Removing knowledge from the skill tree.

[Roxxy]

My setting is a modern tech one. In the nations the setting focuses on, children spend 13-14 years in primary and secondary school, just like IRL. The setting focuses on professional monster hunters in government agencies, and people who get in are military or police veterans and/or college graduates. So, every PC is going to be knowledgeable about some subjects. All monster hunters have to learn about monsters, so that increases how much knowledge the PCs have. So, it would be expected that every PC has a fair number of points invested in knowledge skills. Not to wouldn't make sense, because you'd lack the knowledge you need to do your job. I also don't want to force players to spend some skill points on knowledge, because that becomes a skill point tax. If it's something all PCs need, they should automatically have it, not be required to buy it.

So, I want to make knowledge a separate part of the character sheet from skills, so that part of your character stats is what you know and everybody knows some things, while also expanding the number of knowledge fields. Each type of monster has a knowledge skill (Many common monsters, such as vampires and zombies, are actually monster types that have dozens of different monsters with different attributes, abilities, weaknesses, and habitats.). You get knowledge points equal to 2 plus intelligence each level, each knowledge is ranked 1-10 and rank is limited to half your level, and each PC gets five ranks of monster knowledges for free at first level. Many knowledges overlap. For example, geography questions can be answered by Geography or the appropriate Local knowledge, and sometimes a question can be answered by Geography or Earth Science. In these cases, characters with ranks in both skills get one check only, but with a synergy bonus. I am cribbing specialties from WOD. Each level, you get a specialty. You can sacrifice a knowledge point to gain another. A specialty gives you a bonus to checks within a specific subset of a knowledge skill. GM decides what specialties are appropriate.

Geography
Linguistics
Local (each nation in the campaign has a separate local knowledge skill, covers very basic geography, civics, popular culture, current events)
Profession
Craft
Physical Sciences
Earth Sciences
Life Sciences
Engineering
Behavioral Sciences
History
Mathematics
Computers
Vehicles
Medicine
Art
Witchcraft
Philosophy and Religion

Vampires
Shapeshifters (single) (werewolves and their ilk, other shapeshifters with only two forms)
Shapeshifters (multiple) (shapeshifters not limited to two forms or listed under another knowledge)
Zombies
Ghosts
Undead (other)
Fae
Magical Beasts (each terrain type is a separate knowledge)
Epic (daikaiju, tarrasque, other one of a kind powerful creatures)
Dragons
Demons (any evil outsider is a demon)
Witches (a mage is a witch)

So, did I miss any knowledge categories I should have? Any ideas or suggestions?

[Kamai]

I understand at first look how you might decide that witches are different from knowing about the base creature, but what would Knowledge (witch) tell me that Knowledge (Witchcraft) + Knowledge (creature type) wouldn't tell me?
Knowledge (Epic) is going to be very hit or miss. This might be better served as specialities (i.e. Knowledge (Magical Beast, underground) having a specialty of Tarrasque).
Will your players need to know about outsiders that aren't evil? That might be a set of skills you're missing.
Does the setting have uncivilized humanoids that are a legitimate threat? If so, are you intending Knowledge (Local) to cover them?

[jqavins]

The setting focuses on professional monster hunters in government agencies

Do they have to be in government agencies? I want to play Dean! (Just kidding. ),

While I like the idea of an overhaul to Knowledge skills, why take them out of the skills tree altogether? Consider:

I also don't want to force players to spend some skill points on knowledge, because that becomes a skill point tax. If it's something all PCs need, they should automatically have it, not be required to buy it...

You get knowledge points equal to 2 plus intelligence each level... and each PC gets five ranks of monster knowledges for free at first level.

Isn't this essentially similar to 1) giving all new characters some extra skill points that they have to spend monster knowledge, and 2) raising the skill points per level with the extras to be spent on knowledge skills? If you're giving the extra points then it's not a tax; they still have the usual number of points to spend freely. If you let it remain in the regular skills tree, then the players have the option of spending their regular alotment of skill points on monster knowledge as well, enabling a Bobby build.