Knowledge (Local) - How Does Your Group Use and Define It

[Herremann the Wise]

Hi Everyone,

There seems to be a variety of interpretations of Knowledge (Local). Seeing as one of my players is creating a character specialising in it (a first for our group), I would appreciate a little advice of how your group handles it.

Officially, the book sees it as "legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions and humanoids."

Thus, some see it as knowledge tied to a particular area.
However, some see it as knowledge similar to (Nobility & Royalty) but for the lower and middle classes.
Some see it as the ability to find out this sort of knowledge in a new and previously unknown place.

Which way do you define it? Is there a "correct" way or should a variety of interpretations be encouraged?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Jarrod]

I think FR treats each area individually, which seems silly to me... now, not only are there a huge number of Knowledge skills, there's an equally huge number of K(local) skills... ack, the points!


I've decided to run with it as K(L) is your capability to learn things about the area you're in, and a factor in how quickly. So to get information about an area you need both K(L) and to have spent some time there. This, after noting that after six years I still get confused about downtown streets (in Madison, WI, so not complex at all) but my wife picked them up in a week -- she has more K(L) than I do.

So, basically, skill as capability rather than raw information.

 

[reveal]

I usually take it to mean knowledge about a specific locale. For example, IMC, a player has Knowledge (local-Sharn). Basically, he knows a lot about Sharn specifically. I think if you expand the scope to be simply about a location, i.e. a town, a particular forest, a desert, you start getting into the "Bardic Knowledge" realm.

 

[reveal]

I've decided to run with it as K(L) is your capability to learn things about the area you're in, and a factor in how quickly. So to get information about an area you need both K(L) and to have spent some time there.

But wouldn't that be more of a Gather Information check?

 

[IronWolf]

I usually take it to mean knowledge about a specific locale. For example, IMC, a player has Knowledge (local-Sharn). Basically, he knows a lot about Sharn specifically. I think if you expand the scope to be simply about a location, i.e. a town, a particular forest, a desert, you start getting into the "Bardic Knowledge" realm.

I agree it is more for specific location. I look at it like how one knows the area they grew up in pretty well. They know so and so and what they did and lots of local information that outsiders would not know. That same person travels to a town three states away and they do not know the area to that level.

 

[smootrk]

I use the FR model with each region having a Knowledge (local-x). On case by case basis when in a neighboring or allied region, I sometimes allow checks but the chances to succeed are lower and the information gained is generally not as good.

I also generally give out a few free ranks of skills when character is created to reflect the characters background... ususally Knowledge in a region, profession, or craft (& sometimes a perform skill).

 

[Jarrod]

But wouldn't that be more of a Gather Information check?

Yeah, they're getting pretty close, but different ways of getting the same thing.

"Hey, I need to get to 4242 Foobar street"

<rolls K(L)> , "Oh, right, it's off of Joe Avenue... I remember that"

or....

<rolls Gather Info> and asks someone, gets "Go three blocks, take a left at the light".

I dislike having to put multiple points into a particular version of a skill. It's similar to Speak Language. It ends up being a great big point-suck, and _no_ other skill works that way. In fact, Knowledge is already hurt enough by the subclasses that the only people I've ever seen taking it were skill-monkey wizards (mmmm big int). Logically, then, K(L) doesn't need to be regionalized... and we go from there.

In any case, same result as gather info, different mechanism. Or he could have checked a map.

 

[reveal]

Yeah, they're getting pretty close, but different ways of getting the same thing.

"Hey, I need to get to 4242 Foobar street"

<rolls K(L)> , "Oh, right, it's off of Joe Avenue... I remember that"

or....

<rolls Gather Info> and asks someone, gets "Go three blocks, take a left at the light".

I dislike having to put multiple points into a particular version of a skill. It's similar to Speak Language. It ends up being a great big point-suck, and _no_ other skill works that way. In fact, Knowledge is already hurt enough by the subclasses that the only people I've ever seen taking it were skill-monkey wizards (mmmm big int). Logically, then, K(L) doesn't need to be regionalized... and we go from there.

In any case, same result as gather info, different mechanism. Or he could have checked a map.

That's a good way of using K(L). IMC, however, I would have them make a Gather Info to learn its location and if they need to go back, just roll an INT check against a DC I come up with to see if they can remember how to get there.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

But wouldn't that be more of a Gather Information check?

I agree and I suppose that's the interesting part. Knowledge (Local) gives you a +2 synergy bonus to your Gather Information (not the other way around). Why?

When you try to think it through, it sort of guides you in the direction that Jarrod was thinking: to learn things about the area you're in.
The player I was talking about in the original post would like it interpreted this way too.

I'm still as yet not convinced. Any more thoughts on this?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[reveal]

I agree and I suppose that's the interesting part. Knowledge (Local) gives you a +2 synergy bonus to your Gather Information (not the other way around). Why?

When you try to think it through, it sort of guides you in the direction that Jarrod was thinking: to learn things about the area you're in.
The player I was talking about in the original post would like it interpreted this way too.

I'm still as yet not convinced. Any more thoughts on this?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

I'm running the "Istivin" trilogy from Dungeon mag, starting with #117. In the adventure, I remember specifically it saying to make a Knowledge (local) check to remember some information about Istivin. From that, I would say WotC probably forsees it being used more like Jarrod and your player do. Not that I agree with it.