Skills

As a magic-high, and well educated world, a campaign on Suelo requires some skills not common to Version 3.5 of the PHB. The following skills are either unique to the world of Dragon Home, drawn from sources outside of the current PHB, or modified from that source.


Cryptography

(Int)

You know how to encode and read messages in a secret code, and how to give and understand secret messages while appearing to be speaking about other things. Two rogues, for example, might seem to be talking about bakery goods, when they're really planning how to break into the evil wizard's laboratory.

Check: You can get a message across to another character. The DC for a spoken conversation is 15 for a basic message. The DC is 20 or 25 for complex messages, especially those that rely on getting across new information. Their is no DC for encoding a written communication, instead the result of the check determines how difficult the message is to crack. The recipient of the message, if they have the key to the code or are otherwise familiar with it, can read the message with a check of DC 10.

Also, the character can try to discern the hidden message in a conversation between two other characters who are using this skill. The DC is the skill check of the character using Cryptography, and for each piece of information that the eavesdropper is missing, that character suffers a -2 penalty on the check. To discern the content of an encoded missive, the character makes a check with a DC equal to the result of the initial check to encode the text.

Whether trying to send or intercept a message, a failure by 5 or more points means that some false information has been implied or inferred.

The DM makes your Cryptography checks secretly so that you don't necessarily know whether you were succesful.

Action: Holding or comprehending a conversation takes no longer than the conversation takes to hold, although holding the conversation takes at least twice as long as it would to just say the information. Encoding a message takes 10 minutes per page of text, and decoding it takes 30 minutes per page of text, unless the code is known in which case it takes only 10.

Try Again: Generally, retries are allowed when trying to send a message, but not when receiving or interpreting one. When used for text retries are allowed only when trying to crack the code. Each retry carries the chance of miscommunication.

Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Cryptography, you get a +2 bonus on Linguistics.


Knowledge

(Int)

Skill Synergy Subjects
Arcana Spellcraft ancient mysteries, arcane symbols, constructs, magic traditions
Arcanobiology aberrations, dragons, fey, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, oozes
Architecture and Engineering Search (Secret Doors) aqueducts, bridges, buildings, fortifications
Dragons Diplomacy (Dragons) dragon biology, culture, history, religion, and traditions
Geography Survival (Intuit Direction) climate, lands, people, terrain
Geology Survival (Underground) caverns, gems, minerals, spelunking
History Bardic Knowledge, Lore colonies, founding of cities, migrations, royalty, wars
Local Gather Information legends, personalities, laws, customs, traditions, humanoids
Nature Survival animals, plants, seasons and cycles, weather, vermin
Netherworld Turning evil outsiders, lower planes, necromancy, negative energy plane, undead
Nobility and Royalty Diplomacy family trees, heraldry, lineages, mottoes, personalities
Religion Turning ecclesiastic tradition, gods and goddesses, holy symbols, mythic history
Planar Survival (Planar) astral, elementals, ethereal, inner, magic related to the planes, outer, outsiders


Linguistics

(Int; Trained Only)

See Languages. Linguistics replaces Decipher Script.


Scry

(Int; Caster Only)

Use this skill to spy on someone with a scrying spell or crystal ball or to perform some divinations.

Check: You can't use this skill without some magical means to scry, such as the scrying spell, the greater scrying spell, the vision spell, or a crystal ball. These items allow you to spy on others, and this skill just lets you do it better. This skill also improves your chance to notice when you're being scried, as detailed in the descriptions of arcane eye and detect scrying spells.

The difficulty of the task depends on how well you know the subject and what sort of physical connection (if any) you have to that creature. Furthermore, if the subject is on another plane, you get a -5 penalty on the Scry check. The DC is summarized on the following table.

Knowledge DC
None 20
Secondhand 25
Firsthand 10
Familiar 5
Connection Modifier
Likeness -5
Possession or garment -8
Body part -10

Action: Scrying is a standard action, but may take longer as a means of scrying is also necessary.

Try Again: Yes.

Special: This skill is used instead of the Will saving throw for scrying spells