Well, they're obviously not going to have a knowledge of advanced science. There are some indicators that will let you know what a character will know. The first is their skill set. If they have lore skills, they'll know about that field of study. Another is their OCC. An assassin might know about the human anatomy and how to damage it. Mages will know more about magic, druids will know more about nature, etc. LAst is the character background. If the character comes from a noble background he or she might know more about other nations, rulers, and geography. Someone who has a peasant background might know more about flora and fauna.
-Vek
"CAn you keep Player knowledge from character knowledge?"
General and Extended Knowledge
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Veknironth
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well, making lists would be too much work (and still it wouldnt cover all the possibilities). just look at the skills and the background of the character. a scholar knows more then a mercenary, a noble more then a peasant, a city dweller more then someone from the countryside. knowledge of your own country is limited unless you have the Lore_ Customes&Culture-skill. even more so for countries abroad.
for my campaigns I made a little background-book with info on the lands (a paragraph), history and Gods. if we change the starting place I make a new booklet (e.g. we played the first four episodes of our campaign in Timiro, later on we started in the WE).
cheers, Vid
for my campaigns I made a little background-book with info on the lands (a paragraph), history and Gods. if we change the starting place I make a new booklet (e.g. we played the first four episodes of our campaign in Timiro, later on we started in the WE).
cheers, Vid
"My own big mouth causes me trouble too. You see, people are always asking me what 'I want' to do next or have planned for the future. Like an idiot, I blather on about some idea I've been kicking around or I'm dying to do."
- From the desk of Kevin Siembieda, The Rifter 12.
- From the desk of Kevin Siembieda, The Rifter 12.
Just thought I'd chime in here with another aspect affecting knowledge: IQ, and to a lesser degree, ME and MA. Obviously, a person with a high IQ is likely to retain more knowledge after learning it. Also, it is my opinion that a person with a high ME will be able to assert themselves more effectively and for longer periods than those with a low ME. This could mean longer hours spent studying, for example. Finally, MA can be a good indicator of social skills. I wouldn't say this entirely affects the amount of knowledge a person may have, but rather the type of knowledge. A person with a low MA is likely to be a loner and may find enjoyment in reading books, while a person with a higher MA may be more likely to socialize and learn directly from other people. Depending on where the character is, one or the other could be more beneficial.
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Reagren Wright
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I've always had my players roll up on the optional rules to flush
out not only background information about the character, but to
give me an more indept idea about the knowledge this character
has. An elf warlock from the Timiro Kingdom might know about a
school of magic in Credia (IQ roll), an elf warlock from Timiro
Kingdom with the Culture and Custom skill (from the Eastern
Territory book) or Streetwise might know the exact location.
An elf wizard from the Timiro Kingdom with the Culture and
Custom skill or Streetwise might even know someone from
the guild or been there once. Depending upon the level of
experience is how much of a penalty I may or may not assign.
If it helps move the adventure along, I might even add a bonus.
The details the PC knows, the more info I can assume the PC
might already know about, without even having to roll.
out not only background information about the character, but to
give me an more indept idea about the knowledge this character
has. An elf warlock from the Timiro Kingdom might know about a
school of magic in Credia (IQ roll), an elf warlock from Timiro
Kingdom with the Culture and Custom skill (from the Eastern
Territory book) or Streetwise might know the exact location.
An elf wizard from the Timiro Kingdom with the Culture and
Custom skill or Streetwise might even know someone from
the guild or been there once. Depending upon the level of
experience is how much of a penalty I may or may not assign.
If it helps move the adventure along, I might even add a bonus.
The details the PC knows, the more info I can assume the PC
might already know about, without even having to roll.