Detect Magic and Dominate Person

[Renvale987]

We had this come up a few minutes ago. If someone is under the effects of Dominate Person, can it be detected by Detect Magic, and if so how does it work?

I know you can use Sense Motive, but we had a wizard with detect magic on when the rogue was hit by a Dominate Person from a book.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Isil-zha]

There is also the option to use knowledge arcana to notice a spell effect in place, even though that's a higher DC than the sense motive it may be still the easier check for the wizard.

Even if the active spell's aura is visible, the wizard would still need to identify it, which leads back to that arcana check.

In general detect magic shouldn't be an universal solution for everything, but that's just my personal opinion.

[David Haller]

Dominate Person is an ongoing spell effect, so yes, it's subject to Detect Magic, though it's only going to get you the school (enchantment) and strength of the spell (with a DC 20 arcana check, in the case of Dominate Person).

So, if we concentrated for three rounds on the subject, we'd realize he's under the effect of moderate enchantment; this could mean a variety of things (someone enjoying a casting of greater heroism would have exactly the same aura).

Arcane Sight would give the same results, only faster; Greater Arcane Sight would automatically inform us (no arcana check) that the subject is influenced by Dominate Person.

A clever enchanter, before inserting his dominated minion back into circulation, will ward him with something like Nondetection, which has a possibility of blocking such detection!

[Isil-zha]

identifying a spell effect should be something like knowledge arcana DC=20+spell level

so you can get the exact spell effect, not just the school

[David Haller]

Isil-zha wrote:

identifying a spell effect should be something like knowledge arcana DC=20+spell level

so you can get the exact spell effect, not just the school

No - detect magic detects auras.

You can determine the aura's school with a DC 15 + spell level; note that this isn't even the subschool (like compulsion), but the school (like enchantment).

You can identify non-spell effects with a DC 15 + 1/2 caster level; as an example, this might tell you that a subject has been dominated by a vampire (since in that case it's not a spell, but a supernatural ability).

To actually identify a specific spell requires higher-level divinations.

[Isil-zha]

Knowledge arcana description allows you to identify spell effects in place (technically even without casting detect magic) at the DC I mentioned earlier

[Kazejin]

David Haller wrote:

No - detect magic detects auras.

You can determine the aura's school with a DC 15 + spell level; note that this isn't even the subschool (like compulsion), but the school (like enchantment).

You can identify non-spell effects with a DC 15 + 1/2 caster level; as an example, this might tell you that a subject has been dominated by a vampire (since in that case it's not a spell, but a supernatural ability).

To actually identify a specific spell requires higher-level divinations.

You use Detect Magic to realize the aura is there, and to identify the details of the aura, if you wish. You then use a separate, generic Knowledge Arcana check to identify the spell, since you now realize a spell effect is there.

[Kent Unsaid]

A DC 15 sense motive check will reveal that that someone is dominated in any case so even peasants have a 25% of being able to tell. Dominate person is not that useful for infiltration.

[David Haller]

Isil-zha wrote:

Knowledge arcana description allows you to identify spell effects in place (technically even without casting detect magic) at the DC I mentioned earlier

I hadn't looked at that table in a while! I stand corrected.

(Non-detection is looking more important than ever...)

[Kent Unsaid]

Non-detection won't help with that. The knowledge check and the sense motive check are both not divination.