Professional Knowledge (3.5e Variant Rule)

Professional Knowledge
Try this on for size: a Profession skill that is useful AND as balanced as Knowledge!

Profession (Wis; Trained Only)
Like the Craft and Knowledge skills, Profession actually encompasses a number of unrelated skills. Profession represents a knowledge accumulated in relation to a profession, such as sailing, farming, or bartending.

Check
Answering a question within your field of expertise has a DC of 10 (for really easy questions), 15 (for basic questions), or 20 to 30 (for really tough questions).

In many cases, you can use this skill to identify monsters or other threats common to that profession, knowing their special powers or vulnerabilities. In general, the DC of such a check equals 10 + the monster’s HD. A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful information about that monster. Examples would include a sailor indentying a sea monster, a farmer rememberng ankhegs sense their prey through the ground, or a bartender recalling the feats used by a gang that harasses his regulars.

For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information.

Finally, an DC (10+ half the DC of the check in question) can allow a character to gain a +2 synergy bonus on a skill check related to his profession. Examples would include a sailor appling his experiance to predict the weather at sea (Survival), a farmer recalling how valuable agricultural trade goods are (Appraise), or a bartender using his cliche "bartender savvy" to get someone talking (Gather Information).

Action
Usually none. In most cases, making a Profession check doesn’t take an action—you simply know the answer or you don’t.

Try Again
No. The check represents what you know, and thinking about a topic a second time doesn’t let you know something that you never learned in the first place.