Isn't there a chart for Knowledge Checks?

[DM-Rocco]

I would think that some of the information you offer as possibly discovered during an autopsy is unlikely. Character traits like "cowardly" would not be detectable in an autopsy, yet other aspects such as being forest dwellers, or physically weak makes sense. I also don't know how one would be able to determine th base land speed of a creature simply through an autopsy. They may be able to estimate based on skeletal structure and musculature, but being able to determine that they have a movement of precisely 30 seems unlikely.

Lastly, a Heal check would probably be required to perform the autopsy correctly and to assess the corpse. Here is a suggested chart:

Heal Check
DC 11 - Autopsy reveals the creature to be relatively weak but possibly nimble, diminutive reptilian humanoid.

DC 16 - Autopsy reveals the contents of digestive tract giving clues to the creature's habitat (i.e. Temperate forest)

DC 21- Autopsy reveals the creature's scales provide a natural armor bonus of apprximately +1

DC 26 - Autopsy reveals the creature has Darkvision and likely suffers from light sensitivity

Er, I think you miss read what I wrote, you got cowardly from the Knowledge (Local) check in Dragon Magazine which I included here so others who are interested can see what I was talking about whan I say a chart for knowledge checks.

The stuff after this phrase:
Information you might gather from an Autopsy:
is what I was thinking about for an autopsy.

I was thinking that an autopsy would provide more information than a standard Knowledge check since you are not going off of theory, conjecture and the written word. Therefore I already have a system for the DC and information given, but was looking at more if you thought the information gained was fair or if I forgot anything that might also be included.

Don't limit the imagination to just the kobold, look at the doppleganger for example.

They can shapechange and detect thoughts. Detect thought can be blocked by things like stone or lead. How hard would it be to figure that out from an autopsy?

 

[Mistwell]

I would think a heal check is more relevant to the situation than a knowledge check, though both would be important.

 

[matthewajg]

Presumably, a dead doppleganger's corpse would have little in the way of anatomical features to indicate that it was a shapeshifter or able to detect thoughts. That is information appropriate to a Knowledge check. If we are talking about what an autopsy would be able to reveal; then it would likely reveal the creatures type (Monstrous Humanoid) because of its bizarre physiology. The supernatural abilities of the doppleganger (such as their ability to detect thoughts or change shape) may have no physical clues inherent in their physical structure. I think it is safe to say that all Extraordinary abilities like darkvision would logically have a physical component that could be identified with a high enough Heal check, but magical abilities would not necessarily. For instance, if you performed an ordinary autopsy on a beholder, you would find that their eyestalks peculiar but you would not be able to identify what each one could do (in terms of the beholder's abilities). That would require a Knowledge check, which relies upon first, second or third hand observations regarding the creature in action.

 

[Bad Paper]

Imps? Sure, I know all about them. Elephants, not so much.

Actually, that's true for me. Isn't that kinda sick?

 

[Blind Azathoth]

Actually, that's true for me. Isn't that kinda sick?

Elephants are the ones with the flippers, right?

 

[RatPunk]

Perhaps that is where I saw them, but Icould swear it was in one of the monster manuals/books

Every creature in Monster Manual IV has the Knowledge/Lore sidebar.

 

[lukelightning]

Elephants are the ones with the flippers, right?

And don't forget, you technically know less about a zombie elephant than a skeleton elephant. In fact, you know less about a zombie elephant than you do about a 12th level lich or a mummy or a snow ghoul.

Most of the time I've seen knowledge skills used just as a justification of metagaming. You already know that you need cold iron to damage demons...and if the DM has a problem with this you point to your 3 ranks in knowledge (the planes).

 

[VirgilCaine]

Information you might gather from an Autopsy:

Seeing as how you just killed this thing, you probably know some of this stuff. A creature's speed is pretty obvious once you've seen it move, and I'd let a warrior find out about its natural armor bonus after hitting it a few times.

 

[Jhulae]

WotC has started adding a 'Knowledge' sidebar to creature descriptions apparently.
In Tactics and Tips, they've done a couple series on knowledge check DCs and results.

Yeah, years after Monsternomicon Vol. 1 from Privateer Press already did that.

It's nice that WotC makes their stuff better by stea... er.. copying from what other producers do right.

 

[Hussar]

I thought the formula was 10+CR. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to base it off HD.