Identify spell on a phylactery

[Ettina]

In this campaign, one of the characters has gotten hold of a lich's phylactery and doesn't know it. He's probably going to try to identify the magic properties of it, though. What will identify find? Will it just straight up indicate that this thing resurrects a specific undead creature (liches haven't been seen for hundreds of years in this setting) or will it give a more vague answer?

[Necroticplague]

It will turn up nothing, because phylacteries are artifacts, whichi Identify doesn't work on. Minor artifacts, but still artifacts.

[Afgncaap5]

It will turn up nothing, because phylacteries are artifacts, whichi Identify doesn't work on. Minor artifacts, but still artifacts.

Is it? I can't find a reference to it being an artifact in the Monster Manual or d20srd. Did a later book update it and clarify that it is?

Even if so, the fact that it has construction requirements (Craft Wondrous, minimum caster level, gold spent, etc.) seems to suggests that it's a form of magic more readily in the hands of mortals than most artifacts, even the minor ones. Having said that, if a DM wants to rule that Identify fails against phylacteries for story purposes, that's well within their purview.

If it's not an artifact and a DM doesn't want to make special exceptions, though... I'd rule that the Identify spell would, in fact, reveal that it's something that would summon, regenerate, or otherwise bring back a lich.

You could also split the difference for the best of both worlds: have the spell technically identify all the properties of the item, but not use proper names. "The prayers and arcane formulae within this box key it to an ancient evil, a powerful being that has claimed a sinister mockery of life beyond death. While this headband exists, this creature will not die, and it will be brought back time and time again."

[ExLibrisMortis]

Identify reveals all functions of a magic item, including how to activate them. I'd treat phylacteries as any magic item, and outright say that it will allow regrowth of the lich keyed to it, activated by the destruction of said lich's body.

[Ashtagon]

By RAW, it simply works, and the PCs get full information. Personally, I always felt that was a bit of a plot short-circuit.

For my campaigns, I work it as follows:

1) It always detects the strength and school of magic ("strong necromancy" in this case).

2) The spell can optionally have one other person as a "helper" for the spell, who must touch the item at the same time as the caster. Touch-activated cursed items pick one of the two people randomly as the first person to touch it, if that matters.

3) If either the caster or the helper is able to use (i.e., activate and/or proficiently wield) and benefit from or be cursed by the item, the spell reveals those.

Magic items that do not and cannot interact with the caster or helper do not reveal anything more than strength and school of magic under this change. Powers of items that require the caster or helper to possess some ability that they do not currently have but may do in the future are also not revealed.

[Silva Stormrage]

RAW it does seem to reveal everything.

Realistically any lich worth his salt is going to put up permanent wards shielding his phylactery from divinations. Including things like identify.

A really clever lich will use something like a custom version of Magic Aura (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magicAura.htm) that doesn't allow a saving throw so that the item appears to be something else that the player doesn't want to destroy.

At the very least a 1st level permancied magic aura is a 1st level spell so you could just use it as written and allow the player a will save to identify the true result.

[Mystral]

It will turn up nothing, because phylacteries are artifacts, whichi Identify doesn't work on. Minor artifacts, but still artifacts.

A phylactery has no intrinsic magical obfuscation on it and can be identified with Identify, as well as light up from detect magic.

Most Lich cast spells on their Phylactery to make them harder to find. A spell that hides it from magical identification is one of those.

[Telonius]

Libris Mortis specifically calls out a few ways to discover a phylactery:

"An identify or analyze dweomer spell, or a DC 25 Knowledge (arcana) check, can identify an item as a phylactery..." (LM p. 151)

[Ettina]

I don't think Magic Aura can be permanencied. It doesn't have the 'this spell can be made permanent' blurb and it isn't listed as an example under permanency.