Spellcraft states:
When using detect magic or identify to learn the properties of magic items, you can only attempt to ascertain the properties of an individual item once per day. Additional attempts reveal the same results.
What does this mean, precisely? Additional attempts during that day reveal the same results (effectively, it can be retried tomorrow) or every additional attempts (until someone else tries, or try with a spell or acquire a new rank)?
It means you can't take 20 on the skill check.
You can't get a different result today.
Correct. You also cant just attempt to reroll.
Example, you roll and get a 4.
Then you say, I'll re-attempt and roll a nat 20.
You get exactly the same result as you did with the 4.
What you can do, and what I've had people in my game currently do, is to play round robin with the magical devices. The person with the highest Spellcraft goes first, and makes his roll. Then the person with the next highest attempts it, and so on, so they can get the highest roll to count for what they know.
And tomorrow? What would then be the purpose of the 'you can only attempt to ascertain the properties of an individual item once per day' part?
My group has for the sake of expediency started using both aid another, and take 10 since it is a skill check. Speeds up the process a lot and minimizes bookwork/record keeping.
And tomorrow? What would then be the purpose of the 'you can only attempt to ascertain the properties of an individual item once per day' part?
The magical resonance from the device is messing with your head and giving you a headache when you try to figure out exactly what it can do. After a night's sleep and some time to sort yourself out you can give it another shot and know you're coming to it cold.
Pure fluff, but it explains it.
And tomorrow? What would then be the purpose of the 'you can only attempt to ascertain the properties of an individual item once per day' part?
Everything I stated applies to checks made on the same day. The next day, you can attempt to make another check, and you start with a clean slate.
And tomorrow? What would then be the purpose of the 'you can only attempt to ascertain the properties of an individual item once per day' part?
You are stuck with your first roll per item per day. Otherwise the wizard could just roll until he got a 20 (or, in other words, take a 20) and always know everything about an item.
It means you can't take 20 on the skill check.
You can't get a different result today.
More precisely, you can take 20, but it takes 20 days, since your retry is effecivly once per day on any single item.