What knowledge check lets you identify humanoids?

[Noumenon]

Should knowledge (nature) work on regular humanoids as well as monstrous, say if you want to identify a drow's spell-like abilities? Probably a dumb question since humanoids are pretty weak. Do you let any knowledge skill hint at a humanoid's class levels?

 

[Jon_Dahl]

Well, unfortunately the right answer by RAW is Knowledge (local). I'm almost sure that there is no argument that Knowledge (local) is a pretty vague skill and often subject to house-ruling. Having a high Knowledge (local) skill would make your character a biologist, anthropologist, lawyer, folklorist and whatnot.

So a drow has no HD, so recognizing its type is DC 10 check. For every 5 points you exceed DC 10, you remember one bit of useful info. Whatever that info is, is completely up to your DM.

Quite frankly the way different creatures are divided between knowledges rubs my angry nerve on occasion.

 

[Noumenon]

You know what, I should have known that from the Knowledge skill, but I had summarized it as identifying "NPCs." Thanks.

The people I started playing with said Knowledge (local) was limited to your starting area. My own house rules say,

"Knowledge (local) is basically skill at gossip. It will work in any town following a successful Gather Information check – DC 10 for a hamlet, DC 35 for a metropolis."

 

[Dandu]

I would agree with having knowledge (local) work for whatever location the player happens to be at, with the rationale that he has spend his spare time gathering more knowledge about his new location.

It hardly makes sense that, if you're adventuring across the seven seas and put more ranks in knowledge (local), that you've suddenly become more knowledgeable about your home country of Florin despite not having set foot there for years.

 

[Duke Arioch]

Ah, the wonders of knowledge devotion

 

[Arrowhawk]

"Knowledge (local) is basically skill at gossip. It will work in any town following a successful Gather Information check – DC 10 for a hamlet, DC 35 for a metropolis."

Obviously you can Rule 0 anything you want. However, I would submit this is not how the Skill is supposed to function.

Knowledge Local is essentially like Knowledge Geography except on a "local" level. Think of it as if you've read not only about the New England states, but specifically on New York city. You've read (or heard) about the local establishments, the city's politics, famous people who live there, good places to eat, when it was founded, last time the city was sacked, etc.

There is no requirement that one does a GI check to use Kn Local any more than there would be a GI check to use Kn Geography. In fact, 5 or more ranks in Kn. Local gives a +2 synergy for GI...but not the other way around.

Gather Information is the "gossip" skill, not Kn Local.

As far as drow not having any HD, I would probably use their level adjustment as the base hit dice since that is the level for a drow "commoner."

 

[Hassassin]

I would agree with having knowledge (local) work for whatever location the player happens to be at, with the rationale that he has spend his spare time gathering more knowledge about his new location.

It hardly makes sense that, if you're adventuring across the seven seas and put more ranks in knowledge (local), that you've suddenly become more knowledgeable about your home country of Florin despite not having set foot there for years.

In Forgotten Realms we've always used RAW, which states that (local) works per-region and you can take it independently for each.

It's usually a good idea to ask the DM how likely it is that the party will stay in one region. When the party moves to another region, you can either take knowledge (local) for that region or other skills instead.

 

[Noumenon]

Knowledge Local is essentially like Knowledge Geography except on a "local" level. Think of it as if you've read not only about the New England states, but specifically on New York city. You've read (or heard) about the local establishments, the city's politics, famous people who live there, good places to eat, when it was founded, last time the city was sacked, etc.

This works fine if you're spending 20 levels by the Village of Hommlet, but it's useless in the more mobile campaigns that I am used to. I can't imagine wasting my skill points on a succession of knowledge (Elftown), knowledge (Dwarfville), knowledge (Capital City). Perhaps the best thing to do would be to rename knowledge (local) as Streetwise, like 4E did. That really captures the idea of local-ish knowledge that applies everywhere.

Streetwise doesn't help you identify humanoids, though. I notice that in 4E all the humanoids I checked were identified with either Arcana (drow and dryads) or nature (dwarves and giants). Maybe knowledge (local) doesn't need to do that.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

It hardly makes sense that, if you're adventuring across the seven seas and put more ranks in knowledge (local), that you've suddenly become more knowledgeable about your home country of Florin despite not having set foot there for years.

Sure it does! As you travel more of the world and learn more, you better understand things you didn't understand before.
That tavern that Uncle Vinny said he went to to "Get a Massage"? The one with the ladies that stood out front? You get it now.

 

[Noumenon]

"I just realized that everything in Kansas is black and white!"