what sort of information depending on the field of study would you allow to be gained for in the range of DC 40-50 ?
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Knowing the exact position and momentum of a certain particle at the same time.
|
Well, you could ask a bazillion questions about a monster.
Honestly it depends on the situation. But once you are getting into those levels you are hitting things where very few others are capable of understanding you. I ran into that problem when I had a character make a DC 75 Knowledge-Arcana check. The GM determined that I had discovered a cure to a previously unknown powerful curse, but no one else could understand me to help me make the cure a reality.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
what sort of information depending on the field of study would you allow to be gained for in the range of DC 40-50 ?
Cutting-edge publishable research. Per the SRD, "really tough questions" are roughly DC 20 to 30. Einstein was roughly a 5th level expert, and capable of dealing with "a problem so intractable that no one has ever understood it before (DC 40+)" (although, honestly, if Einstein hadn't come up with relativity theory, Poincaré and Lorentz probably would have before 1910 or so).
So, for example:
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) : identify a new and previously unknown type of mineral, or a fossil of a previously unknown monster
Knowledge (Geography) : discover previously unknown feature of the terrain
Knowledge (History) : identify a previously unknown archeological site
Knowledge (Nobility) : identify a previously unknown cadet branch of the royal family.
et cetera.
Basically, anything that would get you an interview on NPR or similar nerd-radio would probably qualify.
Perhaps more to the point, most of the time, it's a success. But that's all it is. If you're trying to know the name of the current Queen of England, it's Elizabeth II. That's a DC 10 check, but I don't get any more information rolling a 40, because I already know the answer. The capital of Italy is Rome (Geography DC 5). Maybe on a DC 15 I know that the locals call it Roma, but I'm not going to "learn" that the "actual" capital is Geneva on a DC 50..... There simply isn't that much more to know about that particular factoid.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I'd say a DC of 40-50 lets you start locating all those hidden demi-planes wizards use as sanctuaries.
Knowing the exact position and momentum of a certain particle at the same time.
I'm uncertain that would work, out of principal.
Knowing the exact position and momentum of a certain particle at the same time.I'm uncertain that would work, out of principal.
With a natural 20 you can.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I will read you the ecology section of the stat block.
With a natural 20 you can.Knowing the exact position and momentum of a certain particle at the same time.I'm uncertain that would work, out of principal.
Natural 20's do not auto succeed on skill checks.
Natural 20's do not auto succeed on skill checks.With a natural 20 you can.Knowing the exact position and momentum of a certain particle at the same time.I'm uncertain that would work, out of principal.
Ouch! A solid system to enforce the laws of physics...
But I've got the solution: magic! Magic will work, yes!