Library?

[ILM]

I'm pretty sure that there are some mundane and not-so-mundane books or libraries in published 3.5 material that allow a character to increase their Knowledge checks. Unfortunately, searching for "library", "book" and "knowledge" in D&D is a bit too vague... Anyone know where I can find them? I've already got the Book of All Knowledge from CC but I'm sure there's got to be something better than a masterwork Library for a +2...

[atemu1234]

I don't know about locations for it, but I think that books can increase mental scores and libraries can grant masterwork bonuses to knowledge checks.

[StoneCipher]

When my PCs are in libraries I let them use their search check as a knowledge check, but the DC is doubled to account for information that might not exist in a library or may be hidden within a seemingly unrelated book. They also have to transcribe the information they want to keep if they want to use it.

Edit: I don't allow them to take 20s on search for this either since they could be there for weeks if they decided to search every book for the answer they wanted.

[Diovid]

One of the eberron books has the research feat which might be what you want.

In addition I think a few of the affiliations mention something like that.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by ILM
I'm pretty sure that there are some mundane and not-so-mundane books or libraries in published 3.5 material that allow a character to increase their Knowledge checks…. Anyone know where I can find them?

You might check the Stronghold Builder's Guidebook, which has rules for book sets which give scaling bonuses on Knowledge checks. There are also variant rules for books in Arcana Unearthed, although that's not official 3.5 material.

[Jowgen]

There is also a thing somewhere that states that a character researching a topic in a library for a certain ammount of time can take a 20 on his knowledge check.

It might have been in one of the books that deal with Organization membership, as I distinctly remember that there is an organization that has 'access to library' as one of its benefits. This might, however, not be the take-20 type library that I am remembering (which does exist in some book, I sweat to Kord)

[Slipperychicken]

I'd say that a 300gp private collection would give a +2 and require 1d6 hours of perusal, a mid-size library would give +5 (but take 1d6+1 days of perusing), while an enormous library would give +10 and require 1d6 weeks per check to receive the full benefit.

I would imagine, of course, that using the spell Scholar's Touch (Sorc/Wiz 1, Clr 1, Bard 1, Spellthief 1. Lets you instantly read books) would greatly reduce the time needed to use a library. Even more so if you had some kind of custom at-will/continuous item of it.

[Bullet06320]

The Researcher
a cute little construct from Dragon Magazine 350 pg 74 helps with knowledge checks in a library, gives an untyped bonus

[Curbstomp]

The library information can be inferred from the sample hoards in Draconomicon of all places. There are several examples of book collections and their in-game benefits.

[Melcar]

Stonghold builders Guidebook, has information about buying/building libraries, which dependent on quality gives bonuses to certain areas of research!