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<blockquote data-quote="Pielorinho" data-source="post: 993391" data-attributes="member: 259">I agree, it's a little bit weird as a roll.&nbsp; What person with the smallest amount of interest in monster stories doesn't know three different vulnerabilities of a vampire?&nbsp; And yet how many fantasy geeks know that a particular kind of small spotted lizard can send out a serious electrical jolt?This mechanic makes it harder to know the vulnerabilities of your average vampire than to know the powers of a shocker lizard.&nbsp; That's a problem IMO.Although I understand why they did it this way (part of D&amp;D's philosophy is to make the DM a referee, not a judge, I think), I'll handle it differently, much closer to a bardic knowledge check.&nbsp; Famous monsters have a low initial DC:&nbsp; in order to remember that a black dragon breathes acid, we're talking DC 5.&nbsp; Somewhat well-known monsters have a moderate initial DC:&nbsp; a knowledge/INT check of 10+ will remind you that trolls are especially vulnerable to fire or acid.&nbsp; Lesser-known monsters have a higher initial DC:&nbsp; knowledge check 15, and you remember that the touch of a cockatrice is deadly.&nbsp; Obscure monsters have progressively higher DC:&nbsp; unless you make a check of 20+, you won't realize that a gibbering mouther can confuse people with its chatter.I'll probably say that any check with a&nbsp; DC of 15 or below can be made by the untrained (using common knowledge in the world), but that DCs higher than 15 require at least one rank in the appropriate knowledge.&nbsp; This means that even the untrained may get the second snippet of important information on trolls (DC 15:&nbsp; they regenerate all wounds beyond fire and acid!), but only the trained will remember the third bit of information (DC 20 if you stand and fight them hand-to-hand, they'll grab you in both hands and rip you apart, so it's better to use hit-and-run tactics against them).And obviously, different campaigns will consider different monsters famous, moderately-known, less-known, or obscure.&nbsp; That's okay by me.Daniel</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Pielorinho, post: 993391, member: 259"] I agree, it's a little bit weird as a roll. What person with the smallest amount of interest in monster stories doesn't know three different vulnerabilities of a vampire? And yet how many fantasy geeks know that a particular kind of small spotted lizard can send out a serious electrical jolt? This mechanic makes it harder to know the vulnerabilities of your average vampire than to know the powers of a shocker lizard. That's a problem IMO. Although I understand why they did it this way (part of D&D's philosophy is to make the DM a referee, not a judge, I think), I'll handle it differently, much closer to a bardic knowledge check. Famous monsters have a low initial DC: in order to remember that a black dragon breathes acid, we're talking DC 5. Somewhat well-known monsters have a moderate initial DC: a knowledge/INT check of 10+ will remind you that trolls are especially vulnerable to fire or acid. Lesser-known monsters have a higher initial DC: knowledge check 15, and you remember that the touch of a cockatrice is deadly. Obscure monsters have progressively higher DC: unless you make a check of 20+, you won't realize that a gibbering mouther can confuse people with its chatter. I'll probably say that any check with a DC of 15 or below can be made by the untrained (using common knowledge in the world), but that DCs higher than 15 require at least one rank in the appropriate knowledge. This means that even the untrained may get the second snippet of important information on trolls (DC 15: they regenerate all wounds beyond fire and acid!), but only the trained will remember the third bit of information (DC 20 if you stand and fight them hand-to-hand, they'll grab you in both hands and rip you apart, so it's better to use hit-and-run tactics against them). And obviously, different campaigns will consider different monsters famous, moderately-known, less-known, or obscure. That's okay by me. Daniel [/QUOTE]

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