Thanks for the suggestions, Mayhem.
On point 5, as with any skill check, level does partially factor in. The higher the level of the player, the more ranks in the skill they can have, but it doesn't forgo the need to invest in that skill. If level was applied directly to skill checks, then any high level character would have this knowledge regardless of what they've faced or how much they've invested in the skill. Intelligence also factors into knowledge checks, which can increase with level. Factoring in prior experience with the creature certainly seems reasonable to me. From the SRD:
Favorable and Unfavorable Conditions
Some situations may make a skill easier or harder to use, resulting in a bonus or penalty to the skill modifier for a skill check or a change to the DC of the skill check.
The chance of success can be altered in four ways to take into account exceptional circumstances.
1. Give the skill user a +2 circumstance bonus to represent conditions that improve performance, such as having the perfect tool for the job, getting help from another character (see Combining Skill Attempts), or possessing unusually accurate information.
2. Give the skill user a –2 circumstance penalty to represent conditions that hamper performance, such as being forced to use improvised tools or having misleading information.
3. Reduce the DC by 2 to represent circumstances that make the task easier, such as having a friendly audience or doing work that can be subpar.
4. Increase the DC by 2 to represent circumstances that make the task harder, such as having an uncooperative audience or doing work that must be flawless.
Conditions that affect your character’s ability to perform the skill change the skill modifier. Conditions that modify how well the character has to perform the skill to succeed change the DC. A bonus to the skill modifier and a reduction in the check’s DC have the same result: They create a better chance of success. But they represent different circumstances, and sometimes that difference is important.
A +2 circumstance bonus (and posssibly +4 if needed) reflecting the amount of prior experience will make these checks easier.
Also from the SRD, to give you an idea of the relevant skills:
* Arcana (ancient mysteries, magic traditions, arcane symbols, cryptic phrases, constructs, dragons, magical beasts)
* Architecture and engineering (buildings, aqueducts, bridges, fortifications)
* Dungeoneering (aberrations, caverns, oozes, spelunking)
* Geography (lands, terrain, climate, people)
* History (royalty, wars, colonies, migrations, founding of cities)
* Local (legends, personalities, inhabitants, laws, customs, traditions, humanoids)
* Nature (animals, fey, giants, monstrous humanoids, plants, seasons and cycles, weather, vermin)
* Nobility and royalty (lineages, heraldry, family trees, mottoes, personalities)
* Religion (gods and goddesses, mythic history, ecclesiastic tradition, holy symbols, undead)
* The planes (the Inner Planes, the Outer Planes, the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, outsiders, elementals, magic related to the planes)
We obviously take a lot for granted.
On point 6, by relative power, do you mean challenge rating? That might be interesting to reveal so parties could know whether they were in above their heads or not - something any self respecting scout should be able to advise. Any thoughts on this from others? I think it makes quite a bit of sense actually.
p.s. Thanks to whoever moved this out of Indio's beta thread and thanks for being so willing to use your server as a test bed for our ideas Indio.
