Rules Index | GM Screen

Pathfinder Unchained / Consolidated Skills

Society (Int; Trained Only)

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 63
You understand the people and systems that make civilization run, and you know the historical events that made societies what they are today. Part of this expertise includes a greater understanding of languages.

Functions: Create or detect forgeries, decipher writing, identify monsters (humanoids), learn languages, recall knowledge (about history, locales, or nobility).

Core Skills: Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility), Linguistics.

Create or Detect Forgeries

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 63
You must have the proper writing materials to create a forgery. If the handwriting doesn’t need to be specific to a person, you need only to have seen a similar document before, and you gain a +8 bonus on the check. To forge a signature, you need an autograph of that person to copy, which grants a +4 bonus on the check. You need a larger handwriting sample to forge a longer document in that person’s script.

The GM rolls a Society check to create a forgery secretly, so you’re not sure how good your forgery is until someone examines the work. The examiner attempts an opposed Society check, modified by any applicable bonuses or penalties listed under the decipher writing function of Society.

Action: 1 minute to 1d4 minutes per page to create a forgery, or 1 round per page to detect a forgery.

Try Again: Yes, though examiners who encounter forged documents will be more cautious of future documents.

Decipher Writing

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 63
A Society check can allow you to decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form. If you succeed at your check, you understand the general content of about one page worth of writing. If you fail, you must succeed at a DC 5 Wisdom check or draw a false conclusion about the text. Both checks are rolled by the GM in secret, so you don't know whether the conclusion you drew is true or false.

Unfamiliar Message	Society DC
Simple message	20
Standard text	25
Intricate, exotic, or very old writing	30

Action: 1 minute per page.

Try Again: Yes.

Identify Monsters

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 63
Society can be used to identify monsters of the humanoid type. See Monster Identification.

Learn Language

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 63
Each time you put a rank in Society, you learn to speak and read a new language. See the Linguistics core skill for a list of common languages.

Action: None. Unlike with other skill uses, you gain this benefit at all times.

Recall Knowledge

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 63
Society can be used to recall knowledge on the inhabitants of a region, important personalities, royalty, noble lineages, historical events, customs, legends, and laws. See Recall Knowledge for details. Use the following DCs for certain tasks.

Task	Society DC
Know laws, rulers, and popular locations	10
Know of a recent or historically significant event	10
Determine the approximate date of specific event	15
Know a common rumor or tradition	15
Know proper etiquette	15
Know hidden organizations, rulers, and locations	20
Know a line of succession	20
Know an obscure or ancient historical event	20