Trained Only

This skill encompasses several categories, each of them treated as a separate skill. These categories are identified and defined below. The number of Knowledge categories is kept purposely finite. When trying to determine what Knowledge skill a particular question or field of expertise falls under, use a broad interpretation of the existing categories. Do not arbitrarily make up new categories.

Check: You make a Knowledge check to see if your character knows something. For instance, if you found a mummy with an amulet around its neck, you might make Knowledge check to see if you know of any significance to the symbols. This might be a Knowledge (arcane lore) check or a Knowledge (history) check, depending on what you're interested in knowing about the symbols. The DC for answering a question within your field of study is 10 for easy questions, 15 for basic questions, and 20 to 30 for tough questions.

Appraising the value of an object is one sort of task that can be performed using Knowledge. The DC depends on how common or obscure the object is. On a success, you accurately identify the object's purchase DC. If you fail, you think it has a purchase DC 1d2 higher or lower (determine randomly) than its actual value. If you fail by 5 or more, you think it has a purchase DC 1d4+2 higher or lower than its actual value. The GM may make the Knowledge roll for you, so you don't know whether the appraisal is accurate or not.

The Knowledge categories, and the topics each one encompasses, are as follows.

Civics, Bureaucracy, Politics

Art, Architecture, Engineering

Streetwise

Art, Current Events, Popular Culture, Politics

Business

Arcane Lore, Art, Popular Culture, History, Archeology

Life Sciences, Alien Species, Biology, Forensics, Genetics, Psionics, Medicine,

Geography, Wilderness Lore, World Lore

Tactics

Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences, Astronomy, Chemistry, Engineering, Forensics, Physics

Theology and Philosophy

Behavioral Sciences, Civics, Popular Culture, Alien Species, Politics

Technology

All of the following areas of knowledge can be classified under one or more of the above categories.

Fine Arts Graphic Arts, Art History, Art Techniques. Antiques, Modern Art, Photography, Music Perfomance, Dance Perfomance, Psychology, Sociology, Criminology, Business Procedures, Investment Strategies, Corporate Structures. Bureaucratic Procedures, Bureaucratic Navigation, Law, Legislation, Litigation, Legal Rights Legal Obligations. Political Institutions, Political Processes, Governmental Institutions, Governmental Processes, News, Politics, Entertainment, and Foreign Affairs, Biology, Botany, Genetics, Geology, Paleontology, Medicine, Forensics, Mutations, Gene Therapy, Biotech, WetWare, Events, Personalities, Past Cultures, Archaeology, Antiqui-ties, Astronomy, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Popular Music, Personalities, Genre Media, Urban Legends, Comics, Science Fiction Gaming, Psionic Schools and Psionic Traditions, Psionic Symbols, Psionic Races and Psionic Creatures, Psionic Powers, Psionic Weaknesses, Street Culture, Urban Culture, Underworld Personalities and Underworld Events, Strategies Disposing Forces, Maneuvering Forces, Liberal Arts, Ethics, Philosophical Concepts, Religious Faith, Religious Practice, Religious Experience. Current developments in cutting-edge devices, as well as the back-ground necessary to identify various techno-logical devices.

Try Again?: No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn't let you know some-thing you never knew in the first place.

Special: An untrained Knowledge check is simply an Intelligence check, Without actual training, a character only knows common knowledge about a given subject.

You can take 10 when making a Knowledge check, but you can't take 20.

A character with the Educated feat gets a +2 bonus on any two types of Knowledge checks.

The GM may decide that having 5 or more ranks in a specific Knowledge skill provides you with a +2 synergy bonus when making a related skill check, For example, a character with 5 or more ranks of Knowledge (Life sciences) could get a +2 synergy bonus when making a Treat Injury check in certain situations.

Time: A Knowledge check can be a reaction, but otherwise requires a full-round action.