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So...I have an interesting situation that came up last night.
Identifying a creature is the 5/10/15 + CR which gives you their type and subtype (if applicable), perhaps their name, and a certain number of additional questions based on how much you beat the DC by. My question is actually not for that.
Let's say that players know that they are going to be facing X type/subtype (they've been told by an NPC). What kind of roll, if any, is needed for a character to know if that type/subtype is, in general, susceptible to their primary class ability.
For specifics, the situation in question involved a witch who was told they would be facing devils. She was wondering if her Evil Eye hex would work against them. Does she know that, normally, devils are susceptible to her hex, or is there a roll involved? She's arguing that since it's her main hex (and right now her only one), that she is versed in its use and her character knows that some creatures are immune to it and other aren't.
Note I'm not asking about specific creatures that might be different from the norm, I'm just talking about type/subtype-based questions.
-Michael
She still has to make the knowledge roll. Knowing how her hex works does not give her knowledge on the workings of other creatures. Most creatures are susceptible to most abilities unless otherwise stated so a player that is not metagaming will most likely assume their ability works unless they can find out that the monster has an immunity to it.
Knowing the name of a monster does not mean you know its abilities, and that is even more specific than knowing its subtype. As an example telling me that animal X is a cheetah won't let me know that it runs up to 70 mph for short distances. The same logic works in game. I still have to rely upon my own knowledge to know what a creature is capable of.
End result:They have to roll the dice.
Identifying a creature is the 5/10/15 + CR which gives you their type and subtype (if applicable), perhaps their name, and a certain number of additional questions based on how much you beat the DC by.
Note I'm not asking about specific creatures that might be different from the norm, I'm just talking about type/subtype-based questions.
If I was at my table and this came up I would say this would be a DC 10. I would just assume CR 0 for questions simply regarding the type (or subtype).