General Knowledge

[Mers15]

Knowledge skills can be a little confusing and hampering, and people might not have the right skill, sometimes the knowledge that you need for a prC might not be the one you need situationally. So with so many skills, my DM and I were trying to think of a system that emulates the knowledge that people pick up during their lives. So, at first level, the idea would be that characters with an intelligence score over 10 (above average) would be able to spend something, either a feat or skill points equal to learning a language, that allows them to make knowledge checks of any type at 1/2 character level (rounded down) plus int. I'm trying to make it be like the fact that, in life, the smarter you are, the more you remember of your various experiences.

What do you guys think? Is this too powerful? And is intelligence the right ability? I also thought about charisma, because people always dump that, and this might make them think twice. I wanted knowledge to be like careful study, and this to be random facts that one might pick up during their travels. Compared to knowledge with maximum skill points, bonuses (not looking at the intelligence score), look like this.
Level 1:
Knowledge +4
General +0
2:
Knowledge +5
General + 1
And so forth...

[Righteous Doggy]

Well, I know its about a general knowledge. but the knowledge checks are book learning type things. Why yes, I have studied enough to tell you everything about the habits of the rare supernatural bird from another plane I can't run into in the natural wild. and bardic knowledge checks are the knowledge of someone who studies general stories and the like.
Personally i think its a little overpowered, the investment gets a big return. but since its knowledge checks for evolving your game, it can't hurt can it?
But, you can always infer what general knowledge someone would know. Such as, bear claws are sharp. Tracks with feet going one way, probably mean that the animal went that way. The dictator of home nation blah is blah.

[Oscredwin]

Random facts you pick up in your travels is when you roll a 20 on your check. Toss 10-30 skill points on knowledge skills over the course of your carrer, and you'll occasionally know something unexpected. If you want someone who just knows things, that's bardic knowledge. If you have a bard or two characters with knowledge class skills and some int: wizard, {cloistered) cleric, factotum, you should be able to hit DC 20 knowledge checks when needed.

A feat for bardic knowledge should be fine (make it weaker if there's a bard in the party), but two skill points to give you the equivalent of 5 skill points per level isn't a great idea.

[FMArthur]

I'll generally just let unrelated knowledges use others for their check at various penalties if it can be justified. Someone with huge Knowledge: Arcana would have to know something more than a commoner about a God of Magic, for example. The penalties I assign are pretty large most of the time (-10 to -20) but occasionally go as lenient as -5 if it's something that obviously should be related but somehow isn't in the material I work with.

[TypoNinja]

I like the associated knowledge checks, I should suggest that in my game tomorrow.

My group also recognizes that there are some things you 'just know' some fantasy realm knowledge is so iconic that asking for a check is just silly, things like 'you must burn a trolls body for it to stay dead' or 'don't slice a hydra's heads off'.

The knowledge may be incomplete (for instance a more knowledgeable character would know you can slice them off provided you have the correct means of sealing the stump handy), but these represent the kind of campfire stories you are inevitably going to be familiar with unless you started your career from under a rock.

[Thomasinx]

I like the associated knowledge checks, I should suggest that in my game tomorrow.

My group also recognizes that there are some things you 'just know' some fantasy realm knowledge is so iconic that asking for a check is just silly, things like 'you must burn a trolls body for it to stay dead' or 'don't slice a hydra's heads off'.

The knowledge may be incomplete (for instance a more knowledgeable character would know you can slice them off provided you have the correct means of sealing the stump handy), but these represent the kind of campfire stories you are inevitably going to be familiar with unless you started your career from under a rock.

The fun thing with this is when you don't tell them the name of the creature they're fighting.

You simply say "you see a big bipedal creature with long arms and legs and a rubbery hide. It has three toes on its feet, and sharpened claws on its hands". And refer to it as "The beast", or "This guy", or anything, as long as you don't call it 'Troll'.

Play things this way, and players will very quickly start investing in their knowledge checks. If they want a picture find something online similar that fits the image you want. The main goal is to make people rely on their knowledge skills, as opposed to their knowledge-metagame skills...

Knowledge is valuable. If your players dont feel like they are getting their value out of their knowledge skills, they probably wont want to invest in them. If you make the knowledge skills worthwhile, they'll be very happy to invest in them.

[imneuromancer]

Personally, I like the idea of a general knowledge check is just d20+level+INT.

When you put ranks into a knowledge skill, it is for very specific, detailed knowledge of a subject.

This is very Savage-Worlds-like, and I think it makes a lot of sense and works really well in game.