Knowledge
Knowledge (Int; Trained Only; Background)
You are educated in a field of study and can answer both simple and complex questions. Like the Artistry, Craft, Lore, Perform, and Profession skills, Knowledge actually encompasses a number of different specialties. Below are listed typical fields of study.
- Arcana (ancient mysteries, magic traditions, arcane symbols)
- Dungeoneering (caverns, spelunking)
- Engineering (buildings, aqueducts, bridges, fortifications)
- Geography (lands, terrain, climate, people)
- History (wars, colonies, migrations, founding of cities)
- Local (legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions)
- Nature (seasons and cycles, weather)
- Nobility (lineages, heraldry, personalities, royalty)
- Planes (the Inner Planes, the Outer Planes, the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, planar magic)
- Religion (gods and goddesses, mythic history, ecclesiastic tradition, holy symbols)
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). Many of the Knowledge skills have specific uses as noted on the table below. Action: Usually, none. In most cases, a Knowledge check doesn't take an action (but see “Untrained,” below).
| Task | Knowledge Skill | DC |
|---|---|---|
| Identify mineral, stone, or metal | Dungeoneering | 10 |
| Determine slope | Dungeoneering | 15 |
| Determine depth underground | Dungeoneering | 20 |
| Identify dangerous construction | Engineering | 10 |
| Determine a structure's style or age | Engineering | 15 |
| Determine a structure's weakness | Engineering | 20 |
| Identify a creature's ethnicity or accent | Geography | 10 |
| Recognize regional terrain features | Geography | 15 |
| Know location of nearest community or noteworthy site | Geography | 20 |
| Know recent or historically significant event | History | 10 |
| Determine approximate date of a specific event | History | 15 |
| Know obscure or ancient historical event | History | 20 |
| Know local laws, rulers, and popular locations | Local | 10 |
| Know a common rumor or local tradition | Local | 15 |
| Know hidden organizations, rulers, and locations | Local | 20 |
| Identify unnatural weather phenomenon | Nature | 15 |
| Determine artificial nature of feature | Nature | 20 |
| Know current rulers and their symbols | Nobility | 10 |
| Know proper etiquette | Nobility | 15 |
| Know line of succession | Nobility | 20 |
| Know the names of the planes | Planes | 10 |
| Recognize current plane | Planes | 15 |
| Identify a creature's planar origin | Planes | 20 |
| Recognize a common deity's symbol or clergy | Religion | 10 |
| Know common mythology and tenets | Religion | 15 |
| Recognize an obscure deity's symbol or clergy | Religion | 20 |
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
You cannot make an untrained Knowledge check to answer a question with a DC higher than 10. If you have access to an extensive library that covers the appropriate topics, this limit is removed. The time to make checks using a library, however, increases to 1d4 hours. Particularly complete libraries might even grant a bonus checks to answer a question in the fields that they cover.