So, I'm a new DM, trying to make a campaign for our current Pathfinder group.
I used to play a few matches of D&D 3.5 here and there but this would have been a few years ago.
Either way, I'm trying to get back into this kind of thing.
But as I'm making my campaign, I'm trying to figure out possible roles and checks the players will make. One of them is if it's possible to figure out if a group of men are part of a guild and I want the players to do a check for that but I'm not entirely sure if that would be a Perception check or a Sense Motive and I'm also not sure what the minimum roll would be for that so they could see it about 15-20ft away from them.
Basically, I want the players to do a roll to see if these men are part of a guild but I'm not sure what roll they would be doing or what's the DC is for either of them. I'm not sure if them going through curtains would have any affect either.
Though, guides for GMing would be great too! I am new at the whole GMing thing and any help I could get would be great.
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Perception to catch physical cues (guild tattoos or the like)
Sense motive to catch hints in conversation.
Spotting a physical cue? 10 plus sleight of hand bonus of the target with modifiers for how conspicuous it is. -20 for face tattoos or +20 for a mark on the inside band of a worn ring for example.
Sense motive is pretty much sense motive vs bluff.
You could also use knowledge(local) checks if they're not particularly hiding guild affiliation.
Basically, it is up to you.
If you want it to be perception, then the guild members have some sort of look or would, by nature of their profession, and certain physical tells, like ink stained fingers for a scribes guild.
If you want it to be sense motive, then the guild members act/behave a certain way. The members of the wizard guild might look like everyone else, but they all tend to act in an indirect manner and lose their temper at the drop of a hat.
If you wish, you can also make knowing what these mean part of the initial or add in a knowledge roll as well.
What the DC is should be based on how difficult you want it to be, if you want it to be quite easy, 5 or 10 is pretty good, the more difficult you want it, the higher the number.
If the point is especially important, having multiple ways to discover the information is often a good idea. DC 15 Perception reveals the odor of spell components, DC 15 sense motive reveals that they are behaving like wizards, DC 15 knowledge(local) reveals that one of the men in the group is the known wizard Bob.
I was thinking knowledge, too. Knowledge (local), if they are from the area where the guildhouse is stationed, seems particularly relevant. I think DCs are rather arbitrary for such a check, perhaps high enough it's not a guarantee, but low enough they should be able to overcome it with sufficient role playing.
You might also want to consider diplomacy for a gather information check.
Always remember there is a list of standard modifiers for Perception. It's harder to see something 100' away, than something 5' away, thus the distance modifier is a +1 / 10' DC increase. This is the most common adjustment that I see GMs miss (either for the PCs or for their opponents).
Since "through a closed door" is a +5 modifier, it would be reasonable to use a value between +1 and +4 for the curtains (your call depending on fabric thickness and amount of coverage of the opening).
For more general GMs guide stuff, I'd recommend the GM's Guide to Challenging Encounters and related discussion thread. It provides a good review of the CR system and how to balance based on party size/level.
The Guide to the Class Guides discussion thread includes some links to other GM useful stuff, including the Zenith Games Guide to Guides and Guide to Builds pages.
I was thinking knowledge, too. Knowledge (local), if they are from the area where the guildhouse is stationed, seems particularly relevant. I think DCs are rather arbitrary for such a check, perhaps high enough it's not a guarantee, but low enough they should be able to overcome it with sufficient role playing.
You might also want to consider diplomacy for a gather information check.
I already though of a diplomacy check surprisingly! And they are not in a place they know. They are stopping by this city to rest after the previous campaign we just did. I did think of a knowledge check but they're not local or know much about the city they're in. So I don't think that could apply here.
the thing about know local is that it's not "what I know about this local area." But what I know about humanoids, their cities, and their culture. Because you use the same know local bonus to know that thing over there is a nagaji, a tengu, an elf, a gnome, or a human. It's not that you can't identify nagaji because you've never met them.
I did think of a knowledge check but they're not local or know much about the city they're in. So I don't think that could apply here.
Despite the name, knowledge: local isn't really just about where they grew up. It is more a catchall for knowing about cities, humanoids and stuff like that. Depending on how far they are from their home, how different it is from their home, and how long they have been there, a circumstance penalty to their skill roll might be appropriate, but just because a character has traveled shouldn't make the points spent in a skill useless. At a minimum after a bit of adaption (maybe days or weeks) to a new locale their skill should be treated just like normal.