Lately I've been toying with some houserules and I wanted to bounce a few of them off of the experts here to see if there are unseen ways they would impact the game.
First off, can anyone tell me why it costs 100gp to cast the Identify spell? What part of the game would be broken by making it free?
As it stands, my players are more likely to not bother with identify and, once they've detected magic, just leave it to the DM to apply the appropriate magical effects.
Kind of a pain in the butt, really. I'd like to save the hassle and just remove the 100gp requirement to cast the spell. Any reason I shouldn't?
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*By no means an expert*
I like the 100gp surcharge.
It's one of the few things in 3.5 that cuts against the menu-style approach to magical items that is so common to the game.
100gp is a fairly good chunk of change for a single use of a spell. A character likely will stop and weigh whether they want to blow this much to cast it. In a way, it preserves the mystique of magic items. Yeah, so you've detected magic - now what? You still don't know what it does or how to use it. Want to know? It'll cost you.
It puts a limit, albeit an abstract one, on PC knowledge. They can't just willy nilly figure out every aspect of every magical item they come across. (Well, they can . . . but it's going to cut into their purse.) Also, the required 100 gp pearl is something of a rarity, and you can't just find one whenever you want.
It wouldn't be gamebreaking to remove the cost to cast, it's just a matter of personal taste as to how much free reign you want to give your players.
A variant that I've toyed with in the past, though never used, is that the spell is physically exhausting and the entire day following casting you suffer a -2 to Con and get an intense headache if you try to cast the spell again within 24 hours. This might be a good replacement for the surcharge, if the cash component just strikes you as too odd.
Or not. YMMV.
No, it won't have a major impact on your game; but I think the hassle is the point. It's essentially flavor, but to my mind the idea is that you have to sacrifice something, particularly something exotic or something of value (look at material components for other divination spells, like Divination and Augury), or both, to get access to knowledge you wouldn't otherwise have access to.
The way I see it, even if you're not petitioning a deity directly
you're essentially making a deal with the universe--the universe is yielding up knowledge, which is traded for your material components.
I don't know much about real-world divination traditions, but I think that sort of practice has often entailed use of material components we would consider exotic or flat out weird (the Greeks, for example, would sacrifice animals and use divining bowls).
One thing to consider is that some classes get the ability to identify for free, clerics with the magic domain, loremaster PrC, etc. If you want to make identify cheaper, why not put some of these in your game as NPCs?
A tip would be to place pearls as treasure. It makes sense from an in-game perspective; more people than just the PCs are going to want to have magic items identified, either ones they currently own or ones they expect to find. Intelligent enemies might keep the pearls for their own use. Patrons can reward PCs with pearls. Dungeons might have some lying around, dropped by adventurers in years past who fled for their lives from some monster or died by its claws. It's not even a stretch that the pearls are all 100gp, either. Everyone in a position to buy such things would know that a certain quality of pearl is required to cast the spell and would therefore have them on hand. Pearl harvesters would know what to look for. Even if the doesn't have a spellcaster, or just doesn't have one with identify, this still aids them. They can supply the gems to NPC spellcasters, cutting the cost for a casting of identify down from 110gp to just 10gp.
Thus, you give the party wealth in a more portable and interesting format than "just" gold coins. This wealth also gives them the feeling of a certain number of "free" identify castings. Thus you can retain the feeling of mystique and the cost of actually learning what magic items do while reducing the hassle on the player's end.
Also remember that there are non-magical ways to identify potions. Potions are rarely worth the cost to have them identified, particularly at low levels, but players still want to know what they are. I actually think that the DC for the spellcraft check should be lowered so that non-magical identification more reliable method and there's no pressure to use precious identifies on "mere" potions.
Also, remember that scrolls can be identified with Spellcraft checks, as well as the ubiquitous spell, read magic. That reduces the number of items requiring identification.
Another bit of fun is to let a bard use Bardic Knowledge to try identifying items. You should have some stories for items made up. The party gets a cool item with a history (as opposed to "just another" +1 sword), and the bard gets to feel special.
Just let them do it for free. Or, if you want to associate some sort of cost with it, change it from a pearl to a loop similar to the Analyze Dweomer spell.
First off, any group I know wouldn't even think to use a magic item that they haven't identified unless they were desperate, and then they'd prey you didn't curse the thing. It's bad enough the spell takes an hour to cast the spell, meaning it's unlikely they'll have time until they rest for the night. Then they have to worry about whether they have a 100gp pearl (or at least a 100gp to burn). Meanwhile, there's that treasure. Just sitting there. Not being used.
Second, it's a drain on the party loot. If you're thinking of tossing some pearls in the treasure just to make sure the party can identify all or most of the magic items, then it's not really a burden. And if you don't, then it's precisely that. A burden.
Finally, the spellcasters have a hard enough time trying to make sure they get to BE spellcasters through the course of an adventuring day without having to 'waste' any of their precious spells on identifying magic items. So there's already a cost involved. Every spell they sacrifice on identifying magic items is another round of combat they don't get to be a spellcaster. Oh boy, let's break out that crossbow and shoot that barn over there! All I got left is Identify! WHEE!
Sarcasm aside, there's plenty of reasons to nix the cost. As a midline in my games, I've just had folks use a 100gp Focus instead of Material component, and there's been no flood of treasure overwhelming my game.
EDIT: And there's not a single reason I can think of that you shouldn't nix the cost.
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Take a look at the discussion of alternate ways to identify magic items in the Magic Item Compendium. If I recall the discussion correctly, WotC has exactly the same reservations about the cost of Identify that you do, which is why those alternate means now exist in canon.
One thing to consider is that if you are running a fairly standard campaign you'll probably want to follow the wealth-by-level guidelines. With that system, you'll need to add the identification expenses into treasure anyway.
Also, note that Clerics with the correct domain (Magic) can cast the spell for free once per day anyway.
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Identify has always been a way to burn low level party resources.
Some DMs are the type to tell a player that their item does "x, y, z" once they grasp it. Its alot more fun IMO, to have a party run around in an adventure with items that they dont know what they do exactly. Yeah its a bit of a book-keeping nightmare for a DM at times, but its kinda why the skill use Magic Device has more meaning. Once a party gets higher levels, then it becomes easier to realize what items are that they find as treasure.
I took out the 100 gp cost for a campaign and it wasnt as fun or interesting to me and the group.
Downtime. Downtime, downtime, downtime. It is critical (especially for wizards, who are more likely than anyone else to be casting identify in the first place) to have downtime so they can research spells, craft magic items, maqybe do a little non-quest-centric roleplaying, and cast identify spells!
Yes, including downtime can affect the types of campaigns you run; you have to factor in break periods. Most DMs don't seem to do this, and it's unfair to several classes, but the wizard more than any other. It can be alleviated by something as simple as a long ship voyage or a couple of weeks waiting for an NPC to arrive or (gasp!) a month where the world is not in dire peril.
I don't think including pearls as treasure obviates the cost of identify, either, so long as the DM is judicious in their placement. Say you hand out three pearls. But you know the party is going to find four or more items. There you have created tension and resource management, without so much of a burden. The party will likely decide to pay for the fourth identify somehow (either buying the pearl or hiring an NPC), but it's not the drain, drag, and hassle of simply going back to town, ponying up 400gp, and them blah, blah, blah, finding out you've got a +1 sword and some wondrous items. The party gets to make the choice of how they're going to handle this, and that makes it more engaging and exciting.
Finally, there is the matter of unidentified items. Be direct with your players: encourage them to try out things even if they don't know what it does for sure. You must build a sense of trust. Don't curse or trap the first item they find and experiment with, or even the second, third, or fourth. Once they know they can generally trust the DM, he or she is more free to use such ploys as cursed and trapped items very sparingly (as in, probably once every two or three campaigns).
But if the DM doesn't work with the players, telling them to experiment and constructing a feeling of trust, then they aren't going to know to do that.
Quirky little things like identify's 100gp pearl lend shape and form to D&D. Certainly, these elements can be changed to little or no mechanical effect at any time by the DM. However, one should consider why they are making these changes. I personally feel that doing away with too many (let alone all) of them would leave this game as a formless mass of mechanics with little personality. Then it wouldn't really matter that it was D&D versus any other RPG out there. Thus, my philosophy is to try working creatively within the guidelines, looking for ways to make them exciting rather than simply treating them as burdens to be struggled with.
The question to me is, does identify in your world identify all traits about an item? (statistical bonuses, charges left, abilities, intelligent, artifact, cursed, etc.)
If so then a 100gp pearl is a cheap price for that. No need to change it.
If, on the other hand, they require legend lore (or the like)for those kinds of things (intelligent, artifact & cursed specifically) then it seems fine if you want nix the pearl.
Though I would like to say that you can get identify for free at high levels anyways. Just have a good spellcraft skill.
From SRD:
(Epic) Spellcraft
Spellcraft
The character can identify properties of a magic item.
DC Task
50 + caster level Identify basic property of magic item
70 + caster level Identify all properties of magic item
50 Quick identification of alchemical substances and potions
Identify Basic Property of Magic Item
This use of the skill requires one round of inspection, and functions exactly as if the character had cast an identify spell on the item. A character can’t attempt this on the same item more than once.
Identify All Properties of Magic Item
This requires one minute of inspection, and reveals all properties of a single magic item (including command words and charges remaining). A character can’t attempt this on the same item more than once. If an item has different caster levels for different properties, use the highest caster level.
Quick Identification
A character can identify a substance or potion in the field as a full-round action, without an alchemical lab or any cost. The character can’t retry this check (or take 20); if he or she fails, the character must identify the substance in an alchemical lab, as normal.
You could always make those checks lower if you wanted to. Say 35 & 40?
How valuable is 100gp in your campaign? 100 gp is alot of money to a newly generated character and represents a long term financial goal. But (per the SRD) at 2nd level, it represents 10% of his wealth and is more like a tax.
There doesn't seem to be any half way about it. It's either "we can't afford to spend 100gp to identify this" or "pfft, I think I have 100gp in my sofa cushions..." Neither one sounds like a benefit to the campaign. Your description of "pointless tax" seems pretty spot on.
Xellan hit all my concerns precisely. There just doesn't seem to be a strong reason to tax my PCs for something I want them to know. Plus, I hadn't even known about the cleric's ability to identify for free, so it must not be that game breaking. In the end, I could always depend on the casting time and use of a spell slot to keep some of the mystique of magic items.
However, Saern's idea of including pearls as treasure (especially in a wizards lair where they'd likely be anyways) is brilliant.* This easy solution more than anything is what's keeping me from just whole-heartedly ditching the expense and moving on. I'll have to debate it with myself some more...
Some really good insights and experiences here. Thanks for sharing, everyone.
* Plus it just might kick my players of the "every pearl is a Pearl of Power" assumption kick they've been on for the past 15 years.
In order to keep from "taxing" low-level PCs who want to know what their magic items are, I recommend a little extrapolation from the rules.
Most items with a mere +1 enchantment will radiate a "faint" dweomer: They radiate as if a caster of 5th level or lower completed them. A successful Spellcraft check will then reveal the school of magic involved (DC: 15 + the item's caster level).
Unless a prerequisite spell is specified, weapons will radiate Evocation. Abjuration can be detected on magic armor. Of course, many items will have been crafted with magic weapon and some armor will have been made with magic vestments: Those will radiate Transmutation.
I also rule that the rituals used require specific materials and processes that generally leave evidence upon the item ("Hmm. Ruby dust was painted under the hilt's sharkskin wrappings. They used the Ritual of Gerda!"). Careful inspection thus allows another Spellcraft check if the first one fails.
Since weapons and armor are ordinarily enchanted to +1 before any other enchantments are placed upon them, once the characters detect a faint dweomer, they can conclude it is a mere +1 item.
Since most of the items found at low level are no better than +1, this immediately eliminates half the Identify spells.
In order to keep from "taxing" low-level PCs who want to know what their magic items are, I recommend a little extrapolation from the rules.
Most items with a mere +1 enchantment will radiate a "faint" dweomer: They radiate as if a caster of 5th level or lower completed them. A successful Spellcraft check will then reveal the school of magic involved (DC: 15 + the item's caster level).
Unless a prerequisite spell is specified, weapons will radiate Evocation. Abjuration can be detected on magic armor. Of course, many items will have been crafted with magic weapon and some armor will have been made with magic vestments: Those will radiate Transmutation.
I also rule that the rituals used require specific materials and processes that generally leave evidence upon the item ("Hmm. Ruby dust was painted under the hilt's sharkskin wrappings. They used the Ritual of Gerda!"). Careful inspection thus allows another Spellcraft check if the first one fails.
Since weapons and armor are ordinarily enchanted to +1 before any other enchantments are placed upon them, once the characters detect a faint dweomer, they can conclude it is a mere +1 item.
Since most of the items found at low level are no better than +1, this immediately eliminates half the Identify spells.
I also use a similar ruling. If a player has a plus X weapon and they find a plus X repeating crossbow. They use detect magic and I say "You notice that the aura given of by the crossbow is identical to the aura from your weapon."
Most items with a mere +1 enchantment will radiate a "faint" dweomer: They radiate as if a caster of 5th level or lower completed them. A successful Spellcraft check will then reveal the school of magic involved (DC: 15 + the item's caster level).
Say, that's not a bad idea either. Let them deduce the obvious stuff and have them call out the big guns to identify items that seem to go beyond that.
So if they find a magic sword that the Detect and deduce as a +2 sword "plus something else", they would be curious enough to drop a pearl on it to see what that "something else" is. That would keep the mystique of magic items AND encourage them to find out an item's traits from the start.
There is something to be said here about the "art" of DMing. If identifying magic items is too draining on party resources and becomes a fun-killer, or if using the RAW is somehow disruptive to the style of campaign you're running, then change it. Otherwise, if it ain't broke don't fix it. On the other hand, if your party can't keep up with the expense of identifying all those magic items then the DM's probably providing way too many. Similarly, if your wizard just has to look at an item to discern its properties, then you're missing some opportunities to have a little fun. They key, of course, is balance.
By way of example, here's how the identify spell has impacted my campaign in the past:
A party of 2nd level characters had to decide between getting better equipment or identifying magic items - they chose better equipment. A fighter in the party was carrying a black greatsword he'd found. Earlier, after a rust monster had destroyed his longsword, he used the greatsword to attack an ooze. His first strike killed the thing (critical hit!), and I described its death throes in graphic terms. He has yet to identify the sword, and is still carrying it at 4th level. He's convinced it has magical powers because it killed the ooze so easily - it doesn't.
A group of 11th level characters had to scramble to accumulate the resources needed to attack a dragon before it finished a deadly ritual. Much of their magic equipment had been destroyed in an earlier confrontation with the dragon (Mordenkainen's disjunction), so they were desperate. Tension built steadily thanks to their need to pause and cast the identify spell multiple times, and thanks to their need to find enough pearls to cast it. They still remember their desperate search with fondness even though they've long since moved on to other endeavors.
An fifth-level sorcerer had gained too much treasure thanks to DM oversight (alright, I admit it, it was me - but it was an honest mistake). Knowing how expensive identifying magic items could be, he traded much of that treasure (including some items he didn't know were magical and shouldn't have been allowed to keep) for a wand of identify. Problem solved.
A party of players new to the game were saved from their hack-and-slash Monty Haul tendencies by the need to continually stop and identify their treasure (and to buy pearls). They now take a more balanced approach to the game and make sure their wizard has enough 'utility' spells and items on hand.
Just a little food for thought. Hope it helps.
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However, Saern's idea of including pearls as treasure (especially in a wizards lair where they'd likely be anyways) is brilliant.*
* Plus it just might kick my players of the "every pearl is a Pearl of Power" assumption kick they've been on for the past 15 years.
(laughs) And now I have to start (a) dropping pearls in the campaign and (b) encouraging PC's to buy ranks in Appraise.
What do you mean, the Identify spell didn't work?
Well, you know, on second thought, that pearl did have a flaw on one side. It might have only been worth 75 or 80 gp.
We find five pearls! Righteous. We'll need them for all those boots and armor we found.
You'd use up 350 gp pearls on an identify? Wow. I guess you guys are desperate.
They're...350 gp?
Oh, at least.
You'd use up 350 gp pearls on an identify? Wow. I guess you guys are desperate.
They're...350 gp?
Oh, at least.
I dissolve one in a 1 gallon container of wine and stir it with a really BIG owl feather. Does that give me three uses of identify?