Director of Brand Strategy
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Does the free rank in any Knowledge skill granted to a bard by the "Bardic Knowledge" class feature also receive the +3 bonus for a rank in a class skill? Since the bard will receive an additional rank in this skill each level, do they also add 1/2 their bard level to a check on this Knowledge skill, or only regularly trained (or untrained) ones? If it stacks, that gives then an effective 1.5 level bonus on top of their Int modifier for this single Knowledge type.
Does the free rank in any Knowledge skill granted to a bard by the "Bardic Knowledge" class feature also receive the +3 bonus for a rank in a class skill? Since the bard will receive an additional rank in this skill each level, do they also add 1/2 their bard level to a check on this Knowledge skill, or only regularly trained (or untrained) ones? If it stacks, that gives then an effective 1.5 level bonus on top of their Int modifier for this single Knowledge type.
Bardic Knowledge doesn't grant a bonus to a single skill - it actually gives ranks in the skill. It's like an additional Human skill bonus that can only be applied to a single skill. So, yes, you get the +3 for it being a class skill, and yes, it stacks with the +1/2 Bard level from the remainder of the Bardic Knowledge class feature.
No, it does NOT give a 1.5*level bonus. The ranks from Bardic Knowledge are actual skill ranks, and must meet the skill rank cap. Or, more precisely, your character must meet the skill rank cap - assuming you're going straight Bard, you can never voluntarily put a rank into the Knowledge skill you chose for Bardic Knowledge, because it will always be at its maximum skill rank. So, it gets a 0.5*level bonus... just like every other Knowledge skill.
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Wondering also - Bardic knowledge doesn't seem to specify that you get the rank when you gain a BARD level..
Fairly big distinction, and if it's meant to be that way, then woohoo for 1 class level providing an endless source of ranks in a Knowledge Skill for Prestige Classes!
Not meaning to threadjack, just figured the two things were related.