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If a ranger hates the undead and has fought skeletons before. The undead are a preferred enemy.
would he know to use blunt weapons or would he have to stop and do a knowledge religion check every time he fights them?
Does a druid know to burn trolls or would he have to make a knowledge either local or nature to figure it out every time he fights them?
can a player write themselves notes to remind them what works against different monsters?
Would the dumb fighter have to always do trial and error.
In the pathfinder society can you research what kind of monsters you think you will face before going on an adventure?
Should we all already know need cold steel for pesky demons and fey.
Silver for the werewolf devil near you and blunt for skeletons and oozes
I'm NOT answering for PFS. But otherwise:
You have to roll knowledge checks to know about monster weaknesses. Something basic like blunt weapons against skeletons is probably a relatively low DC. Still, maybe your ranger has only ever fought zombies, and not skeletons before.
A druid would need a Knowledge check to know about a Trolls weakness to fire.
After you learn something (your GM says, "hey, your longswords edge has trouble cutting through bone, maybe it would be more effective to try another method of attack") then you don't really have to roll to recall that particular tidbit of information. I think writing down things you've learned about monsters is an excellent *and* flavorful idea, both in and ooc.
The dumb fighter would not have to do trial and error, if he passes the appropriate Knowledge check, just like everybody else.
If a player specifically says they are doing research on a monster, I usually have them make a knowledge check with a +2 circumstance bonus, for having access to journals of other adventurers, books, etc.
Cold Iron for Demons and Fey, Silver for werewolves and devils, blunts for skeleton/ooze... all of that is a Knowledge check.
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Bold = Raw, what I know for sure.
Normal font = what I believe to be correct.
Italics = what I would rule on the fly - not RAW.
If a ranger hates the undead and has fought skeletons before. The undead are a preferred enemy.
would he know to use blunt weapons or would he have to stop and do a knowledge religion check every time he fights them?
It takes a knowledge check (religion; not sure of the DC) to learn that information.
As a DM, I would call for a knowledge religion check (Dc 10, probably) with a bonus equal to your favored enemy bonus. This would only apply until you learn this information once. From then forward, you would have this information.
Does a druid know to burn trolls or would he have to make a knowledge either local or nature to figure it out every time he fights them?
He would have to make a knowledge check. As a humanoid, it would be a Knowledge (Local) check by RAW.
As a DM, I would allow the Druid to use Knowledge (Nature) to make the check, with a -2 penalty for using the wrong skill.
can a player write themselves notes to remind them what works against different monsters?
They don't HAVE to write themselves notes, as they should remember these sorts of things, unless they're rocking out a 8 or lower Intelligence and/or Wisdom Score. Of course, you CAN write yourself notes if you (as the player) are new and tend to forget these things, but in that case, the DM should remind your character of the things that you (as a new player) may forget.
Would the dumb fighter have to always do trial and error.
Generally, no. It is assumed that players remember the things they learned - Unless you're dealing with PFS, where you may have a new DM every week.
Of course, it depends on how dump the fighter is - with a 5 Int or Wis, I would make them learn the information anew every time. With a 10 Int or Wis, definitely not.
In a home game, this is where writing a detailed and somewhat lengthy back story can actually yield in game benefits. If you have fought undead in a back story, or visited this region before, then these things are already known to your character.
Should we all already know need cold steel for pesky demons and fey. Silver for the werewolf devil near you and blunt for skeletons and oozes
Knowledge checks give information about subtypes and thus tell you this sort of thing. Your average fighter has not "read the bestiary", so no they don't know this sort of thing innately.
In the pathfinder society can you research what kind of monsters you think you will face before going on an adventure?
Not sure, never played PFS. But there is no RAW to allow this, and you're into GM discretion.
If a player of mine were to ask, I would them get a general idea of what is in the area with an appropriate gather information check in a close, decent sized town. If there were no towns in the area, I would allow a survival check to look for and identify tracks of wild-life as they trek across unknown lands.
My GM gets a certain look when the player knowledge starts to get too thick and even we know it. He is not above changing a troll's vulnerability on the fly (for example) if we were getting too far ahead of ourselves. He is genuinely amused by assumptions, and unafraid to let it show.
As a suggestion for the Pathfinder Society issue. Keep all of your Chronicle sheets. Inform the current DM that a while back in 'Crypt of the Everflame' Kyra(Iconic Cleric) told you that skeletons were susceptible to blunt force trauma. The DM can then rule for or against your case. That's about as close as you're going to get.