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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

General Skills
Acrobatics | Arcana | Athletics | Crafting | Deception | Diplomacy | Intimidation | Lore | Medicine | Nature | Occultism | Performance | Religion | Society | Stealth | Survival | Thievery
There is a Legacy version here.

Lore (Int)

Source Player Core pg. 240 2.0
You have specialized information on a narrow topic. Lore features many subcategories. You might have Military Lore, Sailing Lore, Vampire Lore, or any similar subcategory of the skill. Each subcategory counts as its own skill, so applying a skill increase to Planar Lore wouldn't increase your proficiency with Sailing Lore, for example.

Most backgrounds make you trained in a specific subcategory of the Lore skill. The GM determines what other subcategories they'll allow as Lore skills, though these categories are always less broad than any of the other skills that allow you to Recall Knowledge, and they should never be able to take the place of another skill's Recall Knowledge action. For instance, you couldn't choose Magic Lore to recall the breadth of knowledge about magic covered by Arcana, Nature, Occultism, and Religion, or choose Adventuring Lore to give you all the information an adventurer needs, or choose Planar Lore to gain all the information spread across various skills and subcategories such as Heaven Lore.

If you're making a check and multiple subcategories of Lore could apply, or a non-Lore skill could apply, you can use whichever skill you prefer. If there's any doubt whether a Lore skill applies to a specific topic or action, the GM decides whether it can be used or not.

Lore Trained Actions

  • Earn Income by using your knowledge to practice a trade.
Item Bonsues for Common items
Ability/SkillItemBonusLevelCategoryConsumable?Note
LoreHarrow Mat+10Adventuring GearNoRelevant Lore checks (such as Fortune-Telling Lore or Harrow Lore) to convince a creature that a harrow reading was accurate.
LoreMarked Playing Cards+10Adventuring GearNoGames Lore checks or other relevant checks to gamble with the cards
LoreLoaded Dice+11Adventuring GearNoGames Lore checks to gamble with the dice
LoreHelmsman's Recourse+15Specific ShieldsNoSailing Lore
LoreTactician's Helm+15Other Worn ItemsNoWarfare Lore checks
LoreCognitive Mutagen (Lesser)+11Alchemical ElixirsYes—
LoreHelmsman's Recourse (Major)+211Specific ShieldsNoSailing Lore
LoreJabali's Dice+212Held ItemsNoGames Lore in a dice game using the item
LoreCognitive Mutagen (Moderate)+23Alchemical ElixirsYes—
LorePossibility Tome+318Held ItemsNochecks to Recall Knowledge; a single subcategory of Lore every activation
LoreCognitive Mutagen (Greater)+311Alchemical ElixirsYes—
LoreCognitive Mutagen (Major)+417Alchemical ElixirsYes—
Item Bonsues for Uncommon/Rare/Unique items
Ability/SkillItemBonusLevelCategoryConsumable?Note
LoreAncestral Geometry+12TattoosNo—
LoreFortune's Favor+13Relic SeedsNoGames Lore checks made to gamble or determine the outcome of a game of chance
LoreBrooch of Inspiration+18Other Worn ItemsNoChecks to Recall Knowledge with Lore skills
LoreOpen Mind+110TattoosNo—
LoreStarless Scope+29Held ItemsNoAstronomy Lore
LoreThousand-Blade Thesis+29Held ItemsNoWarfare Lore checks
LoreWardrobe Stone (Moderate)+211Held ItemsNoSpecific Lore skill associated with your outfit, such as Carpentry Lore when wearing a carpenter's outfit or Cooking Lore when wearing a chef's outfit.
LoreBrooch of Inspiration (Greater)+211Other Worn ItemsNoChecks to Recall Knowledge with Lore skills
LoreThe Empty Throne+220The Deck of DestinyNoSociety checks to Recall Knowledge about someone no longer alive (+3 at 17th level)
LoreThe Hidden Truth+220The Deck of DestinyNoLore checks tmade to Recall Knowledge (+3 at 17th level).
LorePactmaster's Grace+314Other Worn ItemsNoMercantile Lore
LorePactmaster's Grace+314Other Worn ItemsNoMercantile Lore checks
LoreBrooch of Inspiration (Major)+317Other Worn ItemsNoChecks to Recall Knowledge with Lore skills
LoreVoid Mirror+320ArtifactsNoAstronomy Lore checks made while using the mirror
LoreWardrobe Stone (Greater)+320Held ItemsNoSpecific Lore skill associated with your outfit, such as Carpentry Lore when wearing a carpenter's outfit or Cooking Lore when wearing a chef's outfit.

Related Feats

To see a list of Feats related to Lore, click here.

Common Lore Subcategories

You can learn any Lore skill your GM gives you permission to take. The following list covers a wide variety of common Lore topics appropriate for player characters in most campaigns. Backgrounds often grant you a Lore skill from this list.
  • Academia Lore
  • Accounting Lore
  • Architecture Lore
  • Art Lore
  • Astronomy Lore
  • Carpentry Lore
  • Circus Lore
  • Driving Lore
  • Engineering Lore
  • Farming Lore
  • Fishing Lore
  • Fortune-Telling Lore
  • Games Lore
  • Genealogy Lore
  • Gladiatorial Lore
  • Guild Lore
  • Heraldry Lore
  • Herbalism Lore
  • Hunting Lore
  • Labor Lore
  • Legal Lore
  • Library Lore
  • Lore about a specific deity (Abadar Lore, Iomedae Lore)
  • Lore about a specific creature or narrow category of creatures (Demon Lore, Giant Lore, Vampire Lore)
  • Lore about a specific plane other than the Universe, or the plane in which the game is set if not the Universe (Astral Plane Lore, Heaven Lore, Outer Rifts Lore)
  • Lore about a specific public organization (Hellknights Lore, Pathfinder Society Lore)
  • Lore about a specific settlement (Absalom Lore, Magnimar Lore)
  • Lore about a specific terrain (Mountain Lore, River Lore)
  • Lore about a type of food or drink (Alcohol Lore, Baking Lore, Butchering Lore, Cooking Lore, Tea Lore)
  • Mercantile Lore
  • Midwifery Lore
  • Milling Lore
  • Mining Lore
  • Piloting Lore
  • Sailing Lore
  • Scouting Lore
  • Scribing Lore
  • Stabling Lore
  • Tanning Lore
  • Theater Lore
  • Underworld Lore
  • Warfare Lore