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Message: <blockquote data-quote="helium3" data-source="post: 2301743" data-attributes="member: 31301">Yes and no. Mathematics is an exceedingly axiomatic intellectual pursuit and therefore anything that is true is theoretically discernable given enough time. However, it is also highly dependant on a pre-existing body of knowledge built up over hundreds, if not thousands, of years of study and experimentation. Given the four basic mathematical operations and a base-10 place holding numbers system, but nothing else, how long do you think it would take you to "figure out" the basic tenants of trigonometry? Sure a hyper-intelligent wizard might be able to figure it out a lot more quickly than you, but he or she still isn't going to be able to get there from first principles in a matter of minutes.  Well. I wouldn't say that knowledge of engineering gives you the same degree of mathematics knowledge that knowledge in mathematics would. Essentially, it comes down to what you think the DC for the skill check should be. I would set it pretty high, considering that the solution to the problem involves multiplying the distance (250') by the sin of the angle. So, unless the angle is something common, like 45 or 60 degrees, the problem is tough without a calculator or a trig table. Did I mention that I'm not really a simulationist DM?</blockquote>