spells to detect pregnancy / sex of child / father of child


Rules Questions

Silver Crusade

Are there any spells to detect the sex of a child. The father of a child, or even pregnancy?


Use commune to ask a deity


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Diagnose disease will determine much about the parasitic entity inside someone's body.

And in lieu of a more specific spell, scrying or legend lore should tell you what you want to know if the deadbeat dad isn't hiding.


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Just remember, even if you're not sure what you've caught, there's always Cure Disease!

*Dives for cover*

Quote:
Use commune to ask a deity

You don't honestly believe Zeus is gonna own up to this stuff do you?


Gloves of Reconnaissance if you're less caster inclined. You can pass them around and let the parents get a view.


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Sure, just let me break out my detect lineage.

In that line of thinking, why do I picture villages full of young men carrying lead sheets with them?


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Nope. Most of the spells in the game are combat related in some way. I am sure if Golarion were real there would be more spells dedicated to mundane things that don't involve combat directly or indirectly. As an example there might be a spell that cooks food for you, or even skins the animals that someone catches. Pregnancy is not something the game is really going to concern itself with. Lamashtu(spelling?) is an entirely other topic. :)


Might be something in the Book of Erotic Fantasy, although it has been ages since I flipped through it.


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Use an Elixir of Sex Shift. If it doesn't work, the character is pregnant.


Dispari Scuro wrote:
Use an Elixir of Sex Shift. If it doesn't work, the character is pregnant.

When you think about it, that's not very fair. It means magic in general considers a blastocyst more important than the life of its host!

*gets the hell back into cover*


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Not a spell, but pretty sure Aasimar can get an alternate ability that lets them detect pregnancy within 10'- from Blood of Angels.


This might be what you're looking for. At least part of it.

Silver Crusade

Jamie Charlan wrote:
Dispari Scuro wrote:
Use an Elixir of Sex Shift. If it doesn't work, the character is pregnant.

When you think about it, that's not very fair. It means magic in general considers a blastocyst more important than the life of its host!

*gets the hell back into cover*

Or could end with an alien-like situation.

On the other hand, elxier of sex-shift might be useful for same-sex couples who want to have kids of their own.

Silver Crusade

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wraithstrike wrote:
Nope. Most of the spells in the game are combat related in some way. I am sure if Golarion were real there would be more spells dedicated to mundane things that don't involve combat directly or indirectly. As an example there might be a spell that cooks food for you, or even skins the animals that someone catches. Pregnancy is not something the game is really going to concern itself with. Lamashtu(spelling?) is an entirely other topic. :)

Someone needs to make a book of mundane spells. Because there are roleplaying things, not everything needs to be about combat.

And heck there's create food and create water and those kind of spells.


Mystic_Snowfang wrote:
wraithstrike wrote:
Nope. Most of the spells in the game are combat related in some way. I am sure if Golarion were real there would be more spells dedicated to mundane things that don't involve combat directly or indirectly. As an example there might be a spell that cooks food for you, or even skins the animals that someone catches. Pregnancy is not something the game is really going to concern itself with. Lamashtu(spelling?) is an entirely other topic. :)

Someone needs to make a book of mundane spells. Because there are roleplaying things, not everything needs to be about combat.

And heck there's create food and create water and those kind of spells.

There's probably something 3rd party.


Mystic_Snowfang wrote:
wraithstrike wrote:
Nope. Most of the spells in the game are combat related in some way. I am sure if Golarion were real there would be more spells dedicated to mundane things that don't involve combat directly or indirectly. As an example there might be a spell that cooks food for you, or even skins the animals that someone catches. Pregnancy is not something the game is really going to concern itself with. Lamashtu(spelling?) is an entirely other topic. :)

Someone needs to make a book of mundane spells. Because there are roleplaying things, not everything needs to be about combat.

And heck there's create food and create water and those kind of spells.

You can die without food and water on an adventure so they are indirectly related to combat.

BTW, I get your point, but most groups don't RP things out to that level even in games such as Exalted(and the others that use the same system) that are based more on storytelling than PF is.

If enough people showed interest in it that a company thought it could profit they would do it, but until then it won't happen.


Mystic_Snowfang wrote:
Are there any spells to detect the sex of a child. The father of a child, or even pregnancy?

This one might get the pregnancy thing. Maybe even the father - depending on whether one interprets "relation" as including partners or not.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/discern-next-of-kin

Detect thoughts could also get the pregnancy thing.

Or you could just abolish the system where it matters, and/or go for a matriarchy instead?


Jamie Charlan wrote:
Dispari Scuro wrote:
Use an Elixir of Sex Shift. If it doesn't work, the character is pregnant.

When you think about it, that's not very fair. It means magic in general considers a blastocyst more important than the life of its host!

*gets the hell back into cover*

Urge to make political joke ... rising ...

This is so trivial, it barely rises to the use of a cantrip, if even that high.


Lucy_Valentine wrote:
Mystic_Snowfang wrote:
Are there any spells to detect the sex of a child. The father of a child, or even pregnancy?

This one might get the pregnancy thing. Maybe even the father - depending on whether one interprets "relation" as including partners or not.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/discern-next-of-kin

Detect thoughts could also get the pregnancy thing.

Or you could just abolish the system where it matters, and/or go for a matriarchy instead?

"you can learn only what the target knows or believes."

Shadow Lodge

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Icon of the Midwife


wraithstrike wrote:
"you can learn only what the target knows or believes."

Yes. So if the mother doesn't know she's pregnant, it won't help. On the other hand, if she does know but doesn't want to deal with it, it will.

Silver Crusade

wraithstrike wrote:
Nope. Most of the spells in the game are combat related in some way. I am sure if Golarion were real there would be more spells dedicated to mundane things that don't involve combat directly or indirectly. As an example there might be a spell that cooks food for you, or even skins the animals that someone catches. Pregnancy is not something the game is really going to concern itself with. Lamashtu(spelling?) is an entirely other topic. :)

Prestidigitation... you can chill (cool your drinks), warm (heat up), and flavor (add spice and better taste) your food-- probably not quite full-on cooking, but something to drastically improve your field rations (without mechanical game effect) does already exist. :)

Still doesn't solve the 'detect pregnancy' issue though. However, come to think of it-- there's some "life sight"/"life sense" abilities out there for Oracles and Shamans with the Life Mystery/Spirit that might provide some insight.

Sovereign Court

Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

SKR just did a Kickstarter called "Goody White's Book of Folk Magic," filled with exactly this kind of stuff - spells that might not be fit for adventurers, but are what 90% of the world would want.

Goody White


wraithstrike wrote:
Mystic_Snowfang wrote:
wraithstrike wrote:
Nope. Most of the spells in the game are combat related in some way. I am sure if Golarion were real there would be more spells dedicated to mundane things that don't involve combat directly or indirectly. As an example there might be a spell that cooks food for you, or even skins the animals that someone catches. Pregnancy is not something the game is really going to concern itself with. Lamashtu(spelling?) is an entirely other topic. :)

Someone needs to make a book of mundane spells. Because there are roleplaying things, not everything needs to be about combat.

And heck there's create food and create water and those kind of spells.

You can die without food and water on an adventure so they are indirectly related to combat.

BTW, I get your point, but most groups don't RP things out to that level even in games such as Exalted(and the others that use the same system) that are based more on storytelling than PF is.

If enough people showed interest in it that a company thought it could profit they would do it, but until then it won't happen.

Prestidigitation covers a helluva lot. And the fact that we've come up with at least 3 answers to every question raised in OP suggests there are a lot of ways to hammer your combat sword into a role-play ploughshare.

The biggest hurdle with that kind of magic, though, is that we're gamers. We find every loophole, we abuse every mechanic, we squeeze points out of a one-sided die because that's what we do, it's who we are.

So you make a buncha spells or magic items that cook your food or filet your fish or use family connections to find/contact people and suddenly you've got some smartass using the magical equivalent of a toaster oven to kill an Aboleth Deeplord, locate its Unscannable conspiracy to destroy the sun, and kill most of its members with deadly words of power before teleport-assaulting the rest.

On the larger topic of Fluff v. Crunch...

Just this evening I spent a sizable chunk of gold (for a first level character) throwing money around buying people drinks for no other reason than, "I got some free cash and want to spread the love." I took magical talent just so I could get prestidigitation for my food and cleaning my stuff. I took Scaly Ally because my character worships Apsu and likes dragons (it is a VERY safe bet I will never, ever meet one in this AP). Am I having the GoodRightFun by RPing an appropriate amount?

Probably not, since Scaly Ally has a mechanical advantage, Prestidigitation (with DM permission) fakes the rather expensive Disguise Kit I cannot afford, and buying EVERYONE a round of ale and then buying the people at the gaming table a second round of something much stiffer meant my non-drinking friend had an easier time out-gambling them.

And I don't know if the rest of the party has figured out I'm not actually an elf yet, but it seems inevitable.


Detect the Faithful.


I just know there's a funny story behind the OP's question...


boring7 wrote:

Prestidigitation covers a helluva lot. And the fact that we've come up with at least 3 answers to every question raised in OP suggests there are a lot of ways to hammer your combat sword into a role-play ploughshare.

The biggest hurdle with that kind of magic, though, is that we're gamers. We find every loophole, we abuse every mechanic, we squeeze points out of a one-sided die because that's what we do, it's who we are.

So you make a buncha spells or magic items that cook your food or filet your fish or use family connections to find/contact people and suddenly you've got some smartass using the magical equivalent of a toaster oven to kill an Aboleth Deeplord, locate its Unscannable conspiracy to destroy the sun, and kill most of its members with deadly words of power before teleport-assaulting the rest.

On the larger topic of Fluff v. Crunch...

Just this evening I spent a sizable chunk of gold (for a first level character) throwing money around buying people drinks for no other reason than, "I got some free cash and want to spread the love." I took magical talent just so I could get prestidigitation for my food and cleaning my stuff. I took Scaly Ally because my character worships Apsu and likes dragons (it is a VERY safe bet I will never, ever meet one in this AP). Am I having the GoodRightFun by RPing an appropriate amount?

Probably not, since Scaly Ally has a mechanical advantage, Prestidigitation (with DM permission) fakes the rather expensive Disguise Kit I cannot afford, and buying EVERYONE a round of ale and then buying the people at the gaming table a second round of something much stiffer meant my non-drinking friend had an easier time out-gambling them.

And I don't know if the rest of the party has figured out I'm not actually an elf yet, but it seems inevitable.

The Vorpal Blender of Mordor anyone?


Vod Canockers wrote:
Detect the Faithful.

Won't help unless you're dealing with a hyper-intelligent fully sentient embryo that's already chosen its god?

Scarab Sages

Mystic_Snowfang wrote:
Are there any spells to detect the sex of a child. The father of a child, or even pregnancy?

RAW, not really.

I would assume such spells would be very common amongst rural, non-adventuring hedge magicians and witches. They just are not something most adventurers would care about.

Liberty's Edge

Augury. In fact, the Icon of the Midwife lists augury as one of the spells needed to create it, and is the obvious source of that aspect of its ability.

Other spells:
Divination (obviously)
Status
Blood Biography (blood test)


Commune actually covers a lot of this.
"Is she pregnant?"
"Is it a boy?" *Only trip up is if she's having twins or more.
And if you already have a suspected baby daddy
"Is this man the father"

Scarab Sages

First off, anthropologically speaking (from someone who has a degree in the field) many anthropologists believed that many old societies were so controlling of women because the men wanted to be sure that the child was theirs. There's an old saying, "Maternity is a fact, paternity is an opinion." In societies where linage was traced through the mother (matrilinal societies), this was much less of a problem as people didn't really care who the father was, and often times the mother's brother raised her kids (and the father wasn't in the picture much.)

(end of educational bit)

While a Heal skill check might be able to determine if someone is pregnant as early as, say, a month or a month and a half in, if you are determined to have a spell do the work for you, Augry, if worded properly, could probably do the trick. You could ask something like: "If this couple wants to have children, what would be the result if she stopped copulating for nine months?" If the result is positive (Weal) then there is a good chance that she is already pregnant.

Other options are possible. A witch could cast "accept affliction" on a mother with morning sickness, and if the spell fails, then you know the cause is not a curse, disease, or poison (leaving pretty much internal injury and pregnancy)

Asking for the sex of the child is basically the same thing as augry, "If this couple only cares about having a male heir, what would be the result if she didn't copulate for nine months" tells you if it a boy (and, by process of elimination, a girl if you already determined she's pregnant)

As for locating the father, you'd need commune, contact other plane, or (if the GM allowed it) lesser wish, wish, or miracle as far as I know. Of course, the book does say that Players and GMs can create new spells with GM permission. Locate father would probably be a 2nd level spell, though a skilled investigator could probably do it with skill checks unless the father is genuinely unknown (as in, the times of copulation were too close to call.)


Alternatively, just do a heal check. Letting a character do paranormal, even supernatural things with a really high skill check isn't so weird for a fantasy game.

I'm reminded of the episode of Brisco County Jr. where Lord Bowler (master tracker, often says "the ground talks to me") looks at the ground, and can tell that a pregnant woman passed by earlier in the day and that when she made it to the town hospital 10 miles away she had twins.

Mystery Midwife with magic powers, stand in awe.

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