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Message: <blockquote data-quote="N'raac" data-source="post: 6159752" data-attributes="member: 6681948">You were the one discussing "everyone knowing some obscure facts" and "just needing a few well-travelled people so everyone will have heard of all these creatures".  We have lots of well travelled people - why do so many people get mauled by Koalas that are "so cute" because they don't realize they have powerful sharp claws? It sets rules for identifying creatures, and dealing with various difficulty levels.    The SRD on Knowledge is longer than that on Attacks of Opportunity, so that must be a really light system, huh?The flanking character is taking advantage of in-game opportunities to enhance the character's success.  That matches up to the diplomatic character who offers something the target really wants in return, or provides a highly appropriate gift.  And if a +2 bonus to the diplomacy roll is given in exchange (the same as that Flanking bonus), that seems perfectly reasonable. So would playing off the target's known hatred of orcs, say.  But simply making a good speech as a player should have no more effect on success than doing a shoulder roll and tumble to demonstrate how you get into flanking position.  It's your character's ability to make a persuasive speech (or tumble, or fight) that determines the character's success.  If the player is a couch potato who has to take two rest beaks to climb a flight of stairs, his character suffers no penalty compared to an iron man competitor when determining success at a feat of endurance.  Why should a glib, well spoken player have an advantage over a stuttering wallflower in playing a smooth talking con man or a suave ladies' man spy?If we're not clear in what can and cannot be done, then it only comes down to what each of us decides.  Why shouldn't a "really good check" get me the whole document, a "pretty good check" get me a page, a good check get a phrase and an OK one get me a word?  I'll check one word at a time, by the way.  It's easier to roll an OK check!I think you set the benchmark too high for mundane tasks performed by trained professionals.  There are some skills that require basic training to be viable.  They are not that hard for someone trained in them.  Is it unrealistic that no one untrained has a shot at gleaning the right result because of unusual personal experience.  Sure.  It's not realistic that the only possibilities to Knowledge are "you know it" or "you don't", rather than "false info".  The inability to roll again eliminates reflecting on the matter and realizing the answer.  There are infinite real life possibilities, and 20 possible rolls.  We sacrifice some corner case possibilities and accept simplification in the interest of playability.Again, the line gets drawn somewhere.  I would suggest that the Knowledge skill sets the bar that Arcane Knowledge with a 11+ DC is not common knowledge.  It simply is not.  Only those trained in this skill are exposed to it.  In play, one may pick up some knowledge, but that would be "player memory/notes" knowledge of things the character has already been exposed to, not a knowledge skill.Emphasis added.  It's common knowledge what they can do, how to defend against it and how to deal with them, but the players can't know their hit dice?  No double standard here!  Why can't I make a "common knowledge" roll to remember successful and failed attempts?  How did the NPC's group know that criminal would do the trick?  Why can't the players use the same approach?I've rarely seen PC's have a shortage of opponents at their power level - and if not, they probably don't  need raising.Exactly.You and Wikipedia disagree on this issue.  Which shows the issue of misinformation - as I don't know which is correct, I have a 50/50 chance of getting the answer wrong.  "Looks like a Bodak - put salt on his head and he'll be rendered helpless!</blockquote>

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