What determines if something pings Detect Magic?
Whether it is magic and not a higher level illusion. Pretty straightforward. Now, there are edge cases that might be worth clarifying, like whether magical creatures count, but your simple question has a simple answer.
You can generally tell something is magic because it will have the magic trait or the trait of one of the magic traditions.
You can generally tell something is magic because it will have the magic trait or the trait of one of the magic traditions.
I would 100% agree with that.
Including for the case of creatures. A search on AoN for traits comes up with exactly one creature with any of those traits: the Roiling Incant has the Arcane trait (and a note that the GM can create variants with any of the other magic tradition traits instead). I'm fine with that one creature not being able to hide from Detect Magic. That seems appropriate.
A summoned creature would be the ongoing effect of a summoning spell, and that ongoing magical effect would be detectable with Detect Magic.
An Eidolon is a closer edge case. Personally I would not have an Eidolon be detectable to Detect Magic. The Manifest Eidolon action 1) doesn't have any of the tradition traits or the Magical trait, and 2) is a one-and-done type of action, so it doesn't necessarily leave an ongoing magical aura. Also it causes a one-off class balance concern that having an Eidolon in the party makes the party impossible to sneak into an area alarmed by Detect Magic.
The new dragons have magical traits matching their tradition, as well.
Personally, I think they made Detect Magic really bad, and I wouldn't mind if it detected other creatures which are inherently magical. You'd still roll initiative just the same when they inevitably ambush you, it just might change positioning a little. The only asterisk I'd add is that if a creature is masking their presence with an illusion strong enough for Detect Magic to miss, that m'd inherent magic should be masked as well.
Let's not forget that in general Traits don't inherit. So the presence of a magical Trait just means that thing is magic. Not that all is parts or actions are magical. That all has to be explicit elsewhere. That is where it gets complex.
So a sword can be magical because it has a fundamental rune on it. But a Strike with that sword is not magical just because the sword is. The damage that sword does is not magical either. You would need something else to make it so.
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The thing that irks me is that detect magic (and the exploration activity) can't detect magical hazards 99% of the time because it only works if the hazard has no perception proficiency requirement.
A house rule I'm considering is allowing it but requiring a check with Arcana/Tradition skill, and using that to compare to the Perception DC and proficiency requirement.
That way, casters can use Detect Magic as a solid exploration tactic, that's powerful enough to help, but doesn't auto-detect everything without a die roll.
Do mages ping Detect Magic?
Do mages ping Detect Magic?
Unofficially, I don't think mages have ever personally emanated a magical aura in any edition I have played, but on the other hand the question was often moot by a certain level when their gear and any active buffs on themselves show up.
I tend to think of magical auras being restricted to active magical effects or tied to functioning magic items. Creatures with the potential to cast magic don't, nor do creatures powered by magic (ie constructs) unless their existence is an active magic effect (summoned construct).
But then I don't know a specific page reference that explains where magical auras come from and what has them and what doesn't, so grain of salt.
The thing that irks me is that detect magic (and the exploration activity) can't detect magical hazards 99% of the time because it only works if the hazard has no perception proficiency requirement.
A house rule I'm considering is allowing it but requiring a check with Arcana/Tradition skill, and using that to compare to the Perception DC and proficiency requirement.
That way, casters can use Detect Magic as a solid exploration tactic, that's powerful enough to help, but doesn't auto-detect everything without a die roll.
Yeah, detecting magic making you worse at detecting magical hazards is dookie. I've implemented similar house rules, but I made it so that you treat your perception proficiency as one step higher and get a +2 circumstance bonus when it comes to magical hazards.
I also think they made zeroing in on what is shedding the magic just kind of annoying. I imagine they probably did it so you couldn't distinguish between a noble's magical necklace vs an enchantment, polymorph, or low level illusion... But it mostly just makes dungeon exploration and loot identification take extra steps.
Is Detect Magic in the Remastered even a worth while Cantrip anymore?
Is Detect Magic in the Remastered even a worth while Cantrip anymore?
Sure. I'd argue that it's better than it was pre-remaster. It is still the quickest way to find if there are magic items to loot. But it takes more steps (and potentially a second cantrips) to find what is actually magic, especially before rank 4.
Someone in your party needs to have Detect Magic and/or Read Aura. But there's little point in having multiple people with it.
Someone in your party needs to have Detect Magic and/or Read Aura. But there's little point in having multiple people with it.
If you were strapped for cantrip choices, you could get by with just Detect Magic, right? Read Aura seems like it's just going to get bonuses to an action you're able to otherwise do without it.
Someone in your party needs to have Detect Magic and/or Read Aura. But there's little point in having multiple people with it.If you were strapped for cantrip choices, you could get by with just Detect Magic, right? Read Aura seems like it's just going to get bonuses to an action you're able to otherwise do without it.Well, by rules you need already to know that something is magical to Identify it. And Read Aura does exactly that. Detect Magic doesn't tell you what exactly is magical even at the highest rank.
But it somehow should work without RA because it would be awful and tedious and boring otherwise. So I guess, yes, you could get by without RA.
Yeah. And generally when you want to find the magic in the loot pile, you can just triangulate the objects by spreading them apart from each other. But it is a pain in the ass.
Maybe someone could help me understand, given a big pile of loot, some of which might be magical, what's the "intended" workflow for detecting and identifying things?
I'd have thought it's something like, "Use Detect Magic, moving stuff in and out of range until you've seen what 'pings' vs what doesn't, then take the Identify Magic action on all items that pinged." I figured using Read Aura at that point just makes the identification easier (+2 circ bonus). Is there a piece I'm missing?