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<blockquote data-quote="Pielorinho" data-source="post: 1424687" data-attributes="member: 259">Elder-Basilisk, that's certainly an interesting approach, but I'm still not sure I find it satisfying.&nbsp; Suppose that I invent a race of invisible, gaseous 1 HD creatures that live in the Negative Energy Plane and attack en masse.&nbsp; According to the rules, a character is likelier to know more about this newly invented race than they are to know about trolls, genies, or even horses, assuming they have one point in each of the appropriate skills.&nbsp;The trick as the DM is to give out information that is helpful, interesting, and plausibly-known.&nbsp; Sometimes you set the DC higher than the book sets it at -- A Knowledge:&nbsp; Planes check for the gaseous clouds above might be 25 or higher IMC.&nbsp; Sometimes you set it lower:&nbsp; knowing that some Djinn can grant wishes might be a DC 5 check, possible to make untrained, IMC.&nbsp; Everyone knows the story of Aladdin, right?&nbsp;Information can also be given out in an unusual manner.&nbsp; Someone makes a knowledge:&nbsp; planes check high enough that you want to give them information about an air elemental.&nbsp; You say, &quot;You remember reading an account of the battle at Stormridge, in which the elvish armies brought hippogryph-riders against the hobgoblin forces.&nbsp; The hobgoblins summoned vicious wind-spirits, who quickly formed into whirlwinds that plucked the riders off the backs of their mounts and threw them to their deaths.&nbsp; These creatures you're facing now could well be the same sort of wind spirit.&quot;&nbsp; It's sometimes hard to come up with snippets like this on the run, but it's a lot more fun if you can think of something like this.&nbsp;Daniel</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Pielorinho, post: 1424687, member: 259"] Elder-Basilisk, that's certainly an interesting approach, but I'm still not sure I find it satisfying. Suppose that I invent a race of invisible, gaseous 1 HD creatures that live in the Negative Energy Plane and attack [i]en masse. [/i]According to the rules, a character is likelier to know more about this newly invented race than they are to know about trolls, genies, or even horses, assuming they have one point in each of the appropriate skills. The trick as the DM is to give out information that is helpful, interesting, and plausibly-known. Sometimes you set the DC higher than the book sets it at -- A Knowledge: Planes check for the gaseous clouds above might be 25 or higher IMC. Sometimes you set it lower: knowing that some Djinn can grant wishes might be a DC 5 check, possible to make untrained, IMC. Everyone knows the story of Aladdin, right? Information can also be given out in an unusual manner. Someone makes a knowledge: planes check high enough that you want to give them information about an air elemental. You say, "You remember reading an account of the battle at Stormridge, in which the elvish armies brought hippogryph-riders against the hobgoblin forces. The hobgoblins summoned vicious wind-spirits, who quickly formed into whirlwinds that plucked the riders off the backs of their mounts and threw them to their deaths. These creatures you're facing now could well be the same sort of wind spirit." It's sometimes hard to come up with snippets like this on the run, but it's a lot more fun if you can think of something like this. Daniel [/QUOTE]

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