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Message: <blockquote data-quote="N'raac" data-source="post: 6158257" data-attributes="member: 6681948">If the field is full of basilisks, my question has to be how the halflings have survived this long.  An average of 45 hp, AC 16, bite with +8 for 4 - 11 damage should be more than enough to kill lots of nhalflings, before getting into that DC 13 petrification gaze.The fact that a computer game sets a silly scenario does not mean I find that an appropriate baseline for a game world.And are bodaks as well known and well studied as bears?  I could see bears having a reduced DC, or applying a flat (and reduced) DC for common animals.  But I could also see bumping the DC up, not down, for more rare creatures.Quick, which ones climb trees better?  And I have already pointed out the issue with variable HD changing the DC of even the same monster.  It tells us monster identification is not common knowledge.Nothing says the DM can't define all wizards as having pink spots.  That doesn't set what the actual rules are.  If the abilities and weaknesses of beasts like the Bodak are common knowledge, why bother with knowledge skills at all?I think "by HD" has a game basis, in that it makes more powerful monsters, faced by PC's with better skills, harder to ID.  But that isn't an essential component.  I would not be putting Bodaks at DC 10 if we were assigning difficulties, though.  It also seems like there should be some possibility of misinformation such as Old Wive's Tales.  One of the more fun characters I recall was designed specifically to NOT be knowledgeable about everything he ran across - but he sure knew his tales."Och, a Pixie - let's tear off its wings and make it take us to its pot of gold.""How do I face the Umber Hulk?  Like any TRUE warrior - I look it straight in the eye, showing I don't fear it!"[Still amazed I got a saving throw in that fight - the '1' I rolled sure felt right...]</blockquote>

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