And we have reached the exciting conclusion of our series today. Hold tight, folks, this is gunna be a well-educated and knowledgeable ride!
3. Knowing Stuff
And you thought I wouldn't stoop this low, didn't you?
One of the best reasons to take a knowledge skill is to know stuff. This includes, for example, knowing that the powerful overlord in front of you has no tolerance for jokesters, or that it's illegal to use magic within the walls of the Celestial Kingdom of Nullmagica. (The DC for the origin of its name is pretty low, to be fair.)
As long as you have a DM that can keep up with your questions then you can learn a lot of stuff that will probably come in handy. Most of the premade adventures I've skimmed through contain a lot of tables here and there with information to tell the players if they roll high enough.
One of the best ways to arbitrate knowledge checks is to ask the player to roll their check, and have the most difficult piece of information in mind while they're totaling. If you set a DC 25 and they roll above it, congrats! You don't need to come up with anything better. If the players rolled less, give them a smaller piece of the picture - the more they failed by, the less they know. ("You got a 4? You find that the moss is mossy.")
But it's incredibly important that a knowledge check not bog the game down. Every time someone makes a knowledge check and you reference two books and keep the whole party waiting on a piece of information that is more than likely passingly useful at best, you decrease the quality of the game. I'll get into game bogging in a later article, so we'll just leave this as a warning.
But what if your DM can't keep up with you? Well, harsh words ahead, but that's his fault. Which of course, brings me to number 2...
2. Forcing Your Story-Averse DM to Actually Think About His World.
Human Bard 1
Int of 18. Feel free to dump everything else. Wear Full Plate and use a Tower Shield, even though you aren't proficient. Dump all of your skill points into knowledge skills. Max out as many as you can but make sure you get every single knowledge, even if it means that you can't spend all the points you'd like in it. If you've got room, take Decipher Script. If you still have room, start accumulating languages.
The basic gist of this character is that you make yourself virtually unkillable by hiding worthlessly behind your tower shield every round. What, you ask, is the purpose of this?
To make knowledge checks every time the DM so much as mentions anything in his world. You've got every single knowledge skill, and if for some reason you don't have one, you can Bardic Knowledge it. This can be a sort of test for the DM to see how long he can keep up with your constant pestering (indeed, this sort of character should never be fielded in any campaign you are serious about, or even against a DM that you like and/or is pretty decent), but the point comes across eventually - if he finds himself totally unable to answer your questions he doesn't know enough about his world. If he hasn't written enough down about his world, and he's still stumped, he hasn't mastered the single most important thing a DM can learn.
Make it up.
(Disclaimer: The above character is a joke and should never be used in anything other than a joke campaign or a seriously terrible DM you're looking to seriously annoy.)
1. Knowing Everything and So Much More.
So who here is familiar with the Omnificer? He was a fairly popular example of over-the-top powergaming on the WotC forums for a long time, although since the archives have been cleared I can't locate who, exactly, came up with this idea first.
Engineered as a rebuttal to the omnipresent Pun-Pun, the Omnificer takes knowledge to a whole new level with a series of short tricks. By utilizing magic items crafted by an Artificer (Ebberon Campaign Setting), this can all be accomplished by level 4.
- You and four of your friends get together. You cast Shield Other on each of them. Then, they all cast Shield Other on you.
- You all cast Delay Death and Beastland Ferocity on yourselves. Delay Death makes you immune to dying by damage for a round/level, and Beastland Ferocity keeps you conscious while below 0 hit points.
- You cast Masochism on yourself. This spell, from Book of Vile Darkness, gives you (among other things) a +1 on skill checks for every 10 damage you take.
- You use some feat (there are like 5-10 that do this) to give yourself the ability to make knowledge checks as if they were trained.
- You jump off a cliff.
Jump off a cliff!? Why would you do that! Ugh! You take 20 damage!
...Well, actually, you take 10 Damage, and each of your friends takes 10 Damage. And actually, they only take 5 damage, and you take 20 damage (5 each). Really, if you think about it though, you only take 10 of that damage, because they each take half - 10. Which of course is really only 5 damage, because you're taking half of theirs, which amounts to 20 for you. Which really...etc etc etc.
You take infinite damage immediately. You do not die because of Delay Death. You do not go unconscious because of Beastland Ferocity. You immediately gain +INFINITY to all skill checks. In an instant (because knowledge checks take NO TIME to perform, as listed in the skill description) you make as many knowledge checks as you need to immediately learn everything there ever was to learn. No matter how high the DC could ever possibly be, you learn it. Everything.
I can see some of your jaws hitting the floor, but I assure you it's perfectly legit. You are, of course, at negative infinity hit points (and actually still taking hit point damage) so you should probably dismiss Shield Other. There are a variety of ways to get your hit points back, so the damage isn't really a big deal, only that you resolve it within the next couple of rounds before Delay Death wears off and you explode into nanoparticles.
The important part is that you have become Omniscient. I, for one, think that's a great way to end our article on Knowledge.
Make a Knowledge (Top Ten Uses For Knowledge Checks) Check, Part 2
Posted by Michael Donaldson in Character Options, DnD 3.5, Top Ten
I know you guys are hungry for more knowledge, so let's hop to it!
7. Telling the Future and Reading Dreams
What does it mean if I'm flying, in my dream? What if I'm having sex with kobolds? Furthermore, does all of this mean that our grand King is going to be murdered by kobolds eight days from now? With Knowledge (the planes) at your fingertips, Dreamtelling (Heroes of Horror) could be your ticket to fame, fortune, and prophecy.
By making a Knowledge (the planes) check after pondering your own dream or listening to someone else monologue theirs, you may read into and understand the symbolism at work within them. By adding 10 or 20 to the DC, you may possibly receive oracular or prophetic information from such knowledge checks; if your knowledge is high enough, you receive the effect of a commune spell. Wow!
While this is probably the coolest use of a Knowledge check on the entire list, its usefulness is determined heavily by the DM and therefore tends to slink back into the pitfalls of the Knowledge skill itself, which is something that we are trying to avoid. Therefore, it earns a lowly seven on the "usefulness" scale.
6. Totally Wreck a Wizard's Day
When I started writing this article I was absolutely sure I was going to find 10 absolutely awesome uses for the knowledge skills tucked away deep in books many had never even heard of.
I was wrong. There are actually very little non-variant uses for knowledge skills that didn't require some extra feat to activate; this is why so many of these uses are tied to an additional feature, such as a PrC or a Feat. I tried to make myself at least involve a knowledge check during some point in the process, but this particular feat jumped out at me too much to ignore.
Occult Opportunist (Dragon #340) allows you (for the price of Know (arcana) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks) to take an AoO on enemy casters who dismiss a spell, redirect a spell, cast a quickened or swift spell, or even attempt to Turn or Rebuke undead. What!? That's sick!
I immediately realized that a large amount of intelligent undead must be really well-learned in the arcane arts, seeing as it would benefit them an incredible amount to be able to stab a cleric before he sends them away screaming in fear. The even better part of the above feat is that it forces the caster to make a concentration check or lose the effect. "Sorry, Mr. Pelor Jr., I'm here to stay."
5. Ludicrous Amounts of Skill Synergy
So yeah, it turns out people who are really smart can actually apply their knowledge skills to other activities. I'm not really going to say anything other than "look at the list below and grin wildly."
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (arcana), you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (architecture and engineering), you get a +2 bonus on Search checks made to find secret doors or hidden compartments.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (geography), you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks made to keep from getting lost or to avoid natural hazards.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (history), you get a +2 bonus on bardic knowledge checks.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (local), you get a +2 bonus on Gather Information checks.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (nature), you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks made in aboveground natural environments (aquatic, desert, forest, hill, marsh, mountains, or plains).
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (nobility and royalty), you get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (psionics), you get a +2 bonus on Psicraft checks.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (religion), you get a +2 bonus on turning checks against undead.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (the planes), you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks made while on other planes.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering), you get a +2 bonus on Survival checks made while underground.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Autohypnosis, you get a +2 bonus on Knowledge (psionics) checks.
- If you have 5 or more ranks in Survival, you get a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) checks.
Grinning yet? Keeping in mind that Diplomacy also gets a buff from Bluff and Sense Motive, the Know (Nobility) makes a total of +6 from skill synergy alone (or +9 if you're a Half-Elf with the appropriate character options). That's a lot of synergy.
4. Do a Little Research
The following feat, from the Ebberon universe, is one that I believe all characters should have for free - it's primarily why I'm including it, actually, because as something you have to burn a feat on, it definitely doesn't belong at number 4. When you imagine it as something a character might get as part of an expanded Knowledge skill, though, you can quickly appreciate it's usefulness.
Research (Ebberon Campaign Setting) basically allows the player to utilize their knowledge skills to search through records, books, tomes, and reports to find out information contained within, as specified by the player. More information and examples are located within the feat description itself, but the ability basically allows the player to utilize their own knowledges and a helpful repository of texts to make searching for information an interesting skill challenge, not just a completely arbitrary trip to the Library. ("Ok, DM, I start searching the tax records for the Governor's expenses. Is he scum?" "Uh..Yes. You find them. He is scummy.")
It takes a lot of the guesswork out of knowledge checks, too - a DM should more-or-less know how much this repository of knowledge (i.e., the Library) has to say about a topic and need not worry about revealing more than that.
To be concluded...
Like I always say, folks, I live vicariously through your comments, so if you read this, even saying high will improve my quality of life in this steel-barred basement Spenser keeps me in these days so I will be forced to write articles while he's slacking off (I do the same to him when I'm out cruising). Keep me company, my dear readers. Don't leave me all alone down here.
Part 3 of this series will conclude with some very fun ways to use your various knowledges to become omniscient. Stay tuned!
Make a Knowledge (Top Ten Uses For Knowledge Checks) Check, Part 1
Posted by Michael Donaldson in Character Options, DnD 3.5, Top Ten
Ah, the wizard-relegated, much maligned knowledge skill. All too often does the knowledge skill either get pushed into slots the player has little care for, or reluctantly doled out amongst the party in fears that something critical will be missed along the way. We received a tip a little bit ago to get back to the Top Ten lists I used to do, and Spenser nudged me along with this suggestion.
It was extremely trying work to figure out, besides the obvious, what knowledge skills could be used for. Unfortunately, it is all too often that knowledge skills are more or less determined by the DM in their effectiveness - without a good DM with decent background information, you may not get anything useful out of the small monologue that typically follows a succeeded knowledge check.
Welcome to The Knowledge Check Strikes Back!
10. Having an Excuse to Know Monster Stats In-Character.
It's a beholder! He has a charm person ray! Or is it dominate monster? Is that sickly green ray an acid arrow or a deadly disentegrate?
In many cases, you can use this skill to identify monsters and their special powers or vulnerabilities. In general, the DC of such a check equals 10 + the monster’s HD. A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful information about that monster.For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information.
Bonus points for anyone who knows what a kyton is immune to (That's a DC 18).
As a DM, an easy way to arbitrate this is to allow the player character's to ask one specific question about a monster ("What kind of damage reduction does this creature have?") for each bit of "useful information" they've earned, in addition to a brief flavor overview for making the original DC. Just be sure to reward your players for their skill slot - it's just as expensive as, say, Tumble.
9. Getting a Bonus on Saves Where You Need Them Most.
Do you remember Tome of Magic? Pact Magic, Shadow Magic, Truenaming? No? Well, there is one thing I remember from Tome; Defense Against the Supernatural
For those of you too lazy to just click the link up there, the feat (which requires an investment of 2 ranks in Knowledge Arcana - something any class can have at first level) basically gives you a +2 bonus on all saves against supernatural special attacks. These, of course, are more or less exactly the sort of things you need your saving throws for - especially if you used the number 10 reason to find out exactly what a Medusa can do with her gaze!
In all honesty, though, the myriad of supernatural special attacks monsters pack typically represent the nastiest and most unexpected things D&D can throw at you. If you think failing a save against a spell sucks, try to keep in mind that they were balanced to allow players to cast them - monster abilities weren't.
8. Kick Major Ass Because You're So Damn Smart
Let me ask you this - what is organ in the human body that a person suffers the worst damage when it is harmed? Most people on earth will probably answer the Brain or the Heart, which are both legitimate answers, but what if I told you that a greater knowledge of the human (and nonhuman) anatomy might lend you amazing combat prowess?
Complete Champion introduced a wide variety of powerful Devotion feats, which are supposed to be themed on the different domains. This one, from the Knowledge Domain, allows you to make the appropriate knowledge check against a creature and, based on your result, gain a bonus on attack and damage against them for the entire combat. If you can score a 36 or higher, you get a obliterating +5 to attack and damage. (That isn't really that hard, to be honest.) Ugh!
It pays to be a nerd, I tell you!
To be continued...
For part 2, we'll cover numbers 7-4, where you'll learn how to divine the future through others dreams and lots more. Stay tuned!
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