Hey guys! I wanted to make a doctor type of character, but didn’t wanted to give him necessarily a high Learning score, since it is kinda general and i was looking for really specific stuff. I searched through the feats and found that Knowledge may award, in different tiers, automatic successes or rolls with certain scores in a Learning check related to the field (Medicine, in this case). My doubt is if i could, for example, use the automatic success or the score in a Heal roll. I know about the Boon Access feat, but Knowledge sounds really good for the situation i’m in! I guess the question extends to other cases with the appropriate banes and boons too (i don’t know, maybe Knowledge-Alchemy for Bombs and etc.). Sorry if this post is breaking some rule. If it is the case, please do what you must (oh, the pain!!). Thank you all guys!!!
The Knowledge feat is definitely what you’re looking for if you want specialised knowledge, but it shouldn’t grant automatic success on banes or boons as it is intended to only be for determining what your character knows and not for practical applications. You could use Knowledge: Medical to splint a broken wrist, but not to gain a character hitpoints in the middle of a fight. You could use Knowledge: Alchemy to help you build a bomb, but it would be more suited for blowing a door if its hinges (if you have time to set it up) than for throwing at an enemy.
A simple check is how it compares to the Boon Access feat (which you mentioned) and Boon Focus feat for getting an automatic success on the Heal boon at PL3. Without any attribute points in Learning you would need to spend 3 points in Boon Access and 3 points in Boon Focus for a total of 6 points. In comparison, Knowledge only costs 2 feat points; a third of what that effect is worth.
I know you said you don’t want to put many points in Learning, but your best option for a doctor character is to level up Learning as well as picking up Knowledge: Medical. Your Learning score is your character’s general aptitude for knowing things. Even the most specialised doctor will still have a high Learning score because that’s just the type of person they are; in the same way that a tavern brawler and a weight-lifter both have high Might despite only using it for very specific things.
Hope this helps, do let us know if you have any more questions.
All off what Sam said I agree with!
I think your worry is that if you have high Learning you can say “Oh, I know about [some really obscure thing that doesn’t make sense for my character]” The thing to remember about OL is that it is about self imposed limitations. If you are worried about Learning being too broad, the only way it could be too broad is if you allowed it to be in play.
You can do at least 2 things for knowledge outside the expertise you have made for your character:
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Self-impose disadvantage 1 to 4 on yourself for Learning (knowledge) rolls outside of your characters expertise.
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Just declare, “My character doesn’t know anything about that”
It totally made sense to me. It sounded like cheating considering Boon Access and Boon Focus, indeed. I actually got confused about the word “Check” in “Learning Check” in the Knowledge feat. It seemed too broad, but maybe i lost some key wording in the basics of the game. I guess i’ll go with the self imposing route, i like the disadvantage idea, it’s pretty interesting! Thank you very much, and sorry for any English mistakes i might have made!!