It's Knowledge(planes) until you go there, when it suddenly becomes Knowledge(local).
But seriously, I'd think of it more like Knowledge(geography) to tell you how to get to a place and to tell you it's on the side of an active volcano in a jungle filled with tigers, but Knowledge(local) to know which side of the road they drive on.
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Hmm I can see one still using Planes even once they get there, but I would not rule out Local. I am just asking as my level 2 Cleric will be going to the plane of heaven in one of the PFS scenario's and we will need to navigate the laws and customs of heaven. My cleric is lawful Good and worships Winlas and has ranks in Knowledge Planes, but not local. Just want to see if he can be useful in helping with this scenario.
Local is my least favorite Knowledge skill to GM for. It doesn't seem to imply that the character spends any time gathering this information, they just know it. Someone with 10 ranks in this skill just inexplicably knows about local customs and such wherever they go? Even, as this thread indicates, on another plane of existence?
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Local is my least favorite Knowledge skill to GM for. It doesn't seem to imply that the character spends any time gathering this information, they just know it. Someone with 10 ranks in this skill just inexplicably knows about local customs and such wherever they go? Even, as this thread indicates, on another plane of existence?
Indeed, especially if said character has no ranks in knowledge planes or has never been to said plane.
Local is my least favorite Knowledge skill to GM for. It doesn't seem to imply that the character spends any time gathering this information, they just know it. Someone with 10 ranks in this skill just inexplicably knows about local customs and such wherever they go? Even, as this thread indicates, on another plane of existence?
You get those 10 ranks by watching a lot of national geographic channel.
"I just watched a documentary about forced marriages in the City of Brass. Did you know that efreeti like to trade brides they get by tricking mortals into making wishes that gives them their daughters?"
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Local is my least favorite Knowledge skill to GM for. It doesn't seem to imply that the character spends any time gathering this information, they just know it. Someone with 10 ranks in this skill just inexplicably knows about local customs and such wherever they go? Even, as this thread indicates, on another plane of existence?
Any character with any knowledge skill should be buying books and studying them in their downtime. Knowledge skills represent previously learned knowledge that is recalled when the check is required.
Knowledge local covers Laws, Customs, Traditions, Humanoids, Inhabitants, and Legends.
And the PC doesn't "in explicably" know these things. "They recall reading a story about...."
Additionally, if a particular bit of information isn't something the PC could have read about, since it's brand new, then the PC doesn't get a knowledge check or only is given a generic knowledge check for things similar.
For example, a knowledge check to ID an NPC's race could ID them as Human, but you wouldn't know about their immunity to fire, since humans aren't normally immune to fire. Likewise, you could do a knowledge local check to recall information about a race's customs, but that information might not have any bearing if the given NPC isn't following their race's customs.