RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Definitely depends on the situation.What if, before rolling the check, I say,
Hey GM, does my Tengu Bard Arawcaw remember if this creature has DR?
If I make the roll, would you give that information to me? Or would you pick something else to give me?
But if they ask a specific question prior to the roll, then give them that info.
So I say "depends on the situation", and you come up with a situation in which it's best to tell them what they asked for, and somehow think I wouldn't do so in that situation?
Or is it instead that you think there's never a better answer than what they asked for? Maybe that sorcerer you mentioned, trying to decide between fireball and lightning bolt, asking about energy resistances? Suppose the enemy was a flesh golem. According to your post, I should just give him what he asked for: "Nope, no energy resistances." I'm saying that in a special circumstance like that, if he only rolls high enough for 1 piece of info when he asks about resistances, I'm going to say "You don't remember anything about resistances, but you do know that it's immune to magic, except that fire slows it down and electricity heals it."
Now which of those answers do you think would, as you put it, "leave a really bad taste in the player's mouth"?
Like I said, depends on the situation.
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You know... the original intent of this post was not to argue about the knowledge rules and how they work. It really wasn't even about how we should all strive as judges to do it the same way - to reduce YMMV and bad feelings and all that.
What I was trying for was some light-hearted stories... the original question was...
"What was that training like? Let's hear some stories from Basic Training people! What did YOU learn from your DI (Drill Instructor)."
I remember in my second year as an Initiate, me and some of the other recruits were standing out on the green for an impromptu lecture by Master of Swords Farabellus. He and Adril Hestram were showing us a three foot long lizard and explaining how to deal with different beasts. The thing had bright blue-green scales with a pale yellow underside and little horns. It seemed docile enough, just sitting there while Marcos lectured about magical beasts. Adril singled me out saying “you boy, approach it like you were in the wilds”. I drew my rapier and stalked toward the harmless looking reptile. When I got about two feet from it, suddenly I felt this jolt of energy and was thrown back like ten feet landing on my back. I must have been knocked out. When I came to, Adril was doubled over guffawing with tears in his eyes. I slowly got to my feet, realizing when I did that I must have urinated myself when I was shocked. I met eyes with Farabellus, when he declared to the class, “And that is why it is called a Shocker Lizard. Remember what it looks like.”
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I remember in my second year as an Initiate, me and some of the other recruits were standing out on the green for an impromptu lecture by Master of Swords Farabellus. He and Adril Hestram were showing us a three foot long lizard and explaining how to deal with different beasts. The thing had bright blue-green scales with a pale yellow underside and little horns. It seemed docile enough, just sitting there while Marcos lectured about magical beasts. Adril singled me out saying “you boy, approach it like you were in the wilds”. I drew my rapier and stalked toward the harmless looking reptile. When I got about two feet from it, suddenly I felt this jolt of energy and was thrown back like ten feet landing on my back. I must have been knocked out. When I came to, Adril was doubled over guffawing with tears in his eyes. I slowly got to my feet, realizing when I did that I must have urinated myself when I was shocked. I met eyes with Farabellus, when he declared to the class, “And that is why it is called a Shocker Lizard. Remember what it looks like.”You know... the original intent of this post was not to argue about the knowledge rules and how they work. It really wasn't even about how we should all strive as judges to do it the same way - to reduce YMMV and bad feelings and all that.
What I was trying for was some light-hearted stories... the original question was...
"What was that training like? Let's hear some stories from Basic Training people! What did YOU learn from your DI (Drill Instructor)."
I remember that class! The spark made your hair stand on end! and flashed bright as the sun!. LOL!
It seems the real solution here is Paizo just needs to sell a new book of "basic knowledge" that by virtue of the player owning it their characters get to automatically identify a list of creatures and know specific pieces of info about them.
Paizo makes money, Knowledge Skills are still valuable because they save you money, and pay-to-win players can now make theme characters without having to worry about making them well-rounded. Everyone wins.
Relmer, as a GM I'm not going to want to sit during a scenario, looking through the same book to see if something would be considered "basic knowledge", especially when I'm already having to go through how many different books already to run a scenario, whether it be through PFS or a Home Campaign.
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It seems the real solution here is Paizo just needs to sell a new book of "basic knowledge" that by virtue of the player owning it their characters get to automatically identify a list of creatures and know specific pieces of info about them.
I usually don't require a knowledge check to know anything that's available in the knowledge section of the Pathfinder Society Field Guide. (This of course assumes I remember if the piece of info is in the Fiedl Guide or not. I'm getting better at it though.)