Common knowledge


Beginner Box


In this world, cars are common knowledge. Computers are common knowledge. These things we take for granted might be considered magic to a tribesman in the middle of the jungle.

In the same way, goblins, trolls, magic, and dragons are all a part of pathfinder. Someone I played with recently said this: "If you don't have ranks in the proper knowledge, you don't know anything about it." That kind of left me feeling off. I'm not a mechanic but I know what cars are and the basics of how they run. Why shouldn't an adventurer have a reasonable idea of what he's facing?

I guess my question here is: Is anything considered common knowledge in pathfinder and, if so, what? Further, how does that affect the game mechanically?

Thanks for any input

Grand Lodge

Your point is an interesting one, but you are making false equivalency between the level of education and access to knowledge that we enjoy and that of a semi-medieval fantasy world. Just because you know how to use a web browser doesn't mean you are ready to write a script to automate a repetitive task on your computer. Your characters level of knowledge is generally represented by points put into Knowledge skills.

Though you don't come right out and say it, you seem to be wanting to know more about monsters and possible weaknesses? This is represent mechanically by Knowledge skills. The use of Knowledge skills is pretty well defined as to what it does for you and why, and certain types of skills (including Knowledge) are trained only which means without specialized training you cannot make use of them.

Depending on the GMs style he could be dropping hints for you to pick up on. I could be reading into your question though and you could really be wondering about things which the GM probably should cut you some slack on. It's defiantly worth a conversation with your GM to get on the same page.


"You cannot make an untrained Knowledge check with a DC higher than 10." That's from the Knowledge skill's description in the the Core Rulebook. Hence you can attempt any Knowledge check with a DC of 10 or less.

DC 10 covers practically all the "common knowledge" bits - "Identify a creature's ethnicity or accent", "Know recent or historically significant event", "Know local laws, rulers, and popular locations", "Identify a common plant or animal", "Know current rulers and their symbols", "Recognize a common deity's symbol or clergy"

"common monsters, such as goblins" have a DC low enough that you can make it untrained (DC 5 + the monster's CR) and get some useful information about the monster.

Even the 7 Int big dumb fighter has a decent chance of knowing those sorts of things/making those knowledge checks.

Designer, RPG Superstar Judge

The Beginner Box doesn't use the term "common knowledge" for the Knowledge skill. It does say that "really easy" questions are Knowledge DC 10, "basic" questions are DC 15, and "If you don’t have ranks in a Knowledge skill, you can’t answer questions with a DC higher than 10."

So:
Q: What is that monster?
A: A zombie.
That sounds like an easy (DC 10) question to me. Anyone can answer it.

Q: The zombie is resistant to my attacks, what's the best kind of attack to use against a zombie?
A: Slashing weapons.
That sounds like a basic (DC 15) question to me... unless you've put at least 1 rank into Knowledge (religion) to know about zombies and how to defeat them, you don't have any idea about the best way to do so (at least, until you've fought them a bit and have figured it out by experimentation).


Bearded Ben wrote:
That's from the Knowledge skill's description in the the Core Rulebook.

That's great, but this is the Beginner Box section of the message boards, so you CAN'T assume that people have access to the core rulebook....yet.

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