Ogrork the Mighty
Explorer
Does Knowledge - Nature work on other planes of existence?
Does Knowledge (Nature) work on another plane?
- Thread starter Ogrork the Mighty
- Start date
That is really up to the DM. I would say knowledge nature works for the plane that the character taking this skill is from. Knowledge of the planes would be more appropriate for checks about other planes. However if animals that exist on the material plane also exist on other planes in your universe than I would allow knowledge nature to work with a higher DC, and knowledge planes to also work. Adjusting DC's is a good way to allow knowledges to be used in a wider variety of situations such as this one.
Stormrunner
Explorer
I don't know of any RAW, but I would adjucate on a case-by-case basis depending on how "Earthlike" the plane is. The Beastlands? Sure, no penalty - I might even allow a slight bonus, since the place is essentially "nature to the max". Arcadia or the Seven Heavens? With a penalty - such places may appear to have "animals" and "plants" but they usually have "extra" abilities (trees that walk, beasts that talk), as well as appropriate templates (celestial, fey, etc.) that may change their abilities and/or behavior. Most of the Lower Planes are hostile enough that normal animals and plants are unlikely to exist. "Ideal" planes such as Mechanus, Nightmare, Shadow, et al, and "Incorporeal" planes like Astral and Etheral, are likewise usually too "weird" for Material-plane knowledge to apply. Elemental planes often have animal-like critters (eg flame snakes, fire bats, and ash rats from the Plane of Fire) but these are idealized forms made of elemental-stuff and unlikely to act the same way as Material critters.
lotuseater
Explorer
or you can allow them to make the check as they normally would on their own plane, and if the succeed, then they can come to the conclusion that they would have normally come to on their own plane, and tell the player that this information may or may not apply to the new plane. maybe it's the same, maybe it's not. how would the character know for sure, except by trial and error.
Gez
First Post
Yes, depends on the plane. A Quercus ilex (evergreen oak) is a Quercus ilex, regardless of plane. Now, maybe there are a few plant and animal species from the character's home plane that he won't find in the parallel world, and vice-versa some plants and animals he never saw before; but otherwise, most of his knowledge will still be good.
I'll let it roll as-is if both are very close, with just a few anecdotical differences or none at all. I'd give a circumstance penalty for a plane that features important changes (a plane, or a region -- in historical Earth, a Scot that went to Australia had to relearn everything about fauna, flora, and weather), and a straight out impossibility for a totally alien realm where nothing seems to make sense.
And for situations in between, adjudications in between.
Also, I'd let a good knowledge of the planes offset the penalty -- having 5 or more ranks in Kn.: The Planes will give a +2 synergy bonus to Kn.: Nature checks made within a foreign plane.
I'll let it roll as-is if both are very close, with just a few anecdotical differences or none at all. I'd give a circumstance penalty for a plane that features important changes (a plane, or a region -- in historical Earth, a Scot that went to Australia had to relearn everything about fauna, flora, and weather), and a straight out impossibility for a totally alien realm where nothing seems to make sense.
And for situations in between, adjudications in between.
Also, I'd let a good knowledge of the planes offset the penalty -- having 5 or more ranks in Kn.: The Planes will give a +2 synergy bonus to Kn.: Nature checks made within a foreign plane.
Gez said:
I agree with the idea behind that one. If a character has Knowledge Nature, then that applies to the plane he has lived in. If he comes to another plane, he can only say:"This resembles that" and "On my homeplane, things go that way...".
But, if the character has some knowledge about the planes, it's logical that he knows that their are differences between his homeplane and the new one.
How I should reshape this into a rule?
1. Check if the character has Knowledge (The Planes). If he has, he might just try that one.
2. It just becomes handy if the character has lots of ranks on Knowledge (Nature). Then allow that character to roll his check, with a penalty, because you don't know that much about nature in other planes.
--> This rule of course is not useful at all if the character has approx. equal ranks in both Knowledges. But a ranger might benefit from this rule.
Hope this helped.
c ya
