Knowledges

Attribute - Knowledge skill uses Intellect by default.

A character trained in these skills is educated in a field of study and can answer both simple and complex questions. Using this skill allows a character to identify various aspects of something, however when identifying, such as the materials on a monster, it does not give the ability to harvest or use the materials. Below are listed the fields of study.


Arcana: This field contains information on magical topics such as ancient mysteries, magic traditions, arcane symbols, constructs, dragons, magical beasts, etc.

Dungeoneering: This field contains information on abnormal creatures and locations, such as dungeons, aberrations, caverns, oozes, spelunking, etc.

Engineering: This field contains information on scientific concepts used for creating mundane devices such as buildings, aqueducts, bridges, fortifications, inventions, traps, etc.

Geography: This field contains information on lands, terrain, climate, weather patterns, seasons and cycles, biomes, common material locations, etc.

History: This field contains information on events from the past such as wars, colonies, migrations, founding of cities, etc.

Local: This field contains information on indigenous customs such as legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, traditions, races, low etiquette, etc.

Martial: This field contains information on military topics, such as army strength, soldiers skill, battlefield tactics, war tactics, etc.

Material: This field contains information on various materials, such as hides, gems, metals, monster parts, material uses, etc.

Nature: This field contains information on natural topics, such as animals, plants, vermin, cultivating plants, etc.

Nobility: This field contains information on hierarchies of civilization, such as lineages, heraldry, disposition, royalty, high etiquette, etc.

Planes: This field contains information on extraplanar topics, such as the various planes, outsiders, planar magic, etc.

Religion: This field contains information on divine topics, such as the pantheon, pagan deities, heretical actions, ecclesiastic tradition, holy symbols, undead, last rites, etc.


The DC to identify a piece of information varies based on the information being inquired. Example DC's may be found Common Skill DCs.

Lore

Lore is a system that expands a characters knowledge into specific areas, thus reducing the DC of any knowledge check made to identify something within the lore. If a lore would apply to a knowledge check it lowers the base DC by 5 and the incremental information DC by 1. Lores may be extremely specific or somewhat broad, however in some circumstances a broad lore may not apply depending on GM discretion. Multiple lores may apply to the same check if appropriate. For example a Flaming Bigcat Elemental from the Plane of Fire could use both Elemental Creatures (Fire) and Felines, but would not benefit from Lore Animals because it isn't a creature with the animal type. In addition to the normal benefits, lore's allow a character to roll a knowledge check untrained but with no reduction to DC's.
Characters gain a number of free Lore's, as detailed in Character Creation, and may purchase additional Lore's they qualify for at 10EXP each. They must have access to the knowledge they are attempting to gain, such as in the form of a trainer or book, or some other reason such as back story to take a Lore. Some Lore's may be secret in nature and require additional thresholds to be met before they can be gained, up to GM discretion.
Example Lore Categories: Individual Planes, Creature Types, Specific Region, Specific City, Specific Creature, Specific Country/Empire, A Noble Bloodline, A Faction, A Person, A Location, Item type, Material Category, Specific Material, Specific Deity/Patron, Art Categories, or potentially anything else.