Knowledge Adventure

[Duorin III]

I start a new campaingn at 15 level where the players have a big importance for some kind of kingdom. Well, everything starts so well and they keep doing well, but since a have a conversation with a friend who are playing too, we came to a point that, for me the dungeon master, became hard to decide. How to judge if the character at 15 level (or any hight level) knows that a Red Dragon has the breath weapon and a beholder has magic in his many eyes? So, i know that its very comon that the character always will know that king of stuff, but i wonder, who can tell me? The answer will be the "good sense". But rule a campaign that the charecters have a lot of experiences with many things that they already saw it, its a tuff job to do, and will can come to be inconsistent. We discussed this a lot and we reach a resolution: We create the "Knowledge adventure".

Would work like this (obs.: this is a open sugestion and can be changed):
- Every class gain this skill.
- Its a skill of character level, like gain a feat every three levels and anyone gain.
- The proportion would be one point by level of the character. So, a multiclass has the same rank points that a non multiclass.
- The hability its not Inteligence, its Wisdom. Because depends of the characters´s capability to notice, to observe things in the world. A man the observe more learn more.
- The DC of this skill its the monster HD + D20. If you pass 15 points of the DC in a skill check, you know all the profile of the monster.
- This skill will work with the good sense of the dungeon master, cus if the character never saw it, for exemple, an artic place, even he rolls high in a dice, he can´t know what is a polar bear.

Role playing this skill:

- Every class has your individuality and every man has your way of how to look the world. The players would role playing as the class would make an interpretation of this skill. For exemple, after a fight with a red dragon(a like the red dragon´s exemple hehehe) a wizard and a fighter saw the same things, but they will "extract" what is more important to them. The wizard and the fighter now knows that after a time the dragon can make another breath weapon.
The fighter knows that its better fight with a dragon climbed over the creature.
The wizard knows that before of red dragon´s fight, he could cast the magic "protection from elements" on him and on the fighter just to prevent any others damages.

Aff!!! Now i will apreciate from you people, if this can be done or not. If this is a good idea or not, remember that this its not close and we are open to new ideas.

 

[hong]

This should probably be in House Rules. That said:

- The DC of this skill its the monster HD + D20. If you pass 15 points of the DC in a skill check, you know all the profile of the monster.

I'd use a DC based on Challenge Rating, not hit dice. HD can be all over the place for a given CR; a marilith only has 9HD, for instance, but not many parties below ~15th level are likely to face one.

 

[haiiro]

I'd use a DC based on Challenge Rating, not hit dice. HD can be all over the place for a given CR; a marilith only has 9HD, for instance, but not many parties below ~15th level are likely to face one.

I'll second that -- CR would be a much better benchmark.

If beating the DC by 15 tells you everything about a monster (which sounds like what you mean), how much info do you get just for succeeding the check? Are there other thresholds for success, or just two (some info on a success, all of it when you beat the DC by 15)?

Also, I'd be wary of allowing a skill into the game that costs nothing for the PCs and gives them a chance to basically read the MM entry for something they're fighting. IMO, knowing that much about a monster should require in-game research, favored enemy status, bardic knowledge, etc. -- not just a lucky roll.

 

[Duorin III]

I will try to moderate the game in the old fashion way. This became too complex to think about as rules inside d20 system. So thanks for yours opinions. I will considerate the thing about CR.

 

[Saeviomagy]

The problem with introducing this skill is:

"Hi, I'm a warrior who got breathed on by a red dragon last week. Apparently, I've forgotten that fact, because I just failed my knowledge(adventuring) roll. Oops".

My suggestion would be: If the characters encountered it, he knows it. If all the players around the table know some fact, then it's an int check DC 0 for a character to know it. If none of them know, it's an int check DC 20 for a character to know it. Adjust the numbers for everything in between (ie 2/3rds of the group translates to a DC of 13). Also give out circumstance bonuses liberally.

 

[Duorin III]

LOL. The example is fantastic. When i said that i´ll rule the game in a "old fashion way" its because i mean to play with Int. checks like you told so Saeviomagy. But just one question to you: How to answer to the player, playing as a warrior at 15 level who, last week, got a breathweapon on the face, IF the PLAYER, never role played before with a dragon?