Lore Matrix
Use the following table to determine how much information is known about a topic (creature, plant, undead, gem, etc.).
For example, Darius and Nurel see a black slime creature and attempt Monster Lore rolls. Nurel is rank 2 while Darius is rank 6. Nurel rolls and 97 (near success) while Darius rolls a 102 (also near success). Nurel learns the type of creature (a Black Pudding) and 2 significant facts about it while Darius also learns the creature type plus 3 significant facts about it. It is up to the GM to determine what they learn. It could be that Nurel knows 2 things about the Black Pudding that are complete different than the 3 things that Darius knows but it is also possible there is overlap.
| Degree of Success * | Hobby (ranks 1-5) ** | Skilled (ranks 6-9) | Highly Skilled (ranks 10-12) | Master (rank 13+) |
| Absolute Success | All pertinent info | All pertinent info | All pertinent info | All pertinent info |
| Success | 4 significant facts | All pertinent info | All pertinent info | All pertinent info |
| Near Success | 2 significant facts | 3 significant facts | 4 significant facts | All pertinent info |
| Partial Success | 1 minor fact | 1 significant fact | 2 significant facts | 3 significant facts |
| Failure | Nothing | Name/type if common | 1 minor fact if common or uncommon | 1 significant fact |
| Absolute Failure | Some incorrect info | Nothing | Nothing | Nothing |
| Blunder | Significant but incorrect info | Some incorrect info | Nothing | Nothing |
* With any degree of success, the character learns the name of the creature, gem, animal, location, etc.
** Also includes unskilled and Everything Lore |
Buying and Improving Lore Skills
Lores can only be purchased and improved by learning, either from someone who already knows the lore or from a book. Lore books can be purchased or found and each will indicate a maximum rank and a rank number. For example, the group might find a book about animals that has a max rank of 4 and a rank number of 2. The rank number is the number of ranks of the skill that can be purchased of the given skill. The book cannot improve the skill above the maximum rank. In the previous example, if a character who was rank 1 with Animal Lore found and read the book, they could then use EXP to buy their rank up to 3, which is still below the max rank of the book. If the reader was already rank 4 or higher in the skill, they would learn nothing new from reading the book.
The max rank of a book won't be known until it is read (or at least skimmed through, c.f., Research skill).
The Cost of Lore Books
Base cost = 10 sp x (max rank / 2) x lore ranks x lore rarity.
Lore Rarity Matrix
- Common - x1 - Animal Lore, Fungus Lore, Gem & Jewelry Appraisal, Plant & Herb Lore, Religious Lore, Weather Lore
- Uncommon - x1.5 - Armor Lore, Demon/Devil Lore, Elemental Lore, Faerie Lore, Monster Lore, Phlogiston Lore, Poison Lore, Undead Lore, Weapon Lore
- Rare - x2 - Dragon Lore, Jirdunian Lore, Magic Lore, Spelljammer Lore
- Very Rare - x2.5 - Artifact Lore
Example: A book on Animal Lore allows the reader to purchase up to 2 ranks, to a maximum of rank 8. The book would cost 10 x (8 / 2) x 2 x 1 = 80 sp.
Example: A book on Jirdunian Lore allows the reader to purchase up to 3 ranks, to a maximum rank of 6. The book would cost 10 x (6 / 2) x 3 x 2 = 180 sp.
Reading a Lore Book
It takes 2 days (8 hours a day) to read and absorb a lore book per number of ranks that the book can give you. Four hours per day is spent reading and the rest is spent thinking about what you read and absorbing it. So if a book allows you to buy up to 3 ranks in a lore, it will take 6 days to read it.
Speed Reading skill reduces the reading time as indicated in the skill description so that, for example, someone who is rank 4 in Speed Reading needs to only spend 2 hours per day reading and 4 hours per day absorbing. At rank 8, they would only need to spend about an hour an a half reading.
Memory skill reduces the time absorption time by the same amount. Thus someone who is rank 4 in Memory will spend 4 hours reading the book but only 2 hours absorbing the information.
Someone with both Speed Reading and Memory gets the benefit of both talents and can reduce the number of days as well. For example, someone who is rank 4 in both Speed Reading and Memory only needs 1 day to read and absorb the information per number of ranks the book can give you.
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