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When a successful Knowledge Check is made (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Nature, etc...) to try and identify a monster and it is a successful check, should a player have to make an identical Knowledge check later on (perhaps in a different scenario) to identify the same monster? If not, is there some mechanic to keep track that a certain character already knows what a ghoul is because he identified one successfully in a previous scenario?
For a campaign, the GM knows what has been sent against the PCs previously and so no new checks would be necessary.
For PFS, there is no way of tracking this between scenarios (any attempt to do so would lead to way too much paperwork :p) so in a new scenario, they would get a new check. Besides the monsters might actually be slightly different.
For some reason I'm thinking that unless something has changed, new ranks or some new method of increasing the skill, perhaps even just going to do research on the topic from an outside source. I'd say it's a safe bet that the characters knowledge base has not changed.
In short. If something has occurred that could have changed the information the character has, then give them a new check.
It shouldn't change, though tracking how they rolled vs. everything is a tedious process and I've never seen a DM do it nor blame them for not doing so.
I don't know if it was just a 3E rule, but you could re-attempt a knowledge skill check when you gained a rank in it, iirc. I don't think if you ARE tracking their results that a lower roll should result in them *forgetting* things, but a higher roll could allow them to learn more.
Heres a question, with an aribitrary setup.
We all know you can't when under duress (danger or distracted), so under most conditions when you encounter a creature you can't just take 10 to successful idenitfy it. However, what if you had a zoo of sorts? All the creatures are locked in their cages, unable to get out. But you can view them and try to identify them. But you're not in danger? Can you take 10? Seems reasonable. But then you leave, and now you're in the wild and encounter all the same creatures in the woods that you just encountered in the zoo. You've already identified them, and got that sweet +10 in place of possibly low and crappy roll (I'd rather take a solid 10 over the possibility of rolling higher or lower).
Does this make sense? I feel like it does, which would mean that someone in Golarion should be operating a giant zoo with all the bestiary's beast and charging adintance so you can come and take 10 and pre-identify every creature that can be reasonably captured and kept corralled.
Really the rules are bad.
How many times do we fail at the snap question only to realize we knew the answer later?
You won't get the same level of internal query results under time/danger pressure as you would if you sat and thought about it for a minute.
You should be able to try again on a failed knowledge check after the fight.