Including a true history.


Advice

Liberty's Edge

Fundamental facets of history are in fact false. Major villains in various global events were framed, in other cases certain events were covered up, others still fabricated out of whole cloth.

I have ideas on how to uncover these truths. Original documents, 'impossible' relics, testimony from preserved figures, etc...

However, I'm pretty stumped on how this might work mechanically. As I see it the History skill would only provide 'facts' related to history as written, not history as happened.


This actually comes up in the Tomb of the Iron Medusa module; a Kn. History check reveals that the name given on a tombstone differs from the name in the historical records.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

A sufficient Knowledge (engineering) check to know the melting point of Adamantine...


1 person marked this as a favorite.

In a fantasy setting, not all that is written is similar. Irl, in ancient times, lots of divergent accounts were recorded and turned up at various points, despite massive purges and genocides.

Uncovering the truth can be an entire campaign.

For local in game mysteries, add in clues that allow exploration and let the expert know best:

Example:

History check--Vlaad the Slaughterific

DC 10: Vlaad was a tyrant warlord responsible for the slaughter of the Dracine Elves in 605 CRE.
DC 15: Vlaad used dark powers of necromancy to achieve his ends. His citadel was Anthar. (adventure hook)
DC 20: It is mysterious that a normal human could achieve such magical power. He gained his powers at the Ruins of Telath. (adventure hook)
DC 25: One rumor, rarely spoken, was that Vlaad could be in multiple places at once.
DC 30: An ancient document, Eltor's Light, which you once saw at The Great Library, tells a different story, wherein Vlaad was a benign ruler murdered and replaced by a coven of changeling necromancers.
DC 35: The truth, known only by the most specialized scholars, is that for a period of 50 years, these changelings replaced several rulers of the time, shaping the continent by waging wars against each other. (major reveal)


Divination is a good way to uncover the truth, such as the Commune spell. Or are you looking for a mundane way?


One method would be to set the DC for the "truth" to be impossibly high and to give gradually increasing bonuses to the check after hints are uncovered, allowing a new roll each time.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Advice / Including a true history. All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Advice