Knowledge (Geography)

Description

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

You are educated in the study of geography, which allows you to answer both simple and complex questions on that topic. Specifically, Knowledge (Geography) allows you to make checks to reveal information on political and geographic borders, terrain, climate and people.

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.

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.

Identify Accent

You can tell the nationality of someone simply by hearing them speak, based on their accent, and their use of localized euphemisms. This skill works even if everyone is speaking Common, because it is very hard to hide one's origins, unless they spend a great deal of time eliminating their accent, and very few people bother.
Action Required:	At least 1 minute of conversation (overheard is fine; you don't have to participate).
DC of Check:	20
Modifiers to Check	Neighbors: If the speaker's accent is commonplace, but obviously not local, the DC is reduced by -5. Trying to Blend In: If the speaker is making an effort to mask their accent, increase the DC by anywhere from +5 to +25. Professional Diplomat: If the speaker has perfected the local language through extensive training, spending years eradicating all traces of their local accent, increase the DC by +50. Far Away Lands: If the speaker is from a distant land, from which few travelers come, it is harder to identify. Increase the DC by anywhere from +10 to +20, depending on just how remote and insular the speaker's homeland tends to be. Further Than That: If the speaker is from another plane of existence, increase the DC by +20 to +40.
Take 10? / Take 20?	You can take 10, but you cannot take 20.
Allows Assists?	Yes, up to 5 allies may assist.
Results of Success	You identify the country of origin of the speaker. If you succeed by 5 or more, you can even identify the general region or locality within that country.
Consequences of Failure	If you fail by less than 5, or you roll a natural 1, you are able to tell that the speaker has an accent, but you can't place it. If you fail by 5 or more, you think they're probably a local. Maybe they're having a bad day.
Retry Allowed?	No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about it a second time doesn't let you know something that you never learned in the first place.
Provokes AOO?	No.

General Knowledge

You know the answers to questions pertaining to geography, such as political and natural borders, trade routes and back trails, mountain passes, terrain, climate, map-making, natural resources, population growth, ocean and air currents, etc.
Action Required:	Free action
DC of Check:	Answering a question on a geography 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: Identify a creature's ethnicity or accent 10 Recognize regional terrain features 15 Identify seasonal climate patterns of an area 15 Identify probable mineral resources of an area 35 Locate mineral resources in an area 45 Know location of nearest community or noteworthy site 20 Guessing the location of a path, road or mountain pass 25
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.

Bogey Lore: Ground, Aerial

You can use this skill to identify ground-based (surface only) or aerial bogeys (NPC vehicles), and potentially even recall detailed information regarding their special powers or vulnerabilities. Bogeys of other types than these require different knowledge skills to identify.
Action Required:	Free action
DC of Check:	Basic Lore: double the bogey's CR Complete Lore: 15 + double the bogey's CR
Modifiers to Check	Some bogeys have different target DC's. Refer to the bogey's fleet list entry for details. These altered DC's are typically because the bogey 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 bogey. GM's should either read, or allow the character to read, the introductory text of the bogey's fleet list entry. Complete Lore: You know quite a lot about the bogey in question, and GM's should allow that player to look over the bogey's fleet list entry in its entirety.
Consequences of Failure	You don't know enough about the bogey 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

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 geography 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