Knowledge(Arcana)-What is it good for?

[rankarrog]

Nearly to every Wiz/Sorc in my campaign has this skill and it's fairly high but I have no clue what to do with it, whats not allready covered by spellcraft.

Can you give me some suggestions what to do with it, so that my players don't have a next to useless skill?

 

[nwn_deadman]

Knowledge skills are used to check and see if the PC knows something that is asked of them.

Otherwise, they are used as a pre-req for a Prc class.

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

When I DM, I let my wizard player use his Knowledge(arcana) skill to get a shot at knowing about the magical abilities/strengths/weaknesses of monsters if they are part of traditional lore, lycanthropes and vampires, for instance. Also, one time the party came across a clearing where someone had performed a ritual to summon a huge flock of stirges. There was no active spell, so I didn't allow a Spellcraft check, but I allowed a Knowledge(arcana) check to identify the runes to figure out that the place was a summoning circle.

 

[rankarrog]

Thank you this are good examples! I'm searching for more such suggestions if anyone has some of them I'd be happy to hear your voice.

 

[bret]

According to Tome & Blood, Knowledge Arcana is used when a character is merely trying to recall some fact that applies to a magical effect, place, object or creature. Spellcraft is the ability to study and understand active magic. See T&B pg. 19.

Knowledge Arcana could cover all those niggling little points like what parts of a Dragon are useful. Hide can be used for armor, bones can be used for certain magical protections, etc. This is especially appropriate if the GM is using the rules in the DMG where special parts can be used to pay part of the XP cost for enchanting.

I would use Spellcraft to identify which spells used a certain material component or to find substitute components. I would use Knowledge Arcana to know who first developed a spell or how it was discovered what materials made good components.