Knowledge

This skill encompasses several categories, each of them treated as a separate skill. These categories are identified and defined below. The number of Knowledge categories is kept purposely finite. When trying to determine what Knowledge skill a particular question or field of expertise falls under, use a broad interpretation of the existing categories. Do not arbitrarily make up new categories.

Check

A character makes a Knowledge check to see if the character knows something or can understand something about the situation they are experiencing.

The DC for answering a question within the character’s field of study is 10 for easy questions, 15 for basic questions, and 20 to 30 for tough questions.

Appraising the value of an object is one sort of task that can be performed using Knowledge. The DC depends on how common or obscure the object is. On a success, the character accurately identifies the object’s value. If the character fails, he or she randomly thinks the value is higher or lower and how wrong they are can change based on how badly they missed the DC.

The GM may make the Knowledge roll for the character, so he or she doesn’t know whether the appraisal is accurate or not.

A player may also use Knowledge to try to predict the outcome of some action that evolves and understanding in one of the Knowledge categories. For example if they think of firing a missile at a bunch of debris in space to clear it they can roll a 'Science' knowledge before preforming the action to see if doing the action should result in the desired effect. Or when talking to some native people of some civilization a 'Culture' Knowledge check can be used to understand that what they are about to suggest is actually horribly insulting.

The Knowledge categories, and the topics each one encompasses, are as follows.

Arcane Lore

The occult, magic and the supernatural, astrology, numerology, and similar topics.

Art

Fine arts and graphic arts, including art history and artistic techniques. Antiques, modern art, photography, and performance art forms such as music and dance, among others.

Culture

Includes information about a civilizations Art, History and Society from upper class to lower class, urban and rural life. And also popular music and personalities, genre films and books, urban legends, comics, science fiction, and gaming, among others.

Civics

Law, legislation, litigation, and legal rights and obligations. Political and governmental institutions and processes. Also how the society conducts business and bureaucratic procedures and how to navigate them.

Current Events

Recent happenings in the news, sports, politics, entertainment, and foreign affairs.

History

Events, personalities, and cultures of the past. Archaeology and antiquities.

Science

This includes, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, physics, engineering.

Technology

This includes and understanding of what devices do what and a basic understanding of how they operate. For more information on technological items and a Character's Tech Level visit the Tech page.

Philosophy

Liberal arts, ethics, philosophical concepts, and the study of religious faith, practice, and experience. This also includes behavioral sciences like psychology, sociology, and criminology.

Try Again

No. The check represents what a character knows, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn’t let the character know something he or she never knew in the first place. A Knowledge check can be a reaction, but otherwise requires a full-round action.

Special

• An untrained Knowledge check is simply an Intelligence check. Without actual training, a character only knows common knowledge about a given subject.
• A character can take 10 when making a Knowledge check, but can’t take 20.
• A character with the Educated feat gets a +2 bonus on any two types of Knowledge checks.
• The GM may decide that having 5 or more ranks in a specific Knowledge skill provides a character with a +2 synergy bonus when making a related skill check.