How do i detect a phylactery?

[Josato]

A party has a necklace thats actually a phylactery. She also hides it. Is there a way to detect it and know what is without the phylactery noticing it?

[Spiderguy24]

A party has a necklace thats actually a phylactery. She also hides it. Is there a way to detect it and know what is without the phylactery noticing it?

Did you use the Detect Magic spell?

[PeteNutButter]

Not really much on phylacteries RAW. I'd think detect magic and identify might do the trick? I don't think you have to worry about it noticing, it's not sentient. Even if the lich's soul is in it, I don't think it can sense surroundings at all. My interpretation is it is basically sleeping during the restoration time.

[Josato]

Not really much on phylacteries RAW. I'd think detect magic and identify might do the trick? I don't think you have to worry about it noticing, it's not sentient. Even if the lich's soul is in it, I don't think it can sense surroundings at all. My interpretation is it is basically sleeping during the restoration time.

Alright. From that perspective i can see how one would cast to figure it out. What my character knows is that the necklace is talking to the character. What je doesnt know is the necklace is observing from the wearers perception.could end bad if hes seen casting the spell onthe necklace. But maybe thats a roleplay flavor of how a phylactery works rather than its actual capabilities.

[Unoriginal]

Alright. From that perspective i can see how one would cast to figure it out. What my character knows is that the necklace is talking to the character. What je doesnt know is the necklace is observing from the wearers perception.could end bad if hes seen casting the spell onthe necklace. But maybe thats a roleplay flavor of how a phylactery works rather than its actual capabilities.

Maybe you could find a way to have Identify cast on it?

[rooneg]

Something like a lich's phylactery is effectively a plot point, not a game mechanic. You detect it by whatever means the DM feels is suitable to the story they're trying to tell. Maybe you can't at all, maybe you find scribbled notes regarding it's potential location from the last person who tried to hunt down the lich. Maybe you need to speak to the soul of the person the lich killed as part of the ceremony that created the phylactery. There are practically infinite options here.

[DeTess]

Alright. From that perspective i can see how one would cast to figure it out. What my character knows is that the necklace is talking to the character. What je doesnt know is the necklace is observing from the wearers perception.could end bad if hes seen casting the spell onthe necklace. But maybe thats a roleplay flavor of how a phylactery works rather than its actual capabilities.

Why are you taking what you don't know into account here? It's what you don't know after all. If you've got detect magic or identify, and know that some weird item is talking to our friend, that would be a very sensible first step (actually, casting protection from good and evil on that friend would probably be the very first step, but you get what I mean).

[PeteNutButter]

Something like a lich's phylactery is effectively a plot point, not a game mechanic. You detect it by whatever means the DM feels is suitable to the story they're trying to tell. Maybe you can't at all, maybe you find scribbled notes regarding it's potential location from the last person who tried to hunt down the lich. Maybe you need to speak to the soul of the person the lich killed as part of the ceremony that created the phylactery. There are practically infinite options here.

This^

If you're still confused, watch the last couple Harry Potter movies.

[Josato]

Thank you for the advice everyone!