How much monster info for successful Knowledge check


Rules Questions


How much info to give in said Knowledge checks re: monster lore? Ex: characters encounter taxidermy cat/animated object. You've spent a construction pt on Improved Attack and then also taken the flaw Haunted (can be affected by positive energy channel) to also give it Extra Attack. Now you have a tiny Animated Object cat with a claw and a bite attack doing some minor damage and with all the construct traits. What do you say on successful Knowledge: Arcana and Knowledge: Religion checks?


One peice of information for a success. One extra peice of information for every 5 points you beat the DC by. The GM determines what information is shared.

CRB p100 wrote:
You can use this skill to identify monsters and their special powers or vulnerabilities. In general, the DC of such a check equals 10 + the monster’s CR. For common monsters, such as goblins, the DC of this check equals 5 + the monster’s CR. For particularly rare monsters, such as the tarrasque, the DC of this check equals 15 + the monster’s CR, or more. A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful information about that monster. For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information. Many of the Knowledge skills have specific uses as noted on Table 4–6.

- Gauss


Firstly, this is based solely on how I do it at my table, and not off some hard and fast rule as written. I give a DC 10+(the creatures CR) for basic info about the creature. It's name, habitat, typical alignment, other common knowledge (trolls regenerate, but die from fire, goblins hate dogs). and +5 will get you more info about any statistical advantages you might have and or specific abilities it has.
ex: Medusa turns you to stone would be 10+CR, looking away or through a mirror avoids the effect because its a gaze attack 15+CR. Yeth hounds are terrifying 10+CR, its the yeth hound's howl that causes you to flee in fear 15+CR.
usually I save their weaknesses and resistances for 15+CR but I consider trolls and other iconic monsters to be more common knowledge. but, I might describe it more in terms of how someone in that world would say it. "trolls don't die," vs "trolls regenerate" which I'd save for a higher roll.


GM: a hideous taxidermy cat attacks
PC: Knowledge: Arcana (rolls) 14
GM: its immune to any effect requiring a fort save unless it affects objects.

That's it?


yeah, that's a lot less interesting to me than "it looks like a wizard has given life to a stuffed cat.it likely can't be poisoned since its not alive."

edit: or rather "not an actual living being"


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Here's how I've seen it done in Pathfinder Society games, which is about as official as it gets. It's also how I use it in my home games, and how I interpret the RAW.

Matching the DC will get you the name and type (i.e. outsider, animal, etc..) and you get to ask about one question. For each 5 above the DC, you get to ask one additional question about it.

Questions include (but not limited to):
Weaknesses
Defensive strengths
Special attacks
Special abilities
Habitat/Ecology

Common creatures in an area start at DC 5 + CR. Rare creatures might start at DC 20 + CR, determined by the GM; although, I haven't actually seen any GMs use something other than DC 10 + CR.


Of course, as seen in Ven's example, you don't have to be clinical about imparting the information. Get creative. :)

Sovereign Court

bookrat wrote:

Here's how I've seen it done in Pathfinder Society games, which is about as official as it gets. It's also how I use it in my home games, and how I interpret the RAW.

Matching the DC will get you the name and type (i.e. outsider, animal, etc..) and you get to ask about one question. For each 5 above the DC, you get to ask one additional question about it.

Questions include (but not limited to):
Weaknesses
Defensive strengths
Special attacks
Special abilities
Habitat/Ecology

Common creatures in an area start at DC 5 + CR. Rare creatures might start at DC 20 + CR, determined by the GM; although, I haven't actually seen any GMs use something other than DC 10 + CR.

Thread necromancy!

I have a questions on this as well. If the DC is met and the player chooses Special Attacks, does player learn all the Special Attacks or just one?


1bent1 wrote:
bookrat wrote:

Here's how I've seen it done in Pathfinder Society games, which is about as official as it gets. It's also how I use it in my home games, and how I interpret the RAW.

Matching the DC will get you the name and type (i.e. outsider, animal, etc..) and you get to ask about one question. For each 5 above the DC, you get to ask one additional question about it.

Questions include (but not limited to):
Weaknesses
Defensive strengths
Special attacks
Special abilities
Habitat/Ecology

Common creatures in an area start at DC 5 + CR. Rare creatures might start at DC 20 + CR, determined by the GM; although, I haven't actually seen any GMs use something other than DC 10 + CR.

Thread necromancy!

I have a questions on this as well. If the DC is met and the player chooses Special Attacks, does player learn all the Special Attacks or just one?

Expect table variation


Quote:

Thread necromancy!

I have a questions on this as well. If the DC is met and the player chooses Special Attacks, does player learn all the Special Attacks or just one?

I would tell them all of the monsters special attacks, but as Snowlilly said, expect table variation.


Well lets think. If a creature had every "category" and lets say there are 4 categories. Example: special attacks, special defenses, favorite color, resistances. Lets say this creature had 2 items in each. How high should a player roll to know everything about this monster? +15 over DC (1 item for success and 3 extra items) or +35 over DC (1 for success and 7 extra items)?

+15 is a good roll because that means you got 25+CR on the knowledge check.
+35 is a roll that not even knowledge characters make often with a total needed of 45+CR.

So you need to figure out what you feel is correct and adjust accordingly.

Dark Archive

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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

I essentially made a document with a list of 10 things that people can ask questions about.

Whenever everyone gets there free knowledge check I have them write down the corresponding numbers to their questions separately and then tell them the relevant information for each number they chose.

Then I tell them to write those numbers down for that creature and their characters just 'know' that information in the future.

Mine looks like this
Knowledge Checks

Sovereign Court

How is this handled in PFS?


1bent1 wrote:
How is this handled in PFS?

It varies from region to region and table to table.

The way I've seen it most commonly in my area is this:
Hit the DC, you get the creature's name, type, and subtype. (This includes reminding players of the general characteristics of the type and subtype, especially for new players.)

For each +5 beyond that, you can ask one question or just ask the GM to give you a piece of information.

+20 will usually get you a improvisational backstory.

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