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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 7633873" data-attributes="member: 92305">KNOWLEDGE (LOCAL)There is sometimes confusion on how to use this skill.  One method is to tie the skill with a location so the character has to have multiple skills for multiple places e.g. Knowledge (Messantia), Knowledge (Eiglophian Mountains), etc.I'm not sure, but I think this was the original intent in the d20 3.0 rules.Obviously, that's not an optimum choice for playing the skill for many players because it becomes a dark hole for skill points--a precious resource that could be better used with other skills.Then, there's the other extreme for playing the skill.  Knowledge (Local) becomes a generalized skill that covers local knowledge for anywhere the character happens to be.  I believe that this makes the skill too powerful, especially when the character is in a part of the world where he's never tread before.  All a player has to do is keep this one skill at a decent level, and his character will become extremely knowledgeable about the entire world!  Smart players will realize that keeping up this one skill, when it is played this way, makes several other Knowledge skill obsolete.I have a compromise way of playing the skill.  The skill remains Knowledge (Local).  We don't change what is in the parenthesis to a specific place.  But, the skill refers to any area that the character knows well.  It will apply to where the character grew up.  It will apply to any pace where he's spent a lot of time.In this way, Knowledge (Local) will be specific to the character.  We have to refer to the character's background--his pre-game story.  Let's say a Borderer character--an archer--grew up on the streets of Messantia then joined the Argosian Guardians.  He was stationed Rabirain Mountains, which is the border between Argos and Zingara.  Therefore, for this character, the skill Knowledge (Local) would apply to rolls about the city of Messantia and the area of the Rabirain Mountains.The GM should modify rolls sometimes, as well.  For example, let's say a character grew up in the Falcon Barony, which is an interior barony of Argos, but the character left there at a very young age--let's say, age 13.  He found his way to the coast and sneaked aboard a ship.  The character became a seaman and then a pirate and member of the Red Brotherhood on the Western Ocean.Where has the character spent most of his time?  That would be on his ship--many days on the ship and a lot less time in port.  Knowledge (Local) for this character could apply to the environs of the Falcon Barony of interior Argos, Tortage and the Barachan Isles (the port of the Red Brotherhood), plus any port along the Western coast of the continent where the seaman has spent a good deal of time.This particular character doesn't have the recollection of the Falcon Barony the same as a character who has lived in that part of Argos his entire life.  And, the character may know some of the port of Khemi, in Stygia, but probably not a lot beyond the port.Thus, the GM should consider this when the character is making Knowledge (Local) throws and maybe give the character higher difficulties for making the throw to accommodate for the limited knowledge.  When trying to remember a particular detail about the Falcon Barony, for example, this character may need to make a DC 15 throw.  It's been a long time since the character has been home, and the details are hazy.  Still, the Knowledge (Local) skill does apply since the character did spend his first decade-plus of life there.A character who has spent his entire life in the Falcon Barony may make the same Knowledge (Local) roll at DC 5+.</blockquote>

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