"Ruins of Hyboria" Question to Vincent

[Sven]

Hi.

Got it yesterday, looks really great.

I like the ideas and suggestions, and the possible settings.

One question:

page 65, Dagoth Hill Building 2
A character can try to decipher the strange scripts and paintings on the wall to get a +2 bonus to scholar levels for casting summon demon and summon elemental (the same one a "Spawn of Dagoth Hill has).

The DC is 55. Seems a little bit high to me, I think. Almost no character, even a level 20 scholar with maxed out Intelligence and Decipher Script, could decipher these writings.

 

[VincentDarlage]

I am not finding a question, only a comment.

However, a 20th level scholar with maxed out ranks would have 23 ranks in Decipher Script. With but an 18 Int, he would have +27 on the check. If he has the Diligent feat, he now has a +29 on the checks. If the character has Skill Focus (decipher script), he has a +32 on the check... of course if the character uses any of the ability score adjustments, then he might just make it. Better ask one of the demons for help.

There are also magic tomes that might add a bonus. Perhaps a "Rosetta Stone" can be found somewhere. Essentially, the DC was set so high so a PC can't expect to get it - unless the GM wants the PC to get it for story reasons. As GM, of course, you can lower the DC or grant whatever bonuses are deemed necessary through the course of gaming. The scholar may also have simply learned the language and thus not need to decipher it. One could argue that a character devoted to figuring out this language could spend months or years on the site deciphering it, and such long periods of time earns bonuses.

Basically, if a character wants to decipher them, he should not just be able to walk there and get the bonus - he should have to go questing for things that will help him once he gets there - thus the need to adventure in strange corners of the world.

If I had made the DC lower, say so that a 10th level scholar could achieve it, then every scholar of higher level would make a quick pilgrimage there and would have it. One may as well make it a scholar class ability - and the character who might otherwise claim with pride to have "deciphered certain dark runes on Dagoth Hill" would find himself in common company with most scholars.

I cannot be sure if that answered your question because I could not find a question, but maybe that answers your concern. If the DC seems high to you, then lower it (I would not go lower than 30, though). I made it high to provide incentive for adventuring - and to make the achieving of the deciphering something worthy of the tale.

 

[Sven]

I am not finding a question, only a comment.

However, a 20th level scholar with maxed out ranks would have 23 ranks in Decipher Script. With but an 18 Int, he would have +27 on the check. If he has the Diligent feat, he now has a +29 on the checks. If the character has Skill Focus (decipher script), he has a +32 on the check... of course if the character uses any of the ability score adjustments, then he might just make it. Better ask one of the demons for help.

There are also magic tomes that might add a bonus. Perhaps a "Rosetta Stone" can be found somewhere. Essentially, the DC was set so high so a PC can't expect to get it - unless the GM wants the PC to get it for story reasons. As GM, of course, you can lower the DC or grant whatever bonuses are deemed necessary through the course of gaming. The scholar may also have simply learned the language and thus not need to decipher it. One could argue that a character devoted to figuring out this language could spend months or years on the site deciphering it, and such long periods of time earns bonuses.

Basically, if a character wants to decipher them, he should not just be able to walk there and get the bonus - he should have to go questing for things that will help him once he gets there - thus the need to adventure in strange corners of the world.

If I had made the DC lower, say so that a 10th level scholar could achieve it, then every scholar of higher level would make a quick pilgrimage there and would have it. One may as well make it a scholar class ability - and the character who might otherwise claim with pride to have "deciphered certain dark runes on Dagoth Hill" would find himself in common company with most scholars.

I cannot be sure if that answered your question because I could not find a question, but maybe that answers your concern. If the DC seems high to you, then lower it (I would not go lower than 30, though). I made it high to provide incentive for adventuring - and to make the achieving of the deciphering something worthy of the tale.

Well, the question was: Is the DC correct?
Okay, thank you for answering.
You are correct, deciphering the scripts should not be so easy that a 10th level scholar could easily decipher and learn the knowledge behind it, but I think a 20th level scholar should usually have the abilities and knowledge to do so, but even Thoth-Amon (all versions I have seen so far) could not decipher these by himself, and he is/was one of the mightiest sorcerors of the Hyborian Age, and especially good in dealing with demonic knowledge.

But yes, a scholar could summon a demon and order him to decipher the scripts. This might lower the DC enough, I think.

 

[VincentDarlage]

You are correct, deciphering the scripts should not be so easy that a 10th level scholar could easily decipher and learn the knowledge behind it, but I think a 20th level scholar should usually have the abilities and knowledge to do so, but even Thoth-Amon (all versions I have seen so far) could not decipher these by himself, and he is/was one of the mightiest sorcerors of the Hyborian Age, and especially good in dealing with demonic knowledge.

If Thoth-amon had been able to decipher the runes, I am sure he would have - and it would have been mentioned in his descriptive text.