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House Rule Idea: Knowledge Checks Never Fail (they just might make things worse)
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<blockquote data-quote="BookTenTiger" data-source="post: 9274857" data-attributes="member: 6685541"><p>I've now been using this house rule for a number of sessions and it's working really well!</p><p></p><p>Some things that are great about it:</p><p></p><p>1) The players can trust that they will always get some information that's true.</p><p></p><p>2) There is a risk to the roll, which prevents players from spamming knowledge checks.</p><p></p><p>3) It leads to interesting adventure hooks.</p><p></p><p>Some recent examples...</p><p></p><p>The players came upon statues of dragonborn druids. A History Check (below 10) reveals that they represent the Circle of the Talon, a druid circle that worshipped dragons, and they're all dead now... and haunting the dungeon! I hadn't planned on ghosts, but now I threw some vengeful spirits into the mix. The characters were able to use their social skills to calm the spirits and actually wound up receiving clues to help them complete the dungeon.</p><p></p><p>Later, the players found a sarcophagus carved with the likeness of a Drow priestess. A History Check (above 15) revealed she was an important leader who lead a group of Drow refugees from the Underdark to a nearby city... And that the central square of the city is named after her, though not obviously ("Aya's Square," and the priestess is Zalaya). So if they use that knowledge later it'll help them find others sympathetic to their cause.</p><p></p><p>And finally, the players found a magic rock that, when planted, would grow into a new god. A Religion Check (between 10 and 15) revealed that a new god would be influenced by those who worship it and its environment, so if it gets planted on a battlefield it might become a war god, or in a library would become a god of knowledge, etc.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BookTenTiger, post: 9274857, member: 6685541"] I've now been using this house rule for a number of sessions and it's working really well! Some things that are great about it: 1) The players can trust that they will always get some information that's true. 2) There is a risk to the roll, which prevents players from spamming knowledge checks. 3) It leads to interesting adventure hooks. Some recent examples... The players came upon statues of dragonborn druids. A History Check (below 10) reveals that they represent the Circle of the Talon, a druid circle that worshipped dragons, and they're all dead now... and haunting the dungeon! I hadn't planned on ghosts, but now I threw some vengeful spirits into the mix. The characters were able to use their social skills to calm the spirits and actually wound up receiving clues to help them complete the dungeon. Later, the players found a sarcophagus carved with the likeness of a Drow priestess. A History Check (above 15) revealed she was an important leader who lead a group of Drow refugees from the Underdark to a nearby city... And that the central square of the city is named after her, though not obviously ("Aya's Square," and the priestess is Zalaya). So if they use that knowledge later it'll help them find others sympathetic to their cause. And finally, the players found a magic rock that, when planted, would grow into a new god. A Religion Check (between 10 and 15) revealed that a new god would be influenced by those who worship it and its environment, so if it gets planted on a battlefield it might become a war god, or in a library would become a god of knowledge, etc. [/QUOTE]
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House Rule Idea: Knowledge Checks Never Fail (they just might make things worse)
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