Spellcraft ?

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

From my point of view, the average psuedo-medieval person has none of these things. All of their info comes from old-wives tales, rumor, myth and the occasional travelling bard.

But we aren't dealing with an "average, psuedo-medieval person."

We're dealing with an adventurer, someone who spends time in seedy dives, listening to wandering minstrels tell tales of the Great Trollmoor Invasion, way back in the Year of the Seedy Dive. We're dealing with temple-raised priests, who've been chanting and learning the history of their own religion since they were born / abandoned on the temple steps.

We're dealing with people who have *met* - even if just in passing - knights errant, traveling wizards, members of theives' guilds, miracle workers.

You expect me to believe that, in the entirety of a character's young life, back when they were still a 'prentice in the village, that no grizzled armsman ever sat down in front of the tavern, gathered the kiddies around, and said, "Well, the common bog troll, ya see, is a nasty creature. Hard to fight, harder to kill. First one I ever fought I cut into a hundred pieces, each no bigger than my hand, and when I turned my back, they came back together. Clawed me up right good, he did - still bear the scar! No, the only way to keep 'em down is with fire."

I find that a DM who insists that the PCs have never heard old war stories is being completely unrealistic.

 

[Gez]

For what it's worth, I have separated Spellcraft in four, so that arcane, divine, druidic, and psionic all have a different Spellcraft skill.

 

[Mekabar]

For what it's worth, I have separated Spellcraft in four, so that arcane, divine, druidic, and psionic all have a different Spellcraft skill.

Sounds reasonable to me, although I don't see why you seperated druidic from the divine spells.

 

[Gez]

Because they are different magic IMC. Druids and rangers cast spells that are related to nature -- plants, animals, the four elements -- while clerics and paladins cast spells that are related to the soul -- alignment-based spells, conjuring otherwordly creatures, bringing back the dead... Epic clerical spell slots are based on Knowledge Religion, epic druidic spell slots are based on Knowledge Nature.

 

[Mekabar]

The way I understood it, Druids worship nature as a supernatural being the same way as a cleric worships his patron deity. In return "nature" grants them some powers. There are even some nature deitys like Silvanus which are occasionaly worshiped by Druids. I don't think this is really a different kind of magic.
Otherwise you would have to split Wizard, Sorcerer and Warlock magic as well, because they have different sources (arcane studies, inborn magic talents, fiendish heritage).