D&D 5E How do you handle monster knowledges in your game?

[FrozenNorth]

I ask the player what information he or she wants to know. The higher the roll, the more different types of information they can obtain. Resistances, Immunities, special attacks, special defenses, weak saves are all on the table as information that a character could plausibly have heard about a creature or glean from observation.

 

[Reynard]

It is weird that everyone wants to hand them correct information. If you are relying on "stories you heard" or "books you read" there is going to be some misinformation. Don't believe me? Read what medieval scholars wrote about lions and giraffes.

 

[billd91]

It is weird that everyone wants to hand them correct information. If you are relying on "stories you heard" or "books you read" there is going to be some misinformation. Don't believe me? Read what medieval scholars wrote about lions and giraffes.

That's the benefit of having a successful skill check - information that's useful and correct. Disinformation would only be appropriate for a failed role.

 

[Reynard]

That's the benefit of having a successful skill check - information that's useful and correct. Disinformation would only be appropriate for a failed role.

No. A successful check means you remember what you were told/read. If you were told bad info, you remember bad info.

 

[billd91]

No. A successful check means you remember what you were told/read. If you were told bad info, you remember bad info.

If that's the case, I'd have been better off failing my roll - because no information is better than bad info.

 

[Reynard]

If that's the case, I'd have been better off failing my roll - because no information is better than bad info.

Like I said, i would have a chart with information, most true but some not. Like rumors tables in adventures.

but I get that people want to win, and being fed bad info can feel like losing even though what it really does is make things interesting.

 

[bloodtide]

For most games, most of the time, I use the system that popped up in the late 3.5E books.

Each 5 or so on a check gets you the most basic knowledge of the monster, starting with the most commonly known things and going up from there.

But it is always, tavern gossip, tall tales, stories, legends, and such. I make this very, very, very, clear to all players. Anything you learn from this roll is not 100% true, ever.

And if a player EVER even for one second tries to whine or cry and say "But..but you said when I rolled my monster knowledge check that the Zoomet was vulnerable to fire! Waaaaaa!", that character will have rocks fall on them and the player will be banned from my game.

I'm also super harsh with these numbers. Things that are common, by default anything in the core monster manual or in game that live around the area have low DC numbers. For something like a Zoar, I set the 'common knowledge' at DC 50.

I do much more encourage players to find monster knowledge both in-game and by downtime.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It is weird that everyone wants to hand them correct information. If you are relying on "stories you heard" or "books you read" there is going to be some misinformation. Don't believe me? Read what medieval scholars wrote about lions and giraffes.

The new Level Up monster book includes false rumors for each monster for precisely that purpose.

 

[jasper]

It is weird that everyone wants to hand them correct information. If you are relying on "stories you heard" or "books you read" there is going to be some misinformation. Don't believe me? Read what medieval scholars wrote about lions and giraffes.

Why do that? Just read about the rules fights here. AND WE ALL HAVE THE BOOKS!
I do the study action. If I was homebrewing I would add monster manuals as tomes you can find in the loot drop.

 

[mellored]

DON'T mention the creature’s name.

Everyone rolls a check when they roll initiative.

On their first turn...
DC = CR will tell you it's name and a short, vague description.
DC + 5 = I'll show the stat block.