decker423 said:
You've given me some food for thought.
Given the previous post, it would seem that knowledge (rumors) would indicate "old" rumors that have been out there for a while, the kind a PC may have simply overheard in a tavern or come across a while back.
Gather Info would be the gathering of new rumors, gossip, info, etc.
Knowledge (Geography) deals with where locations, nations, rivers are, etc.
Knowledge (Local) in my mind covers a "snapshot" of the kingdom you're in (for my game I have the PCs indicate which kingdom they have the knowledge for. If you're from Aquilonia, you know stuff about Aquilonia but not necessarily about Turan, Stygia, Vendhya, etc.; hence the differentiation in knowledges). It can be used to know the name of a Baron, current customs/laws, bounties/taxes, who the ruler is, is the country in a state of war, current events, etc.
Knowledge (Nobility) covers more detailed info on the nobles and political strucutre (includes family histories, fief histories/geography, etc.).
Knowledge (History) covers the history of a nation- be it 2 years old or 2,000 years old.
Thanks for the help on knowledge (rumors). I think that it would be used in conjunction with knowledge (local). If you don't have knowledge local then your knowledge (rumors) is probably useless in the beginning and on the other hand, if you have knowledge (local) for the area you're in then you've probably heard a rumor or two.
For example, if you just arrived to Zamora for the first time and know NOTHING of Zamora then you probably don't know any "old" rumors or gossip (Knowledge-Rumors) in the kingdom but with Gather Info you can track down and obtain those rumors.
On the flip side, if you're from Aquilonia and you have Knowledge (Local)- Aquilonia and Knowledge (Rumors) then you've probably been exposed to some rumors, gossip, ideas, etc. in the past AND if you're on the hunt for new rumors in Aquilonia, you can use Gather Info to get the "new stuff".
It's more like this:
Knowledge (rumors) would indicate knowledge of rumors that can be neitrher confirmed or denied by evidence at hand, but which the chatacter has heard. Personally, a rumor I might know is that there's a huge creature living in the deapths of Loch Ness. Everyone else has heard of this, I'm sure, and maybe since I know of this rumor, I can use it to my advantage.
Gather Info would be the gathering of new gossip, info, etc., but the key point is that these are
fact, and based on irrefutable evidence. Now, through the use of a gather info chack that doesn't roll so well, I might tell the player in question that "the guard tells you of some rumors he's heard that the prince keeps a goat as a lover." It's important, however, to not allow this skill roll to be a "freebie" to progressing the adventure, but instead a tool to keep the players thinking on thier own. GI should NEVER get them precisely the information that they need, but rather information that is factual, and possibly useful. I can be use to confirm rumors that the chartacter may know of (see above).
Knowledge (Geography) deals with where landscape locations, rivers, caves, what type of environment one can expect by travelling north, what land features denote political boundaries, etc. This is exclusively about landscape, and could be useful in planning overland routes or large scale battles. It's a good on to have for a Borderer or Noman, and for the synergy bonus to Nobility or History, perhaps.
Knowledge (Local) pertains to basic facts about the world, but this can also pertain to legends and politics. Aquilonia is the largest country and is ruled by King Conan. Theft is dealt with harshly in Brythunian, but its an assured death sentance in Zamora. Birds typically fly south inthe winter and north in the summer. It's probabyl a four day ride to the next town, but is both safer and longer if cutting through the forest. Ghouls feast on the flesh of the living.
Knowledge (Nobility) covers more detailed info on the nobles and political strucutre (includes family histories and lineages, heraldry,family trees, mottoes, etc.).
Knowledge (History) covers knowledge of history. This is very broad, and it could be rumor or legend that is being recalled, but mostly this deals with the facts of wars, personalities, city foundings, who's burried in a tomb the group just came across and his tales, etc.
Now, obviopusly you example of Knowledge Rumors is not quuite correct, based on the simple fact that I've never been to Scotland, yet I know of the rumor of the Loch Ness Monster.
Knowledge local may let me know that the Loch Ness legend is just that, a legend. Knowledge history would clue me into the origins of the legend and who the people were who started telling the legend and what it may be based on. Knowledge Geography would allow me to recall information pertaining to the deapth of the Loch, and wher such a creature might live in such an environment. It would also let me know that there are no rivers large enough for such a creature to leave the Loch for miles. Knowledge nature would confirm that such a large creature woul dneed to leave, because the food sources it would require simply aren't in the Loch, and its legendary size would require lots of fresh fish. Knowlege rumors would clue me into whether people or livestock have been known to go missing in the area around the Loch, confirmed by my knowledge history. This might lead me to a nearby castle which has a noble lineage that has resided within it for the full duration of the Loch Ness Monster legends, but mysteriously, no further back...
I just came up with an adventure hook using only the Knowledges that have been discussed, but it's up to the players to have equipped their characters with the right combo of these skills. It's the GMs job to dish out just the right bits of information for the appropriate skill check and not handing out the lineage of the noble family on the roll off of Knowledge Rumors.
