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View Full Version : Why do Dragon Shamans have Knowledge (nature) as an inclass skill?



Adumbration
2008-02-09, 03:03 PM
I just noticed that, after a session, where my character - a first level character - tried to recognize a draconic name, and realized that he couldn't, since the dragons are included in knowledge (arcana), not nature. Fortunately, the DM allowed me to make a general knowledge check anyway, since it was within his are of expertise.

But why? Why is it Knowledge (nature)?

Zincorium
2008-02-09, 03:22 PM
Why do dragon shamans have knowledge: nature?

Because they are freaking shamans. As in, religious figures for primitive societies. NPC dragon shamans probably have cooking up hallucinogenics as one of their primary duties.

Why are dragons knowledge arcana?

Because WotC stated that sorcerors might be descended from dragons, and they've been trying to give some legitimacy to that for a long time.

Edit:

So the real question is, why do dragon shamans lack the skill that lets them learn things about dragons.

Because they don't need to know about dragons academically to worship/emulate them.

Any more than you need to be a chemist or a physicist to shoot someone with a gun.

Kurald Galain
2008-02-09, 03:35 PM
So the real question is, why do dragon shamans lack the skill that lets them learn things about dragons.

Adumbration
2008-02-09, 03:45 PM
Why do dragon shamans have knowledge: nature?

Because they are freaking shamans. As in, religious figures for primitive societies. NPC dragon shamans probably have cooking up hallucinogenics as one of their primary duties.

Why are dragons knowledge arcana?

Because WotC stated that sorcerors might be descended from dragons, and they've been trying to give some legitimacy to that for a long time.

Edit:


Because they don't need to know about dragons academically to worship/emulate them.

Any more than you need to be a chemist or a physicist to shoot someone with a gun.

I think it depends on how you want to play it. There's your way, and mine. My character was more sort of a dragon buff that worshipped the ground they treaded, but apparently couldn't tell what breath weapons a brass dragon had. It was somewhat frustrating.

Fax Celestis
2008-02-09, 03:49 PM
This is what cross class skills are for...?

Zincorium
2008-02-09, 04:01 PM
I think it depends on how you want to play it. There's your way, and mine. My character was more sort of a dragon buff that worshipped the ground they treaded, but apparently couldn't tell what breath weapons a brass dragon had. It was somewhat frustrating.

Did you try asking a dragon that? It's not metagaming if you've been provided information in character.

At 14th level you can even remove the middle man.

Adumbration
2008-02-09, 04:07 PM
It's pretty hard to do it with a first level character who's trying to determine whether the talking giant skull is a spirit of an ancient dead brass wyrm or a gnome who's having a blast. Turns out that it was neither, although it was the sorceror who had to roll the knowledge check to know that a brass dragon has a sleep cone and a firebreath.

It had both, and my character was conversing with it in draconic about his ancestors.


It was a wyrmling brass dragon. We got a little suspicious at some point, and started making listen checks just find out that the voice didn't sound incorporeal and appeared to come from a small creature. (Yes, we rolled well.)

kamikasei
2008-02-09, 04:13 PM
This is what cross class skills are for...?

Cross class skills are to let you represent a character who deviates a bit from the class archetype. Knowing things about dragons certainly falls within a dragon shaman's archetype and the skill should be on their class list.

Parvum
2008-02-09, 04:15 PM
So the real question is, why do dragon shamans lack the skill that lets them learn things about dragons.

Who worships something they understand?

(Excluding nonepic Know(Religion))

kamikasei
2008-02-09, 04:37 PM
Who worships something they understand?

Druids?

Not to mention that knowledge does not necessarily imply understanding. Something might be mysterious and wonderful to you even if you know a lot about it.

Reinboom
2008-02-09, 04:55 PM
Dragon Shamans have knowledge(arcana) now.

The errata added it.

Adumbration
2008-02-10, 05:22 AM
... I'm sorry, English is a foreign language to me. What does errata mean?

EDIT: By the way, distinctly remember reading somewhere that you can add metamagic effects to dragon shamans breathweapons, but it has no mention in PHBII. Do I remember wrong?

Reinboom
2008-02-10, 05:34 AM
metabreath effects, not metamagic.
I think they are in the draconomicon or dragon magic.

Errata is information released that fixes or overwrites something.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20060531a
This site specifically.

The errata states that "knowledge (arcana)" was an omission, and that the dragon shaman should have it.