Recall Knowledge
You attempt a skill check to try to remember a bit of knowledge regarding a topic related to that skill. The GM determines the DCs for such checks and which skills apply.
- Critical Success. You recall the knowledge accurately and gain additional information or context.
- Success. You recall the knowledge accurately or gain a useful clue about your current situation.
- Critical Failure. You recall incorrect information or gain an erroneous or misleading clue.
The following skills can be used to Recall Knowledge, getting information about the listed topics. In some cases, you can get the GM's permission to use a different but related skill, usually against a higher DC than normal. Some topics might appear on multiple lists, but the skills could give different information. For example, Arcana might tell you about the magical defenses of a golem, whereas Crafting could tell you about its sturdy resistance to physical attacks.
- Arcana: Arcane theories, magical traditions, creatures of arcane significance, and arcane planes.
- Crafting: Alchemical reactions and creatures, item value, engineering, unusual materials, and constructs.
- Lore: The subject of the Lore skill's subcategory.
- Medicine: Diseases, poisons, wounds, and forensics.
- Nature: The environment, flora, geography, weather, creatures of natural origin, and natural planes.
- Occultism: Ancient mysteries, obscure philosophy, creatures of occult significance, and esoteric planes.
- Religion: Divine agents, divine planes, theology, obscure myths, and creatures of religious significance.
- Society: Local history, key personalities, legal institutions, societal structure, and humanoid culture.
The GM might allow checks to Recall Knowledge using other skills. For example, you might assess the skill of an acrobat using Acrobatics. If you're using a physical skill (like in this example), the GM will most likely have you use a mental ability score—typically Intelligence—instead of the skill's normal physical ability score.
Sample Recall Knowledge Tasks
These examples use Society or Religion.
- Untrained. name of a ruler, key noble, or major deity
- Trained. line of succession for a major noble family, core doctrines of a major deity
- Expert. genealogy of a minor noble, teachings of an ancient priest
- Master. hierarchy of a genie noble court, major extraplanar temples of a deity
- Legendary. existence of a long-lost noble heir, secret doctrines of a religion