I was wondering what people's suggestions would be insofar as a character being able to discern knowledge about a monster, and what kind of DC's would be used to ascertain different types of information. Seemingly, one should know this and that about a monster only from experience, however, some things about certain monsters might be somewhat common knowledge, or are not all that esoteric, as well as, learning about a monster from doing research.
Also, would you ever allow the survival skill to used for monster knowledge checks? For example, perhaps monsters common to the player's habitat?
MykeSchultz wrote:
Thanks. Ha, yeah, ALL my players own the monster manual. Thus, I was going to make things a bit tougher on them if they didn't pass a monster knowledge check in case I got the impression that they were metagaming. Plus, I like using knowledge checks a lot, for those who didn't dump Intelligence. INT seems to be the popular dump stat, so far, it seems (I guess there's only like two spells, for now, where one has to make an INT save).
MykeSchultz wrote:
Alternative DC Model: DCs go 1-30, Monster CRs go 1-30 Have the DC be the challenge rating of the monster?
I don't allow players to have a monster manual at the table. I also give zero roleplaying experience or inspiration points to any PC which uses clearly out-of-character knowledge during a fight -- "You can frighted the zombie because they aren't immune to it." In come cases, I'll just say "You don't know that."
If a player ask if some specific creature has some general ability... I'll ask for either an arcana (outter worldly creatures -- elementals, devils, demons, etc.), nature (animals, beasts, plant creatures, etc.), or religion (undead). The DC would likely be in the 10 + CR range. I'll adjust the CR down by 5 if it is something basic or up by 5 if it is really obscure. I'll give them an advantage if it is something which their character (class, background, starting location, etc.) might know -- an elven druid wanting to know about blink dogs, or a cleric of an ocean god wanting to know about whales. I won't allow aiding or discussions in combat -- although someone could yet out "Use fire on them!"
I generally don't allow them to make DC checks to know about random monsters. I allow that players have heard of the most common creatures in the nearby area, but other than that - they only know about what they have run into once they started adventuring (unless one of them is like a wizard sage or something).
An idea that worked really well in one of my old campaigns - one of the characters kept a bestiary. He lugged it around like a spell book, sketching and taking notes on the creatures they encountered. For that campaign, I would never tell them what they were up against unless it was in their bestiary. Was a lot of fun for everyone and became an object of side quests - they would hear rumors of strange creatures and go check them out just to add them to the bestiary. Talk about some easy plot hooks! 
I myself tell players that got proficiency in relevant skill or came from region that is native to the monster their weakness or strength in description.
But numerical value, I have a dilemma here myself. Knowing Ac or monster dexterity score it’s not a very big deal, but what about HP?. Should they know how much HP a monster have, and how many left (it’s like a opponent life bar in video games for them) or should it be a secret?
I don't care if players know the monster's hit points. If they ask, I'll tell them. If they're keeping track of damage inflicted and the DM is describing the target of their attacks as a bit battered at the half-hit point mark, then they can do the math and figure out roughly how many hit points the creature has anyway.
Ansbach wrote:
That's why I posted it Doc - all the best ideas are stolen! 
BW0222 wrote:
It'd say even assigning a DC, and thus a chance to succeed or fail, would depend on the PC themselves. If they have proficiency in the Intelligence skill most related to the creature, they can recall information. Either automatically, or with a check. It depends on what they want to know. No proficiency means they don't have any past experience or knowledge of this creature. I would NEVER give out numbers, though. Just because the MM says a creature has so and so AC and HP, that doesn't mean this creature has the same. Depending on the detail of the information they want to know, that's what I'll set the DC as. I'll give out further, more detailed, or even false information using a sliding results scale I use for most of my checks.
Some monsters might have a few different skills the would apply. A Nothic that had been lurking in an abandoned Wizard's tower for years could be either an Arcana or History check. Arcana representing it's magical nature, while History representing any details others might've learned about and recorded over the years.
"Other Wisdom Checks. The DM might call for a Wisdom check when you try to.…
- Discern whether a seemingly dead or living creature is undead"
(PHB, p. 178)
Use of Intelligence (Arcana) and (Nature) are well-documented for identifying most other types of creatures on that and the preceding page. As others have said, the DCs are somewhat up in the air at this point.
I use Nature check DC 10 + CR.
Everyone has heard rumors about dragons, but what to they really know. If the players fail the roll, they either don't know, or make up something that sounds plausible (but could be completely wrong) that they heard in a bar once. (E.g. all dragons are female, the change shape and breed with other creatures to gain their strengths; I made this up as a false rumor, then used it as the truth in another campaign)
MykeSchultz wrote:
MarcCCTx wrote: