Charon: Daemon of the Lower Planes and O'Reilly's Pub

[doktorstick]

Charon, boatman of the lower planes, has a Gather Information of +40. Wow. That's pretty impressive. What does Gather Information do again? Lemme flip through my PHB. Ah yes, here it is. How do you use that check? Ahhh, yes:

By succeeeding at a skill check (DC 10), given an evening with a few gold pieces to use for making friend by buying drinks...find out about a specific rumor...DC is 15 to 25 or higher.

I see. I guess ol' Charon just paddles his boat down to the local pub to get the latest gossip.

On a more serious note, I have always fiddled with Gather Information as to make it more useful than evenings spent in the pubs. I've never been too happy with my interpretations and flip-flop a lot. How do you use it?

/ds

 

[Felix]

I think Gather Info usually would start in a pub, or market-type place, but part of the skill is to find out who in that city would know about the kind of good info you really want to know about. Once you get to the specialist, you can then proceed to pump that guy for more information with another G-I check.

This is a DM's call kind of skill, as are most of the social skills. But, if you have a party without a slick talker, the info the DM deals out could be flawed, incomplete, misleading, etc. For instance, a bard with a good Gather Info skill might be told that there is a switch in the front hall closet that turns all of the evil Baron's traps off. The uncharismatic party would have to disarm all of those traps one by one.

Movie examples: In Unbreakable, Elijah Price finds out that a fire on the 3rd floor would toast an entire office building. A good Gather Info skill is needed to find that old geezer in the bar in the first place.

As for Charon with a good G-I? Well, since it takes a little time to ferry people accross the Styx, you can be sure that he is pumping you for all he's worth. He knows just who can play the meanest fiddle in all of Hell. And that sort of thing.

 

[Kevin O'Reilly]

I'll confirm that.

Wierd ole chap with a boat comes down to my local every night an just hangs around at the end of the bar.

He's pretty good at darts mind you.