Autopsies can be performed using the heal skill to determine the cause of death, or using Craft (Autopsy) to determine further details. Craft (Autopsy) checks will have easier DC's than the ones used for Heal checks to represent the specialization of the trade. Autopsies can be performed to determine traits of unfamiliar creatures, weaknesses, strengths and special abilities.
DC | Action |
---|---|
Variable | Determine Cause of Death |
15 | Determine time of death |
20 | Determine place of death |
20 | Determine unknown traits of unfamiliar creature |
25 | Determine strengths/weaknesses of unfamiliar creature |
Certain things can confer circumstance bonuses to specific tasks. As well, an assisting character can add +2 to any autopsy with either a heal check, appropriate knowledge skill, or autopsy check.
Circumstance | Bonus |
---|---|
Has 5 or more ranks of appropriate knowledge skill. | +2 |
Has 5 or more ranks of Heal | +2 |
Has fully stocked morgue laboratory | +2 |
Determine Cause of Death
You may examine a dead creature to figure out what killed it. For every 5 points that the autopsy check exceeds the DC you can determine additional details about the death. For example; if an autopsy was performed on a creature killed by an obvious stab wound and the result is a 12, the coroner can determine that the instrument was an iron knife and the knife was 6 inches long. If they had rolled a 15 then they would have picked up the slight angle to the wound which illustrated that the attacker was also right handed.
Cause of Death | DC |
---|---|
Physical Wounds | 0 |
Environmental (fire, suffocation) | 5 |
Spell with Visible Effects | 10 |
Poison | 15 |
Spell with no Visible Effects | 20 |
per day since the creature’s death | +5 |
From Complete Adventurer's alternate use for Heal skill.