A summoner can just build his eidolon for IDing stuff. Give it spellcraft as class skill, minor magic for detect magic and skilled spellcraft. With just one rank in it its at +10.I hope you are suggesting that as a "good" and/or "cost effective" idea ironically.
In the party the OP describes it seems no one can really do it. but they have a summoner, so why not?
At least that way the eidolon can be helpful while not stamping other people's toes.
I like to add an element of roleplaying if stuck with an unidentified magic item. For example, say the PCs have a longsword +1 but have been unable to identify it, they decide to use it in combat. Instead of telling them it is a simple "+1" item, I might mention that it cuts deeper or hits harder than they expected. Now they know it has magical properties when they use it. If it was a cursed item, the same might be true except the cursed qualities might be mentioned.
In short, if they don't have the skills to identify it or the gold to pay an NPC to do so, then they can experiment through roleplay, but they won't find out the exact properties until they do acquire the needed skills and succeed in the identification process.
PCs should be responsible for their party make up. Usually someone steps up and grabs whatever skills are needed at next level. If not, then caveat emptor!
I once had a player blow up and nearly quit once because he didn't bother to identify things properly.
He had his cohort create him a belt of physical perfection +6, something that was so far beyond his cohort's capabilities, that she autofailed the necessary crafting check. Because the player wasn't paying attention to the numbers, and didn't bother to identify the item before donning it, he ended up blowing a bunch of his wealth on a cursed item.
Just toss a Wand of Identify into the treasure pool. Have it specifically prepared by a 4th level caster so Identify lasts 12 rounds, cast and then Take 10 on your Spellcraft check for an immediate +20 to identify the item.
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We let players take 10 on Spellcraft checks to ID items. It means the caster can just tell the GM "I get everything CL X and below" and we get on with the game. Experimentation to ID items could occasionally be fun but too often devolved into a checklist of common silly things to check. I'm not sad to see it go just like describing exactly how you search the room.
We let players take 10 on Spellcraft checks to ID items. It means the caster can just tell the GM "I get everything CL X and below" and we get on with the game. Experimentation to ID items could occasionally be fun but too often devolved into a checklist of common silly things to check. I'm not sad to see it go just like describing exactly how you search the room.
This isn't even something players need to be "let" to do. They can just do it. :)
In my game, I usually just assume that the highest spellcraft character takes 10, everybody else who can aids, then I tell them everything they identify with that spellcraft number, which is most things. The players then decide for the following days how they're going to try and identify the items.
Telling them "you identify all the swag except this one thing" usually gets them a little more interested in that one thing and learning what it is.
Having looked at the Spellcraft skill, there does not appear to be any rule that prohibits taking 10 with Spellcraft checks made to identify an item. Just because some future ability gets the rule wrong, doesn't mean the rule changes.
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I just let them know. Magic items are expected its just too much of a hassle to lose time in rolling spellcraft checks until they get a 20. The result is gonna be the same anyway. I only roll if its an important magic item, like a legacy weapon or artifacts, and normall i allow history or other int skills
Personally I agree, but argue with Jason Bulmahn, not me.
Is he making up rules again?
I think the argument was that Detect Magic requires concentration, which distracts from your Spellcraft.
That...just doesn't make sense. Both the spells and skill specifically state you need both in order to identify an object. That completely contradicts his logic!
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As long as there's a party member with Detect Magic and a decent spellcraft (eg max ranks and class skill) I assume that simple items are automatically identified. I ask for a check for items that are unusual and/or particularly powerful for the PCs' level. The first +1 sword a party encounters warrants a check, after that it's not worth the bother.
Incidentally, our party's item identifier is a Summoner. Just because you don't cast using Int doesn't mean you should dump it. Int gives you skill points and bonus languages and boosts your Spellcraft (note: also useful for crafting) and Knowledge checks. If the summoner is filling these roles in the party, then an Int bonus is advisable.
Not necessarily. You need Detect Magic and Spellcraft to id an item. Obviously you can use them together. That doesn't mean the concentration isn't a distraction that prevents you from Taking 10. You can do the identification, you just can't Take 10. There's no inherent contradiction.
It's not just that you can use Detect Magic and Spellcraft together, it's that you need Detect Magic and Spellcraft together to ID an item. Detect Magic is an essential tool. Saying that concentrating on Detect Magic is a distraction is like saying that your lute is a distraction when making a Perform (strings) check, or that the guard dog you are training is a distraction when making a Handle Animal check (after all, it's biting your training glove). The spell, the lute, and the dog are are integral parts of the check, not distractions.
If the use of Detect Magic was intended to make identifying a magic item extra taxing, then there should have been a specific restriction on that use of Spellcraft, like the restriction in Swim that prevents its use in stormy water where the conditions of the check itself is adverse enough to prevent taking 10.
It's not a ruling I agree with and I don't think it even qualifies as official, since it's not in a FAQ as far as I know.
Indeed, thank goodness.
Not necessarily. You need Detect Magic and Spellcraft to id an item. Obviously you can use them together. That doesn't mean the concentration isn't a distraction that prevents you from Taking 10. You can do the identification, you just can't Take 10. There's no inherent contradiction.
It's not a ruling I agree with and I don't think it even qualifies as official, since it's not in a FAQ as far as I know.
Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification.