“Information about the previous culture may require research…. Information that may be learned through this method is noted in each room accompanied by the domain(s) to which it belongs: arcane, history, or religion.”
—from “2A. An Unheeded Warning,” heading Common Knowledge and Research
Institutions
Characters may conduct research at the Magic-User’s Guild Library and the Temple Archive. While history may be learned at either institution, arcane knowledge may only be discovered at the Magic-User’s Guild Library, and information about religion only at the Temple Archive. All knowledge concerning religion is recorded in Sacred Signs.
Access to the Magic-User’s Guild Library is free for guild members. Non-members must pay 10 g.p. per day. Only devout tithers may enter the Temple Archive. A tither gives 10% of all income (usually treasure) before taxes (including the gate tax). A devout character, generally, is one who regularly attends rituals and services, but the exact definition is left to the discretion of the bishop. A rich tithe tends to encourage leniency.
Conducting Research
Every four hours of research earns one Intelligence check. When researching arcane knowledge, a successful result yields some information.
Researching information about religion, a successful Intelligence check must be followed by a Wisdom check made by a character who reads Sacred Signs. Failure means no sense can be made from the signs. Success means the character has correctly interpreted the signs. Only then is the information imparted.
A character may work up to 12 hours, but no character can have more than two successes in a single day.
Research Question
Research usually begins with a question and a choice of research institution. The research question guides the character’s line of inquiry as well as the DM’s choice of knowledge to impart. If there is no related knowledge in the domain accessible at the institution, the check fails automatically after the required period of study. The DM should inform the player that no pertinent information about the question is available.
Without a research question, a character has a 1-in-20 chance to find something interesting at the end of the research period. If successful, the character may follow the lead to continue study and earn an Intelligence check at the end of the next period.
Player Knowledge
As the culture represented in Dreaming Amon-Gorloth is derived from Egyptian and other ancient Near Eastern mythologies, players might guess some information based on their own knowledge. This is wonderful and to be encouraged.
But, because the culture here is not an exact copy of those mythologies, only through research can the character prove or disprove the player’s hunch. Thus, using real world knowledge, the player interrogates the fantasy world.
Alternatively, the DM might confirm the player’s information, if correct, or inform the player that it works differently here.
The Research Puzzle
Research is intended not as an encounter, role-playing or otherwise, but as an extended puzzle. A bit of information alone, or a couple bits together, might be a clue to help the party to overcome an obstacle or avoid disaster. Some information is only a piece of a puzzle the players put together over the course of the campaign.
The interesting part of research is puzzling out the clues. So, while the players may spend as much time as they like in this discussion, the research periods should pass with a dice roll.