Knowledge (Local)

Description

Ability Score Used:	Intelligence
Usable Untrained?	No
Armor Check Penalty Applies?	No

You are educated in the ways of the common man and how to get along in civilized places, which allows you to answer both simple and complex questions on that topic. Specifically, Knowledge (Local) allows you to make checks to reveal information on inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions and superstitions.

Despite its name, Knowledge (Local) is not knowledge specific to a single locale. Instead, it is the street-level know-how of navigating cities, knowing the right people to talk to for gossip, the right people to sell goods of questionable origin, and the right way to behave without calling attention to yourself. A person trained in this skill can do this is nearly any city, intuitively knowing how to seek out the right people or places.

At extremely high levels of skill, a use of this skill blend in among the angels in Elysium as easily as you walk among the demons in the Abyss.

You cannot make an untrained Knowledge check with a DC higher than 10. If you have access to a library that covers a specific skill, this limit is removed. The time to make checks using a library, however, increases to 1d4 hours. Particularly complete libraries might even grant a research bonus on Knowledge checks pertaining to topics that they cover.

Characters who have the bailiwick skill Spycraft from their character class (or some other source) gain ranks in Knowledge (Local) automatically, at a rate of one rank per rank placed in Spycraft. A character can never have more ranks in a skill than his character level.

As with all skills, the uses below are merely suggestions, and by no means the full gamut of possible ways a skill can be used. Players and GM's are encouraged to find additional ways to use each skill.

General Knowledge

You know the answers to questions pertaining to local customs, traditions, superstitions,
Action Required:	Free action
DC of Check:	Answering a question on a local topic has an Easy DC for the CR of the topic for really easy questions, an Average DC against the CR of the topic for basic questions, a Challenging DC against the CR of the topic for really tough questions, or a Hard DC against the CR of the topic for really tough questions on narrow or specific topics. Some examples of basic tasks include: Blend in with locals 20 Know local laws, rulers, and popular locations 10 Know a common rumor, superstition or tradition 15 Know a rare rumor, superstition or tradition 35 Know public organizations, guilds, rulers, and locations 10 Know shady merchants, secret rulers, and hidden organizations 30 Navigate in a large city without getting lost 20
Modifiers to Check	Familiar Territory: -5 to the DC Your homeland: -10 to the DC Inside a city or otherwise heavily modified ground: +5 to the DC Unusual or rare terrain: Atop a fresh lava flow, inside a titanic beast, the Unterwelt, etc. +10 to the DC On a different but similar plane of existence: The Ether, the Plane of Shadow, The First World, etc. +15 to the DC On a different but non-hostile plane of existence: The Plane of Air, Elysium, The Silver Fields, etc. +25 to the DC On a wildly different plane of Existence: The Azure Sea, The Plane of Earth, the Plane of Water, etc. +35 to the DC On a wildly different and hostile plane of existence: The Plane of Fire, the Nine Hells, the Abyss, etc +40 to the DC Very Bad Places: The Sunward Reaches, The Infinite Well, Temperest, Hellcore, Lavarna, etc. +50 to the DC The Edge of Reality: Apocolyptica, The Outer Dark, The Fount of Reality, The Nascent Seed, etc. +60 to the DC
Take 10? / Take 20?	No
Allows Assists?	Yes (up to 5 allies)
Results of Success	You are familiar with the topic, and have useful information relating to it. The GM will tell you what you know. If you exceed the target DC by a significant amount (typically, reaching a higher difficulty threshold than what was required for the check), the GM may provide additional information to you than would be revealed by a merely successful roll.
Consequences of Failure	You don't know enough about the topic to provide any useful insight.
Retry Allowed?	No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn't let you know something that you never learned in the first place.
Provokes AOO?	No.

Monster Lore: Humanoids, Proteans

You can use this skill to identify humanoids, and protean creatures, and potentially even recall detailed information regarding their special powers or vulnerabilities. Creatures of other types than these require different knowledge skills to identify.
Action Required:	Free action
DC of Check:	Basic Lore: double the monster's CR Complete Lore: 15 + double the monster's CR
Modifiers to Check	Some monsters have different target DC's. Refer to the monster's bestiary entry for details. These altered DC's are typically because the monster in question is so well known that the check is easier, or so rare that few have ever heard of them.
Take 10? / Take 20?	If you are not in combat (or in immediate danger of combat), you can take 10, but you cannot take 20.
Allows Assists?	Yes (up to 5 allies)
Results of Success	Basic Lore: You remember a little bit of useful information about that monster. GM's should either read, or allow the character to read, the introductory text of the monster's bestiary entry. Complete Lore: You know quite a lot about the monster in question, and GM's should allow that player to look over the monster's bestiary entry in its entirety.
Consequences of Failure	You don't know enough about the creature to provide any useful information.
Retry Allowed?	No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn't let you know something that you never learned in the first place.
Provokes AOO?	No

Gather Information

You can use Knowledge (Local) to gather information about a specific topic, event or individual. Note that you may also use Diplomacy to perform this task. Success gets you information about the person, topic or event. It is assumed that multiple sources are consulted during the investigation, to weed out contradictory information, and get a broader picture of the topic. This means you get more than a simple "Yep, he lives in the hollow over there", and more of a big-picture summary of the individual, object or event.
Action Required:	1d4 hours, as you canvas people at local taverns, markets and gathering places. Gathering information in settlements of size "Large City" or larger takes 1d4 days, instead.
DC of Check:	Topic Being Investigated Knowledge (Local) DC The topic is famous or infamous with the local populace Easy skill check vs. the CR/level of the campaign, object, or individual, whichever is lower The topic is reasonably well-known to the local populace Average skill check vs. the CR/level of the campaign, object, or individual The topic is reasonably well-known to a regional subset of the local populace Challenging skill check vs. the CR/level of the campaign, object, or individual A person that is unknown or anonymous Hard skill check vs. the CR/level of the individual An object or an event that is not well-known Hard skill check vs. the CR/level of the individual who owns the object, precipitated the event, or otherwise is responsible for the topic's existence. A person, object, or event that is a secret to the local populace Impossible skill check vs. the CR/level of the campaign, object, or individual, whichever is higher
Modifiers to Check	Topic Modifier DC Modifier The topic is dangerous to talk about openly (e.g. "What is the name of 'he-who-shall-not-be-named'?") +2 Only a few select individuals know anything about the topic/person/item +2 or more (depending on settlement size) You don't want people to know you're asking about the specific topic, event or individual +5
Take 10? / Take 20?	Yes
Allows Assists?	Yes (up to 5 allies).
Results of Success	You discover information about the specific topic, event or individual you are seeking, sufficient to suggest at least one course of action related to the topic. If you exceed the target DC by 5 or more, you gain significant information about the topic, or perhaps a useful warning about something you should watch out for.
Consequences of Failure	If you fail by less than 5, you uncover only the most basic of information about the topic. If you fail by 5 or more, you are unable to find any reliable sources of information on the topic.
Retry Allowed?	Yes
Provokes AOO?	No

Contemplate Answers (Epic)

You can take some time to reflect on what you do know in order to draw conclusions about what you don't know. You can contemplate the foundational knowledge of civilized locales that you possess, and apply it to a particular question or puzzle you were previously unable to answer. By exerting your will and taking a moment to really think things through, you might discover an answer you never knew you had. Contemplate answers allows you to make a second attempt at a general knowledge check, at the cost of taking a bit longer to consider the problem. This is an epic skill use, and requires at least 21 ranks in the skill before it may be attempted.
Action Required:	Full-round action
DC of Check:	Unchanged from general knowledge: an Easy DC for the CR of the topic for really easy questions, an Average DC against the CR of the topic for basic questions, a Challenging DC against the CR of the topic for really tough questions, or a Hard DC against the CR of the topic for really tough questions on narrow or specific topics.
Modifiers to Check	Hasty Conclusions: You can attempt to contemplate answers as a standard action, instead of a full-round action, but the DC is increased by +5. You can attempt to contemplate answers as a move action, but the DC is increased by +10. Familiar Territory: -5 to the DC Your homeland: -10 to the DC Inside a city or otherwise heavily modified ground: +5 to the DC Unusual or rare terrain: Atop a fresh lava flow, inside a titanic beast, the Unterwelt, etc. +10 to the DC On a different but similar plane of existence: The Ether, the Plane of Shadow, The First World, etc. +15 to the DC On a different but non-hostile plane of existence: The Plane of Air, Elysium, The Silver Fields, etc. +25 to the DC On a wildly different plane of Existence: The Azure Sea, The Plane of Earth, the Plane of Water, etc. +35 to the DC On a wildly different and hostile plane of existence: The Plane of Fire, the Nine Hells, the Abyss, etc +40 to the DC Very Bad Places: The Sunward Reaches, The Infinite Well, Temperest, Hellcore, Lavarna, etc. +50 to the DC The Edge of Reality: Apocolyptica, The Outer Dark, The Fount of Reality, The Nascent Seed, etc. +60 to the DC
Take 10? / Take 20?	No
Allows Assists?	Yes (up to 5 allies)
Results of Success	You are able to piece together an answer from the scraps of knowledge you do possess.
Consequences of Failure	Despite really trying, you still just don't know.
Retry Allowed?	No
Provokes AOO?	No