Is Knowledge (Local) Overpowered?


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion

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Liberty's Edge

With a rank in Knowledge (Local), I can use the skill no matter where I happen to be. Am I in Darkmoon Vale? I can use the skill. Am I in Cheliax? No problem. How about Absalom? Osirion? Sure.

I would suggest that each rank in the skill allow the use of the skill in one region. Perhaps that would make the game too complicated. First the world would have to be divided into regions. How many regions?

Maybe the current system is the "least worst" option.

Am I indecisive? Let me think about that...


Theconiel wrote:
I would suggest that each rank in the skill allow the use of the skill in one region.

Umm - I think that is how it is supposed to work. At least that is how I've always done it, and I see nothing in the SRD to support the illogical position that Knowledge (Local) gives you knowledge of all local areas worldwide. You can take it multiple times with different localities, of course.

Liberty's Edge

Brian Bachman wrote:
Theconiel wrote:
I would suggest that each rank in the skill allow the use of the skill in one region.
Umm - I think that is how it is supposed to work. At least that is how I've always done it, and I see nothing in the SRD to support the illogical position that Knowledge (Local) gives you knowledge of all local areas worldwide. You can take it multiple times with different localities, of course.

It does make much more sense that way.


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I think Knowledge (Local) would have been more appropriately named Knowledge (Culture and civilization). There's nothing to suggest one skill for each region; otherwise it would have been mentioned like with craft or perform. The issue is that several of the Knowledge types flow into each other:
# Engineering (buildings, aqueducts, bridges, fortifications)
# Geography (lands, terrain, climate, people)
# History (wars, colonies, migrations, founding of cities)
# Local (legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions, humanoids)
# Nobility (lineages, heraldry, personalities, royalty)

These all interfere and can often be used interchangebly. If you want to know the laws for building a castle in a certain city, would you go by knowledge engineering (buildings), gegraphy (people), local (laws and customs), or nobility (it is a castle and as such the nobility might not want you to)?

Okay, that's an extreme example, but you get the point.


Brian Bachman wrote:
Theconiel wrote:
I would suggest that each rank in the skill allow the use of the skill in one region.
Umm - I think that is how it is supposed to work. At least that is how I've always done it, and I see nothing in the SRD to support the illogical position that Knowledge (Local) gives you knowledge of all local areas worldwide. You can take it multiple times with different localities, of course.

There is nothing in the SRD which suggests that you need different knowledge skills for different localities. The fact that it doesn't specifically state that knowledge (local) is all you need doesn't mean that it isn't. If it weren't, they would say that. Just like you don't need disable device (mechanical trap) and disable device (magic trap) and disable device (pit trap) and disable device (arrow trap CR1)... the book not saying that there aren't more subdivisions doesn't mean there are more subdivisions.

Making them makes knowledge (local) useless for monster identification. Which knowledge (local) do you use to ID goblins? Does that change based on where you are? What makes more sense is to increase the DC based on how likely the person is to have been exposed to the information.

If the base Knowledge (local) DC is 10, but you are hundreds of miles from anywhere the person has ever been, then just up the DC by a bunch. +5 for neighboring countries, +10 for same continent but distant, +15 for different continent. A French person would have a fair shot at knowing the customs of Belgium, and might have even picked up a thing or two about Russian culture. Vietnamese culture will be a long shot, but still possible.


An alternative implementation could be that the skill points represent a natural tendency (and corresponding ability) of your character to dive in to the local scene, catch up on legends, learn the habits of the natives, etc. Might not make much sense if you're newly arrived to the region, but assuming you've spent a few days there it doesn't stretch verisimilitude for a naturally inquisitive person to have picked up a lot of what the skill covers.


Since when have any of the Knowledge skills been overpowered? They're barely ever even useful! When you roll a knowledge check, you are effectively begging the GM for info. However, being the GM, they have complete control over what info they want to give you if any and/or can set the DC too high to get what you actually want. If the GM actually wants you to know something, you won't even need ranks in Knowledge (Basket Weaving) to get it- they'll just tell you. If the GM doesn't want you to know, you're boned.

Grand Lodge

If the Campaign is in Varisia then Knowledge Local is for Varisian stuff: Varisian goblins, Varisians, Riddleport, Shoanti, The Sunken Queen, Varisian boggards, Korvosa, etc.

If the PCs in that Campaign leave Varisia for The Lands of the Linnorm Kings then those PCs will no longer have any use for that Knowledge.

At least, that's how I run it.

. . . .

In FR they had this incredibly worthless, bulky, non-playable system where a PC had to specifically name what town or village or whatever. Considering how few skill ranks a PC gets, Doing it that way is for donkeys. Even Rogues and Akashic don't get enough Skill Ranks to do that!


I've always made my players take a separate skill for each prefecture, region, metropolis, etc. that they cared enough to spend points on. For example, my Carrion Crown players (when choosing knowledge[local]) would pick the county of Canterwall, not just Ravengro.


Necromancer wrote:
I've always made my players take a separate skill for each prefecture, region, metropolis, etc. that they cared enough to spend points on. For example, my Carrion Crown players (when choosing knowledge[local]) would pick the county of Canterwall, not just Ravengro.

that's how it's supposed to work, but i've always found that tedious. If that's the way my DM plays it I simply don't take the knowledge. Frankly it's kind of a non-issue. DM traditionally uses this to help move plot along anyhow. "roll knowledge local." *roll+numbers* "Ok, well you know about this old woman on the edge of town..."


Bascaria wrote:
Brian Bachman wrote:
Theconiel wrote:
I would suggest that each rank in the skill allow the use of the skill in one region.
Umm - I think that is how it is supposed to work. At least that is how I've always done it, and I see nothing in the SRD to support the illogical position that Knowledge (Local) gives you knowledge of all local areas worldwide. You can take it multiple times with different localities, of course.

There is nothing in the SRD which suggests that you need different knowledge skills for different localities. The fact that it doesn't specifically state that knowledge (local) is all you need doesn't mean that it isn't. If it weren't, they would say that. Just like you don't need disable device (mechanical trap) and disable device (magic trap) and disable device (pit trap) and disable device (arrow trap CR1)... the book not saying that there aren't more subdivisions doesn't mean there are more subdivisions.

Making them makes knowledge (local) useless for monster identification. Which knowledge (local) do you use to ID goblins? Does that change based on where you are? What makes more sense is to increase the DC based on how likely the person is to have been exposed to the information.

If the base Knowledge (local) DC is 10, but you are hundreds of miles from anywhere the person has ever been, then just up the DC by a bunch. +5 for neighboring countries, +10 for same continent but distant, +15 for different continent. A French person would have a fair shot at knowing the customs of Belgium, and might have even picked up a thing or two about Russian culture. Vietnamese culture will be a long shot, but still possible.

So, since Knowledge (Local) is poorly defined in the rules as to whether it deals with one region or many, then it falls squarely in the area of GM discretion. I would humbly suggest that I think logic should apply, and I know which interpretation I find more logical. You're welcome to interpret it however you like at your own table.


Since knowledge is power, I guess it's true that too much knowledge is too much power. . . .

Quote:
With a rank in Knowledge (Local), I can use the skill no matter where I happen to be. Am I in Darkmoon Vale? I can use the skill. Am I in Cheliax? No problem. How about Absalom? Osirion? Sure.

How does this compare with knowledge of all religions? Or knowledge of all machines? Or knowledge of all planes?

Studying one kind of religion is a lifetime of work. Studying one type of machine can devote a lifetime as well. An entire plane is far more space than merely a country on the material plane.

I don't think it's overpowered at all, as long as the GM follows this simple rule:

Quote:
Answering a question within your field of study has a DC of 10 (for really easy questions), 15 (for basic questions), or 20 to 30 (for really tough questions).


Morbios wrote:
An alternative implementation could be that the skill points represent a natural tendency (and corresponding ability) of your character to dive in to the local scene, catch up on legends, learn the habits of the natives, etc. Might not make much sense if you're newly arrived to the region, but assuming you've spent a few days there it doesn't stretch verisimilitude for a naturally inquisitive person to have picked up a lot of what the skill covers.

This is the interpretation that makes the most sense. Knowledge (local) requires constant updating and is a much more 'active' skill than most Knowledge skills.

Grand Lodge

Lurk3r wrote:
Since when have any of the Knowledge skills been overpowered? They're barely ever even useful! .... If the GM actually wants you to know something, you won't even need ranks in knowledge .... If the GM doesn't want you to know, you're boned.

Ah, a perfect example of how different groups play differently.

This seems to me, in the style of gaming that my various groups have played the last 10-12 years, one of the most incredibly ludicrous statements ever.

I have seen and been a part of many, many groups where knowledge skills were abused by Players.

But I also know of a DM -- who is actually DMing a group I'm in now -- who had never given a second glance, or a first thought, at the knowledge skills.

Lurk3r, if you don't use or see the use of knowledge skills in your game that's cool, but for Gygax's sake, don't assume everyone else plays like your group.


I really have no idea how you could actually abuse knowledge skills.

Leaving Knowledge (Local) as one skill for all localities doesn't make a lot of sense, but it balances much better than any alternative I can think of. Let the knowledge-skill-heavy characters be good at something for their brief moment in the sun before the high power divinations make them look silly.

Liberty's Edge

The way I run Knowledge (Local) in Golarion is that it applies to the Inner Sea Region. But Knowledge (Local) wouldn't help you if you hopped on a boat and set sail for Tien.

In my homebrew campaign I got rid of the Knowledge (Local) skill and replaced it with Knowledge (Daros), which functions as Knowledge (Local) as long as you are in Daros (which is where 95% of all adventures take place), but the further you move from Daros the bigger the penalties on your roll. The world is divided up into broad areas (like time zones), the more zones between you and the zone your Knowledge (Local) covers, the bigger the penalty (it's -5 per zone).

To put it in real world terms, a character might have Knowledge (America) and would have a straight roll to know the most famous celebrities in America, a -5 to know the most famous celebrities in Canada and the United Kingdom, and a -10 for Australia, Mexico and Europe, a -15 for Japan, Hong Kong and Korea, and a -20 for African and Middle Eastern countries.


Lurk3r wrote:
If the GM actually wants you to know something, you won't even need ranks in Knowledge (Basket Weaving) to get it- they'll just tell you. If the GM doesn't want you to know, you're boned.

This is like saying "well having a high BAB is irrelevant, if the DM wants you to win against the monsters you'll win and if not you're boned".

I, as a DM, FREQUENTLY make up lists of publicly known/easily known/hard to know/secret facts about places, people and monsters. I only tell my players stuff of the "publicly known" kind, anything else they have to research or have the Knowledge skills to know.


Gailbraithe wrote:
The way I run Knowledge (Local) in Golarion is that it applies to the Inner Sea Region. But Knowledge (Local) wouldn't help you if you hopped on a boat and set sail for Tien.

So there's a separate knowledge for each elemental type as well?

Knowledge Plane of Water?
Knowledge Plane of Fire?
Knowledge Plane of Air?
Knowledge Plane of Earth?

Each one of those planes is much larger than any individual country in Golarion.


The one clue I can find in the Core Rulebook for support of differing knowledge(local) skills is buried way back in 'Getting Lost' on page 424.

"A character with at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (geography) or Knowledge (local) pertaining to the area being traveled through gains a +2 bonus on this check. (emphasis added)"

The implies that knowledge (local) could pertain to differing areas.

It's how I've always looked at the skill. The problem in practice is how local is local, how do you divide areas, etc. Knowledge(local) also covers things beyond just local inhabitants and personalities and extends to things like knowledge of humanoids in general.

The easiest way is to just leave it like it is and apply circumstance penalties for how far you are from your home (i.e. your local area, where you grew up or where you gained the skill). Something like -2 for neighboring province, -5 for nearby kingdom, -10 for distant lands, -20 for other side of the world.

Knowing your King DC 5, nearby Kings DC 10, Emperor on the other side of the world DC 25.

I bet you were hoping for a simple answer, but these skills are just too open-end. It also depends on the campaign. I've seen entire campaigns take place in a small island or province, local is pretty easy. It's when campaigns start to span continents that you have problems.

Grand Lodge

Gailbraithe wrote:
The way I run Knowledge (Local) in Golarion is that it applies to the Inner Sea Region. But Knowledge (Local) wouldn't help you if you hopped on a boat and set sail for Tien.

Exactly.

(I was doing it by subcontinent but either way...)

Gailbraithe wrote:
To put it in real world terms, a character might have Knowledge: America.

Very nice comparison.

Liberty's Edge

meabolex wrote:
Gailbraithe wrote:
The way I run Knowledge (Local) in Golarion is that it applies to the Inner Sea Region. But Knowledge (Local) wouldn't help you if you hopped on a boat and set sail for Tien.

So there's a separate knowledge for each elemental type as well?

Knowledge Plane of Water?
Knowledge Plane of Fire?
Knowledge Plane of Air?
Knowledge Plane of Earth?

Each one of those planes is much larger than any individual country in Golarion.

You can get Knowledge (Local (Elemental Plane of Water)) if you want. In my game Knowledge (Planes) would be used to recognize outer planar entities, but you wouldn't know anything about the local politics or geography of the Elemental Plane of Water.

Using Knowledge (Planes) you might recognize that guy standing over there as a Marid Genie, but you'd need the equivalent Knowledge (Local) skill to recognize that particular Marid is Sultan Wazafier, lord of the Coral City, general of the Army of A Thousand Rivers, and sworn enemy of Pasha Yujuz, the Elemental Lord of Water.

And of course I treat Knowledge (Geography) much the same way.

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Knowledge (local) represents more than just "What do you know about the area you live in." It also represents your skill at learning about new regions QUICKLY, as well as just general information about local matters regardless of where you're at.

By the same reasoning, Knowledge (nature) applies not just to the natural world you live in, but areas far beyond your homeland. Knowledge (religion) doesn't just apply to your own religion, but to ALL religions. And not only what you know about them, but how fast you can learn and dedcuce and make educated guesses about new stuff as you're introduced to it.


Some call me Tim wrote:

The one clue I can find in the Core Rulebook for support of differing knowledge(local) skills is buried way back in 'Getting Lost' on page 424.

"A character with at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (geography) or Knowledge (local) pertaining to the area being traveled through gains a +2 bonus on this check. (emphasis added)"

The implies that knowledge (local) could pertain to differing areas.

I don't know this to be true in this case, but a lot of seeming rules contradictions where a limitation is mentioned in one (generally more obscure) place but notably absent in others (especially those more visible) are relics of importing 3.5 OGL material whole-cloth and making small edits based on further playtesting.

I think limiting (local) in this fashion invites more bookkeeping - something I try to avoid regardless of which side of the screen I find myself on at the time. Which is why I like the version of the skill that applies to wherever you happen to be, and also the way I look at the skill (see previous post above) as a corollary.


Personally - when GM'ing - I let Knowledge (local) for *very different* new areas (like moving from Westcrown to Katapesh) put a limit on max DC:


  • DC 15 on arrival
  • DC 20 after a week
  • DC 25 after a month
  • DC unlimited after a year


Brian Bachman wrote:
So, since Knowledge (Local) is poorly defined in the rules as to whether it deals with one region or many, then it falls squarely in the area of GM discretion. I would humbly suggest that I think logic should apply, and I know which interpretation I find more logical. You're welcome to interpret it however you like at...

I'm not sure why you think it is poorly defined. It is pretty clearly defined. The knowledge skill is broken up into subdivisions (e.g., geography, arcana, planes, religion, local), and when you put a point into knowledge, you select one of these subdivisions, just like perform, profession, and craft.

If you break local up even further (which would most definitely be a house rule, it is not the rules as they are written... I'm not sure where the ambiguity is coming from aside from people saying "this doesn't make sense"), then it leaves people who want to be good at knowing things even more skill point starved than they were before.

The confusion, though, comes from people thinking that knowledge (local) has the same DC for the same piece of information regardless of anything else. It doesn't.

PRD wrote:
Check: Answering a question within your field of study has a DC of 10 (for really easy questions), 15 (for basic questions), or 20 to 30 (for really tough questions).

Your field of study is the knowledge subdivision. So if you take knowledge (local) then a really easy question would be, perhaps, "Who is the hero of your hometown who has that statue in the town square built for him." A really tough question might be "Who is the hero of that town two thousand miles away who has a statue built for HIM"

If you are first level, +3 int mod, knowledge (local) as a class skill, then you have a +7 to the roll. There is no way you can know who that guy is. If you are 13th level, +3 int mod, class skill, full ranks, you have a +20, so you can make that very difficult DC 30 roll, but you have shown extensive devotion to learning the legends and lore of different localities.

Considering how far and wide high level characters travel (not just to new countries, but to new PLANES!) it seems really rough to declare that your huge investment in knowledge (local) only applies in your home town, or that you have to invest points for EVERY single locality in the game.

There is just 1 skill. Knowledge (local). Adjust the DC so it makes sense, but don't try and start introducing a skill tax on people who want to invest in knowledge skills any more than there already is.


W E Ray wrote:

If the Campaign is in Varisia then Knowledge Local is for Varisian stuff: Varisian goblins, Varisians, Riddleport, Shoanti, The Sunken Queen, Varisian boggards, Korvosa, etc.

If the PCs in that Campaign leave Varisia for The Lands of the Linnorm Kings then those PCs will no longer have any use for that Knowledge.

At least, that's how I run it.

. . . .

In FR they had this incredibly worthless, bulky, non-playable system where a PC had to specifically name what town or village or whatever. Considering how few skill ranks a PC gets, Doing it that way is for donkeys. Even Rogues and Akashic don't get enough Skill Ranks to do that!

Actually it went by region if I remember correctly, not individual towns or villages. So you could take Know: Local for the Western Heartlands, or The North, which makes sense to me. Someone living all their life in Cormyr and who then delves into the Underdark and comes upon a drow city shouldn't, in my mind, be able to use their many know: local ranks to know all about the drow there.


James Jacobs wrote:

Knowledge (local) represents more than just "What do you know about the area you live in." It also represents your skill at learning about new regions QUICKLY, as well as just general information about local matters regardless of where you're at.

By the same reasoning, Knowledge (nature) applies not just to the natural world you live in, but areas far beyond your homeland. Knowledge (religion) doesn't just apply to your own religion, but to ALL religions. And not only what you know about them, but how fast you can learn and dedcuce and make educated guesses about new stuff as you're introduced to it.

So you would apply Knowledge (local) after a successful Diplomacy (gathering information) check to see what you've learned about local area? Or would that be just the knowledge check alone?


Necromancer wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:

Knowledge (local) represents more than just "What do you know about the area you live in." It also represents your skill at learning about new regions QUICKLY, as well as just general information about local matters regardless of where you're at.

By the same reasoning, Knowledge (nature) applies not just to the natural world you live in, but areas far beyond your homeland. Knowledge (religion) doesn't just apply to your own religion, but to ALL religions. And not only what you know about them, but how fast you can learn and dedcuce and make educated guesses about new stuff as you're introduced to it.

So you would apply Knowledge (local) after a successful Diplomacy (gathering information) check to see what you've learned about local area? Or would that be just the knowledge check alone?

Admittedly, I am not James Jacobs. That being said...

I think a one-off Knowledge roll is fine. Local legends and that kind of thing are easy enough to sit in a pub and overhear, learn about from free "Welcome to Hommlett" brochures, etc. Which means that the intelligent but condescending wizard with a great K.(local) bonus but a hideous Diplomacy penalty can still rack up necessary know-how.

Sovereign Court

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Think of it as being generally Streetwise.


I'm generally pretty happy with a single knowledge (local) skill being used for anywhere the characters might be. I just tend to set the DCs based on how long they have been in a particular area.

When a party is completely new to an area, they'll have more luck with using Diplomacy to gather information, though this also has the potential to draw attention.

Once they've been around for a few weeks or longer, Knowlege (local) checks begin to make more sense.

Similar penalties might apply if characters are returning to an area they haven't been in some time. They have valid knowledge, but it is likely out of date.


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stringburka wrote:
I think Knowledge (Local) would have been more appropriately named Knowledge (Culture and civilization).

/thread.


Where GMs have a bit of control is in setting the DCs for the checks. There is no reason to create sub-categories.

If you the GM feels the question should be harder to answer then normal then use higher DC. Simple.


stringburka wrote:
I think Knowledge (Local) would have been more appropriately named Knowledge (Culture and civilization).

I argued for such a change back during the core rules playtest.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Necromancer wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:

Knowledge (local) represents more than just "What do you know about the area you live in." It also represents your skill at learning about new regions QUICKLY, as well as just general information about local matters regardless of where you're at.

By the same reasoning, Knowledge (nature) applies not just to the natural world you live in, but areas far beyond your homeland. Knowledge (religion) doesn't just apply to your own religion, but to ALL religions. And not only what you know about them, but how fast you can learn and dedcuce and make educated guesses about new stuff as you're introduced to it.

So you would apply Knowledge (local) after a successful Diplomacy (gathering information) check to see what you've learned about local area? Or would that be just the knowledge check alone?

Honestly, that depends on the case or the situation. There's some overlap there. But generally... if the player says: "What do I know about this area?" I'd have him roll Knowledge (local).

But if he says: "What can I find out about this area by asking around?" I'd have him roll Diplomacy.


Why not rule on it as a hybrid between the two different paradigms?

One of my N/PCs is a royal who has done a fair bit of globe-trotting. For any city in which she spends a great deal of time, I end up investing a point in Knowledge Local (or Locale if you prefer). This represents her effort to familiarize with that region and its politics, etc. When making K: Local checks for that locale, she would make them at the normal/base DC.

On the other hand, when she arrives in a new port without the benefit of having even been able to peruse any information on that area, she is still able to bring her full ranks to bear. However, if it's on the opposite side of the world, she's going to be relying on her natural aptitude to get by. In this case, just like Bascaria and Tim are suggesting, the DCs are going to be more difficult than they were at her home port that she just left behind. i.e. that +10 modifier isn't going to be nearly as effective when there's a DC increase of 10+...


The Forgotten Realms setting (at least in the 3.0/3.5 incarnations) omitted "Knowledge (local)", replacing it instead with "Knowledge (specific region)". The case could certainly be made that this use of the skill makes more sense.

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Are wrote:

The Forgotten Realms setting (at least in the 3.0/3.5 incarnations) omitted "Knowledge (local)", replacing it instead with "Knowledge (specific region)". The case could certainly be made that this use of the skill makes more sense.

Golarion's Inner Sea Region has over 40 regions alone. Diluting skill point spread by adding effectively 40 more skills isn't very attractive to me at all.

And if you do so, why not split Knowledge (arcana) into 8 sub groups, one for each school of magic? Or why not split Knowledge (planes) into over a dozen different groups; one for each plane?

Keeping Knowledge (local) as one skill not only helps to make Knowledge skills go farther, it helps them keep up and stay competitive with other skills. Honestly, I think there's probably 2 or 3 Knowledge skills too many as it stands. Further subdividing them into subcategories isn't a great solution.


Our group just started a Forgotten Realms campaign a couple of weeks ago. The GM, a long time FR fan, has divided knowledge local up by specific areas. He also gives a free skill points each level that can put in knowledge local, nobility/royalty, or religion. This was to reflect the general concept of "travel broadens the mind" in that people learn/remember things about the places they've visited.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

If you are using all of the languages for the Inner Sea then I like to allow characters that know the relevant language to roll Knowledge: Local for any regions that the language either originated from or is the dominant language. Its not perfect (since languages are spread out a bit in the Inner Sea) but cultural knowledge often is a crucial part of learning other languages, so it works for me!

Liberty's Edge

Perhaps it is the description "Local" that makes the skill seem overpowered. I think Freesword got it right.
The skill is certainly relevant; it seems that the GM asked whether anyone had Knowledge (Local) in at least half of the PFS modules I have played. I didn't even take the skill at first because I thought it applied only to a limited region, such as the city of Absalom.

Verdant Wheel

Theconiel wrote:
Perhaps it is the description "Local" that makes the skill seem overpowered. I think Freesword got it right.

This or make it a Perform 3.5 like skill, adding new place with each new rank and getting penallity from distance from your chosen places.

Liberty's Edge

James Jacobs wrote:


Keeping Knowledge (local) as one skill not only helps to make Knowledge skills go farther, it helps them keep up and stay competitive with other skills. Honestly, I think there's probably 2 or 3 Knowledge skills too many as it stands. Further subdividing them into subcategories isn't a great solution.

I use Knowledge (local) for things like:

- there is a back street that allow us to get to that house with little chance to be seen?
- what are the local gangs and who is in charge.

Players can take it as focused or as large as they wish, the completeness of the informations they get is more dependant on how focused is the skill than on the number of rank they have (or if you prefer, the DC of the check is heavily reduced when they are using it on the area they know).

It they take Knowledge (Inner Sea) they can easily recall what the major nation are, current rules, way some city is famous, some legend and tale, and so on (more or less what I, as an Italian, could know about any other European country);

Knowledge (Varisia) would be the equivalent of what I know about my home country, its politics, legends and so on;

Knowledge (Korvosa) mean that, even with 1 rank, they at least know the names of all the major family heads, where the markets are and what they sell, how they can go from A to B without getting lost and at a reasonable speed, what are the local gangs, what turf they claim and so on.
With a few more ranks or a easy check they will know about the locations of the gangs headquarters, who is their friend and enemy, at least some hidden route (roofs or severs), some shady deals between people and so on.

To me making it a "I know all the world gossip" even if it will require a difficult check seem really excessive.

If the group usually "jump" around a lot they have the option to spend skills to cover their major trading points (or even locations visited once, if they wish) or the option to always be "jet people" that pass through a city and always visit the same 2 or 3 locations, without any idea of what there is in the rest of the city or country.

Think of the high level manager that often go from Paris to London to New York for work meeting. Most of them will not know anything about the city beside the name of the hotel where they usually sleep and what address to give to the chauffeur of their char.

A possible option is to allow them to re-train (at no cost) old skill levels. It will represent them "losing touch" with the old city as the people in power change, building are teared down and new building constructed and so on while at the same time they learn the layout of the city where they are currently living.

I prefer more Knowledge skills and more profession skill, not less.

Sure, for a lot of them it should not be necessary to train up to skill level 20 to make them useful. They should be already useful when you have 1-2 skills in them and cap out for most practical purposes at around 5 skill levels (unless you really want to know about that legend of what happened 200 years ago to a young group of adventures dead at their first expedition or the gossips about the discrete affair between the baker wife and the miller that happened 30 years ago).

I know that Paizo politic is to streamline some of the rules and mechanics to reduce bookkeeping, but, at least for home games, streamlining too much can reduce the flavour of the game.

Liberty's Edge

Draco Bahamut wrote:
Theconiel wrote:
Perhaps it is the description "Local" that makes the skill seem overpowered. I think Freesword got it right.
This or make it a Perform 3.5 like skill, adding new place with each new rank and getting penallity from distance from your chosen places.

Good idea.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

If you must have it separate, treat it like the Linguistics skill. It remains a single skill, but every time you take a rank in it you select a new region in which you have expertise.

You may make Local checks and get the full bonus to any of your specialized regions. If there are only 40 nations in the setting, that means you can learn of half of them in great detail by 20th-level.

Makes sense to me.


Ravingdork wrote:

If you must have it separate, treat it like the Linguistics skill. It remains a single skill, but every time you take a rank in it you select a new region in which you have expertise.

You may make Local checks and get the full bonus to any of your specialized regions. If there are only 40 nations in the setting, that means you can learn of half of them in great detail by 20th-level.

Makes sense to me.

This is not the first time I have seen this idea, and it makes sense to me. I will try it in my next game.


Or.. play it like Stringburka suggested 1236591386593589 posts ago, and call it a day?

Liberty's Edge

It's true, Knowledge (Local) is totally broken.

Just the other day, we started playing Rise of the Runelords, and one of the players had a rank in that skill. He totally killed Karzoug with it on the first day of the game, and them became the Master of Infinite Space on the second day. Ruined the whole AP for everybody else.
-Kle.


Ravingdork wrote:

If you must have it separate, treat it like the Linguistics skill. It remains a single skill, but every time you take a rank in it you select a new region in which you have expertise.

You may make Local checks and get the full bonus to any of your specialized regions. If there are only 40 nations in the setting, that means you can learn of half of them in great detail by 20th-level.

Makes sense to me.

This could actually work. You increase your knowledge of general societies and humanoids by adding details of specific regions. That actually makes some sense.

I would still like to see it renamed, but this gives a reason that you could still use it to get details about a specific area.

It's much better than having a separate skill for each region since leaving that region makes the skill less useful than Craft (Origami) and Profession (Seat Filler), which could at least be used to make a few coins anywhere.


In some of the AP's it is used to get information on local celebrities for lack of a better word. I understand the intent behind it, I think, which is why it should be regional. FWIU it allows you to know things locals would know, but someone from another area most likely would not.

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