House Rule Adjustment - Combat Knowledge Checks

Guyanthalas

First Post
My big push this year has been to get more people interested in D&D. Mostly because it has a huge "nerd" taboo, and noone even seems to know how the game is played ("What do you mean you don't hit each other with sticks?"). As such, I'm starting a newbie freindly campaign with my good D&D buddies, and there girlfriends. Hopefully this turns out well, but i'm trying to form fit the campaign more toward the roleplaying utility (skills) aspect as opposed to the damage aspect of encounters. Here are some of the aspects i'm throwing in, and I'd like comments about how you think it will play out, and suggestions are welcome as always.

Monster Knowledge checks:
The purpose behind these checks are less about the lore thats written in the monster manual, and more about combat with the target creature. Because the girls in the game do not own the books, I will not expect them to have all of the monsters stats and attacks commited to memory like all of us good RPG'ers :D. I want them to use the basic knowledge checks to help them figure out how to fight the creatures, or how to avoid an attack.
Example:
Fire Beetle, using knowledge nature check says something to the effect that you can harvest the glands for torches. Awesome. How useful.
My improvised nature check will state "You know that these beetles have a fire breathing attack that is fairly devestating to close targets". Also, because i'm upping the level of the beetle to 3, i'll add "These also look stronger then most normal fire beetles".
I think this will help players feel more useful in combat by performing checks as minor actions, and help them get a better feel for the game at large.

Warlord Battlefield Knowledge:
One of the girls is playing a warlord, and I based on her play style I think that battlefield knowledge check may be fun for her. The concept is that she will roll a check on the start of each combat (on her turn), and based on the difficulty of the challenge her die-roll will help her determine more about what she's fighting. Who are the minions, which ones are the strong guys, who are the leaders, who should fight who. This is a check that I will personally roll myself behind my DM Screen, because I want to make a critical miss give out wrong information. "You know that (point to minion) this guy is the leader". Also, I think it makes sense to lower the DC every time you fight a paticular group of individuals (because now you are familiar with there tactics).

I'd be interested in any comments, pro or con, about this style of checks during combat. Cheers everyone!
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Why is monster knowledge a house rule? Knowledge skills can already grant information on a monster's type, powers, resistances, and vulnerabilities.
 

To elaborate more on the above comment...

re: Monster Knowledge Checks: This is not a house rule. This is RAW. Check out the section on knowledge checks, page 180 PHB. (Which specific skill is used for the different creature types is specified in the specific skill descriptions such as nature, dungeoneering, etc.)

Monster Knowledge: No action required—either you know the answer or you don’t.
✦ DC: See the table.
✦ Success: You identify a creature as well as its type, typical temperament, and keywords. Higher results give you information about the creature’s powers, resistances, and vulnerabilities.
✦ Failure: You don’t recall any pertinent information. The DM might allow you to make a new check if further information comes to light.

Re: Warlord Battlefield Knowledge. This is a house rule, but it is one I agree with (at least in principle). I think that there ought to be a skill to represent this kind of tactical expertise being the Martial (powersource) equivalent of Nature and Arcana ((and that Warlords should be automatically trained in this skill just as Wizards are trained in Arcana and Rangers in Nature or Dungeoneering). I may adapt some of the information you have been granting as part of the benefits of this skill.

Carl
 
Last edited:

Why is monster knowledge a house rule? Knowledge skills can already grant information on a monster's type, powers, resistances, and vulnerabilities.

My mistake, I don't know how I missed that! Either way, thank you for pointing out my folley.

So back to the other part of the post with the battlefield knowledge. I'm not sure exactly what kind of check it would be, and am not sure if i want to go so advanced that i make an entirely new stat regarding Knowledge (Battlefield). Insight is the only one that I can really see being the correct stat on this, the other would be just to use the knowledge checks based in the MM.
 

Could do something like:
Any martial character may make an Intelligence or Wisdom check as a free action once per combat to ... learn whatever it is you want them to learn. I'd say pick out elites, solos, and minions at a minimum, perhaps ID role at slightly higher DC, and ID ones that are 2 or more levels lower or higher than the party at slightly higher DC and perhaps just outright determine level at a high DC.
 


Remove ads

Top