Things that can be used to detect AMFs

[Jowgen]

Anti-magic fields & dead magic zones et al. are a headache, and even more so when one wanders into one unaware.

So, simple question is, how do you personally handle the problem of the sneaky AMFs?

[Necroticplague]

The AMF is explicitely called out as invisible. Fortunately, this means that you can see it with See Invisibility. As the kind of levels where you have to worry about this, it's relative chump change to just get it permanencied.

[Deophaun]

Prestidigitation.

I had a campaign where we were sent to a mountain that had roving anti-magic pockets. How it played out was there was a 75% chance your spell would fail because there was a 50% chance you were in an AMF and another 50% chance the target was in an AMF. So, I took a large sack, tore it up, and I took all the archer's arrows, and I prestidigitized them into a safety orange color. Everyone tied a piece of the sack to their forearm and I made an arrangement with the archer to help call my targets; if I didn't see safety orange where I wanted to cast, I cast somewhere else. Took a 75% chance of failure to 100% chance of success.

Edit: And we were level six or seven at the time, so permanencied see invisibility was definitely not chump change.

[MesiDoomstalker]

If your wearing enchanted armor, there is precedent it wears differently without its magic. In one of the War of the Spiderqueen books, the drow cast an AMF on themselves to bypass a series of magical traps. The fighter Drow makes note of his armor feeling heavier and his sword being more awkward to use due to their magical enhancements being suppressed. So there's that. On a more practical application's, a permacied Detect Magic (which is pretty cheap) won't detect the dwoemer (the point of origin is at the center of the AMF) but you'd notice a complete sudden lack of dwoemer's that start at a sharp point. Anything that has a clearly visible display with a suitably long duration can point out when you've entered an AMF.

[Big Fau]

Any AoEs you may have can reveal one, provided you are using magic-based AoEs (Dragonfire Adepts, for example, can use their breath weapons to sniff out an AMF).

Unseen Servant Horde can reveal an AMF by having each servant hold a rock or other object and then being ordered to space out in such a way that they can't miss one in your path.

If you feel like spending a little GP, you can use Continual Flame on a bag of marbles to make both torches and miniature AMF detectors.

[LTwerewolf]

If one abjuration spell is active within 10 feet of another for 24 hours or more, the magical fields interfere with each other and create barely visible energy fluctuations.

A more long term solution, but an often forgotten one.

[Big Fau]

A more long term solution, but an often forgotten one.

AMF doesn't last long enough for that to happen though.

[Deophaun]

AMF doesn't last long enough for that to happen though.
The spell doesn't. But if you had an AMF-generating construct just sitting there, it could happen.

Very, very edge case, though.

[Inevitability]

Get a Collar of Perpetual Attendance, have the created servant carry a brightly colored rock and walk in front of you. When the rock drops, something's up.

[Bohandas]

Continual flame on something that can be tossed away and then mechanically retrieved (like a grappling hook, something on the end of a fishing line, or a yo-yo with a very long string)

[MuddlingThrough]

I haven't had it come up personally, but Silent Image is a 1st level spell with a potential duration of all day even for a novice caster (Concentration, so only if not actually engaging in anything while using it) and a rather wide range. While it doesn't have the benefit of an audible warning (as the falling rock sort of suggestions above), it could be a useful and cheap wide-range warning system while exploring. Just need to come up with something subtle enough for someone not looking for it to be likely to miss it (several pairs of moths flying around each other, or several oddly shaped puffs of sand being kicked up by the wind, or whatever, depending on terrain), if stealth is a concern.

[Troacctid]

The AMF is explicitely called out as invisible. Fortunately, this means that you can see it with See Invisibility. As the kind of levels where you have to worry about this, it's relative chump change to just get it permanencied.
See invisibility lets you "see any objects or beings that are invisible within your range of vision"; AMFs are not objects or beings.

[FearlessGnome]

See invisibility lets you "see any objects or beings that are invisible within your range of vision"; AMFs are not objects or beings.

I realize this is a tangent, but by that interpretation, wouldn't Invisible Spell Fog Cloud and other Invisible Spell spells also not show up?

[Telonius]

Get a Collar of Perpetual Attendance, have the created servant carry a brightly colored rock and walk in front of you. When the rock drops, something's up.

Similar in a core-only environment: Everburning Torch tied to a 10-foot pole.

[Necroticplague]

See invisibility lets you "see any objects or beings that are invisible within your range of vision"; AMFs are not objects or beings.

It is a being. If it exists, it's a being, by definition. The AMF does exists, as an invisible field. Ergo, it's an invisible being. Which See Invisibility lets you see.

[Psyren]

It is a being. If it exists, it's a being, by definition. The AMF does exists, as an invisible field. Ergo, it's an invisible being. Which See Invisibility lets you see.

As "being" is not defined in the RAW, your GM gets to choose which definition for it is used, not you. If he chooses "a real or imaginary living creature, especially an intelligent one" then you're SOL with this reasoning.

[Inevitability]

Similar in a core-only environment: Everburning Torch tied to a 10-foot pole.

You might as well cast Unseen Servant twice or thrice a day and have it carry the pole for you in that case.

[Deophaun]

You might as well cast Unseen Servant twice or thrice a day and have it carry the pole for you in that case.
But if you have the servant, why the poll? That's 2sp that can be better spent elsewhere!

[Troacctid]

I realize this is a tangent, but by that interpretation, wouldn't Invisible Spell Fog Cloud and other Invisible Spell spells also not show up?
As per the feat:

Those with detect magic, see invisibility, or true seeing spells or effects active at the time of the casting will see whatever visual manifestations typically accompany the spell.

[dascarletm]

Dancing Lights

[Segev]

Ioun stones - even the dull gray variety are useful for seeing if YOU have entered an AMF. It'll fall.

Continual flame is also something that is always on until it enters an AMF (as a general rule, anyway). Could even put it on a fishing pole to probe with if you're actively concerned.

[Fizban]

Dead magic zones in Faerun can explicitly be felt by any casters who enter them, so you know the moment you hit it. I'm fairly certain that Detect Magic/Arcane Sight should work, if not because it's explicitly called out somewhere then because duh, and I will shove the DMG down your throat if you try and tell me they don't.

[Segev]

Dead magic zones in Faerun can explicitly be felt by any casters who enter them, so you know the moment you hit it. I'm fairly certain that Detect Magic/Arcane Sight should work, if not because it's explicitly called out somewhere then because duh, and I will shove the DMG down your throat if you try and tell me they don't.

AAAH! Fallacy of the (book-shaped) club (sandwich)!

[Fizban]

My throwing arm isn't great and I like to keep things interesting :smallcool:

[Necroticplague]

HHmmm....what kind of emnations are there? if you had an emanation centered on you, you could recognize any AMFs by your emanation suddenly having a portion of it cut off. Ideally, it would be an emnation with a normal visible effect, but even if it doesn't, an invisible emnation+arcane sight should give you what you need (as any objects effected would begin emitting faint magic auras).

Alternatively, AMF is, itself, a spell, so it's area should emit an Abjuration aura you can see with Arcane Sight. While the AMF might cover up inside the AoE, that still leaves the surface of the emnation, which should still be readable.

[Jowgen]

HHmmm....what kind of emnations are there? if you had an emanation centered on you, you could recognize any AMFs by your emanation suddenly having a portion of it cut off. Ideally, it would be an emnation with a normal visible effect, but even if it doesn't, an invisible emnation+arcane sight should give you what you need (as any objects effected would begin emitting faint magic auras).

Alternatively, AMF is, itself, a spell, so it's area should emit an Abjuration aura you can see with Arcane Sight. While the AMF might cover up inside the AoE, that still leaves the surface of the emnation, which should still be readable.

Incidentally, I got thinking about this looking at exalted feats and wondering whether the illumination generated by Holy Radiance would be neutralized in areas where it overlapped with an AMF. Still not sure about that one, but there must be a low level spell or cheap item that creates a constant emenation effect that's visible to the eye...

Mentioning cheap items made me realize that a Talisman of the disk can work. Having one float ahead while walking would provide a decent warning system. Plus, it should b able to set of motion detection traps. Okay, I need to update my handbook on the topic.

[trikkydik]

Just always have a 0 level spell active all the time.
Aka, cast light on whatever you're wearing (baseball cap for all I care)
Lasts 140 minutes.
If the light goes out AMF.

[Troacctid]

Just always have a 0 level spell active all the time.
Aka, cast light on whatever you're wearing (baseball cap for all I care)
Lasts 140 minutes.
If the light goes out AMF.
Maybe not the best example, since any magical darkness would produce a false positive.

[Zanos]

Dead magic zones in Faerun can explicitly be felt by any casters who enter them, so you know the moment you hit it. I'm fairly certain that Detect Magic/Arcane Sight should work, if not because it's explicitly called out somewhere then because duh, and I will shove the DMG down your throat if you try and tell me they don't.
Good news!

Any creature, whether a user of the Weave or Shadow
Weave, can use a detect magic spell to determine the extent
of a dead magic area within range (a Weave user would have
to cast the spell outside the dead magic area). A character
with the Insidious Magic feat must make a caster level
check (DC 10) to detect a dead magic area in this manner
Presumably this extends to antimagic fields, but it is in a Faerun specific book.

[Eladrinblade]

Get a fishing pole and a potion. Put the potion on the line, cast detect magic, and walk around with the pole held out in front of you. When the potion stops registering as magic, bam, AMF.

[MirddinEmris]

Good news!

Presumably this extends to antimagic fields, but it is in a Faerun specific book.

Unfortunately, dead magic zones are not antimagic zones, so per RAW it shouldn't

[Hunter Noventa]

Using something like Dancing Lights or Ghost Sound to probe areas would be pretty useful. Good enough perception,and Ghost sound would be like echolocation for AMFs.