Know Customs spell


Conversions


The spell know customs was a 2nd Edition spell from the Tome of Magic. Originally, it was a 3rd-level priest spell, but, in Pathfinder, I feel it should belong to the bard.

Know Customs
School divination; Level bard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal and close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels); see text
Target you and one humanoid
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance no

This spell allows you to gain general knowledge of the customs, laws, and social etiquette of a village or city by casting it on a citizen of the village within close range. The target need not be an actual citizen by law, but must be a long-time resident who is thoroughly immersed in the local culture. The spell fails if the target makes a successful Will save, or if the target lacks basic cultural knowledge (such as if he is an infant or mentally unstable).

If the spell succeeds, you gain a basic knowledge of the village’s local laws and customs that would be commonly known by an average adult with Intelligence 10 and no skill ranks. If the target is a child or has a lower Intelligence score, the knowledge gained will be reduced accordingly; no additional knowledge is gained from targets with higher Intelligence.

Typical information revealed by know customs includes common courtesies (e.g. outsiders must avert their eyes when addressing local officials), local restrictions (no animals or unaccompanied elves within the city limits), important festivals, and common passwords that are known by the majority of citizens (such as a phrase necessary to pass the guards at the main gate).

This spell does not grant skill ranks, nor does it grant language proficiency. It does not grant bonuses to social skills such as Diplomacy, but it may reduce or negate penalties to such skills caused by cultural unfamiliarity. If this spell is cast on a target who comes from a culture that is profoundly different from your own (GM’s discretion), you must make a Will save to avoid being disoriented by a sudden culture shock. If the save fails, you suffer a -2 penalty to Charisma for 1d6 x 10 minutes.

Future Shock: If this spell is cast on a target who comes from a civilization with a higher technology level than your own, you must make a Will save to avoid culture shock as above. The GM may impose a penalty on your Will save if the target comes from a vastly more advanced civilization or may simply rule that the spell fails. For example, the basic cultural knowledge of a modern or even Renaissance-era human may be beyond the ability of a Stone Age orc skald’s mind to effectively comprehend. On the other hand, the GM may rule that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. After all, a science fiction force field is perfectly understandable to a character who has seen a wizard cast wall of force.

Remember! This spell grants basic, everyday knowledge only! A medieval character will know what a gun is, but will not automatically become proficient in firing one. He will know what a car is, but will not — repeat, not — know how to drive one any better than a teenager on his first day of drivers’ ed class.

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