My crack at Knowledge(Fantastic Beasts)

[EOL]

Re: sounds complicated

I think some good basic guidlines for what a reasonable DC is might be a more useful starting point. At what level could a character identify the powers of an orc assuming that this is the first orc the character has seen?

Well since the challange rating is modified by the commonality, and Orcs would be -5 (very common) I would assume most characters would know an orc if they saw it even without a check.

At what level does it become reasonable for a character who is really pushing knowledge: fantastic beasts to be able to engage in intelligent discourse on the best ways to deal with half-dragon bugbears? 10? 15? 20?

Well a half dragon bugbear would have a base CR of 4 add +4 (for commonality) for 8 multiply by 2.5 for being a templated Dragon which gives you a DC of 20 for a 0th level half-dragon bugbear, now I don't know any DM who wouldn't give him some levels so that would push up the complete knowledge, but I'm very comfortable with a DC 20 check to just look at it and say that appears to be some sort of <color> Dragon-Bugbear Hybrid.

What is the base DC for just knowing the name of the thing?

I would say -10 from the figured to just know the name.

For knowing the *true* name of the thing if there are several similar looking monsters?

I'd say that would be handled by lowering the commonality modifier, in other words it would be more rare.

For knowing the most notorious power of the thing?

Probably -5 would be reasonable.

For being able to just open the MM and quote it?

I would say if you can make the DC, and the DM isn't pulling any punches (for example he added any class levels to the CR of the Half-Dragon, then you should basically know everything there is to know.

 

[twjensen]

Ah! Makes much more sense now.

All the talk of DC 300+ checks had me a little confused.

Basically, if I am understanding things correctly, is I compute the DC of the question actually being asked.

So on the templated creature with class level example, I compute the DC for the templated creature at lv 0 to figure what the DC of just being able to name the thing and know that it is in fact a mongrel half-breed.

If the PC rolls less than that DC, a quick check of some other relevant DCs tells me if the PC could identify it's base race. And so on down to "it's a monster, Jim, but not as we know it."