Beastery [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Beastery [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
shades of eternity
11-20-06, 04:06 PM Beastery

I am playing a warmage

What I want to do is consult a couple of scholars scholar him a list of creatures (and create an old time beastery) that I can consult and create a "cheat sheet" when encountering strange creatures.

Once that's done, I want to take a scroll and make an easy find list in point form for rapid deployment

what would be the most cost effective means to do so that the gm will allow?
Dalthbar
11-20-06, 04:31 PM Have you posed this question to your DM?

You're going to have to find an NPC that has a sufficiently high relevant Knowledge skill and access to this information and basically request their services in collating this information for you.

Since you'd effectively be creating something that will ultimately serve the same as a DC 15-20 Knowledge check for the different creatures it's created for, you should price it as a magic item that gives this bonus and then discount it for

1) time to access the information
2) how few creatures are actually on the list

This is something you should work _with_ your DM on.
mvincent
11-20-06, 04:37 PM I want to do is consult a couple of scholars scholar him a list of creatures (and create an old time beastery) that I can consult and create a "cheat sheet" when encountering strange creatures.Knowledge about creatures is generally handled via an applicable knowledge skill (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/knowledge.htm) check. You could possibly create the cheat sheets as masterwork tools (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#toolMasterwork):
"Tool, Masterwork
This well-made item is the perfect tool for the job. It grants a +2 circumstance bonus on a related skill check (if any). Bonuses provided by multiple masterwork items used toward the same skill check do not stack. "
savant_warlord13
11-20-06, 07:58 PM Step one for building your beastery is spelling it beastiary.
Patrick Draken-Korin
11-20-06, 08:00 PM What your DM will allow? That's a question that would require us to know your DM, and I really doubt that I do. Well, here are a couple suggestions.

A) Magical reference sheets; probably connected to some magical library or zoo, or maybe a coliseum. Probably quite reliable and easy to use. Also quite expensive or requires government/guild authorization.

B) Mundane beastiary (as stated by Dalthbar); a book or set of books that represents the knowledge of one or more learned folk. Probably difficult to use and likely unrealiable (this would be because the book(s) are pre-made knowledge checks recorded by some guy, who claims to know more than you do, when he sits researching and you actually go out and see the things). Likely quite cheap, working thier way to being moderately or even quite expensive for more accurate works (cheap being 5-50 gold, expensive being a couple thousand, per dozen creatures).

C) Adventuerer's handbook; single book that includes many basic things that any noob should know (and that anyone who's read/watched/played out a dozen or so stories shouldn't need). Both simple to use and reliable, but very limited (orcs and goblins explained, dragon listing simply as RUN AWAY!). Cheap and available (unless there's an exclusive adventer's guild or government, but usually this sort of thing would be wide access).

D) Resaerch tool (as stated by mvincent); probably a series of books, maybe each book for a creature type or an alphbetic encyclopedia with several dozen books, that operates as a masterwork tool for the knowledge check. Probably Bulky and hard to transport, and as a tool, it doesn't replace the need for a check. Probably spanning from cheap to expensive, with each book in the series costing 25-50 or more Gp and there being 10-30 or more books.

Just remember that if the reference system is cheap and widely available, then it wouldn't be any more than common knowledge (DC 10 checks usually). On the other hand, if you need to fulfil a quest, spend several thousand Gp or take the bestiary from some sage or lich, then it's likely that it'll serve you much better (DC 20 checks or a +4 or +6 bonus on you're checks).
mvincent
11-20-06, 09:15 PM several dozen books, that operates as a masterwork tool for the knowledge check. Probably Bulky and hard to transport, and as a tool, it doesn't replace the need for a check. Probably spanning from cheap to expensive, with each book in the series costing 25-50 or more Gp and there being 10-30 or more books.Using the RAW approach, masterwork books would be 1 lb. and 50 gp apiece, and there would be six of them (one for each applicable knowledge skill used for identifying monsters).
shades of eternity
11-21-06, 10:23 PM yeah, I think I'm going to just go for the books I can actually stack on

50 mw Tome: principles of casting (+2 to any knowledge arcana checks)
50 mw Tome: War Tome (adds +2 to all knowledge: history checks)

I think between these two maxed out skills (+13 in each before bonuses) I should be able to figure out most things, and then use my ink and scrolls to keep a good list.

The way I see it

1. Either it's fairly cheap to find information

or

2. It's bloody expensive which means it's a good way to earn further capital by keeping good records :D
WinterPsionic
11-21-06, 11:00 PM Step one for building your beastery is spelling it beastiary.

I was seriously trying to figure out what he was going for....thanks for the clarificiation :D (though he was goin for another beast...)

Anyway you could treat it as a Tome of Endless Spells, I don't know if it was ever converted to 3.5 but I suppose it wouldn't be that hard a task...just use some sort of magical modifier like in Charmed, just hold your hand over the pages and think about what you want, if it's there it finds it, if it's not it doesn't do anything...it'll be expensive as hell though.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
shades of eternity 11-20-06, 04:06 PM	Beastery I am playing a warmage What I want to do is consult a couple of scholars scholar him a list of creatures (and create an old time beastery) that I can consult and create a "cheat sheet" when encountering strange creatures. Once that's done, I want to take a scroll and make an easy find list in point form for rapid deployment what would be the most cost effective means to do so that the gm will allow?
Dalthbar 11-20-06, 04:31 PM	Have you posed this question to your DM? You're going to have to find an NPC that has a sufficiently high relevant Knowledge skill and access to this information and basically request their services in collating this information for you. Since you'd effectively be creating something that will ultimately serve the same as a DC 15-20 Knowledge check for the different creatures it's created for, you should price it as a magic item that gives this bonus and then discount it for 1) time to access the information 2) how few creatures are actually on the list This is something you should work _with_ your DM on.
mvincent 11-20-06, 04:37 PM	I want to do is consult a couple of scholars scholar him a list of creatures (and create an old time beastery) that I can consult and create a "cheat sheet" when encountering strange creatures.Knowledge about creatures is generally handled via an applicable knowledge skill (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/knowledge.htm) check. You could possibly create the cheat sheets as masterwork tools (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#toolMasterwork): "Tool, Masterwork This well-made item is the perfect tool for the job. It grants a +2 circumstance bonus on a related skill check (if any). Bonuses provided by multiple masterwork items used toward the same skill check do not stack. "
savant_warlord13 11-20-06, 07:58 PM	Step one for building your beastery is spelling it beastiary.
Patrick Draken-Korin 11-20-06, 08:00 PM	What your DM will allow? That's a question that would require us to know your DM, and I really doubt that I do. Well, here are a couple suggestions. A) Magical reference sheets; probably connected to some magical library or zoo, or maybe a coliseum. Probably quite reliable and easy to use. Also quite expensive or requires government/guild authorization. B) Mundane beastiary (as stated by Dalthbar); a book or set of books that represents the knowledge of one or more learned folk. Probably difficult to use and likely unrealiable (this would be because the book(s) are pre-made knowledge checks recorded by some guy, who claims to know more than you do, when he sits researching and you actually go out and see the things). Likely quite cheap, working thier way to being moderately or even quite expensive for more accurate works (cheap being 5-50 gold, expensive being a couple thousand, per dozen creatures). C) Adventuerer's handbook; single book that includes many basic things that any noob should know (and that anyone who's read/watched/played out a dozen or so stories shouldn't need). Both simple to use and reliable, but very limited (orcs and goblins explained, dragon listing simply as RUN AWAY!). Cheap and available (unless there's an exclusive adventer's guild or government, but usually this sort of thing would be wide access). D) Resaerch tool (as stated by mvincent); probably a series of books, maybe each book for a creature type or an alphbetic encyclopedia with several dozen books, that operates as a masterwork tool for the knowledge check. Probably Bulky and hard to transport, and as a tool, it doesn't replace the need for a check. Probably spanning from cheap to expensive, with each book in the series costing 25-50 or more Gp and there being 10-30 or more books. Just remember that if the reference system is cheap and widely available, then it wouldn't be any more than common knowledge (DC 10 checks usually). On the other hand, if you need to fulfil a quest, spend several thousand Gp or take the bestiary from some sage or lich, then it's likely that it'll serve you much better (DC 20 checks or a +4 or +6 bonus on you're checks).
mvincent 11-20-06, 09:15 PM	several dozen books, that operates as a masterwork tool for the knowledge check. Probably Bulky and hard to transport, and as a tool, it doesn't replace the need for a check. Probably spanning from cheap to expensive, with each book in the series costing 25-50 or more Gp and there being 10-30 or more books.Using the RAW approach, masterwork books would be 1 lb. and 50 gp apiece, and there would be six of them (one for each applicable knowledge skill used for identifying monsters).
shades of eternity 11-21-06, 10:23 PM	yeah, I think I'm going to just go for the books I can actually stack on 50 mw Tome: principles of casting (+2 to any knowledge arcana checks) 50 mw Tome: War Tome (adds +2 to all knowledge: history checks) I think between these two maxed out skills (+13 in each before bonuses) I should be able to figure out most things, and then use my ink and scrolls to keep a good list. The way I see it 1. Either it's fairly cheap to find information or 2. It's bloody expensive which means it's a good way to earn further capital by keeping good records :D
WinterPsionic 11-21-06, 11:00 PM	Step one for building your beastery is spelling it beastiary. I was seriously trying to figure out what he was going for....thanks for the clarificiation :D (though he was goin for another beast...) Anyway you could treat it as a Tome of Endless Spells, I don't know if it was ever converted to 3.5 but I suppose it wouldn't be that hard a task...just use some sort of magical modifier like in Charmed, just hold your hand over the pages and think about what you want, if it's there it finds it, if it's not it doesn't do anything...it'll be expensive as hell though.