Undead inhabiting a forest, which Knowledge... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Undead inhabiting a forest, which Knowledge... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
claypigeons
07-14-07, 06:40 PM Okay, if a large amount of undead inhabit a forest, which knowledge skill would be used to indicate such? (This ~HAS~ [or is] happened.)

The trees and plants that grow there grow nearly exclusively there, so Knowledge:Nature would be used for that. So by that, it would be quite infamous and well known among people versed in the lore of the forest.

Being that it is so infamous, Knowledge:Local could be used to discover the hidden dangers.

And because it's an area infested with a massive amount of undead (very large number proportional to the area), Knowledge:Religion might be able to be used to 'know' that the undead are there.

Of course, a Bardic Knowledge check could be substituted for any of those, being legendary and particularly infamous...

So... which Knowledge skill would fit 'best'? I'd say local, so the DC would be lowest for it. But a case could be made for the others, so I don't think they should be excluded.

Any input is greatly appreciated. :cool:
Yue Ryong
07-14-07, 07:29 PM Well, I normally say to my players 'those of you with the following knowledges make checks'. Those who have more relevant knowledges get lower DCs. If it were me in this situation, I'd say
Bardic or Local - 15 (Or 10 if it's famous for being infested)
Geography or History - 20 (Presumably this hasn't happened overnight, it extends well into the past)
Nature or Religion - 25
Arcana or Nobility - 30 (Again, I'm making a few assumptions, but knowledge of the local nobility would cover a few basic facts about their holdings, and presumably there would have been a Wizard exploration at some point about why Undead were so common)
Planes - 50 (This is just to be nice to the people who took Knowledge (Planes), as I think you can use it as cross-planar Knowledge (Geography). It's just trickier).
Architecture or Dungeoneering - You're kidding, right? ;p
Salla
07-14-07, 09:06 PM I'd say roll any appropriate, giving different aspects of the information for each kind of knowledge.
Kouk
07-15-07, 12:48 AM I also give multiple Knowledge checks, of varying difficulty, with varying information.

First off, to learn actual "stats" of monsters, and their names, special abilities and so on relies on the relevant Knowledge skill as its scope is given in the Knowledge skill description in the PHB.

For learning other things of note, as mentioned you can make a case for learning something from nearly any Knowledge check. This doesn't have to be the same something though.

With your forest, I would say Knowledge (Local) and Knowledge (Geography) might give you information such as the name and location of the forest, and that is has an undead problem.

Knowledge (Nature) would be able to tell you about what sorts of plants and animals are in the forest, the ecosystems and whatnot, but it won't tell you about the undead stats. If this forest has been infested for a very long time (like, at least 50 years) a good Knowledge(Nature) result might also tell you that the forest is known as a haven for undead (druids and such would pass the word along).

To identify what sorts of Undead would be prone to hanging out in forests, you would use Knowledge (Religion) for identification of abilities and habitats of the undead.

I allow players to make seemingly unrelated Knowledge checks about a creature in front of them, or under discussion, but they won't learn any particulars about how to fight it. For ghosts for instance, a Knowledge(History) or (Local) might give you some legends about other ghosts (or the one you are looking at, if it is well known). Perhaps Knowledge (Local) might also give you some random bits about how people in the game world believe a creature came into being, like the idea that ghouls come from sinful mortals who ate human flesh (whether or not it was true). This is more of a Bardic Lore thing really, but Bards can be pretty rare in a campaign.
Marcus Majarra
07-16-07, 01:05 PM My advice would be for Knowledge (geography), and maybe Knowledge (local) if close to a community. Ideally, different relevant knowledges should reveal different information regarding the same data.

For example:

Knowledge (geography) would reveal that a particular forest is known to be the habitat of a group of undead. Knowledge (local) or bardic knowledge could reveal that the inhabitants of a certain place are inclined to believe the forest is haunted. Knowledge (nature) checks, used in the forest, could be used to determine the presence of something wholly unnatural within the woods, whereas Knowledge (religion) used in the same environment would help find traces of undead presence within the woods.

In the end, what you know depends on what kind of knowledge you have.
Neutronium_Dragon
07-17-07, 01:38 AM If it's simply a matter of whether a character knows that a forest is inhabited by undead, then Knowledge: Local would be most appropriate, although Knowledge: History might also apply if the forest's undead infestation was of sufficient historical import. Knowledge: Geography might also work, but only if the forest's infestation was sufficient to merit the attention of cartographers and the like - if it's called "The Forest of Bones" or something like that then the implications are obvious, but if it's just called "Sunnywood" then Knowledge: Geography isn't likely to help.

Bardic Knowledge or the Lore ability would also work.

Knowledge: Religion wouldn't tell you that the place has an undead infestation (unless perhaps that infestation had religious significance), but it would be what tells you the abilities and weaknesses of the undead which you identify as inhabiting it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
claypigeons 07-14-07, 06:40 PM	Okay, if a large amount of undead inhabit a forest, which knowledge skill would be used to indicate such? (This ~HAS~ [or is] happened.) The trees and plants that grow there grow nearly exclusively there, so Knowledge:Nature would be used for that. So by that, it would be quite infamous and well known among people versed in the lore of the forest. Being that it is so infamous, Knowledge:Local could be used to discover the hidden dangers. And because it's an area infested with a massive amount of undead (very large number proportional to the area), Knowledge:Religion might be able to be used to 'know' that the undead are there. Of course, a Bardic Knowledge check could be substituted for any of those, being legendary and particularly infamous... So... which Knowledge skill would fit 'best'? I'd say local, so the DC would be lowest for it. But a case could be made for the others, so I don't think they should be excluded. Any input is greatly appreciated. :cool:
Yue Ryong 07-14-07, 07:29 PM	Well, I normally say to my players 'those of you with the following knowledges make checks'. Those who have more relevant knowledges get lower DCs. If it were me in this situation, I'd say Bardic or Local - 15 (Or 10 if it's famous for being infested) Geography or History - 20 (Presumably this hasn't happened overnight, it extends well into the past) Nature or Religion - 25 Arcana or Nobility - 30 (Again, I'm making a few assumptions, but knowledge of the local nobility would cover a few basic facts about their holdings, and presumably there would have been a Wizard exploration at some point about why Undead were so common) Planes - 50 (This is just to be nice to the people who took Knowledge (Planes), as I think you can use it as cross-planar Knowledge (Geography). It's just trickier). Architecture or Dungeoneering - You're kidding, right? ;p
Salla 07-14-07, 09:06 PM	I'd say roll any appropriate, giving different aspects of the information for each kind of knowledge.
Kouk 07-15-07, 12:48 AM	I also give multiple Knowledge checks, of varying difficulty, with varying information. First off, to learn actual "stats" of monsters, and their names, special abilities and so on relies on the relevant Knowledge skill as its scope is given in the Knowledge skill description in the PHB. For learning other things of note, as mentioned you can make a case for learning something from nearly any Knowledge check. This doesn't have to be the same something though. With your forest, I would say Knowledge (Local) and Knowledge (Geography) might give you information such as the name and location of the forest, and that is has an undead problem. Knowledge (Nature) would be able to tell you about what sorts of plants and animals are in the forest, the ecosystems and whatnot, but it won't tell you about the undead stats. If this forest has been infested for a very long time (like, at least 50 years) a good Knowledge(Nature) result might also tell you that the forest is known as a haven for undead (druids and such would pass the word along). To identify what sorts of Undead would be prone to hanging out in forests, you would use Knowledge (Religion) for identification of abilities and habitats of the undead. I allow players to make seemingly unrelated Knowledge checks about a creature in front of them, or under discussion, but they won't learn any particulars about how to fight it. For ghosts for instance, a Knowledge(History) or (Local) might give you some legends about other ghosts (or the one you are looking at, if it is well known). Perhaps Knowledge (Local) might also give you some random bits about how people in the game world believe a creature came into being, like the idea that ghouls come from sinful mortals who ate human flesh (whether or not it was true). This is more of a Bardic Lore thing really, but Bards can be pretty rare in a campaign.
Marcus Majarra 07-16-07, 01:05 PM	My advice would be for Knowledge (geography), and maybe Knowledge (local) if close to a community. Ideally, different relevant knowledges should reveal different information regarding the same data. For example: Knowledge (geography) would reveal that a particular forest is known to be the habitat of a group of undead. Knowledge (local) or bardic knowledge could reveal that the inhabitants of a certain place are inclined to believe the forest is haunted. Knowledge (nature) checks, used in the forest, could be used to determine the presence of something wholly unnatural within the woods, whereas Knowledge (religion) used in the same environment would help find traces of undead presence within the woods. In the end, what you know depends on what kind of knowledge you have.
Neutronium_Dragon 07-17-07, 01:38 AM	If it's simply a matter of whether a character knows that a forest is inhabited by undead, then Knowledge: Local would be most appropriate, although Knowledge: History might also apply if the forest's undead infestation was of sufficient historical import. Knowledge: Geography might also work, but only if the forest's infestation was sufficient to merit the attention of cartographers and the like - if it's called "The Forest of Bones" or something like that then the implications are obvious, but if it's just called "Sunnywood" then Knowledge: Geography isn't likely to help. Bardic Knowledge or the Lore ability would also work. Knowledge: Religion wouldn't tell you that the place has an undead infestation (unless perhaps that infestation had religious significance), but it would be what tells you the abilities and weaknesses of the undead which you identify as inhabiting it.