Question is in the title ladies and gents.
The text reads
Level: Brd 0, Clr 0, Drd 0, Pal 1, Rgr 1, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level
By means of read magic, you can decipher magical inscriptions on objects—books, scrolls, weapons, and the like—that would otherwise be unintelligible. This deciphering does not normally invoke the magic contained in the writing, although it may do so in the case of a cursed scroll. Furthermore, once the spell is cast and you have read the magical inscription, you are thereafter able to read that particular writing without recourse to the use of read magic. You can read at the rate of one page (250 words) per minute. The spell allows you to identify a glyph of warding with a DC 13 Spellcraft check, a greater glyph of warding with a DC 16 Spellcraft check, or any symbol spell with a Spellcraft check (DC 10 + spell level).
Read magic can be made permanent with a permanency spell.
Focus
A clear crystal or mineral prism.
So my question is, aside from identifying the Glyph series of spells, what does it do?
Is it an auto identify for scrolls?
Any magic item with writing on it, that describes how to use the item?
Or just a spell used to identify glyph spells?
Is it an auto identify for scrolls?
Any magic item with writing on it, that describes how to use the item?
Or just a spell used to identify glyph spells?
- Yes.
- No.
- No, it's also used to read other wizards' spellbooks.
To decipher an arcane magical writing (such as a single spell in another's spellbook or on a scroll), a character must make a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the spell's level). If the skill check fails, the character cannot attempt to read that particular spell again until the next day. A read magic spell automatically deciphers magical writing without a skill check. If the person who created the magical writing is on hand to help the reader, success is also automatic.
If you find someone else's spellbook, you can read their spells. If you choose, at that time, to not copy the text into your own spellbook, you can still look at the version of the spell you've already deciphered and study the spell from that source. Ex:
Your first level wizard knows a couple spells. He comes across a dusty old tome w/a long-hand version of Magic Mouth. He's not powerful enough to cast that just yet, but he decides to keep the spell around.
He makes it to 3rd level and decides to add Magic Mouth to his spells. He doesn't however want to devote the space in his spellbook. Not a problem; he's already got a version of the spell he can study in the other book he found.
If he then found the same spell written in cuneiform on a brass tablet in some forgotten ruin he'd have to cast Read Magic again since it's another version of writing the spell (at least; that's how its worked in MY games).