What rules would cover deceptively magic items?


Rules Questions


Is it strictly the DC to identify a magic item?

If a huckster is selling a "charm" he claims protects vs XXXX, is the revelation the PC was duped reliant only upon a successful identify check?

(not including the Sense Motive check for the NPC's claims)

I'm looking for the PF equal (I know there is not a direct equal) to the old AD&D, "Nystul's Magic Aura," which gives a false positive for Detect Magic.

Sovereign Court

Magic Aura seems like it might be what you're looking for.


Thank you for that.

Hmmm, seems to be a tad of wiggle room in the spell description.

Says if an Identify spell is cast, it is revealed for what it truly is, but says nothing about a successful or failed Spellcraft check, which is what an Identify would give a bonus to.

In all fairness to the players, I would think that a successful Spellcraft check even without Identify should reveal it, and an Identify automatically reveals it regardless of the DC (keeping to RAW for the spell description.)

Sovereign Court

For old named spells they had to drop the names (presumably due to copyright issues).


mardaddy wrote:

Thank you for that.

Hmmm, seems to be a tad of wiggle room in the spell description.

Says if an Identify spell is cast, it is revealed for what it truly is, but says nothing about a successful or failed Spellcraft check, which is what an Identify would give a bonus to.

In all fairness to the players, I would think that a successful Spellcraft check even without Identify should reveal it, and an Identify automatically reveals it regardless of the DC (keeping to RAW for the spell description.)

Let's look at the numbers....

Magic Aura is a 1st level spell. DC to identify it by its aura is 15 + SL = 16.
If you cast detect magic, and have 1 rank in spellcraft, with minimal Int of 10 means you have a skill of 1(rank)+3(class)+0(stat)=4. Take 10 makes that 14. Not enough to guarantee an ID.
If you cast detect magic and identify, and have 1 rank in spellcraft, with minimal Int of 11 means you have a skill of 1(rank)+3(class)+0(stat)+10(identify)=14. Take 10 makes that 24. Guaranteed success. This is why the identify spell assumes success.

Basically, you need to meet the DC 16 to know what it is. If you have Int 14, you succeed with just detect magic. Any less, and you need to roll.

/cevah


...maybe you all should read a little more. Just the rest of the sentence.

Magic Aura wrote:

You alter an item's aura so that it registers to detect spells (and spells with similar capabilities) as though it were non-magical, or a magic item of a kind you specify, or the subject of a spell you specify. If the object bearing magic aura has identify cast on it or is similarly examined, the examiner recognizes that the aura is false and detects the object's actual qualities if he succeeds on a Will save. Otherwise, he believes the aura and no amount of testing reveals what the true magic is.

If the targeted item's own aura is exceptionally powerful (if it is an artifact, for instance), magic aura doesn't work.

Identify and "similarly examined" (probably means Detect Magic) give you a Will save to realize that the aura on it is false. If you succeed on the save you can then try to identify the item (or if it's not magical at all, realize it's not magical). If you fail the save you can then try to identify the item but you'll get the fake result (or realize it's "not magical at all" if the spell makes it look non-magical). Basically, Identify just gives you a Will save to either treat it like what it actually is (make the save) or treat it like what you think it is (fail the save).

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