Information Flow in "typical" D&D

[zyzzyr]

So, we live in an information age, whereby I can search a worldwide database from the comfort of my own home. I can keep up with breaking news, by the minute if I wish. I have a hundred or so channels to entertain me, along with video games, books (and e-books!) from any library or bookstore, and advertisements screaming at me to buy the product of a company in Sweden.

But, of course, this isn't the case in "typical" D&D - by which I mean Greyhawk, FR, or similar campaign worlds.

My question to you all is: What is considered "common knowledge" in a D&D world? How does information flow in the D&D world?

Let me give a few examples of "common knowledge" in our world:

- Electricity is a source of power
- Gravity makes things fall to the earth
- There are no such things as werewolves (and if there were, they could be killed with a silver bullet)
- If I take 2 from 3, I'm left with 1

What should characters in a D&D world know? What would an "educated" character versus "uneducated" versus "average" know?

Basic math? Calculus? Optics? Cell biology? Atomic physics?

Also, how exactly would information get from one place to the other? Bards (or would they be a mix of infotainment)? Traveling scholars? How common would this be?

This all stems from the fact today, I know that if I met a werewolf, I can only hurt it with silver. I know what a dragon looks like. I know that a griffon is typically a good and noble creature. I know that a doppelganger is a creature that changes form to duplicate other people.

But what does a character know? I mean, some of this has got to be in "children's stories", even in D&D? Like werewolves being slain by silver, or vampires hating garlic.

So what exactly does a character know, and in which ways could they learn more (other than traveling from library to library across the country?)

zyzzyr

 

[Dagger75]

Basic Knowledge.

How to saddle a horse.

How to dress game.

How to mend clothes.

Basical Heraldry "Thats the kings symbol, I don't what the other one is though" type of scenario

What a goblin and an orc look like.

Unless a barbarian how to read and write.

Know what the common religions are in the area and probably a few prayers.

Thats all off the top of my head. And information might not be that hard to come by in a D&D world. It won't be instant but a few days old depending on how far from the event you are. Bards travel around in D&D, tell news and stories. Some spells allow for instant commincation like sending. Important news like kings dying, ancient evil being released might even told to clergy by the gods themselves. The D&D world is a very different place.

 

[Thorntangle]

Knowledge is a tricky issue. As it stands, knowledge skills are trained only (with an easy question having a DC10), so you are out of luck if you have to roll to see if you know the current King and you don't have any points in Knowledge (Nobility). If I'm playing a Fighter character, I would find it hard to believe that I wouldn't know how to skin a creature because I didn't allocate cross class skill points to Wilderness Lore. People are generally good learners of culture and the world around them.

The way I see it, common knowledge can be adjudicated 2 different ways.

1. The DM can determine on the fly what a character would know about his/her world depending on their intelligence, education, experience, etc.

2. The DM can use the existing skill system to adjudicate character knowledge. I would advocate altering the existing skill point allotment system. I'd give PCs extra skill points at creation and each level. Allotting these extra skill points to a Knowledge (General/World) category or a range of existing Knowledge skills would provide a good mechanism for determining what a character knows.

 

[Knightcrawler]

Depends on several things.

1. Culture - In each culture people are going to have different "common knowledges". Ex: In a culture that uses alot of magic in everyday life the "common knowledge" for much of its populous with probably will include some knowledge about magic.

2. Technology Level - Now in many campaign worlds everyone has about the same level of technology but not all cultures will. Ex: In Ravenloft each domain has a different technology level.

3. Education - A Highly educated person is less lively to know how to dress a kill unless the society is all hunters. An uneducated person is less likely to have many KNowledge skills.

4. Rank/Class - A persons rank or class can also determine what is common knowledge. Ex: For nobles dancing, knowledge about nobility & royalty and etiquette might be considered "common knowledge" while a poor peasent farmer will know things about plants, survival and probably hunting.

5 DM - Basically whatever the DM wants

Those are some of the things that I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The lay of the land, basicly that this place is to the north of that place and a few days travel. Most of the towns within a days walk of their hometown. Nothing too detailed, just general info.

Money/trade/exchange - maybe this is a basic math?

Stations/classes - very few play rich/poor noble/servent very well.

Rules of life - the dos and don't of your culture. Walk to the right of a lady, bow to your betters, don't eat with your left hand, so on and so on.

 

[Agnostic Paladin]

Simple math (addition & subtraction, simple multiplication and division), basic literacy, the names and basic dogma of the local pantheon would be common knowledge.

Much more than that, and I'd be calling for Knowledge, Profession, or Wilderness Lore checks. Keep in mind that a character with no ranks in an appropriate Knowledge skill can make a straight Intelligence check; simple questions - is that an orc or a goblin? Who's the king? are DC 5 or so - easily made even by dim characters. (But still leaving a chance for a character to draw a blank)

 

[hong]

Survive in the wild (Wilderness Lore check DC 10, someone with Wis 10 can take 10 and avoid starving)

Ride a horse (no skill check required except in battle)

Build a hut or shelter (Craft check DC 10 for a non-masterwork item, again, anyone with Int 10 can take 10 and succeed)

Run from cats (average cat has two melee attacks for 1 pt each, average commoner has 2 hit points)

 

[Wicht]

The typical DnD commoner would likely know a about agriculture and the local area. This would include local officials and local gossip. They would not necessarily have any idea what the king looked like unless they had seen him before, or a very good picture of him. But they might know several stories and poems about the king, as told by travelling bards.

Well traveled and well read individuals will of course know more, but a person who lives in the same area all their life doing one or two jobs knows those jobs and knows the area.

 

[Thorntangle]

Run from cats (average cat has two melee attacks for 1 pt each, average commoner has 2 hit points)

Sadly, Knowledge (Feline Avoidance) is trained only which can explain the tragedy of the thousands of commoner fatalities each year when people foolishly allow cats into their very homes.

 

[kengar]

Run from cats (average cat has two melee attacks for 1 pt each, average commoner has 2 hit points)

Originally posted by Thorntangle

Sadly, Knowledge (Feline Avoidance) is trained only which can explain the tragedy of the thousands of commoner fatalities each year when people foolishly allow cats into their very homes.

Great! You two just made me spray coffee all over my screen and keyboard!

(looks for a paper towel)