there is some pretty serious overlap there and I'd like to make them distinct from one another. Seeing as how Bards get all Knowledge Skills in class anyway, it doesn't make sense for Bardic Knowledge to just be a weaker version of Knowledge Local - or a weaker version of any or all Knowledge skills for that matter.

So.. what do you do?

J from Three Haligonians

P.S. It is possible that the crash did not eat my original thread and I just missed it - if that is the case, please be kind enough to point me in the right direction!

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I remember that thread. IIRC the line of distinction is very blurry. The biggest difference in my mind is that Kn: Local will get you what the general populace knows in close to first hand knowledge. Bardic Kn will, OTOH, get you esoteric bits and bytes of poems, dirges, tall tales, and epic prose. These bits and bytes add up to knowledge about something that no-one in the town could have figured out.
Both can be wildly out of whack, but as that would be unfun, you should maintain a relative level of reliability in both checks.

Another big piece is the presentation to the player. Bardic Kn takes a bit more work on the GM's side.

Good luck in finding/recreating that thread.. it was pretty good

 

[Victim]

I tend to think of Bardic Knowledge as overlapping with most of the knowledge skills. If you don't have the appropriate skill, then BK can give you something.

 

[Tonguez]

Knowledge Local - the Castles Haunted, Old Count von Mobby went all wonky and kiled his wife. Her ghost is still seen

Bardic Knowledge - Count von Mobby was third in line to the royal throne. He was courted by, fell in love and eventually married the beautiful Mistress Claudia of Boloni. However his wife proved not only to be unfaithful but infact to be a spy sent to find and steal the priceless Artifact of McGuffin. When he found her one evening with her lover he flew into a rage and killed the lover. She in fact commited suicide and in his grief he raised her up into his arms and leapt with her from the parapets to the courtyard below...

 

[Jdvn1]

Bardic Knowledge:
local notable people, legendary items, or noteworthy places

K(Local):
legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions, humanoids

By my reading, Bardic Knowledge gives you specifics about more important things.

 

[wmasters]

I tend to work with Bardic knowledge having some overlap over all of the knowledge skills, as well as with Gather Information.

 

[Li Shenron]

Where do you folk draw the line between Bardic Knowledge and Knowledge Local?

Seems to me there is some pretty serious overlap there and I'd like to make them distinct from one another.

You may just be trapped into a very human bad habit: to think that everything should fit in separate categories

What's the problem if they overlap? A Bard may know of the Baron Xyz because he's famous for some reason, a Rogue may know the same because he lives in the same town. A character with both skills just uses the best modifier.

Seeing as how Bards get all Knowledge Skills in class anyway, it doesn't make sense for Bardic Knowledge to just be a weaker version of Knowledge Local - or a weaker version of any or all Knowledge skills for that matter.

(...)

I mean, Knowledge Local covers "legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions, humaniods." Bardic Knowledge on the other hand grants information on "local notable people, legendary items, or noteworthy places."

BK is not weaker. On the average it's actually definitely better because it has potentially less limitations IMHO. The only requirement for BK is that the topic must be somehow notable. If you're looking for a bakery in a specific city, KN(Local) is better, while BK may allow you to know only famous bakeries but from different towns.

Ah... but maybe you're allowing KN(Local) to cover EVERY town and region... well in that case it is way more powerful. Either make KN(Local) cover only one region, or boost BK by a mile.