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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ARandomGod" data-source="post: 2532729" data-attributes="member: 17296">Ah. I see where you may be misinterpreting me. I'm not debating that the name of the skill has the word local in it. And in above popints I've addressed that... However I'm pointing out that the word is not in the description. And I stated that the name does seem to be disingenuous.Here I disagree. A name and a description are two separate things. I'll use an exampe here. "Improved initiative". That doesn't actually improve the initiative ability at all, it simply adds to your base roll. "Cure Light Wounds" Doesn't actually cure wounds at all. It removes HP damage.My statement is that Knowlege: LocalIs a name of a skillAnd the description of the skill follows the name. Not completely morphable... only morphable to the extent of potentially telling you the things that the skill description says it will. But yes, I do say that knowledge local covers everything the skill says it will cover, regardless of the locale in question. I do believe that's the entire point of this particular debate, however, so here I accuse you of attempting a fallacious arguement. All I see you saying here is "your point is silly, so anyone thinking that way must be wrong". I'm not seeing any acutal content here other than "name calling" as it were. I did say in any *great* detail. There is some overlap, of course. As there often is with many of the knowledge skills. I wouldn't see it as telling you about past nobles, other than perhaps some with notable legends (the accuracy of the legends wouldn't be in any way garunteed, of course)... And not every city has a legend about it's foundations or migrations, not every war has a one either. But I do take your point, Knowledge: History does not anywhere in the skill description define what constitues History anymore than Knowledge Local states in IT's skill description what consitutes Local.Of course, in the end I also take a large portion of 'balance' into account. And I think that a skill point spent in Knowledge: Local should be relatively as effective as a skill point spent in any other knowledge skill... How useful each is, of course, is completely up to the GM. I say that imposing a definition of "local" to mean the household (or room of household... or perhaps hamlet or city) in which the character grew up in is severely limiting the usefulness of the skill, when indeed there is a valid available interpretation that would include this type of knowledge wherever you're at.I can see giving *bonuses* based on growing up in a particular Locale. On the other hand, if you actually GREW UP there I'd say that you have a lot of knowledge about that city/hamlet/backyard that you grew up in without investing any points in it. That's our main point of dissention, however. For one I don't think it covers as much as you seem to think it covers, even in the town you grew up in, for another I say that it HAS to cover a larger region than you seem to think it can cover. Otherwise it's completely useless in any adventure where you're not spending a lot of time in the backwater where your character grew up. Now in an adventure that's completely in one city, I can see giving a specialized knowledge Local subskill that covers more about that area...Well, no, even in an adventure that never strayes from one hometown I wouldn't let them know as much as it seems to me that you think "knowledge: Local" encapsulates with just points in that knowledge.Mostly because I don't see that there should be a difference in the power level of that skill based on campaign style. It should be the same if you're a "Waterdeep" only campaign or one that travels all across the Prime Material.  And I think that if they meant it to be more restrictive than the other knowledge skills they would have made at least a token nod to those limitations in the skill description. I don't buy the thought that the skill name is enough to do that. Especially not since the definition of "local" isn't anywhere in RAW. On a cosmic scale this entire solar system is Local. In a multiverse your closest planes are pretty darn local.</blockquote>

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