List of special senses (?)

[Jowgen]

Low-Light, Darkvision, Scent, Tremorsense, Blindsense, Blindsight, Touchsight, Lifesight, Mindsight.

What else is there?

[eggynack]

It's not much in the grand scheme of things, but ethergaunts get total vision, which is pretty sweet.

[Zaq]

AFB so I can't check the exact wording, but the feat Nemesis (BoED) lets you sense the presence of your Favored Enemy if they're nearby. I believe it doesn't even takes an action.

[OldTrees1]

Detect X spells are hard to avoid without becoming obvious to another sense.

[Greenish]

Devils have See in Darkness, which basically Darkvision without range limit that also works in magical darkness.

Things like Xorns have All-Around Vision, meaning they can't be flanked. I'd count it as a special sense, but your mileage may vary.

[Zytil]

Not sure if this counts, but Marruspawn(sandstorm) all get Discriminating Hearing.

[Sliver]

There is Spirit Sense, from Heroes of Horror, that allows you to see and talk to the souls of the recently dead.

[ben-zayb]

Treasure Scent is a hr/CL spell that detects valuable metals/gems
Detect Fire is a hidden gem for those who actually read spell descriptions (it detects living beings without the [cold] subtype)
AFB but I think there's also a tremorsense-like ability in Stormwrack, but uses water as the medium/surface

Clearsight is a PrC ability (can't remember which) like True Seeing, except it also sees through mundane disguises.

[nedz]

Earth Sense, and also the ability to see through rock which comes from a Dwarf PrC in RoS — Earth Dreamer IIRC — though I can't recall what the ability is called.

Spirit Shaman have Detect Spirits

The Warlock's See the Unseen grants See invisibility — as per the spell.

Also, True Seeing.

Life Sense

Analyze Portal allows you to detect portals

Arcane Sight

Also there's remote viewing: Clair X, Scry, Arcane Eye, Chain of Eyes, Share Husk, ...

Commune with Nature

Foresight (see the future) — actually there are a few like this (Divine Oracle's evasion)

Know Vulnerabilities

Elven ability to detect secret doors

Dwarven ability to detect depth

The various Locate spells

Some more indirect ones: Golem Strike, Vine Strike, etc. These allow you to detect weaknesses which are hidden otherwise

[Jowgen]

OKay, so in addition to those mentioned in the OP, we now have:


Aura detection spells/abilities of all varieties (e.g. detect evil, detect fire, arcane sight etc)

See Invisibility and any other illusion-counter type spells/abilities (e.g. true seeing).

Foresight, Commune with Nature and other info-gathering divination spells/effects.

Scrying and other remote viewing Spells/Abilities.

Total Vision (Ex), from Fiend Folio p. 65. It's pretty ill-defined, but you more or less see everything within 40 ft regardless of other stuff.

Nemesis (Su), from BoED, exhalted feat giving constant unfailing 60 ft detection of FE.

See in Darkness (Su), the Baatezu ability to see perfectly in any form of darkness (FCII).

All around vision (Ex), which usually gives flanking immunity and spot bonus (there is a flat-cost armor enhancement in Underdark that gives this, i believe).

Discriminating Hearing (Ex), from Sandstorm, which seems to mostly works like 60 ft scent via sound, except for creatures without metabolism, for which it works more like Termorsense.

Spirit Sense feat, from HoR, allows seeing/hearing dead people for several minutes after death, which may or may not work depending on how death and souls are ran in the mechanics of a given games.

Dream Sight (Ex), from the Dream Dwarves of RoS, gives seeing ethereal, which does about the same as Spirit Sense but more.

Treasure Scent spell (SPc) technically qualifies, gives a mixture of scent and a very specific aura detection spell.

Scent of Evil, from the BoED Stalker of Kharash PRc combines Scent with constant Detect Evil.

Earth Sense feat (RoS), gives move action tremor sense 20, in a way.

Earth Sight (RoS), Earth Dreamer limited/day standard action ability to see through rock/earth at 30 ft.

Know Depth.


Any more?

[Thrice Dead Cat]

One of the greater status spells gives some odd vision enhancement. I airways forget their names, but between Spell Compendium, Dragon Magic, and Heroes of Battle there are several battlespell sense spells that give things akin to detect magic and means to counter spell.

[Chronos]

At very high skill bonuses, Listen (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm#listen) and Spot (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm#spot) are practically special senses on their own: You can see invisible creatures, and defeat visual and auditory illusions, and the only way to defeat it is with similarly-high Hide and Move Silently.

And psicrystals have Sighted (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/classes/psion.htm#sighted), which is basically normal hearing and vision, except that it's unaffected by silence or darkness (normal or magical).

[nedz]

One of the greater status spells gives some odd vision enhancement. I airways forget their names, but between Spell Compendium, Dragon Magic, and Heroes of Battle there are several battlespell sense spells that give things akin to detect magic and means to counter spell.

Well all of the Status spells provide another sense anyway.

Also, have we mentioned Discern Lies, et al, whereby characters can sense the truth ?

[Thrice Dead Cat]

I don't think anyone else has mentioned Discern Lies. You can also add in Zone of Truth for a similar effect.

[Necroticplague]

Ring of x-ray vision.

[ben-zayb]

From the Clearsight I mentioned earlier, it is from a PrC, Dispassionate Watcher of Chronepsis, in Draconomicon.

These aren't exactly special sense, but an effect similar to Earth Sense and Ring of X Ray Vision: the spell Snowsight (Frostburn) allows one to see through snow, and the 3.0ed spell Fire Eyes (Masters of the Wild) allows one to see through smoke and nonmagical fog.

[Chronos]

Huh, we haven't mentioned Deathwatch (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/deathwatch.htm) yet? It's potentially handy in that it's not a divination, and hence can work through anything that protects creatures from divinations.

Of course, it's also infamously Exalted Evil, but that's a story for another thread.

[Doctor Awkward]

Ebon Eyes in Spell Compendium is an arcane spell that let's the subject "see normally in natural and magical darkness". It's also a Transmutation, rather than Divination.

[Greenish]

5 ranks in Survival lets you "automatically determine where true north lies in relation to yourself". So, basically, compass sense, not fooled by magnets, magic, complete darkness, anything.

[avr]

Magic Jar has its own ability to detect life which is unlike anything else I can think of.

Share Husk lets you borrow an animals' senses.

Some alarms and traps (e.g. Magic Mouth, Glyph of Warding) seem to have the ability to detect odd things. Alignment, whether someone is on a preset list, etc.

[Jeff the Green]

There's synesthete, which lets you see or hear with your skin. I like combining it with the blindfold of true darkness.

[Milo v3]

Shocker Lizards have Electric Sense.

[The Viscount]

Shugenja has the ability to sense elements.

[WhamBamSam]

Tenebrous' See In Darkness ability lets you see in normal or magical darkness with no range limit just like the Baatezu version.

Sapphire Dragons of Juvenile and older age have this little *ahem* gem.


Sense Psychoportation (Su): The dragon can sense the use of any power or spell that enhances movement or allows instant transit from one place to another. This ability is always active and functions at a range of 100ft +10ft per caster level of the detected power or spell. The dragon does not need line of sight; it is instantly aware of the distance and direction to the detected power.

This might or might not be replaced by the Sense Psychoportation power from the 3.0 Psionics Handbook, which is basically the same but less well written. It was never updated, and 3.0 Psionics were almost wholly overwritten, so your mileage may vary.


You sense the use of various Psychoportation powers and similar spells within the area. You sense the use of these powers whether or not you can directly see them. When you sense the use of a specified effect, you know exactly when the creature is using the power. Specified powers include dimension door, dimension slide, ethereal jaunt, etherealness, fly, spider climb, teleport, and possibly others your DM determines.