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View Full Version : Identify and how you describe those items



Cedrass
2009-05-10, 04:51 PM
I was just wondering on how you guys dealt with magic items and Identify, or the lack of this spell. What I mean is, when they loot the bodies of enemies or look around in a room to find something, what do you tell them?

I usually go and say something along the lines of "You find a well crafted longsword that shines even tho there is no light" to describe, I dunno, a Flaming weapon. They know something's up with this item, but no more. It's kinda awkward with items like a Scarab of Protection tho: "It's a huh... very beautiful scarab I guess..." is pretty much what I can come up with...

As for Identifies, do you tell them everything? Like, how to activate it, charges, etc. Are there items you prevent from being identified? I picked up a couple of good ideas on these boards, so I'm hoping I'll get some more here :smallamused:

tyckspoon
2009-05-10, 05:26 PM
The spell determines all magic properties of a single magic item, including how to activate those functions (if appropriate), and how many charges are left (if any).

So.. yeah, Identify tells you everything you need to know unless the item has a specific resistance to being ID'd- typically cursed items that need to hide their real nature or plot tokens.

More generally, at high levels I usually stop bothering with making players actually Identify stuff and just tell 'em what they've got. There's so many ways to figure out an item that they'll do it anyway, and screwing around with swords and armor just to figure out if it's a +1 or +2 is pointless when you're probably going to vendor it or gift it to somebody for favor anyway.

At low levels, I abide by the idea that magic items (at least in the paradigm of 3.x) are meant to be used. Magic gear shouldn't be things players just leave in a sack until they can be carefully vetted for all properties and potential downsides. So players can at least figure out the base enhancements without resorting to spells (in character: this sword seems supernaturally well-balanced, and the edge doesn't dull even when you stretch too far and accidentally ding the stone floor (in comparison to, say, a basic masterwork or +1 weapon)... out of character: it's a +2, d00d.) And there's a higher-than-standard incidence of things designed to indicate their function or that just have the command word engraved on them if the items have properties beyond just being +X.

AslanCross
2009-05-10, 05:54 PM
Magic Item Compendium suggests several methods:
-Knowledge (Arcana). The DC is pretty high, but it's the same as an Identify for the most part, remembering that you studied about an item that could do such and such.
-Spellcraft: Even by Core, you can do this with potions, as well as identify auras.
-Good ol' detect magic, identify and analyze dweomer.

Thankfully the artificer in my party has an artificer's monocle, so when she succeeds on her artificer knowledge check to detect the aura, she can spend a couple more minutes to actually learn what the item is as per identify.

I typically just use the canned descriptions of the item, and when they identify, I give them a printout of what the item does.

Tsotha-lanti
2009-05-10, 06:15 PM
Depends wildly on the game and the tone.

In the Forgotten Realms (standard 3.5 for us), magic items are WBL common and I don't usually make a fuss about them, so the guys learn what they do within the parameters of the identify spell - powers, activation, and charges.

In other settings (Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Dragonlance), magic items are rarer, relatively more powerful, and usually have both a history and a purpose. I'll describe them in detail - your usual Tolkienic magic swords, glowing in the dark and completely free of rust and wear and so on. Identify spells are often not in easy supply, even if the party has a wizard, so figuring out their properties takes time. Usually, they'll get AC bonuses and other passive armor traits as OOC knowledge so they can factor them in and save me trouble; passive weapon traits when they swing it at an enemy; and so on. Figuring out activation words can be really tricky.

Curmudgeon
2009-05-10, 11:51 PM
I follow the rules, and that works pretty well even without Identify or Analyze Dweomer -- if you're paying attention. You start with the visual description of the item. Anybody with proficiency in a type of weapon or armor can determine if it's masterwork just by checking it out. Next your basic 0-level Detect Magic provides some fairly obvious clues: with magic weapons it always gives Evocation; with magic armor it's Abjuration; and for a stat bonus Transmutation. So any aura other than those indicates something more than a straight numerical enhancement. Next the intensity of the aura gives a pretty good idea of the enhancement for armor and weapons.
For an item with only an enhancement bonus and no other abilities, the caster level is three times the enhancement bonus. So a faint aura is a +1 weapon/armor, moderate is +2/+3, and strong is +4 or more. If the PCs are happy with basic information, that's good enough. If they want all the details: 100 gp and Identify.

Cedrass
2009-05-11, 12:26 AM
I see most people just don't bother making them all mysterious, which is nice! It's pretty much what I do too.

And Curmudgeon, you taught me (or made me remember) things I didn't remember! I'll try not to forget!

Wafflecart
2009-05-11, 12:39 AM
In our group, we pretty much always have identify, and we're given specifics on most things...artifacts however....we are not allowed to know what they do. For instance, we were running a "Collect the God-Relics" campaign (first campaign ever) and found one, we tried to have it identified, so we took it to a wizard...when identified, the wizard exploded...rather than being deterred, we proceeded to try and loot the wizard's home. However, he was a poor wzard, we then began scouring the countryside looking for a rich wizard we could get to use identify. =P