Can a Bane's type be specified without first discerning a target creature type . . ? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Can a Bane's type be specified without first discerning a target creature type . . ? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Fromost the Grimm
06-17-07, 11:31 PM So, use of the various Knowledge, type skills can be used to discern information about certain creatures. All good. But do you have to actually use this skill to do this . . ?

Let me be a little more specific, to be a little more clearer. The Artificer has an infusion that lets him apply a specific Bane effect to his weapon. If an Artificer were to come across a strange, weird unknown creature, would he have to use the appropriate Knowledge, type skill to identify the creature to discern it's type before choosing his Bane, or could he just infuse a Bane relative to 'that creature', irrespective of actually knowing what type of creature it is?

It sorta seems metagaming for a character to have to discern a game mechanic 'type' to have to something like this . . .

Thoughts . . ?
cwslyclgh
06-18-07, 12:22 AM I would let him guess based upon the creatures description... but would not let him automatically know which to pick with out the knowledge check... and I would not allow him just to pick "bane vs. what ever that thing is."
Salla
06-18-07, 12:23 AM That's what Knowledge skills are for, IMHO and IMG. :) Circumstance bonuses where necessary ... the more common the creature, the more likely you are to get a bonus or an 'auto-pass'. Anybody with 1 level in a heroic class, IMHO, can tell you a Skeleton is undead, for example.
Kouk
06-18-07, 07:20 AM You can always just ask your teammates.
Need_A_Life
06-18-07, 07:29 AM I believe our Artificer (when he shot a creature of fire) formulated it like this:

"13 damage IF it's an elemental... otherwise 5 damage."

Basically, make a qualified guess...

"Hmmm... so that thing is a humanoid the size of my house... I wonder if that qualifies as a Giant?"

"Gee... a head with waaay too many eyeballs floating above the ground... that's got to be in the "aberration" category... that's where all the miscellaneous c**p is put."
tarkin
06-18-07, 10:26 AM I would require him to know the type.

My logic is as follows:

If he does not know enough about the creature to recognize what other humans call it, then he does not know enough about the creature to know how to make a Bane enchantment against it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fromost the Grimm 06-17-07, 11:31 PM	So, use of the various Knowledge, type skills can be used to discern information about certain creatures. All good. But do you have to actually use this skill to do this . . ? Let me be a little more specific, to be a little more clearer. The Artificer has an infusion that lets him apply a specific Bane effect to his weapon. If an Artificer were to come across a strange, weird unknown creature, would he have to use the appropriate Knowledge, type skill to identify the creature to discern it's type before choosing his Bane, or could he just infuse a Bane relative to 'that creature', irrespective of actually knowing what type of creature it is? It sorta seems metagaming for a character to have to discern a game mechanic 'type' to have to something like this . . . Thoughts . . ?
cwslyclgh 06-18-07, 12:22 AM	I would let him guess based upon the creatures description... but would not let him automatically know which to pick with out the knowledge check... and I would not allow him just to pick "bane vs. what ever that thing is."
Salla 06-18-07, 12:23 AM	That's what Knowledge skills are for, IMHO and IMG. :) Circumstance bonuses where necessary ... the more common the creature, the more likely you are to get a bonus or an 'auto-pass'. Anybody with 1 level in a heroic class, IMHO, can tell you a Skeleton is undead, for example.
Kouk 06-18-07, 07:20 AM	You can always just ask your teammates.
Need_A_Life 06-18-07, 07:29 AM	I believe our Artificer (when he shot a creature of fire) formulated it like this: "13 damage IF it's an elemental... otherwise 5 damage." Basically, make a qualified guess... "Hmmm... so that thing is a humanoid the size of my house... I wonder if that qualifies as a Giant?" "Gee... a head with waaay too many eyeballs floating above the ground... that's got to be in the "aberration" category... that's where all the miscellaneous c**p is put."
tarkin 06-18-07, 10:26 AM	I would require him to know the type. My logic is as follows: If he does not know enough about the creature to recognize what other humans call it, then he does not know enough about the creature to know how to make a Bane enchantment against it.