Knowledge (Intelligence); Trained Only)

Below are listed typical fields of study.

The following list supplements the areas of expertise accessible to anyone with ranks in the Knowledge skill

Ink & Quill

Author Thomas Knauss

Series Dragonwing Games/Bastion Press

• Arcana
• Architecture and engineering
• Astrology and Astronomy (constellations, planetary movement, reading of omens, stellar phenomenon) (New)
• Botany (plants, fungi, sentient plants)
• Chemistry (properties of chemicals, compounds, organic materials)
• Demonology
• Dungeoneering
• Geography
• History
• Law
• Literature (epic poems, literary devices, mythology, plays, sonnets)
• Local
• Martial Arts (fighting styles, combat)
• Mathematics (algebra, calculus, geometry)
• Music (instruments, hymns, reading music)
• Nature
• Nobility and royalty
• Oceanography (underwater life, fishing, sailing, navigation)
• Pathology and Physiology (disease, anatomy, birth processes, causes of death) Each creature type requires its own ranks, i.e., Pathology and Physiology of humanoids is vastly different to the Pathology and Physiology of dragons.
• Religion
• Physics (inertia, motion, acceleration, gravity)
• The Planes
• Sociology (cultures, traditions, city planning, streetwise)
• Toxicology (organic and synthetic poisons, narcotics)
• Undead (vampires, Zombies, skeletons)
• Witchcraft 

The only other skill necessitating additional awareness is Decipher Script. Cryptographers, masters of secret codes, use this skill to measure the difficulty class required to decipher any encrypted message. They also use the skill to decipher encrypted messages. The exact specifics on adjudicating the creation and breaking of coded messages is thoroughly discussed under the cryptographer prestige class heading.

Check

Answering a question within your field of study has a DC of 10 (for really easy questions), 15 (for basic questions), or 20 to 30 (for really tough questions).

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.

Action

Usually none. In most cases, making a Knowledge check doesn’t take an action-you simply know the answer or you don’t.

Try Again

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.

Untrained

An untrained Knowledge check is simply an Intelligence check. Without actual training, you know only common knowledge (DC 10 or lower).